Wondering if anyone here has used Bellevue Pharmacy - they have a link here for the Patient Empowerment Program - for their saliva testing and BHRT? If so, are you happy with their service and prices? I am asking because I called then to get some info and was told they would call me back since the pharmacist I needed to speak to was on another call. They never called back. Finally on the 3rd try in 2 weeks time I got ahold of someone, told them this was my 3rd attemp to get some info, and was finally allowed to talked with someone. She seemed a little short and snippy.

I am also a bit concerned because when I asked if their was a risk of weight gain or anxiety with BHRT ( am having those those symptoms now - not talking any hormones at all) I was told it was very rare. That seems to contradict what I have read here. MANY women have posted that they had weight gain with BHRT and some report anxiety. I was also told that 80% of women whom they prescribe BHRT do not need to have their dosage tweaked. Does this sound right to you?

I assumed since they had a link here they would be a good choice to provide my testing and BHRT through the Patient Empowerment Program, as my doctor is cluless about BHRT, as are all the docs in my area. Any feedback would be appreciated. Also, if you have used this pharmacy, how much $$$ is it a month for BHRT? I know everyone's dosage many be different, hence a different price, but I just need a ballpark figure. Thank you.

Hi Marie:
I've used Bellevue since last December and I'm sorry to hear you have started out on the wrong foot. I almost always call and ask to speak with Janna. Paul has helped me a few times too but they always seem to have time to talk with me.My doctor too did not understand much about Bio-identicals so I sent all my lab work to Bellevue after doing their online consultation. I have a feeling they are getting bombarded because let's face it statistics say there are millions of us out there going thru menopause and we have so many questions and so few doctors that know what's going on.

The consultation was $25 and then it was refunded to me when I began to purchase my prescription with them. Bio Identicals in compound form will run more expensive than other forms of hormones. When I first started on this roller coaster I was spending $45 a month for the Climera patch. This was not enough for me so I then began on 1.25 mg of estradiol recommended by Bellevue. I spend around $85 a month for those but fortunately my insurance pays me back 50%. But remember that that is for me. Each compound prescription is fitted for each person.

As for the anxiety and weight gain-I don't believe that those are caused by HRT. My weight gain is because at first I was not watching what I ate and with menopause my body was storing everything and I could not get myself to exercise because I did not feel good. And my anxiety was one of my symptoms from menopause not my HRT. Now I am slowly losing weight but I am on the Body for Life for Women Lifestyle and I exercise every day, even if it's just walking. And My anxiety is under control as long as I take my vitamins and hormones. I am sure 80% of women may not need their dosage tweeked but when you are young like I am (42) life throws you curves and you still have to keep up so I will take a little more estradiol on those days.

Each person can decide if they want to go natural and just take supplements but with me my symptoms were so bad since I had not taken care of myself that I experienced the worse symptoms and I could not and would not go just natural. I needed help.

I hope this helps you. And please remember to read all the different sites here and decide for yourself what will work best for you and your lifestyle. If your doctor does not understand about HRT then others advise to call around and look for a doctor that does understand.

Hope this helps!
Kathy

I actualy had bad experience with College pharmacy: simply rude and nio way to talk to the pharmacist unles you pay for the consult. B
Bellvue pharmacists was very nice and I had a phone consult with them and it was around $50. Unfortunately, my dr send the Rx to college pharmacy and when I mentioned bellvue, he griinched did not want to switch, may be he works with college only. They all have thier own pharmacists they trust.
Anyway, I did gain weight on HRT and my depression/anxiety went through the roof, I could not stop crying because of progesteron and had very scary chest pain and leg cramps all the time, and worst yeast infection and dryness I ever had. I figured that P is my worst enemy but without it, I was too scared take E alone, and also I started bleeding midcycle, so I just stopped it all together. It's been three months since then, my cycle returned back to normal (4 weeks for me) and I still get bouts of anxiety/depression but not as bad as it was while on bioidentical. I was Rx 1.25 biest twice a day, and the bellvue pharmacist suggested I need at least twice as much. I did not lose much weight since then but I am no longer bloated and lost this "being pregnant" physical and emoptional state. I do blame it on P mostly, since I felt fine on E only (days 1-14). I started taking Vitex and DIM complex, and feel no side efefcts so far.
As for saliva testing, I don't think it's accurate, blood test is better and is covered by insurance. My hormones cost from college was $140 a month, and consider my unpleasant experience, I was very disappoainted.
I feel that subligual hormones are not worth the money, and that E gel and patch provide consistent and stable levels of estrogen, while sublingual peak very fast and then drop even faster.
Now I just take supplements, vitamins, eat well, exercise (walking and weights) and have plenty of rest (i.e. go to bed as early as I can an and sleep in if my shcedule permits). I still have achy muscels and joints and digestive issues (on and off) and bouts of anxiety/depression, but overall is better than when I used hormones. I would try again when the hormonal rollercoaster is over, and my estrogen hits rock bottom. So far, I am not even close to menopause according to multiple blood tests.

HTH,
Iradan

Hi Kathy,

Thanks for the info. I was diagnosed with meno almost a year ago and the symptoms keep getting worse. I also see no point in going natural and need BHRT. I am also young to be going through this, 44 yrs old, so to me meno at this age is quite unnatural. I told my doc repeatedly that I thought I was starting meno. He said I was too young and kept testing for other problems. I finally insisted on an FSH test that proved I WAS in meno. Even though I knew it in my heart, the confirmation was a total blow to my self esteem - I felt like an old lady!

