has anyone else noticed their mercury pharma levo doesn't feel as potent in recent weeks ?

[ianessex]

got my new batch of mercury pharma levo end of October. but I'm not feeling the same on it as I was,, I've always been slightly unhappy with it but stuck with it . am going to have thyroid test on Wednesday as I'm really sluggish, getting head aches and not feeling as good as I was... but thought I'd just enquire in meantime to see if anyone else feels same. many thanks !! Ian

[marram]

As you know, I've stopped taking T4 now but I never really got on with it when I did take it, I always felt there were potency issues. I changed to Mercury from Actavis but it was a matter of out of the frying pan into the fire. Nothing in my opinion matches up to the old Goldshield. How much are you taking now, 100 every day? It will be interesting to see your results - if they only do TSH though, I'm not sure how much good that will be - or is it BH you're doing?

Don't forget, Ian, that if you felt a particular batch were not as strong, you could always fill in a yellow card. No solution, though, I know.

Also, I know you're working on the D3 but it takes a little time to take full effect.

Sorry you're feeling bad. It's a never-ending problem, always coming back to the start again, just when you think you've cracked it. And if, as you suspect, the Levo isn't as strong, it's yet another variable to cope with. I don't think the doctors realise how critical it all is for our wellbeing.

[RonnieG]

Hi there, so glad to see this as I was beginning to think it was just me! Same issue in last 6/8 weeks. Had the same problem when Teva's production was a problem. Will get mine checked too.

[ianessex in reply to RonnieG]

we're conditioned to think we're going nuts but rarely are we fully wrong..lol... have you been on these for while then? deff don't feel as potent lately.. what effects are you noticing? I find they're taking few hours to kick in then by mid afternoon I'm asleep on sofa, trying everything to help but nothing working. I'm actually getting quite concerned now.

[RedApple Administrator in reply to ianessex]

Please put in a yellow card about your experience. We absolutely have to get some solution to this ongoing levo problem and it's only going to happen if patients continue to report their problems.

mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard

[RedApple Administrator in reply to ianessex]

Ian, thinking about this a bit more, I wonder whether your assessment that the potency is in question would actually warrant a 'defective medicine report', rather than (or as well as) a yellow card.

Here's the link

mhra.gov.uk/Safetyinformati...

Tiny Url version in case the long link above gets broken tinyurl.com/bcvd5to

[ianessex in reply to RedApple]

cheers,, I'll do this later if and when my eyes and brain fully start... getting to really not like this company..

[RedApple Administrator in reply to RonnieG]

Please put in a yellow card about your experience. We absolutely have to get some solution to this ongoing levo problem and it's only going to happen if patients continue to report their problems.

mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard

[RonnieG]

Noticing the cold more and patches of brain fog occurring, it's so frustrating. After 3 years I'd got my levels sorted and now I'm back to being off again. Time for a retest and maybe an extra hakf every other day. Good luck sorting your our. A

[galathea]

Yellow cards really are investigated by the mhra.. Please fill one in..... Its the best way to get dodgy medicines off the shelves......mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard

[ianessex]

really don't want to report anything until I'm certain it's the product at fault,, hence why I'm asking to see whether anyone else has noticed issues recently.

[helvella Administrator in reply to ianessex]

Ian,

I understand your feelings. But the MHRA are absolutely fine with reports from patients who think or feel something is different/wrong even if, after due analysis, the MHRA think there was not an issue. They do get to see the whole picture from all the reports submitted. If yours were the only one, they might still take it seriously, but if they get a wave of them from all over the country then it represents very close to proof that something is up.

I believe that all the MHRA want is honesty in reporting.

Rod

[Moggie]

Are you a member of thyroiduk - did you get their latest addition of Harmony magazine because if you did you will have read the article that MP have changed a vital ingredient in their levo. I am at work at the moment, and the magazine is at home, but will come back to you tonight with the exact ingredient they have changed and why some people are having so many troubles (myself included).

Moggie x

[ianessex in reply to Moggie]

no,, haven't seen any article nor did I know about this. why on earth did they change it ? cost or supposed improvements ? Only just got used to it again and they change it... I'd really appreciate that info,, thanks !

[Moggie in reply to ianessex]

Will get back to you tonight.

Moggie x

[ianessex in reply to Moggie]

thanks,,, I've looked at product leaflet in box and compared it to the list on thyroid UK site but can't see any difference, so I'm very intrigued.

[Moggie in reply to ianessex]

No apparently they didn't disclose the change on the PIL (think they might have tried to sneak it through the back door and hope nobody noticed). I found the article very interesting as, like you, noticed a difference within a month or so.

