Trying to avoid Tera for 125 mcg T4 dose

[Kipsy]

Hi

I'm currently on 100mcg of Actavis T4 and have found Actavis possibly suits me better than Teva. As I'm not yet euthyroid I'm hoping for an increase to 125mcg after my next blood tests. i believe Actavis make 50 mcg and 100 mcg tablets whereas Teva make 25 mcg and 100 mcg ones. I'm keen to avoid Teva though and wondered what to ask the (sometimes fairly clueless) GP to write as a prescription. I'm concerned that if she just writes 125mcg on it, I will end up with Teva.

Should I ask for two prescriptions- e.g. One for 8 weeks' worth of 100mcg and another for 4 weeks of 50 mcg? Or is there an easier way of getting 125mcg prescribed?

If she agrees to that, am I best to take take 100 mcg then 150 mcg on alternate days or cut the 50 mcg in half and take 125 mcg each day? Or perhaps it doesn't matter?

Finally, is anyone else out there on 125mcg and can let me know what brand they're on and how they do things?

Huge thanks as ever for anyone's thoughts.

Kipsy

[shaws]

Tell GP you can split a 50mcg into 2 that will give you two 25mcg Activis. I don't think she'll have a problem with this.

I am glad you've found it helpful for you and you will definitely be reluctant to change.

[angelineflowers]

Hi, I have problems with Teva, spoke to my Gp and she has written on my prescription which brands I can take which are actavis and wockhardt, I take 125mcg and usually get my 25's in wockhardt, I'm going to speak to my pharmacist to check they have these brands before handing the prescription over. Hope this helps .

[helvella]

Teva make 12.5, 25, 50, 75 and 100 microgram tablets.

I always suggest asking the pharmacy to dispense the make(s) you are OK with - and put that in their records of you.

If you get a specific make prescribed, what do you do if something changes such as a product is unavailable or a new (possibly better) product arrives on the market?

[Kipsy]

Thank you everyone! I will ask for two separate prescriptions & check pharmacy has Activis in stock before I hand them over!!! I will ask my local pharmacy if they will write 'no Teva' on my records too. Thanks again x

[Clutter in reply to Kipsy]

Kipsy,

Your GP will write 125mcg Levothyroxine on the script. The pharmacist decides which makes to order and dispense. Tell your pharmacist you don't want Teva. 25mcg alternatives are Wockhardt and Mercury Pharma.

[Kipsy]

Clutter - oh drat! I hoped the dr might write 2 scripts, one for 100mcg and one for 50mcg if I suggested using the 50 mcg on alternate days/ cutting it in half thus producing the requisite 125mcg. It's all such a fight isn't it! Are Wockhardt and Mercury Pharma both reasonably well regarded in your opinion? (unless that's an oxymoron where levo is concerned!)

Thank you!

[Clutter in reply to Kipsy]

Kipsy,

If you can't tolerate anything other than Actavis ask your GP to write 150mcg and direct that it be taken 100/150mcg alternate days or 100mcg + 1/2 50mcg tablet daily.

It's very individual as to which make of Levothyroxine suits a person. I'm good with Actavis and Wockhardt and my pharmacist knows not to dispense me Mercury Pharma. I've not been offered Teva and will reject it and request my usual makes if offered it. I'm not about to mess about with meds to suit the pharmacy. Plenty of pharmacies where I live so I will take the prescription elsewhere.

[Kipsy in reply to Clutter]

Clutter Thank you very much indeed. I'm very grateful to everyone and it's great to have a couple of options to take forward to avoid the dreaded Teva! Thank you x

[Nanaedake]

I'm on 125 mcg levo, I get 50 mcg tablets and doc writes take two one day, three the next.

[Kipsy in reply to Nanaedake]

Nanaedake that's so helpful- thank you! Do you follow her instructions?

[Nanaedake in reply to Kipsy]

Yes, I find it easier than cutting the tablets although I have to keep a note by the bedside to track the alternating doses otherwise I forget and get muddled up. I take Actavis by the way, it suits me best out of what's available.

