I too have doubts about Teva levothyroxin

[Sukiling]

Became ill within days of pharmacist using this brand. Usually had Wockhart 25mcg and Activis 50mcg. Have had quite a battle to get them to not give me Teva

[AngieAsh]

Hi. I have also been given Teva in 50mg. I only started taking it 4 weeks ago, finally got it from the hospital after seeing the Endo and getting my diagnosis of subclinical Hypo with high antibodies because my GP was unwilling to prescribe it for me with a TSH of 9.4. It turns out for my first repeat prescription that my usual pharmacy also gives out Teva.

What is it that you actually think is wrong with it please? If it's a reaction to it then I'm probably ok because no new symptoms have started and I don't feel any worse. If it's just not working properly though then I'm a bit worried because how will I even know if Levo will work for me, it might but if I can only get a brand that's not working properly the Endo might just take me back off it again due to no improvement.

[Phoenix605 in reply to AngieAsh]

Hi Angie, when people have a reaction it is usually to the binders and fillers which is why they may get on with some brands but not others. I was given Teva back in March and had lots of little niggles with my joints, tender achilles and sprained my elbow putting on my empty rucksack! I put it down to being a clutz until after three weeks my knuckle joints got very stiff and sore, all of them in both hands for no reason. I recognised that from a full blown drug allergy I suffered many years ago and insisted my levo was replaced with my normal Mercury. Within three days my hands were back to normal and a lot of the niggles subsided.

My achilles and elbow are much improved but dont seem to want to go that last tiny bit to achieve healed, granted I know how I did my elbow but my achilles are a mystery! Im also having regular issues with my lower back muscles and my spine sounds like bubblewrap. Im not sure I can blame it all on Teva to be fair, but I dont trust coincidence. My GP puts Mercury or actavis only on my prescriptions and pharmacy have put no Teva on my record as belt and braces. I had no issue with absorbing and using the actual hormone content in Teva.

[Sukiling in reply to Phoenix605]

How strange...my spine sounds like bubble wrap too.

[Sukiling in reply to AngieAsh]

Hi AngieAsh, , I have been on levothyroxine for about 6 years and I have sometimes taken an extra 25 mcg (with the docs blessing) when he has felt that my 'symptoms' of hypo were returning. This is a completely silly way of trying to feel 'normal' again as all that it does is give you symptoms of overdose. Consequently, the Teva brand gave me these overdose symptoms. I usually take a 25 Wockhardt and a 50 of, usually, Actavis; so I stopped the Teva and took 3 x 25. I think it is probably the binding ingredients that Teva use which don't agree with me. At the end of the day, thyroid balance is trial and error. Good luck!

[mrsm49]

You shouldn't have to battle they should be aware that many have probs with certain brands. If a particular drug is not specified they source the cheapest drugs they can each time they purchase. I always check my tablets at the counter before leaving as often get wrong ones, I calmly tell them that I have allergies to fillers and tell them the brand I need. They sometimes make a song n dance over the fact I'll have to wait few days for it to come in and occasionally I've had to wait a week (should take them couple days!) but i factor this in when ordering now.

I've used tesco pharmacies since tt others may hve diff policies I suppose. Maybe you could look into the online one currently being advertised on tv. Pharmacy 2 U i think it's called.

[Sukiling in reply to mrsm49]

I always check my tablets at the pharmacy too. The last time I had a real battle and changed pharmacies. What they didn't realise was that I used to work in a pharmacy and knew that they could order a different brand. Folks with dodgy thyroids know when it goes out of kilter, but receive little or no sympathy from others. I had also researched Teva, and knew that there had been questions about tablet strengths.

[crimple]

Actavis brand is available from Boots. I suffered in the last Teva debacle in 2011-2012 and wouldn't touch it with a bargepole now. The fillers are the problem but also the unreliability of the dosage.

[anjuliet]

I have lactose intolerance, so the GP practice's pharmacy looked into which brands of levo that didn't contain lactose, and it was only Teva that had lactose free tablets. I must admit, I feel worse after switching, but the doctor who helped me before doesn't work at the practice anymore and I'd be hard pressed in getting anyone to even listen to my concerns. My new endo seemed like he couldn't be bothered, either.

[Treepie in reply to anjuliet]

I think there may be another without lactose .Consult Thyroid UK.

[helvella Administrator in reply to Treepie]

Teva is the ONLY UK make of levothyroxine that does not contain lactose.

German makes Henning and Aliud are lactose-free. (And there may well be others around Europe and the world.)

[Treepie in reply to helvella]

It was not where made but whether other lactose free was available in the UK that I was asking.

[helvella Administrator in reply to Treepie]

There are none as licensed products. That is what I meant by "UK make".

A levothryoxine product from another country could be prescribed - but that probably requires action by both doctor prescribing and the pharmacist. Whether or not that counts as "available" is a matter of definition.

