Issues with recent packs of mercury pharma thyr... - Thyroid UK

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Issues with recent packs of mercury pharma thyroxine ?

ianessex profile image
22 Replies

Having been on this brand for some time now I'm aware of the usual issues with it but recent packs have seemed very strange, bad burning of stomach, sinus pain, dizziness. Deff feels like something has been changed yet again.

Anyone else having trouble with mercury pharma thyroxine currently ?

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ianessex profile image
ianessex
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22 Replies
galathea profile image
galathea

Fill in a yellow card..... If enough people do that, eventually the stuff will be taken off the market. ( like the Teva brand was)

Details here if you scroll down the page a bit...... thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/treatm...

X. G

ianessex profile image
ianessex in reply to galathea

Have others been complaining recently,

Clutter profile image
Clutter

Ianessex, yellow card, as Galathea suggested and ask your pharmacist for Actavis or Wockhardt Levothyroxine and see whether you are more comfortable.

ianessex profile image
ianessex in reply to Clutter

Have others been moaning then,, think the company should be yellow carded,,

Clutter profile image
Clutter in reply to ianessex

Ianessex, I haven't seen any complaints on the forum but when people yellow card multiple complaints of similar issues are investigated.

If the issue is resolved when you try Actavis or Wockhardt you'll know you have a problem with Mercury Pharma. If not, you need the stomach burning investigated.

Until you can get an alternative make you might try taking an antihistamine an hour before your Levothyroxine. If the discomfort eases it may be that you were having an allergic reaction to one of the fillers in MP Levothyroxine.

I don't tolerate MP well as it causes me strong palpitations and I do better on Actavis. Other people find Actavis lacks potency and prefer MP.

ianessex profile image
ianessex in reply to Clutter

Yes I found that when I lasttried actavis , hence why I stuck with mp, I've always found it hard on stomach but dealt with it and was ok for long time,, last couple months it feels different, the pills don't feel like they're breaking down correctly,,

Clutter profile image
Clutter in reply to ianessex

Ianessex, maybe worth checking out gastric issues like increased or reduced acidity which might affect how the pills are broken down and absorbed.

ianessex profile image
ianessex in reply to Clutter

Are most people on avtavis now,, always felt weaker to me,,

Clutter profile image
Clutter in reply to ianessex

Ianessex, I've absolutely no idea whether Actavis or MP is more widely dispensed.

silverfox7 profile image
silverfox7

Interesting! I've just wondered if MP is off or whether I am! I've just had a dose increase and have felt really well, retest due in 2 weeks but then I've started feeling dizzy and stomach been feeling sore so wondered if it was the increase but may be not

ianessex profile image
ianessex in reply to silverfox7

Hi,, I've got three batches here now,, all different batch numbers, all well in date,, all feel different to each other, one feels weak, one too strong, all aggravate stomach. Etc etc,, this is relatively new issue,, always been a suspect brand but better than alternative for me,,, until now I feel.

silverfox7 profile image
silverfox7 in reply to ianessex

Was just going to add to my posting that my morning temperature has gone down to 35.5 ish whereas I'd managed to get it up to around 36.1. Yesterday stomach felt really sore and painful but eased after a yoghurt. more constipated than usual and I was thinking my increase of dose might have changed things but all signs more hypo than not. Threw empty packet away yesterday so shall resume it from bin! For about 20 years I've taken MP and taken my dose in 25 mcg. Last year to save the NHS money I decided to have less 25's and use 100's. It's only a few months back I used up all the 25's I had as I was using a 100 some days and 4 or 5x 25 on others but thought I may be wasn't getting enough and wondered if 100 wasn't equal to 4x 25. Then I was having 4x 100 and 3x 125 a week. Last bloods by Endo put FT 3 on half way so he turned down my ask to add some T3-don't think I convert well as T4 quite high but trying 125 a day now in the hope FT3 rises but FT4 in range or only slightly above. Last two weeks though first time been on 100+25 each day and gone from feeling loads better to feeling really bad. Aches have come back and weight starting to rise as well so something not right. After my recent history what do you think?

silverfox7 profile image
silverfox7 in reply to silverfox7

Just see you it is-hi Ian. Will add my batch numbers when I rescue them and see if we have the same batches

ianessex profile image
ianessex in reply to silverfox7

Hi,, yes it's me,, yeah let me know batch numbers, plus pl code..there's apparently two product codes floating about for 100 mcg, mine is always same. 16201/0002 . I feel it's the fillers, perhaps acacia.

