Is Wockhardt the same as Actavis?

[Lindsayf]

Hi

I'm trying to get hold of 25mcg of Actavis, however, Boots no longer stock Almis(Actavis) in the dose I need.

I've called Lloyds and they stock Wockhardt but is that Actavis in a different packaging?

Thanks Lindsay

[Clutter]

Lindsayf,

Wockhardt is a different make to Actavis. It has fewer fillers than Actavis and Mercury Pharma so may be better tolerated. Wockhardt only produce 25mcg.

Actavis 50mcg and 100mcg are packaged as Almus for Boots and Lloyds. Actavis don't produce 25mcg.

[Lindsayf in reply to Clutter]

Hi Clutter

Woo that's good to know. If it has few fillers then I might give it a go... I don't get on with MP so will not even considering taking their 25mcg.

My GP has gone against the Endo and told me to take 75mcg and 100mcg on alternative days. I used to be on a 100mcg so never had a brand problem. I'm not going to alternative doses but to be able to get the right amount of tablets to take 100mcg i need to get the 25mcg

As per your help I've added T3 to my daily dose and will do a prick test mid August.

Thanks for your help

[Clutter in reply to Lindsayf]

Lindsayf,

Make sure your pharmacist knows you won't accept Mercury Pharma 25mcg.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

No, Lindsayf . Wockhardt is not Actavis repackaged

[Lindsayf in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks for that..... I don't know what to do as I only like Actavis and I'm not keen on mixing two brands

[Singoutloud in reply to Lindsayf]

Get mine from large supermarket pharmacy and specify brands I want when I hand in my prescription. I mix actavis 50 & wockhardt 25 with no problems. Mercury pharma made me itch.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Boots have never stocked Almus (Actavis) in 25 microgram tablets - because there is no such product. Have you just changed your dose?

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

You also have the options of alternate dosing (e.g. 100 one day, 150 the next to get an average of 125) or splitting 50 microgram tablets.

[RedApple Administrator]

Lindsayf,

If you've previously had 25mcg tablets in Almus packaging, they will have been MercuryPharma tablets, not Actavis.

As Helvella says, Actavis have never made 25mcg levothyroxine tablets.

You can find the ingredients of Wockhardt and other UK levothyroxine tablets on the main Thyroid UK website. Click on the purple bar that says UK - Synthetic Levothyroxine (T4) Tablets thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/treatm...

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to RedApple]

The Almus website itself does not list a 25 microgram product!

almus.co.uk/product-list

(Awkward to find but their 50 and 100 microgram products are in the list if you get to the right page!)

[RedApple Administrator in reply to helvella]

I can't recall now, but it may be that Almus has only ever supplied 25mcg tablets in 'native' MPharma packaging

[crimple]

I cannot tolerate MP and have never had Wockhardt. At the moment I am on 100mcg Almus every day and then I split 50mcg tablet and take half on alternate days so that my dose averages 112.5mcg per day over 4 days. This is the only way I can increase my dose with Almus because they only produce 50 and 100mcg. I have a very good pill splitter, bought at TUK conference and it only needs gentle pressure to split the tablets.

You are very wise not to mix tablets from different manufacturers. I found out by accident 3 years ago that I couldn't tolerate MP, it really upset my stomach. I had changed GP and therefore pharmacy. My current GP uses Boots who always have Almus and I had to explain to new GP why I wanted 50mcg tablets that I could split. Got the impression I was being overly fussy!!

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to crimple]

I take 100 microgram Actavis plus 12 microgram Uni-Pharma levothyroxine. Am happier on this mix than anything else so far.

[cein in reply to crimple]

Hi, I now take Wockhardt ... following the problems the drug company had with Eltroxin .. after trying most of the brands Wockhardt was the one that seemed to give least problems ... and what do you know ! Wockhardt the only one that doesn't have Acai as a filler ( I'm allergic to Acai ) .

[crimple]

Didn't know you could get levo from Uni Pharma!

Looking at my latest results I think I will be looking for T3 as GP was very reluctant to agree the increase of 12.5mcg threatening me with heart attacks and osteoporosis even though my T3 and T4 levels are low in ranges with TSH below 1 but not far enough below for my liking!

