Levothyroxine and change in formulation

[Gcstewart]

Is it possible to wean oneself off levothyroxine through diet and exercise and general lifestyle changes? Also is anyone finding the new formulation of levothyroxine a problem - I am now on TEVA and feeling very bloated and stomach upset but not sure if it's the medication or not? Seems that thyroid medication is not really satisfactory to most women because our levels change from day to day and we only get blood tests done by GP every 6 months. Some days I feel so tired from the get go and other days I'm fine but it's never a constant

[soppysokes]

Hi just a quick early reply (early for me anyway)

It really depends what dosage you are on, how long you've been taking it,your tsh ft4 and FT3 and antibodies levels to try to fully answer that question I think. If you have those and post them it will help for you to get good advice. Probably the majority of people do just fine on levo but those who don't do struggle a lot to feel well. It's best to keep to the same brand of meds each month and you can request this from either GP or chemist, it's often the differing fillers in the medication that can cause issues such as those you mention.

[Gcstewart in reply to soppysokes]

Thanks for quick reply. Haven't had my tsh ft3 and 4 tested for years. Currently on 75mg but feel different one week or even one day to next! Would you recommend NDT. Had no idea until last night there were different brands and now see I have been having 3 different brands and never realised. Stomach been quite odd last few weeks and wonder if this could be result of the new TEVA? Going to speak to pharmacist this morning. I do a lot of exercise (cycling) and find this is the best solution for my hypothyroidism! Even when I feel exhausted it wakes things up if I exercise

[soppysokes in reply to Gcstewart]

Hi there. It could quite well be the new formulation but hang in there others who are on ndt will be on I am sure to advice on that.many are very knowledgeable and have themselves struggled on levo and found other solutions. Without those other blood tests though it's not easy to know the full picture. If GP won't test is getting them done privately an option for you? Many, including myself do that and have given up on nhs tests. Vitamins and minerals also need to be optimal for the levo to do job fully.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Masses of people have reported problems with Teva. You can search Teva on here.

Go back to previous brand ASAP. Either take Teva back to Pharmacist and ask for previous regular brand (they are supposed to agree to this) or ring GP for new prescription

Put in a yellow card re Teva

yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk

Apparently Teva is cheaper than all other brands, so they are tending to change people over to it.

We should always aim to stick to same brand anyway. Brands are still not interchangeable. Same dose in different brand gives different uptake.

Some have even noticed different uptake between same brand in different dosing mix e.g. Taking 2 x 50mcg does not necessarily give same results as 1 x 100mcg or 4 x 25mcg

[helvella Administrator in reply to SlowDragon]

I don't know where your information about prices comes from but it appears to contradict what the British National Formulary says:

bnf.nice.org.uk/medicinal-f...

In summary, all 25 microgram tablets are the same price; all 50 microgram tablets are the same price; all 100 microgram are the same price. However, 12.5 and 75 microgram tablets, which are ONLY available from Teva are more expensive than the other dosages. The information may not be complete and the "price" is the NHS indicative price, so could be different to what pharmacies have to pay.

I completely agree about the differences between products.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to helvella]

I read on here about the price.

Ok well at least they are not trying to push it because it's cheaper.....but there seems to be something seriously wrong with the formulation that it upsets so many people

Here's an American document about different brands not being bio-equivalent

Last few paragraphs are the important part

endocrine.org/~/media/endos...

[Nanaedake]

Slow Dragon is right, lots of people are reporting problems with TEVA. I can tell you their old formulation made me extremely I'll to the point of being unable to function.

Please do a yellow card report.

It's time the MHRA acknowledged that Levothyroxine manufacturing in this country is poor and no wonder people need T3 to compensate for inadequate T4.

the NHS swears that all Levothyroxine is bioequivalent and so we can be given any old thing and it's all the same, just give patients whatever cheapest. Most of us here are finding it's not the same and some types make us ill.

[Angel_of_the_North]

Extremely unlikely unless you are in the very early stages of Hashis (before the pont at which you are likely to be diagnosed) and can stop antibody attacks completely. Before the discovery of thyroid hormones, hypo patients just went mad/demented, got heart disease, went into a coma and died. You don't want that.

[Gcstewart]

Thanks ladies for your advice. I returned my TEVA Levo to pharmacy today and plan to get my tsh t3 and t4 tested. Need to get message out there about how women can prevent thyroid disease through healthy gut and avoidance of sugar and antibiotics. Easier to avoid this than having to take meds for life!

[Hidden in reply to Gcstewart]

Please yellow card. A lot of people of had issues and it will only be dealt with if reported

[Gcstewart in reply to Hidden]

I have and I also told my GP who is hypothyroid herself to stop prescribing it

[elwins]

I was told as a child that thyroxine is for life and that was nearly 70 yrs ago, I cannot take Teva due to the mannitol in it as a filler. But boots are very good and have noted my records no teva, they even check the bag before I leave to make sure it is correct. Have also done a yellow card and Dr has noted my records. Best of luck