Thyroid meds from germany: Hi Has anyone used... - Thyroid UK

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Thyroid meds from germany

Sobi1 profile image
32 Replies

Hi

Has anyone used levothyroxine by hennings (germany) and noticed any difference? Or switched for instance Uk brand and then used hennings?

Has anyone used/using actavis/almus brand for levo and noticed anything as these are synthetic ones and a bit confused whether it's the meds or not that's causing issues or I don't know a bit confused.com at the mo

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Sobi1 profile image
Sobi1
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32 Replies

Hi, I started taking 0.25 mcg l-thyroxin Hennings which my doctor in Germany prescribed and was put on the UK brand once I moved back here. Personally, I think they are not magic but I liked them a little bit better and they didn't give me those horrible palpitations that the UK ones do. However, the Hennings ones gave me really dry skin which did improve a little bit after I started taking the UK levothyroxine.

Sobi1 profile image
Sobi1 in reply to

thanks for sharing x

Sobi1 profile image
Sobi1 in reply to

is aluid and henning the same or different? cos can't find contact details for henning...

RobinAnn profile image
RobinAnn in reply to

Hey Hidden, was you German doctor any good? Numerator or just GP? Roughly what area of Germany.

Sorry for hi jacking the post.

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toRobinAnn

RobinAnn,

"Hidden" isn't a user name - it is what a member's name changes to if they leave HU!

You'll also notice their avatar is shade of grey not otherwise used.

RobinAnn profile image
RobinAnn in reply tohelvella

Mud on face. Can't stop laughing. Thanks

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toRobinAnn

You are far from the first to fall into that trap. :-)

RobinAnn profile image
RobinAnn in reply tohelvella

Thanks. That removed a little of the mud.

donni profile image
donni

Yes i switched from mercury pharma to henning but felt worse henning didnt make me feel any better. am now on wockhart and feel slightly improved.

The one thing henning did seem to help with was my hair it started to get thicker but sadly i had to come off them. hope you get sorted

donni x

Sobi1 profile image
Sobi1 in reply todonni

seriously henning ones improved the hair??? Worst how? as in hypo symptoms or?

i can't take mercury as that one I reacted with regards to hair....

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator

I have been taking Henning for quite a few months now. As tinalkeen wrote, not magic.

I had been feeling that Actavis left me feeling continuously under-dosed. Whereas Mercury Pharma seemed to make me feel slightly over-dosed for something up to four hours after taking them, and under-dosed the rest of the time. I feel more stable on Henning. I felt very similar on Aliud for a while before Henning.

I am considering other makes so that I can achieve the best effect for me.

PR4NOW profile image
PR4NOW in reply tohelvella

Rod, it is curious to me that you would feel such a difference in a matter of hours on T4. What do you think is going on? Absorption rates? Conversion rates? Fillers and binders? PR

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toPR4NOW

From my first tablet, I thought I felt something very quickly. I have seen someone suffering, take a bit of a levothyroxine tablet, and within fifteen minutes look and feel much better. This I have witnessed so many times it doesn't seem in the least exceptional.

I take my levothyroxine at bed-time. On Mercury Pharma, I would typically fall asleep for a while, then wake up feeling slightly over-dosed, and fall asleep again. On Aliud or Henning I usually sleep much better. Indeed, I slept better on Actavis. But on both Mercury Pharma and Actavis I felt under-dosed by the next tablet.

We see such a conflict of opinion on how quickly a tablet has an effect that I feel we must be seeing two different populations - maybe even a single gene differs? maybe more? maybe a non-genetic difference? - which divide on time to react to levothyroxine. It is inconceivable that so many people would report such different experiences other than because of some real basis.

I actually find myself wondering how people can not notice taking/not taking or dose variations far more quickly than they do.

Sobi1 profile image
Sobi1 in reply tohelvella

wow thanks

so you've tried aluid and actavis and mercury??? Which ones do you use now? And do you require any letter from dr in order to get aluid ones? I know each person experiences differently but was there any difference when u took aluid and actavis?

Seems like those two would be my options as neither uses gelatin.

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toSobi1

Currently on Henning. Am going to try Uni-pharma soon.

Aliud was nearly enough identical to Henning. Actavis consistently felt "weak".

I use a scan or photograph of my ordinary NHS green prescription to back up my purchase of levothyroxine.

Sobi1 profile image
Sobi1 in reply tohelvella

that's a good idea I'll take pic as well... good way of knowing..

With henning brand can it be obtained via boots pharmacy? Will i need a letter from the dr along with the prescription for henning?