[Clutter]

Annonymous21,

Almus Levothyroxine is Actavis repackaged for Lloyds and Boots. The 3 Levothyroxine makes available in the UK are all generic medications. There is no longer branded Levothyroxine in the UK.

[RedApple Administrator]

Annonymous21,

As already stated, Almus is not a cheaper generic brand of levothyroxine. Almus is the packaging name only for levothyroxine dispensed by Boots. Boots do not make levothyroxine, they simply dispense other brands in their own packaging.

The blister packs inside the Almus levothyroxine box actually have the brand name Actavis on them, so there is no doubt about the brand of levothyroxine tablets inside the Almus box.

[cein]

Hi ,

You can ask your doctor to specify '' Activis '' brand on the perscription to make sure you get a consistent brand and the pharmacist will have to order it .

[up-all-night]

Hi Butterfly, Only just found this site and wanted to share my experiences in case it helps. I had been unwell for a couple of years with increasing fatigue, but having hot flushes, arm pain and palpitations particularly when I tried to sleep. Because I felt hot I thought it was hormones or thyroid too high. I felt very tearful as I felt that I couldn t cope with anything so understand how you feel in consultations when they suggest depression !

It was only when I read that arm pain can be caused by the thyroid being too low and that the body can compensate by raising body temperature that, in desperation, I thought I would try increasing my thyroxine by 25mcg.

Within a couple of weeks I started to feel better, the arm pain slowly improved, and after 4 months the palpitations had completely stopped. I also discovered, recently, by chance that when the dispensing chemist gave me 100% Actavis instead of part Actavis and part Wockhart I felt even better. After only a few days, symptoms such as sinusitis issues started to clear and after two weeks my increasingly thinning hair started to improve. For the first time in months I had to trim my eyebrows and elsewhere !

I am now aware of sense of CALM when I sit down, instead of constant anxiety.

I can t believe the difference and from reading on this site it seems that there are potential issues regarding potency of 25 mcg tablets and also between different manufacturer makes.

I now don t know if I am needing more thyroxine or if I just need to have 100% Actavis brand until the next blood test, but some doctors on line seem to take the view that the blood tests aren t a reliable way of judging things and its best to base treatment on symptoms.

I have stopped feeling itchy also, which I had previously put down to an allergy or using a different washing liquid.

I will post back once another month has passed to see if other health problems also resolve. I am constantly amazed at how many on-going problems seem to have been due to problems with my thyroid and it is only by sharing our experiences that we stand a chance of getting a solution and living normally, as I truly feel that many Doctors don t know themselves what to do.

I can quite understand also how a lot of symptoms can be put down to hormones or rheumatoid/ arthritis. When I was at my worst last year I felt like " an achy wooden doll with hot flushes" and would never have thought it was thyroid without actually experiencing the daily improvement of an extra 25mcg as each day passed after trialling it. For me, it took two weeks to have a 50% improvement and after a month 90% improvement.

I should also say that I had been on 125mcg for 10 years and blood tests always came back as within normal range, so couldn t get medics to consider need for change in dose. If you do increase your dose, also consider which brand you take as the "extra" dose. I increased the Wockhardt brand, but feel that Actavis gives a "stronger" effect. I saw on line that someone else reported this, too. Therefore, splitting a 100mcg tablet in half may not give the same dose as two 25mcg tablets from a different manufacturer.

[Hidden]

Hi Lindsayf,

Reference your post above. I was also on Actavis and needed 25mcg but Wockhardt was only available in that dosage. The Doctor gave me 2 different brands, i.e. 50mcg Actavis and 25mcg Wockhardt which I obtained from MediCare. Wockhardt brand has lactose and sucrose, Actavis has sucrose only. I already have irritable bowel syndrome, so found the combination of lactose and sucrose caused havoc on my stomach. I refused to take due to all the side effects. Doctor then changed me to Teva brand (25mcg) which I got from Boots. I haven't started taking yet as I feel much better not taking anything.