[Kipsy in reply to Nanaedake]

Nanaedake - yes I can imagine how confusing it could be! I think it's a brilliant way forward though and would mean I could stick with Actavis. Hope the GP agrees and doesn't think I'm going to deliberately up the dose! Thank you again.

[Nanaedake in reply to Kipsy]

If in the UK there's no fear from the doctors point of view that you'll up the dose as you can only refill prescription on a monthly basis. You'll just have to ask the pharmacist to keep you on the one formulation of Levothyroxine.

[Kipsy in reply to Nanaedake]

Yes, in the U.K. I will ask for 70 x 50mcg to last 28 days and make sure that the pharmacy have Actavis in stock before I hand over the prescription. Thanks very much- you've made it really easy. Hope the GP is aware enough to agree...

[Nanaedake in reply to Kipsy]

If not I'll photograph my box with the doctors instructions and you can print a copy for your GP.

[Kipsy in reply to Nanaedake]

You're a star! I will let you know if it comes to that but hopefully she will be reasonably ok. I seem to be jumping from GP to GP in search of a good one at the practice still- one who will support me aiming for a TSH of 1 etc. Oh well, onwards and, hopefully, upwards! 😩😩😩

[Nanaedake in reply to Kipsy]

Don't worry about jumping around between GP's. I think sometimes they are happy just to sort out one problem. If you go to the next one to sort out the next problem it's probably a relief to them that they don't have to keep dealing with us hypos lol. I don't think the NHS is bothered, so just aim to get what you need within the limits of what the NHS will provide. It's good at blood tests and critical care. No good at nutrition, supplements, diet or basic healthcare. It's got no time or patience to manage the fine tuning that thyroid care requires. Get a basic kit at home, really good thermometer, blood pressure/pulse monitoring device, protein dipsticks if you suffer from UTI's so you know when to visit doc and get antibiotics. Use private labs for anything NHS won't do and monitor your own condition.

[Kipsy in reply to Nanaedake]

Great advice! Yes, think you're right about them preferring not to see us too often! The first one I saw was horrified when I went armed with research, Izabella Wentz books and opinions and hordes of questions. I stuck with her for a second time but moved on when she told me that a TSH of around 3 meant we didn't necessarily need to increase my T4 dose. I honestly think she hadn't experienced many hypos before. The next one was really great but just a locum. I'm hoping the third I see after the next set of blood tests will support me aiming for a figure around 1. Still trying to get euthyroid after a fairly recent (March 2017) diagnosis. I have a couple of GP friends and one freely admits they don't know enough about it and don't have enough time with patients etc. The other, a dear friend, told me she thought I was being a hypochondriac 😩😩

[Nanaedake in reply to Kipsy]

Oh dear, I'm afraid the hypochondiac label is often thrown at us but I'd like to create a virtual reality experience for all GP's to be forced to spend a week hypothyroid or hyperthyroid or preferably both and experience what it does to them, their family, friends and I wonder how they'd cope with their job while in the throws of thyroid imbalance? Then I'd like to tell them it's all in their mind and there's nothing wrong because their blood test said so and they should take antidepressants and see a psychiatrist and by the way, you can never escape from that virtual reality experience because the virtual reality 'suit' doesn't come off, ever, and from now on they'd have to live with it.

Anyway, it'll be great if your friends learn about thyroid disease from you. It could help a lot of other people. According to the Thyroid Foundation, 1 in 20 people (mostly women) have a thyroid condition so it's not something the NHS can afford to be indifferent to.

[Kipsy in reply to Nanaedake]

Well said!!! It's interesting that there are seven of us in a tight friendship group, of which these two GPs are part. Of the seven, two of us are hypothyroid. There have certainly been a few conversations flying around and awareness amongst the others has grown which can only be a good thing. X

[Nanaedake in reply to Kipsy]

Well done, keep up the good work. Get them reading the experiences and advice on here!!