Levo not working?

[MiniMum97]

I have posted my results previously and got some replies (thank you!) but no replies regarding my main question so thought I would post my main question again.

I was on 50mcg (actavis) which I had a good response to. My GP added 25mcg which had to be wockhardt (actavis don't do 25mcg) which I was on for 6 weeks. My new blood test results don't appear to have changed much at all (attached). GP upped dose to 100mcg so I took two 50mcg actavis yesterday and had a horrible reaction - anxiety, exhausted, tingling skin etc etc and got sent home from work.

So my question is is there a possibly the wockhardt wasn't working? Seems odd that my results have barely changed and then I get a reaction like I have increased my dose too quickly. Why would one brand work and another not?

My blood tests were done at same time of day on an empty stomach - levo taken at least 24 hrs before test - all supplements stopped 4 days before.

Many thanks

[Clutter]

Minimum97,

Why do you think Wockhardt isn't working. You had the reaction after taking 2 x 50mcg Actavis. It may be coincidence that you had the reaction after increasing dose and nothing to do with the dose increase which is why I suggested you try again on Saturday.

[MiniMum97 in reply to Clutter]

Not just because of the reaction but also because my test results barely changed from adding the 25mcg Wockhardt - is there a reason why I would respond so well to the 50mcg Actavis, but not to the additional 25mcg Wockhardt?

[Clutter in reply to MiniMum97]

Minimum97,

50mcg Actavis is double the 25mcg Wockhardt so you would expect a more dramatic improvement on 50mcg.

[MiniMum97 in reply to Clutter]

Hi, Yes I understand that its half the original dose, but my TSH has barely changed and T4 has gone down! Is that normal?

[Clutter in reply to MiniMum97]

MiniMum97,

T4 went down because FT3 went up and TSH went down.

[MiniMum97 in reply to Clutter]

Sorry I don't understand - so are you saying that I am taking T4 so TSH goes down so body produces less T4? So even though I am taking more T4, my blood has less T4 in it because my body is producing less? Would that not lead to a self-perpetuating cycle of needing more and more T4 the more you take? Confused!

[Clutter in reply to MiniMum97]

MiniMum97,

I was suggesting that FT4 may have dropped a little because conversion to T3 improved. Improved FT3 means that TSH went down.

[MiniMum97 in reply to Clutter]

OK I think I understand - you mean levels of T4 in blood may have dropped because my body is converting it to T3 which has gone up slightly. Ummm interesting. If that is correct, that is a very good sign.

To be sure, I might test 100mcg again with the additional 50mcg of Actavis, but also with 2x25mcg of Wockhardt (on a diff day obviously) and see what happens.

I have read some odd stories on here of people responding to diff brands differently and one person saying they were OK on 2x50mcg but not on a 100mcg tab of same brand. V odd there should be differences at all but will do a little experiment to try to rule it out.

Will try Actavis first as, as you say, "reaction" could have just been a coincidence.

Thanks for your help.

[Clutter in reply to MiniMum97]

MiniMum97,

The member was good on 2 x 50mcg Actavis but not good on 1 x 100mcg Actavis. Unusual but other members have had similar difficulty on other brands.

[MiniMum97]

And as my T4 went down but my T3 went up - does that mean I am converting well?

[silverfox7]

It was me that said I found 1x 100 wasn't the same as4x 25 of the same brand. I'm not sure what else I had put on that post but yo tell you more about my thyroid journey. I went from NDT TO Levo after about 4 years because of a supply problem. Then I was getting 3 packets each prescription and then more often than not a different brand so I wassltering my dose often to keep well. Then the only advice I was getting was from America and an article appeared what made sense to me. Each manufacturer has the produce the strength of each size of tablet to plus or minus 10% so if you look at 100 mcg the tablet had to be. Ethernet 90 and 110 mcg so if the one month your were getting one at 110 then the next only 90 then that in almost a dose change of 20 mcg now the individual tabletswould remain static but if you were taking 100 and the actual value was 90 and then you took a 25 which was at the higher end of 25 so 27.5 then x4 wood be 110 so again a huge difference. And 100 is a lowish dose for many. The good newsis that the variance in 2009 was halved so more accurate but still not spot on and I presume the variance is allowed as almost impossible to get it spot on. So it's advised to get your levels correct on the same make and stick with it to rule out and difference variants. For years the pharmacist insisted I always had my medication in 25's so that I could use these to cover any dose increase/decrease and it was only when I tried to safe the NHS some money that it ecame apparent that the 25's x 4 where not the same as 100. Keeping to the same brand also means you have no problems with fillers if you chose a brand where that you know isn't a problem.