Am away for weekend and have forgotten my levo.

[PoeticJustice]

I have been on it for a month - 100mcg. Will it do any harm? Can I get an over the counter substitute?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Famously (or infamously) in one edition of his book, Dr Toft suggested forgetting levothyroxine when going on holiday was not much of an issue.

I suggest that he was absolutely wrong. For many people a day or two would not make much difference - but others would feel pretty poorly.

I suggest you pop into a pharmacy tomorrow and ask if they will let you have two or three tablets. This is a perfectly reasonable and ordinary thing to do. It would help if you had something to back up your claim - but I'd ask anyway.

There is no OTC substitute.

Rod

[PoeticJustice]

Thank you. I'll give that a try in the morning.

[PinkNinja in reply to PoeticJustice]

Take your GP's phone number with you. If they can get the GP to fax something over with your diagnosis, they may well be able to give you a short-term prescription.

Hope it goes well so you can enjoy the rest of your holiday.

Carolyn x

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to PinkNinja]

The NHS has a page on just this:

nhs.uk/Livewell/Pharmacy/Pa...

Especially the bit after If you don't have a prescription

Rod

[PoeticJustice]

Thank you.

[galathea]

As, you are only away for a weekend and levothyroxine is an inactive storage hormone, you should be fine.. You probably won't use up all your reserves in a weekend.

Don't waste all your precious time away, chasing round chemists. There have been tests conducted where people took their whole dose once a week and suffered no ill effects, If I was in your shoes, I would take a double dose for a couple of days when I got home.

G xx

[lizzyd]

When I was feeling well on my Levo dose and forgot it for the weekend I'd be fine, just feeling a bit slow by Sun eve. Different story not feeling well on my prescription... I'd be feeling the effects by mid-afternoon of any day I forgot to take it. NHSDirect can arrange for one of their doctors to fax an emergency prescription to some pharmacies. Might be worth playing it by ear - seeing how you are by tea-time and then calling NHSDirect if you don't think you can manage until you get home.

[tavy]

I have forgotton to take thyroxine with me for 3 days, didnt make much diffrence. Although if there is a good chemist where you are they could phone your chemist and sell you enough to tide you over.

[Jackie]

Hi in the past I have emergency drugs ( not thyroid) from a chemist in this way, then they required a prescription after the event. However, some of the pharmacies seem to have changed the rules. In the long run it will just take a few days for your body to catch up.Take a days dose as soon as you return home, then the next dose normal time the following day.

Best wishes,

Jackie

[Danifox6]

Your doctor could fax a prescription over to Boots or a chemist where you are if in the UK. Its not too onerous and almost instant.

[jaxnbreeze]

I ran out of levo. when I had to stay away from home a lot longer than I had planned due to family illness and I was able to get a box from the local chemist. I just explained what had happened and gave them my details but had to pay. I was astounded when I discovered how much they cost - about 1p. per tablet! Just to add that a lot of small independent chemists close from lunchtime on Saturdays.