I already had an anxiety disorder(panic attacks) before starting meno and while it hasn't gotten worse I am terrified the BHRT will make it worse. I am under control for the most part now by taking a very small dose. .25mg, of Xanax 2X a day. The weight thing also scares me. I had always been naturally thin, a size 0 or 2, and could eat anything without gaining weight. Over the last 8 months I have gained 14 lbs as of today. I am obsessed with the scale! I have been severely restricing my calories, eating only between 800-1200 a day, but the weight keeps coming! I know part of it is that I used to work out with weights an hour a day, 4 days a week. Now I am so exhausted from insomnia, on the days I even have the energy to try a workout I last about 5 minutes. I can barely get my housework done, let alone have the energy to exercise! I know if I could just get back the energy to workout I would feel so much better. I used to love my workouts, they made me feel so good and energized. But I am in the vicious cycle of being too tired to exercise which then makes me more tired, which then makes me not work out..................


I am afraid of BHRT making things worse, but more afraid to do nothing! Guess I'll give it a try. At this point I have nothing to loose!

Hi Iradan,

Thanks for your reply. Why were you hormones if you are nowhere near menopause?

Oh Marie-I'll be praying for you. I know exactly how you feel! I had a partial 11 years ago and no one ever told me I would possibly go thru early menopause. So about two years I started getting panic attacks every 2-3 months. Nothing I couldn't handle. Then all of a sudden BOOM! Panic attacks every day for one week lasting 4-6 hours per time! Then insomnia-down to sleep at 10pm then up at 1am WIDE AWAKE! So then I became sleep deprived. Then massive weight loss-dropped 25 pounds in two weeks! Shaking uncontrollably for 2 weeks straight. And sobbing uncontrollably for no reason 4-5 times per day. During all this time I'm waiting for my blood tests to come back since my dr. didn't want to treat me for something that wasn't occuring. He was also testing my thyroid and sugar. And during this time my blood pressure sky rocketed to 162/102. Never ever had high blood pressure before so now I am on 10mg.Lisonopril too.

I too didn't want to believe it was menopause. Gosh I'm only 42! I grew up believing that was for "old" women. No one taught me any difference. Sorry ladies for my previous stupidity on this! But now I realize its a stage in every woman's life that we must go thru and depending on your own body it will occur when it's suppose to. I also need to let you know that during those two weeks I prayed constantly and my faith is what held me up. (and I'm sure I was being held during that time-Psalm 23 was my lifeline)

So then began my intensive search for the answer. What I've concluded is that just as unpredictable it is for each woman so is her treatment. Some take anti-depressants and BHRT, others just go natural with vitamins and exercise, some just take BHRT. It just all depends what will work for you. I think there's a site here too for women who take Xanax and from what I've read it works for them. I do remember when I started the Climera Patch it took my body 8 weeks to adjust but each day I felt a little better. Then after 3 months some symptoms came back so back again I was at the dr.s begging for more. I felt like an addict! Then I'd be okay for another 3 months. Finally I said enough and asked for my blood tests and sent them and a saliva test I took to Bellevue. I've now been with them since December. I've increased my dosage again and I have been told that's the highest but I've also been taking tons of vitamins such as a daily dose pack. Please call a Certified Nutritionist in your area and explain your situation, they too can recommend what vitamins would be best. I was lucky and found one who had just got done going thru peri so she knew exactly what would help and was dosage was necessary. My journey thru this will include Bellevue, vitamins, exercise and tons of prayer. And there are days I'm still not my best so I just tell everyone I just don't feel myself so I'm going to rest and people around me now know just to leave me alone for alittle bit while I just rest and relax.
Please feel free to email me Marie if you just want to vent too-sometimes I wish my friends would open up and talk to me about this but they haven't gone thru peri or menopause and I think I've frightened them. So I am so thankful for dearest.com. It's been my help this past year too.

Just tell yourself Marie that this too shall pass. You will find what works for you and you will overcome this!
You will also get your energy back! I now walk 2 miles everyday and lift weights every other day and my weight is coming off. But I remember too asking my mother "Will I ever be okay again" and she kept telling me YES Honey you will make it thru this. Just be sure you are comfortable with your dr too. If you're not then find another and find another til you find one that will work with you. I'm blessed that mine will work with me. Together he said we'll get this under control and I'll be okay. And I'll never forget the first thing he said to me is You Are Not Losing Your Mind! This is just a normal process for women that takes different turns for everyone. We'll find out what will work best for you. So God Bless you Marie and I will be praying for you and I'll tell you too You Will Survive This Just take it one day at a time okay?

Kathy

Mt FSH and E are both in normal (what is normal after all) range but P is a bit low. The transition can take as long as 8 years. I am in perimenopause but my hormones fluctuated widely.

Kathy,

Thank you so much for your kind words and support

Re: Bellevue,
They were very friendly to me, but it seems like the hormones haven't worked for me as well as Estrace and Prometrium. I get the feeling that I need tweaking now, which my gyno won't really do. I think the hormones cost something like $80 a month without insurance from Bellevue, and more like $9 with my insurance from my gyno. But if Bellevue had worked, I would have paid. I don't know why the sublingual or biest don't seem to do anything--it doesn't make sense--but when I took them it seemed like I had taken nothing at all (I respond very quickly to hormones).

They are great about spending time with you...just wish their hormones worked for me. I do not know about saliva vs. blood testing. I've done neither to any extent. I'm still searching. I plan to go to one of those very expensive doctors but they all seem to be booked for months--I guess there are a lot of us out there, esp in SoCal.

I do feel that BHRT has been helpful to me. If I miss a dose, it makes a big difference immediately. I don't like Prometrium that much, but Estrace has been good. As far as weight gain...I'm not sure it makes much of a difference. I gained before I started, stopped for awhile, then have gained 5 lbs here and there.

Love to hear anyone else's stories! Good luck to all of you ladies. I agree about prayer--it's the most important "treatment" to me too.