Different brands of Levothyroxine

[Megluka]

I order my thyroxine for three months and collect it from the same pharmacy each time. I have noticed that the brand of Levo is never the same twice. Are the different brands the same and does it matter if there is no continuity?

[puncturedbicycle]

It matters a lot to some people and less to others. My lovely pharmacist confirmed that some people only do well taking the same brand.

It's very hard to say if any residual unwellness is caused by a change in brand, undermedication, unsuitability of the drug itself etc so there may be many of us who don't do well on different brands but it can be hard to get the same brand every time so it is hard to test the theory.

[Megluka in reply to puncturedbicycle]

It is hard to get the same brand. The prescription goes to the pharmacy electronically with just the drug name and dosage so the GP has no control of what is actually given out. I honestly believe that I just get whatever brand the pharmacy has in stock at the time. I personally have never experienced any differences but I do appreciate that for some people a change of brand can make a huge difference.

[puncturedbicycle in reply to Megluka]

The only way I have been able to do this w any degree of success was to have a lovely pharmacist who was sympathetic to this view and who used to keep my brand by in a drawer. This was nonetheless still not a straightforward matter.

- W some frequency there would be a different/locum pharmacist who would either look at me like I had two heads, give me the wrong brand or, as on one occasion, berate me for asking for a specific brand because 'we don't do that' (I went back the next day and got my brand from the lovely usual pharmacist who had kept it in the drawer as usual).

- If my brand wasn't available I really had no plan b as I need levo and can't wait to see what brand comes in next.

- I could only ever get my meds at that one pharmacy.

You can get your doc to write the brand on the script but in my experience all that means is that every month there will be the wrong brand so not only will you not get your meds but you'll have to go to the surgery to get a whole new script. I live in a city and accept that things are different elsewhere and if you know someone they may look after you better and make sure they regularly get your brand.

In the end it 'worked out' as I have never felt any better on any brand of levo than on any other. Good news/bad news.

[silverfox7]

Stick to the same. Find ones that suit and get that put on your prescription. They all have fillers in but they can be slightly different in different brands and folks can be sensitive to some of them so better to stick with one that you are happy with. Also the anouby can be different between different brands and also between different strengths in the same brand.

I discovered this when I was given 3 months of one then 3 of another so being able to get 3 at a time then made it more apparent.

Then I read on an American site that tablets are made within a tillers center so 100 mcg had to be within 90 and 110 so plus or minus 10% so one month you could be on one delivering 90 and then the next at 110 taking it to extremes. This was changed in 2009 to plus or minus 5% so better but still a big difference that could make a difference.

I have only seen figures for the US but I would expect our brands are similar as it was my sensivity that looked into it in the first place!

I also found that 1x 100 mcg Levo from MP was not the same as 4x 25 of the same make. I'd always had my meds prescribed in 25's but when seeing the difference in cost I decided to help the NHS. Not a great saving but every little helps but it backfired on me!

Also I think there can be so many hiccups on our thyroid journey each day that let's keep static the things we can do as not to upset the apple cart!