Why am i starting to disintegrate?

[henrythewasp]

Firstly sorry for the title,i am not disintegrating but it got ya attention right? lol.......I am on Thyroxine which i normally take out of the packet and put into a weekley dispenser but on a recent visit to the Scottish Highlands in my camper van i found they were starting to crumble and i put it down to damp air conditions.I did notice as the days went on i started to feel very tired so i dont think my Thyroxine was working but this got me thinking......I normally feel a little tired anyway but by putting them in a dispenser and away from the foil blister pack are they starting to deteriorate so i am not getting the full benefit? I am going to try for a while to see if it changes anything but if anyone can answer this please i will be grateful and thank you.

[Clutter]

Henry, the blister packs do protect against degradation due to humidity. I've always taken mine straight from the blister so I don't have experience of changes that may occur after decanting.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Humidity, oxygen, heat and light are all definitely known to affect levothyroxine.

You remind me of the insidious effect of taking the now-withdrawn Teva levothyroxine which was effectively sub-potent. Even a modest reduction in potency accumulates in its effect over time. If you were on "just enough" then even a very small reduction in potency could have an effect. Whereas if you were on a few micrograms more than you really need, you might not notice anything.

[Ruby1]

I don't know if they degrade, but I thought I'd share how I remember if I've taken my tablets. When I start a new pack, I use a sharpie to write the days of the week on the blisters, M,T,W,Th,F,Sa,Su.

I once went on holiday with 2 other women who were hypothyroid and one used a weekly dispenser and the other would just write the day they started the pack, and then work it out if they forgot. It made me smile that we all had strategies

[MariLiz]

I always cut off the number of pills I need to take on holiday, but keep them in the blister packs. Plus a few extra in case I drop one on the floor and can't find it, or down the plug hole in the sink ( which has happened before)! As Ruby says you can write the days on the blister pack, so you don't miss taking any. This avoids them degrading in any way, sorry to hear you've had this problem Henry. Best wishes MariLiz

[stiltzski]

Do you know if this degradation applies to T4+T3 tablets? I take Nature Throid. My private doctor sends me the pills loose in a little plastic bag which you can squeeze closed but air must get in. Perhaps I should transfer them to an old tablet bottle but then I would worry about travelling wiithout the correct label!