I finally have a whole week free because my exams happened to be right after another. I’ve decided to start medicating myself because I’ve lost all hope in this country’s (netherlands) medical system.
It would literally be cheaper and faster for me to hitch a ride to some European country (by train) and get hormones myself from some pharmacy instead of waiting here for prescription drugs that my insurance won’t even cover (because it is not a Dutch insurance, but a European one. Didn’t even know about that complication until it was too late). Not to mention the absurdly high costs for consultations and everything.
Do any of you comrades have any experience buying hormones in a European country? I know that in the netherlands, pharmacies will pretty much give you nothing without a prescription (which my GP isn’t willing to give). I’ve heard that in Spain getting hormones over the counter is possible.
I know that ordering online us a possibility, but I am honestly quite scared of something going wrong, which is why I am looking for in person pharmacies.
Your help is much appreciated.
Astrovials is a diy source that ships globally from France, I know maybe ~50 people on it, no issues in customs even outside the EU
I can confirm that Dutch GPs are really impossible to work with when it comes to prescribing hormones. Even though I have an official gender dysphoria diagnosis, my GP will still refuse prescribing me hormones, so I have to get them through an endocrinologist at the gender polyclinic. Although I managed to find a loophole through an online pharmacy that automatically renews an old prescription now, so I don’t have to constantly request a new prescription for something I need for the rest of my life.
I have no experience doing DIY, but we have a stickied post that contains useful information and resources to get people started. https://hexbear.net/post/3016455
What hormones do you need? For estrogen Spain is probably your best bet from what I’ve heard, I’m less sure about testosterone. Russia used to be good for both, but that’s obviously a lot more problematic nowadays.
I’m in the same position in a European country where HRT is basically inaccesible unless your GP decides to play ball and it sucks. I ended up going the online route and it’s scary but for what’s it worth I’ve haven’t encountered any problems other than having to argue with my doctor to let me get blood tests.
Yeah I need estrogen, and I keep seeing people say that Spain is good for that. I do need to do a bit more research before packing my bags and heading off (that’s if I even need to, since maybe online might work???)
let me say, I have no first hand experience buying in person. I’ve heard that it’s possible in Portugal and Spain, but i think it’s pretty hit and miss rather than a sure thing, like a legal grey area. you might have to visit a good few pharmacies to get what you need. can i ask what your fears are with ordering online? it’s quite safe and reliable within the EU.
For a start, the postal system here sucks quite majorly. They have a tendency of not handling packages properly, so I am worried that during transportation, the hormones might not be stored properly.
Secondly, I can’t be sure which supplier to trust. This is a problem that I could solve with research, but that assumes I am finding the correct information which I might not be, especially since so much of the information I find online is first hand accounts.
I tried looking for options for importing from outside Europe, but I am not sure how importing medicine will go with European customs, assuming of course, that the medicine I receive is not affected by transportation.
Maybe I am just panicking and not thinking straight? Ordering medicine online just seems rather … sketchy to me.
Maybe I am just panicking and not thinking straight? Ordering medicine online just seems rather … sketchy to me.
I used hrtcafe.net before, most vendors are just pharmacies that will send pharmaceuticals to you. Some vendors produce their own. You can ask me if you have any questions, here or in DMs.
the hormones might not be stored properly.
if you’re ordering pharmacy stock, you don’t really need to worry about that. they’ll only be in transit for a few days if you order from within the EU and for patches, pills, or gel, there are no special requirements like refrigeration or anything.
Secondly, I can’t be sure which supplier to trust.
this is an understandable hurdle to get stuck on. https://hrtcafe.net/index.html#pharmaceutical-vendors is the best centralised resource for reliable vendors. the least stressful option is going to be buying from an EU supplier that takes bank transfer, as customs is highly unlikely to be an issue in the EU (general advice is to still only order ~3 months worth at a time), and bank transfer is less hassle than using crypto and you’re not committing any crimes in the EU by doing this anyway. if you want, you can DM me and I can tell you about the supplier i’ve used before which is reliable and not listed on there. they take bank transfer and give you a postal tracking code which is nice. but just so you know i think they only have estradiol pills in stock currently.
I tried looking for options for importing from outside Europe
yeah, like i said your best bet is to go with an EU supplier as that all but guarantees customs won’t be an issue. my supplier is based in portugal and i have never had anything seized (and i live on an island). i still don’t really get what your worry is with it being affected by transportation, unless you were thinking about ordering injectables? i think even then, transportation conditions are not really a concern. it’s highly unlikely your goods will be damaged and if you’re ordering something like pills or patches or gel they’re not fragile at all and can be stored at room temperature. even injectable vials are pretty hardy.
Ordering medicine online just seems rather … sketchy to me.
totally understand feeling this way but once you’ve overcome the initial hurdle and received a few orders it becomes as routine as ordering anything else online. EU is a very safe zone to do this and you’re not even breaking the law. the worst case of course is that something doesn’t show up but that’s never happened to me over dozens of orders, and i’ve never even heard accounts of it happening to anyone in the EU. if it did happen it would more likely just be down to the postal service being shitty than customs seizure or anything.
hope i helped at least a little and happy to answer any questions you might have as someone who has ordered HRT within the EU a bunch. the decision is yours but i strongly recommend you continue to look into it as a valid option as it’s extremely powerful to be able to overcome the waiting lists and high costs associated with the bourgeois healthcare system. and the EU is one of the easiest places to do it.