Also did you notice any improvement with regards to hairloss issue? I know each individual reacts differently but so far seems similar kind of "reactions" to other brands....

If don't mind sharing how you went about in getting the german brands that would be helpful.

I was looking at the ingredients and the only thing differs between henning and aliud-pharma is castor oil ingredients in henning and not in aliud-pharma... (and i know castor oil is good for hair but that's applying on hair and scalp.... )

I would like to give the german brand a go before having to be on UK actavis....

Not heard of Uni-pharma.

Marz profile image
Marz in reply toSobi1

Uni-Pharma is prevalent here in Greece. I use their T3.... also Merck.

Treepie profile image
Treepie in reply tohelvella

Are all these brands available in the UK?

RedApple profile image
RedAppleAdministrator in reply toTreepie

Treepie, If you are referring to the brands mentioned above by Helvella (i.e. Henning, Aliud & Uni-pharma), then no, they are not readily available in the UK on the NHS. If you have some sort of special need (e.g. for lactose free tablets) then in theory your doc can prescribe something that has to be imported for you via the 'named patient' route.

Details of thyroid meds are on the main website here

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/treatm...

and named patient info for special order meds is here

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/treatm...

Treepie profile image
Treepie in reply toRedApple

Thanks for the info.,it can be confusing when the site is international.

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toTreepie

It certainly can. I and others have asked that something like the person's country code be display next to their name. That would help everyone to see where individual posters are based.

In the meantime, it helps to add country to each of our profiles. That shuld be strongly encouraged as people sign up.

(I always want it to remain optional, we should have the freedom not to say. But it helps if we do say.)

PR4NOW profile image
PR4NOW in reply tohelvella

Rod, I think we have barely scratched the surface of understanding in regards to how people react to and process the various thyroid medications. If you notice a change that quickly then the body must be converting some to T3 very quickly, wouldn't you think? Or are there some T4 receptors that react quickly that we don't understand yet? There is just so much I think we have yet to discover. PR

silverfox7 profile image
silverfox7 in reply tohelvella

Interesting Rod. I've always noticed within a few hours if I've forgotten a dose yet many posts have made me think I couldnt! Just goes to show we are all different!

Sobi1 profile image
Sobi1 in reply tohelvella

oh so aluid and henning are two separate manufacturers or brands? If you don't mind could you provide with contact details for henning from their leaflet as i couldn't find it...and then thought maybe aluid and henning were the same....

maybe worth trying henning and see how I get on.... need to ask my GP. Were you able to get it from boots pharmacy or?

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toSobi1

You are unlikely to get any levothyroxine except the three UK makes. Not impossible - but rare.

Any UK pharmacy could probably get hold of either product - but they might not be very co-operative.

Henning contact details here:

hennig-am.de/kontakt0.html?...

In German language only.

Sobi1 profile image
Sobi1 in reply tohelvella

thanks for the contact dets.

donni profile image
donni

I developed excruiating headaches when taking henning once i stopped taking them the headaches disappeared. As i mentioned my hair loss improved and seemed thicker. but i would rather have less hair and no headaches

regards

donni

Sobi1 profile image
Sobi1 in reply todonni

oh ok thanks for sharing. Guess it'll be trial and error and I'd like to resolve the hair loss issue on scalp....

there's another german brand aliud pharma

bech profile image
bech

facebook.com/groups/FTPOUKa...

I can personally say that FTPO has changed my life. I am on T3 only now, having had 26 years on T4. Then I discovered thanks to this group that I can not convert T4 due to a genetic mutation. My whole world has changed for the better!

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply tobech

Please see my response to bech here:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Piret profile image
Piret

I use Henning for the last 6 weeks 25 mcg a day. I tried mercury pharma before and it gave me horrible acne,sore and red skin.... Henning doesnt do that,my skin is not great but with other tablets was much worse!! I felt more energetic initially,but now not so much,i need an increase i think.i dont seem to be losing much hair on it and cant think of any other bad side effects.

Sobi1 profile image
Sobi1 in reply toPiret

Thanks Piret, I am going to check which pharmacy can get these ordered from germany and give it a go... I'd be really happy if it helped with UAT as well as the hair issue cos that's been the most problematic one even when dose correct and feel fine and energy etc.... apart from when TSH levels went high and had to increase my dose but other than that the hair issue seemed to be kind of on going hence need to try different brands and see..... Might give henning a go first and see how I get on and then there's the other one and last resort would be UK one actavis/almus

oh go through the process again and get letter from dr etc.... oh dear.... I just wanna feel normal and get back to the way I was before this stupid UAT messed up the life and routine etc.....

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