Excipients what excipients?: I need to share this... - Thyroid UK

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Excipients what excipients?

amasufindme profile image
16 Replies

I need to share this with you (I am losing hair and not because I am hypo)...I went to collect my trial 'name patient basis' 5mcg 84 x LT3 from the pharmacist, to be informed that it was a mixed batch and it went like this...

Me: "If this is a mixed batch and the old supplier was Sigmapharma, who is the new supplier for the remaining 70 tablets - I need to know what the difference is in the excipients?

Pharmacist: " Well there are small tablets and bigger tablets"

TOO much science for me, I am having a lie down now... :-)

Some time later after self-induced (& very GP condemned) research...Perrigo doesn't have magnesium stearate interestingly...[calcium sulfate, micocrystalline cellulose, hypromellose, talc and colloidal silicon dioxide]

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amasufindme
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16 Replies
greygoose profile image
greygoose

lol

RedApple profile image
RedAppleAdministrator

Thanks amasufindme, made me giggle :D

Clutter profile image
Clutter

Amasufindme,

Good Grief!

Pharmacist should supply you with the batch no. and a patient information leaflet with medication which lists the excipients. Probably won't say whether the tablets are small tablets or bigger tablets though :-D

My God it's like the Monty Python sketch, Dinosaurs are thin and one end thick in the middle and thin at the other end. And they study for how many years to come up with this stuff??????

in reply to

OMG I laughed so hard at that! I remember that sketch, my friends and I used to have fun re-doing it. :D It is quite dreadful though, comedy aside, sometimes I wonder what use higher education is if this is the best our country can produce!

amasufindme profile image
amasufindme

LOL! :-) Do you know, I really think some of the dinosaurs would have more of an idea than our HPs (Health Practitioners) who just seem to be in la-la land, if they are not groping for their own egos.

I am adding to my daily medication regime one large dollop of humor. I know this trial of LT3 is going to be transitory for me and then it will be withdrawn, so I will have to go continental. One month in and I am attaining a quality of life with clarity of thought, more energy and better sleep. I have been achieving a lot folks!

Its all a travesty! I know I have "brain fuggtytist" but the big pointy shiny hand floating on top of this problem for thousands of us is being supremely ignored by these HPs.

I'm so hoping for the day when the HPs wake up and smell the non-goitrogenic coffee!!

wightmouse profile image
wightmouse

Hi amasufindme

I was taking 5mcg vertigo for a few years but last three scripts have been sigma pharma I was worried about the change but I think it is slightly better. I'm not sure if it is the different ways it absorbs as the Sigmapharma is a harder pill so I don't get the hit as I did with the perrigo.

Hope this helps.

The perrigo pill will melt in your mouth.

The sigma pharma is harder and has the number 18 on one side.

Hope you do well on it. Good luck.

amasufindme profile image
amasufindme in reply to wightmouse

Hi there, thank you, yes its feels like a continual journey of exploration and discovery. I actually take Sigmapharma sublingual which is instantaneously better :-) as I seem to struggle to absorb LT3 due to the magnesium stearate in the gut, so I will try the Perrigo sublingual even though its microcystalline cellulose.

Magnesium stearate is wicked and is only used as I understand as it means the machines can punch the tablets out faster without clogging up the process. Potentially it can contain toxins from its manufacturing process. I wonder if the cellulose is as effective in rapid production, what its cost is and could it replace Magnesium Stearate universally. UniPharma LT3 has magnesium stearate as well :-) which will be my continental source if my prescription LT3 is withdrawn.

Also I have turned my daily medication regime of LT3/LT4 and supplements up side down so I take Iron first thing then 4 hours start my first LT3 etc...LT4 last thing...so far I think this is working for me, but I will give it a month.

Are you prescription name patient basis with your 5mcg LT3 and has it been a struggle to get continued GP support? I asked the pharmacist for the cost of the 100 tablet 5mcg LT3 Perrigo and she said it was ~£520...

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministratorThyroid UK

I love the word excipients.

If you are not familiar with the word (and I wasn't before dratted thyroid), you could do worse than have a read of Wiki's page:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excip...

Rapunzel profile image
Rapunzel in reply to helvella

We're all going to hell on a handcart. There's an ExcipientFest for freaks sake !

Aw mudder :D

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministratorThyroid UK in reply to Rapunzel

There's going to a European one as well as the one in Rhode Island in April 2017.

Rapunzel profile image
Rapunzel

'Pharmacist: " Well there are small tablets and bigger tablets"'

This reminds me of when I bought a car. I phoned the dealer and asked what they had in and he told me, 'We have a blue one, a red one and a white one...' Massive fail, you Tonka :D

amasufindme profile image
amasufindme in reply to Rapunzel

:-) We need a special place for these special people, don't we!

Ruthi profile image
Ruthi

You really need to stop using long words!

Is there a Royal College for pharmacists?

amasufindme profile image
amasufindme in reply to Ruthi

Yes! rpharms.com although 'pharmaceutical' is quite a long word = 5 syllables...I am gonna have to lie down again :-)

Rapunzel profile image
Rapunzel

No it just feels that way sometimes...I'm a good girl and I bet you are too...What we deserve is a special present from Santa baby ( he's on his own hurrying down a chimney tho' I'd get stuck for sure :D )

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