This has probably been noted before, but thought I would blog my experience.
I went to get my extra thyroxine today ( Dr has agreed to let me go up to 75mcg from 50 mcg- hoorah!I have been splitting them in half for a few days) I was given Levo by Actavis 50mcg ( what I have had for the last 12 years) BUT the 25mcg was Mercury Pharma.
Someone on here had told me to ask the pharmacist if I wanted to try another brand, so I asked if I could have them ALL by Mercury Pharma. He told me that Actavis don't do 25mcg, only 50/100 mcg, which is why he gave me a mixed 'batch'. I explianed why I wanted a different brand to try, so he gave me all 25 mcg Mercury P and is going to make a note on my prescription and see if he can get it all the same for next time.
So, new dose, new brand- we shall see.........
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cal1971
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I found this site about 1 month ago and have been reading about the difference in brands of levothyroid, i used to just accept that the pharmacy was changing drug brands to buy in the cheapest and didnt realise we could ask for a particular make.
I had been on Activis 100mcgs daily and feeling dreadful worse than usual, (tablets crumbling etc ) about 3 weeks ago my latest prescription was from mercury pharma and already I have noted a difference, the night cramps have (fingers crossed ) stopped and i do seem to have a bit more energy. So good luck with your newbies hope they work for you.
Hi I have been on both brands as I needed 125 for the last year I didn't notice any difference in brands doc has put me up to 150 now. So all same brand - actavis. Maybe same brand will make some difference at last for me! Hope it works for you
Hi , has anyone been sufferring with repeated urinary infections since diagnosed with under active thyroid ? I have had time off with it at least twice a year and I have now hit a trigger point at work and have a Stage 1 disciplinary , if it gets to Stage 3 you can face dismissal , great isnt it you suffer phsyically and then you have to fight for your rights to work because no one else is going to pay the bills , I do not feel sorry for myself , I am tired of it all !!!!
When I first started on thyroid tablets. this happeaed to me I was for ever in the loo.
Then I started taking cranberry pills in the night before going to bed and I will say
that they worked for me. I still take them, If I forget you can gaurantee I get a really bad bout of cistitus and need antibiotics. Give them a try they may not work for you,
Hi guys. I've been taking synthetic T4 for years (was 150mcg, recently 50mcg with T3 increased accordingly) and have conversion issues.
I'd have to say that i generally don't detect any very significant difference in effect between the brands I've been given in similar circumstances when the supply has been wobbly - Goldshield, Mercury, and Actavis and maybe another German brand. (or is Actavis the German one?)
You do hear stories to the effect that individuals can develop sensitivities or otherwise react badly to fillers or other ingredients used in specific brands, but not in my case.
I'd been on the Goldshield product for years without problems, but from late 2011 and on through 2012 I ran into 4+ episodes of hypothyroidism severe enough to disrupt my ability to work effectively. Resolved some of the time by the next batch, although not always. i.e. it felt like the some batches were about 25% below strength.
Our local drugs board was adamant that there was and hadn't been any problem in ireland, but i don't buy that. Not when a switch to a different pharmacist supplying the generic Mercury product about six months ago saw the problem resolve instantly (which product has been dead consistent since), and not since there was a UK recall around the same time for a potency issue, and reports of similar concerns elsewhere.
I'd say too that there are anyway small differences in potency and/or feel between the brands too - but this might be down to differences in how they are absorbed or whatever. The German brand (can't remember the name) seemed consistently a bit stronger.
This kind of stuff can be hard going to get resolved. (varable potency and/or changes in response) In that it can have enough effect to disrupt your life quite badly, but on the other hand it's likely a waste of time seeing a doctor. It'll take forever to get a change, cost lots of money, risks being mishandled, and anyway if you do manage to get a fine adjustment in dose and the problem is variable potency it'll be wrong again by the next batch of pills anyway.
It's a pity it's not routine for patients to fine tune their replacement...
I have been lucky ( so far) on my mission to get this sorted through my Dr and the chemist , and a change of brand is just one of the things on my 'to do' list as some people have indicated it makes a difference. Waiting for a endo referal is next....
Oh but we should be, Or rather the Drs should be as The Royal College of Physicians advocates fine tuning when hypothyroid patients still show symptons despite falling into the 3 fiscal, high, mid and low ranges.
My mother in law is a district nurse in Northumberland and they had a case of a woman who had been stable for years suddenly becoming very hypo. It turned out the thyroxine she had been given was fake!!!!!! The pharmacy had actually bought in counterfeit drugs. Makes you wonder.....
Having read the previous posts am I correct in thinking that the best brand is Mercury Pharma? I have just checked mine and seem to have a variety of brands.
I am having difficulties getting Goldshield Eltroxin. Have spoken to manufacturer today (10th May 2013) - now called Mercury Pharma - and they tell me they have no date when normal service will be restored and it could be months!!! I am very, very concerned about this as felt so dreadful on the usual Thyroxine prescribed by NHS GPs that I had no life. On Goldshield Eltroxin I feel quite well, tantamount to "normal"! Have you or anyone else found a brand similar to Goldshield Eltroxin that might tide me (and other users) over until it is being manufactured again????? Many thanks for your assistance on this.
Hi there, Gold-shield was taken over by Merc Pharma about 4 years ago, and the pharmacology has stayed the same.....other brands are not in fact there was some dispute regarding the another brand as it did not work the same. So I always insist on getting the Mercury Pharma now ,and they are they only people that make 25mcg. Regards Margo
This thread is over five years old. Many things have changed since then.
25 microgram tablets are available from Mercury Pharma, Wockhardt and Teva.
As it is so old, I'll close it to replies.
Hi there Thyrigia,
I too am having trouble getting Mercury Pharma tablets having been to my pharmacy yesterday to pick up another packet owing to me and being told they still hadn't received any.
I am upset about this especially only just having my doctor agree to raise my dosage to 75 mcgs from 50 .I really thought that at last I might be taking a step forward.I was also taking Eltroxin-( 50 mcgs.) beforehand.
Let's hope this gets sorted soon....It seems to be a continual struggle to try to attain a feeling of good health again.We seem to be fighting against the tide for ever!!
I'm a bit confused. I have been on levothyroxine 50 mcg since 2006. I changed pharmacies in august 2013. Everytime I get a prescription filled at the new pharmacy, not just my thyroid med but all of them I get half a bottle of one brand and half of another or a old type or one ive never had? does anyone know why a pharmacy would change their brands so often?
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