[silverfox7]

What was wrong before shouldn't be the same problem now as they got taken off the market for a while so this is reformulated but reading posts it seems something isn't quite right. To test for allergies take an antihistamine one hour before your meds and if it solves the problem then fillers are the problem. Then you need to try another brand. If the problem isn't fillers then you need to fill in a yellow card. This alerts the authorities that there may be a problem with the medication and if it is wide spread they will look into it. It can be found and filled in online

[Bertwills]

Hi I am going to my pharmacy today to get a replacement for my latest Teva prescription. I have been taking the new formulation for three weeks and have had many side effects, noticeably hot flushes, racing heart at night, achingly cold feet in bed with 3 blankets and 23 degrees heat. I stopped taking the tablets on Friday and have had no flushes etc so it's definitely the Teva. Also got a sprained wrist. I hadn't thought about that being connected.

I've started filling in a yellow card form online to report side effects.

Feel awful now as no T4 since Friday. Hope I can get a replacement quickly.

[Starfish123 in reply to Bertwills]

I had a bad reaction when I had activis after MercuryPharma. I had my prescription changed so I get

my current 150mg as 6x 25mg tablets. So I get 6 boxes of 25mg tablets every 4 weeks. I'm not familiar with the other brands but they don't all do the full range of tablets e.g. 25, 50, 75, 100 etc. Find out which tablets the brand you want does do and see if your prescription can be changed to match that, obviously it's much easier for the 25mg but hopefully it will help. So far I've never been given anything other than MercuryPharma this way.

Alternatively find out which chemists stock the brand as standard?

Good luck it's awful reacting to meds that are supposed to help.

[Bertwills in reply to Starfish123]

Been to the surgery for new prescription. No problems switching. Picking up new T4 tomorrow. Thank you to everyone who highlighted the side effects with Teva.

[Northie]

I was given Teva by my pharmacy and had terrible bouts of sickness after eating anything, visible shakes and nausea. My pharmacy put on my record not be given them again as soon as I asked and I'm now back on actavis. It's only been a couple of weeks so stomach issues still there but feeling much better to date.

[Leothelion in reply to Northie]

I too had this nausea for weeks taking this Teva, changed back to wockhardt , it's the fillers in it there are 7 listed.

[FibroKovia in reply to Northie]

Hi everyone, I started on Goldshield levo in New Zealand, which was fine. When I moved back to the UK I struggled to find a brand that didn't cause me to have an upset stomach. The pharmacist gave me about 3 tablets of several brands to try out, and Actavis has been the best brand for me and my sensitive stomach. 😌 The pharmacist reckoned it was the binders and fillers in the other brands that sent my stomach into a spin.

[Raventhorpe]

I had to change from teva to actavis as teva gave me terrible palpations. My chemist has been very obliging and has written on my file what brand I want.

[Babette]

I've filled in a yellow card about Teva 25 mcg levothyroxine. I was relatively OK on the Mercury ones. Within a few days the Teva tablets increased pains, I feel hot, my heart is racing, and I feel very agitated.

[Sukiling]

Goodness me, I didn't realise so many people were experiencing palpitations, hot flushes, joint problems etc. You have all described what I have been feeling. It is comforting to know that I am not alone, and that the next time the pharmacy assistants look at each other with a 'Oh, it's that woman again,' I can say, 'Well actually........... Thanks guys x

[NellieFlindt]

I too have just read through these comments with wonder and relief - I was put on Teva in October '16; thought little of it at the time but have been wondering ever since why I feel so rotten. I've been experiencing so many of the symptoms others have mentioned - the hot moments, racing heart and palpitations, swollen knuckle joints, anxiety and low mood, queasiness, generally feeling unwell. My TSH levels have swung from 8.29 in December, 0.04 in March and now 2.65 in June. So tomorrow I'm going to the pharmacy (which is in the surgery) to ask to return to Actavis, which I had been on for many years previously. I'm so glad I've joined this site.

[Supersleuth]

I too have had awful side effects from TEVA - nausea, muscle aches, restlessness, headache. I've filled in a yellow card to officially record my side effects. Please make sure that you do the same.

I've been given TEVA twice in the past and developed the side effects within a week. On both occasions I got the pharmacist to change the brand back to my usual Wockhardt. The symptoms promptly disappeared. However, this time my pharmacist has only given me a partial prescription of Wockhardt and claims that she cannot get hold of any brand other than TEVA in the future. So in six days time I may have to go back on to the TEVA again. I am very worried about this situation.

So if you are having problems do alert Thyroid UK. If there is a widespread problem the organisation needs to know about it.

[Hidden in reply to Supersleuth]

I experienced awful problems when I switched to Teva brand.

I came off it and went back to my original brand , noticed a difference so quickly it was like about 4/5 day I felt completely brand new. I know it was this brand that caused me to feel this way. Like others on here I do now know that it wasn’t in my head !! somehow this brand wasn’t working for me and caused my thyroid to go haywire

Are you back on Teva ? And if so , how are you feeling ?