Moggie x

[ianessex in reply to Moggie]

don't got to to much trouble later..I've chatted with Louise and received draft of article. Thanks..

[Moggie in reply to ianessex]

Good as I was wondering how I was going to type all the info on the article but you can now see what I mean cant you?

Maybe now a yellow card report is appropriate.

Moggie x

[janiebell in reply to Moggie]

Moggie, what is the ingredient change? I didn't see the article, either. We chatted recently when I was trying to find out if any of the ingredients contained gluten which they confirmed didn't.

[LouiseRoberts in reply to janiebell]

Hi Janie - it's not a recent change I don't think - email me for the article - [e-mail]

Or it's pages 8/9 in Harmony Issue 4.

[Hidden]

I to started feeling worse on MP ,bad headaches again but with a recent TSH Test of 0.6 I asked to change to Actavis and headaches have reduced again but I haven't got any energy back!

[ianessex in reply to Hidden]

Yeah I feel like it's not a quite right,, deff something off. don't reckon my results will show much either,, my recent tsh was just slightly below range at 0.3 so doc won't wanna increase dose that's for sure. tried actavis while ago but was symptomatic within a week so went back to mp,, Might just be naff batch,, wouldn't shock me as seems like they had issues with their t3 recently so why not mess this up too? Lol

[LKA-dot]

Think a few of us would be interested to know the ingredient change? Please would Louise be kind enough to put a link up for the article. Thank you

[ianessex in reply to LKA-dot]

I'm unable to copy and paste what Louise sent me so perhaps drop her a line,, I've messaged her to say there's few people interested here. but not sure if she's able to link anything.

[silverfox7]

Hi. I read in the Thyroid UK magazine that there had been an issue, can't remember exactly when now but it corresponded with my period of uncertainty- so like you I wondered. When I picked up my last script about 4 weeks ago now, I thought I would ask the Pharmacist. Unfortunately it was a stand in but he said still to ask what I was thinking about so I asked if they got notification of a potency issue and would they pass it on to the patient. He laughed and said they received notifications daily of several problems with meds and couldn't possibly do anything about it. I pointed out that how I was feeling in the summer had affected my holiday and that I'd paid to have private tests do etc-laid it on a bit thick but he still thought it funny! I then queried the batches is been getting and swooping about (back and forth) and wondered if that had been caused by this ie a suspect batch held off for testing and then reintroduced but he said that doesn't happen and its probably that the latest batch was put at the front of older batches and not at the back due to lack if time. He still seemed to think it didn't matter so I put on a grim face and pointed out to him that many of us are very sensitive to potency problems and yes it does matter. If nothing else it could have saved me weeks of worry about my own health! Usually I've got on very well with the Pharmacy and always found then helpful so may be there was a reason why this chap was just a stand in.

[cein]

Good day all,

I am glad I read these posts as I was about to ask my gp come Friday if I could give murcury pharma a try !.

I was changed to Activis levo two months ago when Eltroxin was no longer available anywhere locally ... and at the moment I feel ok in general but I have an itchy rash which came out in the first 24 hrs ( which according to the leaflet is a side effect ) its all around my ankles and it never goes away and the itch drives me mad also sparodic outbreakouts on other parts of my body.

I did show the gp, she just gave me a perscription for antihistamine saying '' there is nothing else to give you so you will have to take it untill Eltroxin comes back on the market. ''

I did read an artical last week stating that you can get liquid Eltroxin but it is not widely published.

[KLR22]

Yes, I'm not feeling as well on Mercury Pharma - exhausted, thinning hair, headaches, sore eyes. I've e-mailed the company but they talk about batches when I don't feel it's a batch problem but just general difference between Eltroxin and generic brand.

Karen

[Myrna in reply to KLR22]

I have the same symptoms as you karen, and have not been able to get my original Eltroxin but just the generic version since the problems started with that brand. I asked the Pharmacist at Boots to explain about the ingredients and the differences and was told that the only thing different was if there was water or no water in the tablets? That was mentioned in the article, and it seems it makes a very big difference. I have lost so much of my hair! This is such a cop out! How can they play with our health like this!

Myrna.

[KLR22 in reply to Myrna]

I know - I wish we could get Eltroxin again. I've also noticed that my heart rate is lower now I'm on generic thyroxine. Do you get that? I'm hoping Eltroxin may become available again next year but who knows. They say there's no difference but I'm sure there is. I've even tried Castor Oil on my hair to try to thicken it up again. There are also products you can buy which may help but I haven't tried them yet.

Karen