TEVA 100mcg was brilliant
Goldshield 25mcg was brilliant
Moved to W Yorks - no specific brand!
Tried Activis 100mcg
Tried Wockhardt 100mcg & 25mcg
Been offered Mercury 25mcg
TEVA don't make Levothyroxine Sodium now!!!!!
All brands use different fillers - lactose, maize starch, dextin, sucrose, water, magnesium stearate, stearic acid, acacia powder, sodium citrate?!?!?
No idea what to take now TEVA & Goldshield has gone!
Help!
For me MP 25mcg are fine, but I liked Eltroxin (the same). If you didn't get on with Eltroxin, then they probably won't be any good for you. NDT perhaps?
Personally I prefer Actavis - don't like MP. Have you seen the Thyroid UK page about alternatives? thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/treatm....
Some people buy from Germany - hopefully some of them will be along soon and can give advice.
Teva had its license for 100mcg withdrawn because it was failing to deliver the claimed dose to people. The MHRA produced a fairly hefty report here:
mhra.gov.uk/Safetyinformati...
Goldshield hasn't gone as such - they simply renamed the company Mercury Pharma.
The 25mcg tablets packaged as Teva, Goldshield, Eltroxin or Mercury Pharma - they are all exactly the same thing with the same product license. (Teva no longer supply their own packaged version - but when they did it was the same.)
If you were good on 100mcg Teva, perhaps your prescription is for too much levothyroxine?
Rod
My problems started with 100mcg TEVA over 2 years ago. Haven't been right since. They didn't deliver the correct dose (too low) I have actavis/almus from Boots now 100mcg. For a while I was on 75mgc and received 50mgm actavis and 25mcgm Mrecury pharma. I felt very unwell and will not have any MP tablets ever
Don't blame you,, once I find a semi suitable alternative, I'll ditch them too and will gladly warn others to stay clear.
I was on Goldshield Eltroxin for 27years and was fine. 100/125 alternate. Then as for you about 2 years ago I started to feel unwell. I researched and asked questions on here and it appeared that when the company became Murcury Pharma (and others) the medication changed, particularly the 25 's. It took me about a year to get sorted but I have now been on Activis for 3months and feel much more stable. Problem is they don't do 25's, so I have 100s and 50s and cut the 50s in half. Make sure you insist on the same brand, Activis is very available, I fact my husband and I have Activis Lansolprazol. Best wishes.
Hi,, yes I remember you changing onto actavis,, I did try it for short while but felt bit weaker to me,
Hi Ian, yes I know what you mean, I have considered increasing to 100/150 alternate instead of 100/125 although my TSH and T4 were good but I thought my T3 wasn't high enough. I did post my results but strangely didn't get any info replies. Maybe I should post them again. I have been busy lately so haven't got around to it. But I do feel much better than I did on MP and have just swapped around again and take my other meds at night and Levo early morning and supplements mid morning. Don't know how it's working yet but I do seem to be sleeping better. Best wishes.
I also would never have MP either although I think at the time it was the 25's that they had the problem with.. I have been on Activist for two years 100/125 alternate days, I have to cut the 50's in half. Have been good on Activist although my local Pharmacy is saying they are having trouble getting it. Here we go again.
Exactly same thing is happening to me now, did you get better eventually?
The issue with Teva levothyroxine back in 2013 (or thereabouts) was that it failed to deliver the claimed dose of levothyroxine.
The issue with Teva levothyroxine being reported now is that some people find that is has considerable and unpleasant side effects. (It is a new formulation - very different to the old product.)
It is NOT exactly the same issue with Teva.
I don't want you to be confused or to mix up the two issues.
Have you more information on this as it was Teva new formulation that I was dispensed in April this year, I am still unwell now and dr is struggling to get my T4s converted to T3 - even with upping dose 
All the muscles in my body feel stiff all the time, and my anxiety is now through the roof. I was ok before all this.
There have recently been many posts saying that people are suffering while taking new formulation Teva.
The only useful advice at this stage seems to be to ask to have dispensed another make - probably Actavis or Mercury Pharma.
And send in a Yellow Card report:
If switching makes doesn't improve things, then further investigation is warranted.
I strongly urge you to start a brand new post, making sure you include test results (with reference ranges), and ask for help.
I too am really suffering at the mo,, was ok on eltroxin, moved to mercury and have never felt well on it,, every batch seems different to previous one and worse. Rod did an interesting post recently about mercury pharma and eltroxin.
Years and years ago in the days when I was prescribed 3 months of Levo at a time I really struggled each time I got a new prescription but by the end of the three months I'd usually adjusted dose, then I used basal temp to see whether too much or too little and it worked well then. The next prescription was often a different brand so back to square one again so I had a word with the Pharmacist to ask it I could keep to one brand and did she have any idea why this was happening. She thought I may have an allergy to fillers or coating and asked me what I felt best on. Said that wasn't a problem as I'd always managed to adjust so which brand was she sent most often-Goldshield. So been on that ever since ( now Mercury Pharma) a few years later I read an American site which suggested or rather spoke about different brands may gave different potency levels that were still within the guidelines. Can't remember the figures now but say the accepted range for 100 mcg was 95-105 then one brand could be producing at 103 say against another at 96 so over the well I could be taking an extra 49+ mcg. I know that just making a difference of 25 mcg on one day a week can make a difference to me so no wonder I was having problems if that was the case. So my advice to you is to talk to your pharmacy about what is readily available and ask you GP to request that brand on your prescription. The main reason I made my choice was that brand did 25's so most easier to adjust doses.
