‘I think we will have to move abroad.’
‘My child is desperate, they are beside themselves.’
‘She is so scared at what might happen next.’
‘I am so glad I am not at work, I couldn’t trust my child to be alone right now.’
‘He is absolutely devastated, he has waited so long for this.’
‘We are terrified that our GP will now refuse to help us.’
‘We need this so much, how can they possibly be so cruel?’
‘This is like a nightmare, I need to pinch myself to wake up.’
‘She has retreated back to her bedroom and refuses to come out.’
‘I don’t think she will make it if she has to change into a man.’
These are just some of the desperate thoughts and feelings that we have seen and heard in the past week. Parents of trans youth are terrified of the fallout from the ruling against the Tavistock and Portman NHS Trust and how it will impact their loved ones.
One of the most worrying things we have seen in forums is people asking for advice on how they can self medicate with blockers purchased directly from the Internet. There seems to be the idea that if parents do something as drastic as taking the care of their child into their own hands, the NHS will have to listen, prevent them from harm and get them the care they need. If they buy blockers over the Internet on the gray or dark web, then maybe their doctor will realise how serious they are, and swap it for safely prescribed medication.
Much has been written about the dangers of buying medication online without a prescription. Blockers and hormones are medicines, they need a valid prescription in order to make sure they are used safely, in the right circumstances and that the medicine is real and from a regulated source. Without a prescription you cannot guarantee that what you are accessing is safe and you are putting you or your child’s health at risk.
We support trans youth – find out more
The item may have the same name and come in the same box but if it isn’t from an authorised source, from a trusted, regulated pharmacy there is no guarantee what is inside and much less that ‘it does what it says on the tin’.
Access to care for trans youth on the NHS has never been a straightforward process. Parents have long swapped war stories of excessive waiting lists, of young people accessing GIDS only to be told they are too old to qualify and they have to go to the back of the queue for adult services, of those who have taken their own lives after years and years of waiting. The NHS provision for trans youth has always been inadequate.
This is one of the reasons why parents come to GenderGP, for safe, monitored care prescribed by gender experts and dispensed by legitimate EU pharmacies.
We fully understand the need for trans youth to access blockers, the desperation to prevent pubertal development, to stop lifelong and serious consequences of unimpeded puberty. However, switching to self-purchased medication is not the answer.
We strongly advise against injecting anything into your child which has not come from a regulated source in a bid to force your GPs hand. You are risking not only your child’s safety but requiring your GP to inform social services and reporting the case as a safeguarding issue.
We are able to prescribe blockers to young people who may have been affected by the NHS withdrawal of support and advice but more importantly we are campaigning for change to ensure that GPs fully understand and embrace the role they have to play in supporting trans people of all ages.
If you or your child is desperate, please get in touch with us and we will do all that we can to help. We are working round the clock to provide advice and support. We have also set up The GenderGP Fund to help those who might not ordinarily be able to access private healthcare. If you would like to find out more about how to apply for access to the fund or you would like to donate, click here.
Note: The GenderGP Fund has been temporarily paused as we review additional methods to better serve the transgender and non-binary community.
Photo by Glenn Carstens-Peters on Unsplash