Endocrine Society (and others) Advises Against Compounded Hormone Use

medscape

.....during a press briefing here at ENDO 2016, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society. The statement was published online April 1, 2016 in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.
The statement is the latest in a series from medical societies, including the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the North American Menopause Society, cautioning against the use of custom-compounded, so-called "bioidentical" hormones. Nonetheless, many physicians are still prescribing them....

Custom-compounded products are potentially dangerous, she said, because added excipients can affect absorption, and those or other added ingredients could be contaminated or adulterated. Moreover, she noted, FDA-approved hormone products have well-characterized pharmacokinetics and efficacy and safety profiles. In contrast, "There's no such thing in the world of custom-compounded bioidentical hormones."
Endocrinologist Mark Sklar, MD, told Medscape Medical News that he agrees with the Endocrine Society's new statement and stance. "I think that there's no real reason to compound, especially gonadal hormones like estrogen or testosterone, because there are very good commercially available hormones now. They're well-made and well-tested, and there's consistency. With compounding there's not consistency in dosage." Continue Reading....