To those who receive Levo prescriptions for a spilt dose

[Sybilla14]

Hi, I'm taking Levo c.94mcg a day, mostly 100mcg but reduce it to 87.5mcg from time to time. When I asked my gp to keep my prescription at 100mcg but to break it down into 50mcg & 25mcg to make it easier to dose, he was only able to prescribe 75mcg for 8 weeks. This means that 5 weeks in and I'm starting to run out of pills and cannot request repeat prescription yet so will need to see the gp to get it. Any idea if there is a way for the gp to increase the prescription to include more 25mcg tablets on it (as it seems 56 days is the maximum limit)?

Many thanks for your help 🙂

[Silver_Fairy]

Would the chemist be able to prescribe 25 & 50mcg tablets? Maybe if the GP put a note on the script?

[Sybilla14 in reply to Silver_Fairy]

Yes that could solve it! I guess I could ask the pharmacist first to see if this would be acceptable and then ask gp if he can add a note in.

[baffled2015]

Im not sure why his is happening to you. I have 162.50 per day prescribed as 100,50 and 12.5 (12.5 is brand new dosage pill!) And all this is just on repeat!

[Sybilla14 in reply to baffled2015]

I think the problem here is that in order to make the 100mcg I need 2 boxes of 50 and 4 boxes of 25 yet there seems to be a limit of 2 boxes of each strength per prescription. I really don't like to have to see my gp every few weeks just to collect the prescription but can't think of a solution if they really are not allowed to prescribe more than 56 pills at a time.

[dang in reply to baffled2015]

There's a 12.5 mcg tablet? Which brand is that?

[helvella in reply to dang]

Only Teva, and only since October 2016.

[Rennixon]

I would question this with you pharmacy as DR's should be able to prescribe 6 months at a time. I can't believe there's a limit of 2 boxes ---who's limit?...the suppliers?... very puzzling ! I get three months worth of 100 & 25 every three months.

[Sybilla14 in reply to Rennixon]

Hmm... I've only ever been given 6 weeks at a time. I will need to do some digging around, not sure why the gp said he couldn't give me more, he was issuing the prescription when I was there so maybe the system defaults to that but can be changed, if you know how. I seem to have seen comments before about the pharmacists not being keen on dispensing longer periods as their fees may be per transaction rather than quantity of medication dispensed - these may be linked? Again, patients' needs are last in the queue after others' profit motives...😉

[Rennixon in reply to Sybilla14]

It could just be the area suppliers, who don't have the capacity for stock, so the pharmacy is directed by this. No harm in asking though eh?

[Hidden in reply to Rennixon]

If they know you will be requiring meds on a regular basis they can order in what you want. A pharmacist I used back-along did this with my Levo (when I was still taking it). He used to joke about having it left on his hands if I was late picking it up.

Something is hincky with either your doctor or your pharmacist.

[helvella in reply to Rennixon]

The MHRA report on levothyroxine recommends three-month prescribing. When I asked for that (as a new patient at a new surgery) the doctor very much implied that the pharmacists wouldn't like it - she gave me two months.

Levothyroxine Tablet Products: A Review of Clinical & Quality Considerations

07 January 2013

9. Levothyroxine should be prescribed and dispensed in quantities covering three months supply, where appropriate, in order to address issues of continuity of supply and also to improve convenience to patients.

gov.uk/government/uploads/s...

[Ansteynomad]

I could never get more than 28 days meds at a time. I was told it was 'surgery policy' and they would not be moved on it. Another reason I swapped to NDT. Life is just too short.

[Sybilla14 in reply to Ansteynomad]

Absolutely!😃

[Rennixon in reply to Ansteynomad]

The doc can supply what they think fit for your condition. Of course it can be a local policy , but I'd challenge them all the way , as how do you get on if you're going abroad on a long term holiday? Again it's a post code lottery but if we don't challenge them, they get away with this spiel.

[Sybilla14 in reply to Rennixon]

Yes agree! I'll try to find out more when I next see him, it's good to know there are differences across the country though.

[silverfox7]

Tablets are made up to be within a range which is I understand at the moment to be plus or minus 5% so always stick to the same brand S if you are prescribed one at the top side and then the next at the bottom it ould make a difference to how you feel I was taking 25 mcg MP for many years but then decided to save the NHS some money by getting some 100's as well I soon found that 4x 25 was not the same as 1x 100!

[MajorTom]

Sorry to hear of your problem. Unfortunately many CCGs and practices have a limit on amounts prescribed in order to save money, often 28 or 56 days. Certainly challenge it with the GP or you coild.ask them to prescribe a 100mcg dose but ask the pharmacist to make this up feom 25s and 50s. Best of luck.

[Lily288]

Sybilla14

I had been on 100mcg of Eltroxin Levothyroxine for years when a couple of years ago, this dosage became too much for me..(I developed symptoms similar to hyperthyroidism) What I did is (Doctor's permission) I literally cut this 100mcg tablet into half, thus reducing my dosage to 50mcg. Still too much, I then cut this 50mcg again which reduced my dosage down to 25mcg. I've been doing this or been on 25mcg dosage for over a year now and this works well for me.. I use an actual small tablet or pill cutter to cut it with.. It's not easy (only cause I need a better tablet cutter) to get it to the exact dosage but it solved the problem for me and I am still doing same.....Good luck.. 🤗

[Sybilla14 in reply to Lily288]

Thanks Lily288. I do have to cut pills when taking 88.5 and that would be quite hard to dose with 100mcg pills. I could not alternate 100 and 75 as I didn't feel well on the days when on 75. The pills can crumble when the pieces get rather small...

Btw, I use a scalpel (from Amazon, following an old post on here) which is very sharp and you can see what you're doing🙂

Out of interest, where you taking a particular brand when you started to feel unwell on 100mcg?

[Lily288 in reply to Sybilla14]

Hi Sybilla14....I'm sorry you're having trouble cutting your tablet down...

I was and still am taking Elroxin brand.

And just out of interest though, I have been tried on the Synthroid brand but I cannot tolerate it.

And I may as well add that one time, I was given a "God knows what" brand and only after one tablet, I went into a hyper mode.. so bad that it felt like I was taking a panic attack... In fact I was.... I later discovered that this tablet was made in China somewhere so one of those was enough for me and I promptly called my pharmacy and doctor to let them know how angry I was to try such a thing on me. I only took that one and returned the rest to the pharmacy. I then made sure that my doctor always added "no substitution" on my Eltroxin brand script. I forgot the name of the China brand but be careful of where your pills are made.