Having Trouble Getting Your Hormone Medication?
We're currently seeing significant availability problems with certain hormone medications. Whether your pharmacy is out, your medication is backordered, or you're tired of calling around — start here.
Availability last checked August 31 · Stock can change at any time
Can I Find My Exact Medication?
Statuses reflect our team's most recent manual checks and can change at any time — always confirm with the pharmacy before you go or transfer. We can't see pharmacy inventory from the clinic, so this check is the fastest path.
Would a Pharmacy With More Reliable Stock Solve It?
The HRT Club
Best for: reliable access, cash-pay, shipped
HRT Club has remained consistently stocked throughout the shortage, so unlike local pharmacies, we don't recommend calling around first — check current products and pricing directly on their site. A membership pharmacy stocking FDA-approved bioidentical estradiol (patch, gel, oral, injectable), shipped to your door.
A-1 & Castellon
Best for: same-day pickup, insurance, a pharmacist who can order for you
In our patients' experience, local independent pharmacies have been significantly more consistent with hormone medication stock during the shortage. A-1 Pharmacy (3501 Severn Ave, Metairie) is typically the most affordable and often has same-day pickup. Castellon Pharmacy (New Orleans) has also been a reliable option. Not near either? An independent pharmacy near you is worth a call before a chain.
- Estradiol patches ~$40
- Estradiol gel ~$43
- Vaginal estrogen tablets ~$40
- Progesterone ~$24
Amazon & Cost Plus
Best for: delivery to your door, routine maintenance refills
Amazon Pharmacy delivers and accepts insurance. Cost Plus Drugs is cash-pay with transparent pricing — stock varies by strength right now (the checker above shows what we found).
Cost Plus requires a free account before your prescription can be sent there.
Am I Done Dealing With This Formulation's Shortages?
FDA-approved alternatives
- Estradiol spray — applied to the skin daily
- Femring — a systemic vaginal ring replaced every 3 months
- Oral estradiol — usually inexpensive and widely available, but not appropriate for everyone based on medical history
- Estradiol injection — generally easier to obtain right now
- Other patch or gel doses may also be available depending on strength
Compounded estradiol
- Available as compounded patch, gel, or cream
- Not dependent on the retail supply chain
- Allows customized dosing
- Cash-pay; insurance generally does not cover compounded medications
Changing formulations requires a new prescription, and dosing is not always a direct 1:1 conversion. Before you message us, it helps to read the care guide for the formulation you're considering in our education library — on the patch? Read the gel guide, and vice versa.
Dosing isn't a direct 1:1 conversion between formulations, and not every option fits every medical history — your provider confirms the right switch and dose. Want every option in full detail? .
Compare Every Option
What does "FDA-approved" mean?
Manufactured by pharmaceutical companies under FDA oversight, available at retail and mail-order pharmacies, and may be covered by insurance depending on your plan.
What does "compounded" mean?
Made to order by a compounding pharmacy, allowing customized dosing. Not dependent on the retail supply chain, but cash-pay — insurance generally does not cover compounded medications.
Patch
- Steady, consistent hormone levels
- Only changed twice a week
- Skin irritation or trouble sticking is possible
- Currently the hardest formulation to find at chain pharmacies — harder than gel
Patch
- Custom dosing available
- Steady, consistent hormone levels
- Only changed twice a week
- Expensive
Gel
- Easiest to adjust your dose up or down
- Must dry fully before dressing or skin contact, to avoid transferring to others
- Currently hard to find at chain pharmacies, though somewhat more available than the patch
Gel
- Custom dosing available
Cream
- Custom dosing available
Femring — vaginal ring (systemic)
- Insert once, replace every 3 months — nothing to remember daily
- Some getting-used-to for insertion and removal
Oral tablet
- Easy to get
- Usually the least expensive option, even without insurance
- May lower testosterone levels
- May not help as much with sleep or libido as the other options, in some women
- Carries a risk of blood clots — this risk applies to oral estradiol only; patch, gel, spray, and injection do not carry this risk, since they bypass the liver
- Not recommended if you have certain chronic health conditions or take certain other medications — review with your provider
Spray
- Flexible, easy dose adjustments
- Needs a few minutes to dry fully before covering the area or having skin contact with others
Injection
- Good option for those comfortable with higher estradiol doses
- Visits available to go over injection technique
- One vial typically lasts several months — sometimes close to a year
- Can produce more ups and downs in hormone levels than transdermal options (patch, gel, spray) — similar to what's seen with testosterone injections
- Higher risk of unscheduled bleeding than transdermal options
Not all formulations may be available to everyone, based on your medical history. Your provider can help determine which options are appropriate for you.
