I am a (retired) physician and a patient, with experience on both ends of the prescribing encounter. As a patient, my need for hormone therapy surfaced about 18 years ago when symptoms of Androgen Deficiency Syndrome (ADS) became evident. (This was probably caused by chemotherapy for B-cell lymphoma in 1992, therapy which affected my reproductive system along with other side effects). Initially, I was started on a prescription for a major drug company's T-gel, but its expense was excessive and obtaining insurance coverage full of hoops and barriers. After a few months, my physician gave me a prescription for a compounded hormone product, which, although uncovered by insurance, was many times more accessible and much more reasonable in cost, even when paying full price out-of-pocket. It has proven to be every bit as effective clinically: my daily experience of symptom relief from ADS and my measured testosterone levels attest to the success I've had with compounded testosterone products over the last ~18 years. The loss of the ability to continue with this successful therapeutic regimen would impose a new and significant health and financial burdens on me.
The oversight and guidance of the FDA are necessary and appropriate in many cases, but my experience strongly suggests that this is not one of them. If the FDA decides to restrict hormone compounding, I will be the one to suffer the negative consequences.
Please do not interfere with my long-standing successful therapy!