I tried to get these pessaries on prescription, but my surgery would not do it. They will prescribe for the Balance Activ for bacterial vaginosis though, which seemt to say they will prescribe for an infection but not to manage menopause symptoms. Has anyone else been able to get the menopause type of pessaries on prescription?
Like what?vitamin e or vagifem?
Everything I found indicated they aren't available on prescription:-(
Strangely enough Sylk is! But that caused me stinging and itching and is only meant as a lubricant during sex unlike B activ. I looked at some other stuff in the pharmacy but the ingredients did not seem as natural.
A vaginal moisturising gel boots own brand, is advertised containing propylene glycol,methyl p hydroxybenzoate,sodium hydroxide, amongst other things, but these ingredients don't sound too natural to me although it does mention hydeal d which is a hyaluronic acid drivative, which is a good ingredient. I would be interested to know if anyone has tried it.
This is actually Boots version of Hyalofemme - the ingredients are exactly the same, and, as you say, not natural. As I have said before, sodium hydroxide is caustic soda - would you put that on your privates?!?!? It is used to adjust Ph levels, but there are other ways to do this without using such a harmful chemical. I tried Hyalofemme and it stung like crazy. So, just be careful, bearing in mind Sylk stung you - Sylk is a water based lube and vaginal moisturiser and all of the water based lubes/moisturisers I gave tried sting me e.g. Yes, WooHoo, Astrolube. So I am sticking with natural oils.
Balance active pessaries for menopause contain hyaluronic acid and are oil based. They didn't sting me, but did make me swell up a bit. Shane they are not available on prescription because, being oil based, they are an alternative to water based gels which irritate some of us.
Thanks for that Suki. When I read sodiun I immediately chought, salt, stinging. Thanks for the update. I will stick to my balance activ menopause pessaries. and will just have to shell out the £13.99!!!
Salt is sodium chloride - I seen seen that as an ingredient too. Caustic soda is used to clean out clogged drains - my vag is not a drain, thank you!
None of this stuff we use is cheap. The key e pessaries are costly and have to be shipped from America. Yes oil based lube is expensive and I use loads of that during intercourse so it gets used up very quickly. Again, the water based Yes is available on prescription, like silk, - when will they realise some of us only get on with oil based things in our V's. I wonder if there is somewhere we can contact if we want something made available on prescription .... if enough of us want it .... hum ....
Hi When I saw my Gyne at Birmingham Women's Hospital I told her the only thing that worked for me was Balance active menopause moisture pessaries so she advised the GP to give me a prescription for them but the only ones they could give me on prescription is Balance active BV gel, which they did so I use them occasionally as they work as a gel just like the other but have the added advantage of sorting the PH out which helps I think. She also advised Aloe Vera Gel. She also gave me a prescription for Vagifem 10mg pessaires which I use 3 times a week, Monday, weds, fri and Replens.
By the way, they often reduce the price down to £10 and I bulk buy.
I noticed they had an offer on the gel version, two for the price of one, at the moment.
I gave not tried the gel version. It is a water based gel and those seem to sting me. Although the Balance Activ on does seem to contain very few ingredients in addition to the hyaluronic acid - I like few ingredients. There is phenoxyethanol, which is a preservative and considered to be the least irritating one, and methylparaben, which is an anti-fungal and anti-bacterial agent (to stop growth of these things in the gel), which is a paraben, and there is a lot of controversy about use of these in products. The buffered saline is salt solution which has had the Ph balanced. I have noticed that the Balance Active gel is widely available in UK supermarkets. I may give it a try one day. The problem for me is even the most simple and gentle of water based vaginal moisturisers e.g. Regelle, make me swell up and uncomfortable inside. Balance activ pessaries, which are oil based, also made me swell up, although not to such a degree. I usually get on well with oil based products in my vagina. My consultant is at a loss as to what is causing this swelling, unless my cells are super absorbent and are plumping up too much with the water based moisturisers or hyaluronic acid.
Let me know if you try the gel version, and what happens.
I found I was fine with the Balance Activ Menopause pessaries, and the gel, and the Carlson E pessaries (or suppositories, as they're called), but I'm using organic coconut oil morning and night, and have been for a while now (I'm on my third jar) because I can manage that easiest with the type of prolapse pessary I have, which has a knob on to ease insertion and removal, and the coconut oil can be pushed around the knob easier than anything else and works like a dream to moisturise. I used to get irritation around the vulva some years back and used vagisil cream for a long time until I looked at the ingredients and then went off that but found that coconut sorted it and haven't had problems since. But if I have any problems that the coconut won't sort, I'll go on to the hyalaronic acid products because the studies show that they improve atrophy, and there aren't many products which actually improve it.
I did try the gel version and it worked fine. Because I'm using the coconut at the moment I've actually used the gel on my face from time to time:-)
There has to be an answer to this because I remember reading that people were 'prescribed' all sorts of things including holidays! But I've looked and I can't find out where you contact to request that something is added to the prescription list. I wonder if it would be worth asking Balance Active if they can get the pessaries added?
Don't forget sea buckthorn oil!
i use the Hyalofemme gel on my face too!
I found this on the NHS website with regard to who decides what is available on prescription in th UK:
"The Department of Health decide what is allowed on the NHS as a whole.
The Clinical Comissioning Group (CCG) in England or Local Health Board (LHB) in Wales for the area that the GP surgery is situated in may then impose local prescribing guidelines or restrictions.
If you wish to discuss this further, you should approach your CCG or LHB in the first instance. You should be able to get their contact details from your GP surgery."
Also this (same site):
"If you have been told by your GP that a particular medication is not available on the NHS then you may be offered it via a private prescription. You would not get any help with any private prescriptions, even if you have one of the normal NHS exemptions.
An NHS prescription should only be provided if the medication would usually be provided on the NHS. There are no obligations for a GP to prescribe medication if the recommended treatment is outside the guidelines.