silverfox7 profile image
silverfox7 in reply to ianessex

I suspect fillers as well but for different reasons. Food intolerance test a year ago flagged up maize so asked Endo if I would have problem with fillers. He said so small an amount it wouldn't matter. Shortly after I had an interview from pharmacist about how I took my medication-well dong it right but I asked him if I would be better going to the 100's. He said yes as fillers in 100's would be less than 4x 25 so when I saw the cost as well decided to change eventually. But I decided to ask MP as well. Normally they have been good at replying to queries but all I got this time was an email saying was I happy with their answer-what answer! Heard no more! I have noticed though I sometimes get tingling lips if I leave to more than an hour to eat after I've taken meds and tried antihistamines before the dose and not had it as yet. Lips tingling now but took meds around 7 but not eaten yet do something is there that I don't like but eating must mask or stop it. Will come back adapt with batch numbers but apart from eating have other things to do first.

anjh-blue profile image
anjh-blue

My daughter has her thyroid meds made up at Martindale Pharma. Get your GP to prescribe, your local pharmacy can setup an account with M. Martindale have safe fillers discuss with your GP best one and ensure s/h puts the filler name on your prescription.

silverfox7 profile image
silverfox7 in reply to anjh-blue

Thank you for the info. I've been on MP though for at least 20years, the name has changed during that time from Gold Shield do I was suspecting the potency until I started showing some signs of allergies so confused now though I accept you can suddenly become allergic to something you have been happy with in the past.

silverfox7 profile image
silverfox7

Batch numbers

25's 82032. 28/10/15

100's 82290. 28/04/16

Had a bit of an issue with Pharmacy though. We have had locums over the last year and I complained that new prescriptions meds were older than old ones. I was told that they are so busy that they just put new ones in front of the old on the shelf!

The next time I complained about it they assured me they don't do that and they probably come from the warehouse like that!

I also have asked do they get notified of problems about potency and yes many things so I asked if they pass the info on-stock answer far too busy. I pointed out my holiday was ruined wondering why I felt so bad on year not to mention the cost of private testing to see what was going on with me. The plus side because the batches are never consistent was that I never at that point got like batches together! I do check though now that the new use by date is in advance of the ones I still have. When I was getting my monthly repeat of 5 boxes of 25 being out of sequence was very common.

ianessex profile image
ianessex in reply to silverfox7

Thanks,, those batch numbers are nothing like mine, I've been on 100 s for ages now, always had few issues but this is stupid, most pharmacies in my area only dispense actavis , I've found two that try to get mercury in for me,, the others won't even try. Most people I speak to are on actavis, I never got on well with it but it amazes me how many are fine on it so perhaps it's just me.

silverfox7 profile image
silverfox7

When I decided to stick to one brand years ago now I was getting 3 months at the time and each batch seemed to be a different make so first packet was deciding it was different, second lot adjusting dose and third packet usually knew what I was doing then all change again so pharmacist thought it could be a fillers thing not I was convinced it was potency but she suggested that I stuck with one brand, which one? Well said I'd managed to eventually be happy with any, it was the changing that was the problem so I asked what was sent more often-Gold Shield now Amco and previously MP. So I said to go to that and she asked me to keep a month in reserve in case she couldn't get it straightaway. A lite later on an American site there was a piece that explained different firms produced different strength so some would be stronger than others. It explained that a 100 mcg tablet had to be within 90 and 110. This meant one company could be producing at 105 and a different one could only be 91, over a week that could be a big difference and this fitted in with my experience. Done one recently said they thought there was also a difference between strengths of the same make so I wondered whether that was now happening to me as now changed from 5x 25 to 1x 100 + 25 as I feel I have taken a step back according to my energy levels etc. just so many variables it's no wonder we struggle to keep stable. That's before we look at the different fillers! Such a nightmare particularly if you aren't feeling 100 %

ianessex profile image
ianessex in reply to silverfox7

Hi,, yes it's all a right pain,, they're allowed 10% Lee way but the pack must average out to correct dose so I've been told. Of course there's no way of truly knowing how the pharmacist and whole saler have stored the packs,,

silverfox7 profile image
silverfox7 in reply to ianessex

Nice thought but can't see how you could do that! Nothing is ever simple is it! I would settle at the moment to know how I will feel when I wake up on a morning! That's highly variable as well. Because of that is it me, the tabs or what. So difficult to pin down these things and work out what is happening and more importantly why. We could do with a finger prick test to do at home but even then you have to still work out why the problem.

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