alleged reformulation of Erfa

There has been a lot of discussion about a possible reformulation of Erfa, and the STTM website was one of the first to raise this possibility. Erfa has denied it, and claims that the only things that changed are the location of the production facility (moved from Belgium to Spain) and the production methods.

Yesterday, I mistakenly took pills (125 mg) from a 500 ct bottle that expired in March 2013. I had it next to the other bottle, looking exactly the same except for the label (it is pink and white on the more recent bottle, and blue and white on the newer bottle), and did not pay attention...anyway, yesterday, I felt better than in a long time. I was full of energy, yet calm and focused, and was willing to give Erfa another try. I was not even itching....last night, I discovered that I had taken the old pills (which apparently still work, even though they expired two years ago...). I also felt slightly hyperthyroid yesterday, which somewhat surprised me, since I have had to go from 6 grains on the "old" Erfa to 8 grains on the "new" one.

My conclusion is that something is different between these two versions, even though the company denies it. I was not sure whether to believe the STTM or not, but it seems something is different about the new pills. But would different production methods really affect the efficacy of the drug, if the active and inactive ingredients remain the same?!

I don't know if it would be any idea to try the smaller (30 and 60 mg) pills? Some say the contain other fillers and binders than the 125 mg pills. I chose the latter for purely financial reasons, but would be willing to switch if there is indeed a difference between the various pill sizes...if anyone else has noticed this, I'd love to know!

[Clutter]

Anna, there were people who felt the formulation changed when the production shifted to Spain and as you say the company denied it. Nevertheless people felt there had been a change which affected them adversely. Framboise post towards the bottom of this link discusses her correspondence with Dr.Knafo healthunlocked.com/search/E...

Other members have also reported different reactions to smaller and larger dose tablets, not just on Erfa. You should be able to see the excipients used in each tablet size to see whether there is any difference in the small and large tablets.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Clutter]

Seeing the excipients is, of course, important but (mostly) they are the same across all dosages. What is not so clear is whether the proportions are the same in every dosage. Either the excipients-to-active-ingredient ratio may change - or even a shift in balance of the excipients. (That is, of course, ignoring issues like when colours are used to identify dosage as in some makes of non-UK levothyroxine.)

Unfortunately, without explicit information, we simply do not know. I suppose a very accurate scale could be a starting point - if a 2-grain tablets weights exactly twice as much as a 1-grain tablet, we can make a reasonable guess it is the same mixture.

Even then, though, we have questions about things like how much the temperature of the mix rises when pressed into the mould. Does it rise more/faster in a big tablet - or a small one?

Like the whole of the world of thyroid - there are many more questions than answers.

[Jackie]

Hi I have taken armour, erfa but now on nature Thiroid. I find it best for me now.

Jackie