Thyroxine

[veryangirl44]

Hi can anyone please tell me what it is in the thyroxine that makes it work please the ingredients being

Levothyroxine tablets contain the following ingredients: sodium citrate, lactose, maize starch, powdered acacia and magnesium stearate.

Sound like a silly question to most I'm sure but I know someone or people will help from this site

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

veryangirl44 Levothyroxine sodium is the active ingredient, the others are fillers. It should be mentioned in the ingredient list on the patient information leaflet in the box of Levo.

[veryangirl44 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you for replying so quick the other ingredients being fillers do they add any benefit at all please

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to veryangirl44]

No, they don't add any benefit but you can't make tablets without fillers of some kind. Different brands may have different fillers but they all have some.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to SeasideSusie]

veryangirl44,

The Patient Information Leaflet for Mercury Pharma levothyroxine says this:

What Levothyroxine Tablets contain:

This leaflet concerns two strengths of Levothyroxine tablets.

Each strength contains respectively 50 and 100 micrograms of

anhydrous levothyroxine sodium.

The tablets also contain sodium citrate, lactose, maize starch,

acacia powder and magnesium stearate.

medicines.org.uk/emc/PIL.23...

The bit I have made bold is about the active ingredient.

The ingredients you list are the excipients (the ingredients other than the active ingredient) - they are things like:

Antiadherents

Binders

Coatings

Colours

Disintegrants

Flavours

Glidants

Lubricants

Preservatives

Sorbents

Sweeteners

Vehicles.

[Heloise]

Hi veryangirl44, If you don't know too much about hormone replacement I'll just add that your own thyroid produces T4, T3, T2, T1 and calcitonin. Your levothyroxine only contains T4 plus the fillers, etc. Back in the 1880's when people did not produce enough hormone of their own they extracted thyroid hormone from the glands of pigs which resembled human thyroid although not the same ratios of T4 to T3. Later when drug companies could produce synthetic thyroid like Levo or Synthroid it became the standard treatment even though natural thyroid or NDT was effective and safe. I guess Levo hasn't killed anyone either but it certainly has kept some people feeling ill when it is the only treatment. Hashimoto is an autoimmune disease and the attack against your thyroid hormones is what causes the hypothyroidism. I hope this wasn't too much information but there may be better treatment that you aren't aware of. health.howstuffworks.com/hu...

[veryangirl44 in reply to Heloise]

Thank you for your help I have been on thyroxine for over twenty years now and I'm so fed up of feeling naff. I started on 100 mg and within six months I was on 200 mg. I stayed like that and was fine till I moved to Cornwall March 2007 till they tested me and said I was on too high so put me down to 150. I felt awfull and didn't function so they put it up by 25 mg still felt naff I ended up on 225 mg that ended up too much so about three years ago I went down to 200 and since then maybe coincidence but have had all over pain since.

I moved to St ives in February this year and obviously needed tablets again they arranged blood tests to see why I'm in pain and tested my thyroid and to them first I was slightly over medicated I said your not reducing my tablets I'll be I'll. they agreed to do another blood test that come back overmedicated still I explained they will make me I'll but agreed to reduce to 175 one day 200 next.

Just had blood test so waiting results but the pain still has not gone away.

My t3 was in the normal range top end so I am converting.

I dont know if I have just underactive thyroid or hashimoto I know I'm just feeling naff so looking for other treatments but I am going to wait for results first so a clear starting point.

They think too much of numbers than how we feel.

[Heloise in reply to veryangirl44]

You are right about the numbers. We know that TSH number is going to be nonessential once you take hormone pills. But even the others have to be interpreted. If you take T3, your FT4 number will be lower but looking at FT3 can be misleading as well. It may not be actually working its way into cells.

This is where the cofactors can enter the picture as you need the right levels of cortisol and ferritin. You also need B12 and folate. If you don't have those your Levo may be producing reverse T3. Was your FT4 number higher in range than your FT3?

This website can explain much of what you need to know that your doctor probably doesn't unfortunately.

stopthethyroidmadness.com/m...

stopthethyroidmadness.com/l...