Teva!!!

[JillOliver]

Hi All,

So after being on a 'new' formulation of levothyroxine made by Teva UK Ltd for two weeks, I feel worse than a 90 year old who's worked down a pit all his/her life! I am a very fit and normally very active 51 year old, who runs, weight trains, cycles etc thyroid tiredness permitting!

After doing some Googling around just, I came across this: gov.uk/government/news/teva...

I have a pain in my left foot, which started upon waking last Sunday and has progressively got worse as this week has gone on and is just as bad today and I have done nothing to cause the pain i.e. running, or tripping, kicking something, so no trauma to the foot etc And I also ache and have pains in places I never knew existed and just feel washed out/tired all the time and I just don't feel like me anymore. To me, I feel like I am under treated, with all these pains etc and tiredness, even though I am on 150/175 mcg levo alternate days. I also feel similar effects if I am given the brand Wockhardt and spoke to my pharmacist about it and they have since put a note against my name to make sure I don't get given the Wockhardt brand. Problem I now have is I am stuck with another 2 weeks supply of the Teva brand. Do you think if I phoned my pharmacist they would order me a different brand and swap me for the Teva I have left?

Anyone else recently been given this 'new' improved formula made by Teva and notice anything odd about themselves? I'd never even heard of this brand before!

Thanks,

Jill

[Rennixon]

Hi

I've just replied to you on my post, but wanted to add that if you take back the Teva you have left, I'm sure they'd swap it for the brand you want. - good opportunity to get them to fill I. The yellow card too 😊

[helvella in reply to Rennixon]

They might need a new prescription. We have read both of replacement without issue and demanding a new prescription because they have already fulfilled their obligations.

[JillOliver in reply to Rennixon]

Thanks Rennixon, I phoned my pharamacist and she was more than happy to do a swap, so I have just been down there now and she has given me Mercury Pharma and Activis, so more than happy and she couldn't be more helpful

She's also added Teva to the original note against my name for no Wockhardt = very happy!

[Rennixon in reply to JillOliver]

Brilliant! Hope your aches & pains go quickly 🙂

[JillOliver]

UPDATE:

Rang pharmacist and told her of my symptoms and she was more than happy to swap what I had left of the Teva to two brands I know I get on with

Now I just need to hobble around a bit longer until my foot pain goes....

Thanks,

Jill

[deniD]

Hi I started it over a week ago and I feel rottern! Not good at all hoping its a bug but will see !

[JillOliver in reply to deniD]

Good luck deniD, I thought I had a bug, but it deffo wasn't! It was the Teva!

[helvella]

Jill,

Please consider filing a Yellow Card report, if you have not yet done so.

yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/

It is important for issues like this to be collected and collated for the benefit of everyone.

[JillOliver in reply to helvella]

Already have helvella 😊

[lady_eve]

It's such a shame that Teva just don't seem able to get it right. I was on it years and years ago, but I know the history of what's happened since. I was struck by the fact that they offer levothyroxine in a good range of dosage sizes - I do think that 12.5 mcg is a great idea, because it can be hard to modulate dose, but why are Teva generally so badly-tolerated by so many people? (I've been on Mercury Pharma for years.)

[helvella in reply to lady_eve]

If you took 25 microgram Teva before it was reformulated (2013 or earlier) that would actually have been Mercury Pharma levothyroxine. Teva didn't used to make their own 25 microgram tablet. So we ended up with the deeply unsatisfactory situation of people being given two different formulations and not realising. Particularly bad if you carefully read one Patient Information Leaflet, checked the ingredients, and understandably assumed the 50 and 100 would be exactly the same.

One of the good things about this internet thing is that if a company tried that again, we would know and would be complaining.

I think the idea of a small dose tablet is excellent. I take 112 micrograms a day.

[Ladyanne in reply to helvella]

I was prescribed Mercury Pharmacy 50 micrograms and Treva 25 micrograms about a month ago. I have been feeling quite off colour, aching joints, sore muscles, nauseous etc., and thought I was coming down with a bug. I never checked who the drug manufacturers were, I didn't think it mattered. Should I ask my GP to change my medication? Could that be the cause of my problems ?

[helvella in reply to Ladyanne]

Many people here (I'd guess most of us) find differences between the makes.

GPs are possibly not the best to get to select a make. All they can do is write the prescription for a specific make or, if appropriate, something like "lactose-free".

In my view, far better to have a relationship with a pharmacy and get them to record your preferences on their records. That way, it is your choice and you can change your mind relatively easily. If a new make comes onto the scene, you could try it. If an existing make disappears, you don't have to get a fresh prescription.

However, if you are not getting on with Teva, you might have to ask for another prescription now.

[lady_eve in reply to helvella]

I am deeply unpopular with my dispensary, as I have insisted that I only be dispensed 100 mcg, 50 mcg and 25 mcg tablets by all one brand (Mercury Pharma levothyroxine). It took a long time to convince them that different brands should not be mixed. Now they buy all three in bulk and dispense to me in plastic bottles, which means I have to keep an eye on their handwritten expiry dates and check the tablets for their identifying marks each time (I'm waiting to see how long it will be before the April 2016 onwards, redesigned tablets actually reach me, which they haven't yet). When I asked the dispensary for a PIL they told me they don't receive one with the bulk supply, and also tell me I'm the only patient using this specific brand/combination of dosages! It's fortunate that that the PILs are available on line. I found them via this forum, so thanks to everyone whose posted about that!

Regarding tablet size, I often wonder whether I'd do better on the liquid levo, which would presumably allow for fine-tailoring of dosage, but is that only available for children?

[busybird55]

I have had a similar problem with Teva. I have just persuaded my GP to let me try a slight increase in my dose (as advised by the good people here when I posted my results) and when I went to collect the prescription from the pharmacist, I asked if I could possibly have something other than Teva as I felt it wasn't agreeing with me. She said that was all that they had, and unless the GP specifically named another brand, that is all they could give. I decided to give it a try, at the new dose of 75 mcg daily but the nausea kicked in a bit worse than before when it was the 50 mcg Teva and an added 25mcg Wockhardt every other day. My mouth was so dry, and my tongue felt swollen - a horrible feeling. I actually tried reverting to 3 x 25mcg Wockhardt brand one evening and that was fine. I even left taking the medication until the early hours of the morning, but still the nausea kicked in. I checked out the ingredients of Teva and this is the only brand containing mannitol and microcrystalline cellulose. The pharmacist confirmed that if the Teva brand was disagreeing with me, then it is likely to be one or both of those ingredients which are the culprits. I couldn't exchange them but I have asked the GP for a replacement prescription to read 'not Teva'. Hopefully this won't be a problem.

[Supersleuth]

Yes, I've had headaches, nausea, muscle aches and restless legs after taking TEVA. I've filled out a yellow form. I hope that you have done the same.

[JillOliver in reply to Supersleuth]

I did indeed 😊