Paying More Than You Expected?
Know what a good price looks like before you ask
We've recently found many estradiol patches and gels for around $40 or less per month cash through the lower-cost options on this page — A-1 Pharmacy, Cost Plus Drugs, and The HRT Club. If you're quoted $100 or more, that's usually the pharmacy, not the medication — compare before paying.
Ask your pharmacy for its cash price — even if you use insurance, cash is sometimes lower, and pharmacies don't always volunteer it. Then compare it to the benchmark above. In our experience, large chains tend to quote the highest cash prices.
If it's more than that, move the prescription
The HRT Club is usually the biggest savings (up to 90% off chain cash prices; code HRTSAVE takes $15 off the $99 annual membership). A-1 Pharmacy (Metairie) runs around $40 for patches or gel with same-day pickup. Cost Plus Drugs was $39 for patches, $23 for gel, and $6 for oral estradiol at our last check.
Still too much? Consider a lower-cost formulation
Oral estradiol is often just a few dollars a month — but it isn't an option for everyone. It carries a blood-clot risk the transdermal forms don't, so whether it fits depends on your medical history. — switching is a provider conversation.
Moving Your Prescription: Check Your Label First
Refills remaining
Call the pharmacy that has your medication and ask them to transfer your existing prescription. They handle it directly with your old pharmacy. No need to contact us.
0 refills
Use our refill request form and tell us which pharmacy has it in stock — we'll send it there.
Request a refillTestosterone: For testosterone refill requirements, see menopauselouisiana.com/continuing-testosterone.
How a pharmacy-to-pharmacy transfer actually works — and why it's the better route
Why transfer instead of asking us for a new prescription? It's the most direct route — one pharmacist-to-pharmacist call, often completed the same day — and your remaining refills move with it. A new prescription, by contrast, lands in the pharmacy's general incoming queue and waits its turn; a transfer puts a pharmacist on your prescription while you're on the phone. It also keeps just one active prescription in existence: if you use insurance, a duplicate can flag your claim and delay or deny the fill; even paying cash, a leftover prescription at your old pharmacy creates confusion later. Transferring closes it out cleanly.
You only make one call — to the pharmacy that has your medication. You never need to call your old pharmacy; the two pharmacies handle it directly with each other.
Have ready: your name and date of birth, your medication and dose, and your current pharmacy's name and phone number. That's everything the new pharmacy needs.
Transfers usually complete within a few hours to 1–2 business days — so don't wait until your last patch or packet to start. And confirm the new pharmacy has your dose in stock before requesting the transfer, or you've moved your prescription somewhere that can't fill it.
Before we send a new prescription, the pharmacy must have it in stock. If the same prescription ends up at two pharmacies, insurance can flag it and delay or deny the fill. One confirmation call is required — except for The HRT Club, which has had stock throughout. If two pharmacies are out, don't keep calling: go to HRT Club or message us to switch. For transfers you handle yourself, confirming first is strongly recommended but the downside of skipping it is a wasted transfer, not a denial.
When Does The Clinic Need To Step In?
Price, stock, ordering, transfers
Call the pharmacy, or transfer per the refill rules above. If two pharmacies were out and HRT Club doesn't work for you, text us for access help — you don't need to keep calling.
Text (504) 389-2078A different medication, dose, or formulation
This is where we step in. If you've struck out twice and HRT Club isn't a fit, or you're ready to switch forms, message your provider in the portal. Include your medication and dose, how many days of medication you have left, whether your label shows refills, and which pharmacy to send it to.
Message my provider about another option Text us — (504) 389-2078Pharmacy pricing and availability vary and change month to month; prices listed are examples and not guaranteed. The Menopause Clinic has no financial affiliation with any pharmacy and is happy to send prescriptions to any pharmacy you prefer.
The Menopause Clinic · 900 Camp St, New Orleans, LA · 504-389-2078 · info@menopauselouisiana.com