Cost of t3

[babycatcher7572]

Hi...I'm lucky my endo prescribes t3 on the Nhs. My pharmacy is attached to my gp surgery and when collecting my meds they said they couldn't get the t3 .....and sent me to a large Boots . Whilst ordering it..I managed to get the price of the t3 out of the assistant. .. £246 per 100 tabs...I now know why they 'couldn't get it!' Good job I'm worth it lol!

[SmallBlueThing]

My GP told me there wasn't enough available, even for "those who really need it".

Cost to the NHS for 28 x 20 microgram tablets is £102.30 (50x cost of levothyroxine).

[Anthea55]

I think there's only 1 brand, so they can charge what they like - no competition.

If they prescribed NDT they could save money and make our lives better.

[shaws Administrator]

I personally think there should be an investigation why UK T3 is so very expensive. It used to be about £28 per 30 and has gradually been increased after each problem i.e. non availability several times for a number of weeks. People left high and dry. Last year members complained of problems with batches. Again was withdrawn till investigations which resulted in T3 being of the 'efficacy'. What I think was the problem was the fillers/binders used but, of course, there's no proof of that. There must have been something wrong for quite a few users to complain. I was one of them and at first you don't realise it's the T3 and assumption is that you're having clinical symptoms. That's until you change to another and you're back to good health once more.

You should make sure you have a good stock in case of the above eventualities.

[Hidden in reply to shaws]

Whenever something smells rotten, Big Pharma has something to do with it

[Parbrook]

When you say that you are getting 100 tabs, are these 5mcg Paddock Labs?

If so, they have recently been re-branded Perigo, which is the name of the company that owns Paddock Labs.

I get mine from Boots and there was some confusion last month because of the brand name change.

My prescription specified Paddock Labs and this has now been changed to Perigo/Paddock.

Hope this helps.

[Angel_of_the_North]

If you had to buy your own, you'd buy from Greece, Cyprus or Turkey or similar where it costs a few euros a pack. The NHS don't seem to have a very good procurement dept.

[Alexara10 in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

If you want to buy T3 in any of the countries mentioned what would you ask for? Just T3 or is there some other name that it goes by? Can you buy over the counter in these countries or just over the internet?

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Alexara10]

I'm not sure as I buy on the Internet. The most common brands are Uni Pharma and Tiromel.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Alexara10]

Using "T3" is far too likely to get confusing - look up a translation of liothyronine in whichever language you need to ask in.

Greek:

λειοθυρονίνη

translate.google.co.uk/#en/...

Turkish:

liothyronine

translate.google.co.uk/#en/...

Japanese:

リオチロニン

translate.google.co.uk/#en/...

If you visit the links above (or look up for yourself), there is a loudspeaker icon which will even pronounce it for you. And still take care - mistakes are all to easy to make. Print it out so you can pass that over rather than relying on any pronunciation.

Rod

[salty6]

I have a prescription for Liothyronine 20mcg and receive it from Pharmacy2U there the price is 28 tablets £4.57, so where do these other prices come from? you can check it out on their website.

[Veggiequeen in reply to salty6]

I have had a look at their site. Is it Mercury Pharma brand that you are prescribed? or supplied. I have a prescription and don't pay for it. But my Dad used to work for the NHs as a buyer and the cost of the pills is always in the back of my head.

[salty6 in reply to Veggiequeen]

Yes Veggiequeen my prescription is from mercury, and I thought they were the only supplier in UK, that was the case up to 2013 but maybe they have lost their monopoly, as there was a shortage when I first started on them, I had TT in 2012 and my lovely surgeon prescribed both T4 and T3 for me and I have to say that I feel so much better now I have both.

[gillykins2 in reply to salty6]

Hi salty6,

I rang Pharmacy2U after reading your post. Their price listing is a bit misleading, sadly it's £4.57 PER TABLET, making it £127.96 for 28. So they're on a par with other UK chemists I've tried. They told me the NHS pay £8.50, pity we can't pay that!

[salty6 in reply to gillykins2]

Wow Gillykins I get it prescribed and because I am OAP dont have to pay, but no wonder they don't want to prescribe it, makes you wonder how they can validate that price be interesting to know what Levothyroxine costs. If its lots cheaper then that is why so few people can get it prescribed. I have felt so much better since I have been on it, Levothyroxine just did not work for me. There really should be better treatment for thyroid disease so many lives are ruined because there is no real understanding of the problems faced each day.

[salty6]

Further to my previous comment - I think Boots are ripping the NHS off those prices are dreadful, they charge almost double for items you can buy in a supermarket when it is issued from their pharmacy. No wonder our health service is in trouble.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to salty6]

Not for one minute defending Boots, pharmaceutical companies, etc., but I think the money the pharmacy can claim is an agreed amount and does not vary by company.

[salty6 in reply to helvella]

You are probably righ Helvella but I do think that the pharmaceutical company's are making a lot of money out of the NHS, that is sad as they seem to have so many problems lately.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to salty6]

It's terrible - I agree.

[sassicat in reply to helvella]

There is a price variant amongst pharmacies, when I have checked prices for liothyronine.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to sassicat]

sassicat,

Private purchase is different to NHS costs.

I don't know how private purchase prices are arrived at. Certainly, prices can and do vary.

[penny]

£3.99 for 100 25mcg tablets tiromel!

[sassicat in reply to penny]

Would you be able to inbox me and let me know where you get Tiromel from please. Would you also be able to let me know what the excipients in Tiromel are please. (even if they are written in a foreign language)

Thanks

[sassicat]

I have just had a private prescription filled for 60 Mercury Pharma liothyronine.

The cheapest I could get if for was £350.00!!! Which is double what I paid a few months ago.

From Boots the price quoted was £450 + (but they add a percentage for private prescriptions).

I am am so worried as I just can't afford this, and the fight to get my NHS GP to prescribe it just isn't worth it.

Do any of you who get Liothyronine from other countries need a prescription. My private GP will not write a prescription for non-UK pharmacies for some reason.

Thanks

Ann x

[sassicat]

Sadly I am completely allergic to NDT. It gives me an awful rash and breathing difficulties!

I have tried all the different brands available. I have tried it many times over the years, but the allergy only gets worse as I get older not better.

I felt pretty good taking Eltroxin and Tertroxin (since 1996) - before Goldsheild sold out and ruined it! But that's another story....

[janetEB77 in reply to sassicat]

As a pharmacist at work in the 1960 both eltroxin and tertroxin were in the drug tariff , and made by Glaxo in Middlesex. I was satisfactory on t4 until generic prescribing came in. The quality of many generics is not satisfactory. ( anybody remember the TEVA scandal of recent years.) After 50 years I had a genetic test which showed that I was not converting to t3 I have not been given any t3 as yet but have an endo apt in two weeks. I would not trust mercury as a supplier, are their manufacturing standards ever checked In U,S.A. all brands of thyroxine were subject to a quality test about 3 years ago. I may opt for cytomel which has a reputable manufacturer