That's really useful & interesting advice Silverfox7. Thank you.
Hi Lingulas,
I too took Teva thyroxine for years and did well on it.
I tried 3 different makes till I found mercury pharma and workhardt makes .
The big thing for me though, was the change to these different makes.
I suddenly became hyper on new makes and have been really ill for 7 months now,.
Teva effacy ,I think was higher and when I changed to different make ,there effacy was lower and thus I went hyper ,was on 150 mcg daily Teva but now only need 112.5 mcg mercury pharma.So be careful when swapping.
Thanks ever so much for this advice Susiebow.
Oh no - just been to get what the suppliers sent my Chemist instead of TEVA& they have sent 25mcg & 100mcg of Mercury Pharma!
Currently on 100mcg Activist & 25mcg Wockhardt but feel rubbish in comparison with my old routine of 100mcg TEVA& 25mcg Goldshield.
Have spoken directly to TEVA, Wockhardt & Goldshield AKA Mercury Pharma this week. Have got all the ingredients from them - especially the filler ingredients. MP assure me that the MP 25mcg has the same contents as the Goldshield 25mcg...
So now I have my current 100mcg Activist & 25mcg Wockhardt - then next month I have 100mcg & 25mcg Mercury Pharma to try.....but reading people's comments, I don't know if I should try them, even though I was OK on Goldshield....AKA mercury Pharma...!
Have asked my Endo for advice - but no reply yet...! My chemist thinks I'm bonkers demanding a specific brand (& no doubt found it hilarious when TEVA was no longer available...!)
Recent blood results in late March were TSH 0.3 (parameter range 0.2-4) and T4 was 16 (parameter range 10-20 & Endo said it used to be 10-25). 2 weeks previously blood results were 0.3 TSH & 20.7 T4 - which caused GP to wrongly panic & reduce my dose to 100mcg (which I refused). Turned out my T4 was raised due to a throat/chest infection in early March....! But of course, GP didn't understand the link between raised T4 & a throat/chest infection. All she saw was 20.7 was 0.7 above her magic parameters & flashing in red on her screen....! Why don't GPs get trained on managing thyroid disorders correctly?!?
Have a look at this post:
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
Same ingredients doesn't always mean absolutely 100% identical! Same make/brand but different dosages doesn't even mean absolutely 100% identical.
MP assured all of us that their products (Eltroxin and MP Levothyroxine) contain the same ingredients - but neglected to inform us that the amount of acacia was different in the 50 microgram tablets of MP
Rod
What does Acacia do?!?!?
How does its amount affect the levothyroxine sodium dose?
According to one site it has the following (potential) roles:
Emulsifying agent; stabilizing agent; suspending agent; tablet binder; viscosity-increasing agent
drugtopics.modernmedicine.c...
I don't know why it is used in Eltroxin/Mercury Pharma levothyroxine (and liothyronine) tablets, nor why the amount differed between Eltroxin and MP Levothyroxine.
And I certainly don't know why a tiny difference in that would make any noticeable difference to the patient. If it does! 
Rod
And this is interesting:
ebah.com.br/content/ABAAAgD...
Also, of great interest to anyone who has a problem with Mercury Pharma levothyroxine (including Eltroxin) and/or liothyronine tablets:
thyroid.about.com/od/synthr...
Sorry it is all about USA brands, but the information is nevertheless of interest.
Rod
I've always thought when not well my medication isn't as good so am interested in your comment about T4 being raised when having an infection. Many years ago it was suggested to me that when have something like a cold to increase medication so could you please expand on you comment-many thanks!
It was a school friend of mine who is now a UK GP who told me that Drs should be aware that in any patient with an infection, T4 levels are naturally raised. I think she means for both thyroid& non-thyroid patients. Don't know any more than that. But it does mean that if we get our TSH& T4 bloods done during a time when we have a throat or chest infection, the results will not be accurate. Nearly caused me to have to reduce my dose as GP panicked, but 2 wks later, remaining on my 125mcg dose, my T4 was back to normal (& my throat was better...!)
Interesting but can't explain it unless it means that T4 rises in someone whose thyroid is working normally shows an increase when infection present. That would fit in with once being told to take extra Levo when not well and recently when I haven't increased feeling as though its not working as in real terms the dose has 'dropped' from a normal thyroid with an infection rate if you see what I mean. That is the normal body makes this change naturally but a hypo person has to physically increase the dose to mimic that and if doesn't feels under medicated or as I thought felt it wasn't working because unknowingly I needed more in that instance so will be really interesting to pick up my results when feeling it was not working! So difficult to unravel the different levels of wellness. Might ask the new chap I am being referred to about that!
Yes I do I dont do well at all on Actavis 50mg I have to take One and a half every other day, do a lot better on Mercury Pharma
Tevo Levothyroxine
Elevated antibodies
Does anyone have the reference please?
Aristo in my hands!
Anyone else know a similar equivalent brand to Mercury Pharma?
