T3 on prescription

[jezebel69]

I get 20 mcg a day on prescription but it rarely comes in a sealed manufacturers container - just a plain brown pharmacy one. Of course it is minus the information leaflet too. Does anyone else have this problem? I've no idea what brand it is or if I get the same each time. When I am given a sealed container it has been Mercury Pharma.

[jimh111]

It might be that your prescription is not a multiple of 28. Also some pharmacies taken the tablets out of the original box as a serivce as some patients have a problem with original containers. It could be that they have to split packs for other patients and so use up the ones left over. Just tell them you want it in the original container. UK liothyronine is pretty dreadful quality and is unlikely to do well when taken out of its container, letting the air in.

[helvella Administrator]

jezebel69,

The pharmacy MUST give you the Patient Information Leaflet for any product they dispense to you - if you ask. That MUST be the one for the actual product - not a similar product.

Please - always, always, always ask for a leaflet.

They must also give you the batch number and expiry date.

I suggest that when you take your prescription in, you could expressly ask them to dispense in the original manufacturer's packaging.

Until very recently the only make licensed in the UK was Mercury Pharma. So it would either have been that - or something unlicensed such as a "special" (but I doubt that).

[jezebel69 in reply to helvella]

Thankyou for this - I'll make sure it doesn't happen again! I'll be interested to hear their reasoning....

[Babette]

I had this problem ... as the original containers aren't childproof, it's "good practice" for the pharmacy to put them into a container that is. (It's a bit stupid as it's easier to get into blister packs and pharmacists don't bother extracting every pill and putting them into brown bottles.)

I ask for my liothyronine to be dispensed in original bottles as it contains the PIL, batch number and expiry date (in case I need to raise a complaint - I've previously had a contaminated batch) and hand in my prescription with a note stapled to it just in case they forget. Apparently some pharmacists insist on using childproof bottles so it's worth checking in advance.

[jezebel69 in reply to Babette]

Good to know I'm not alone lol

I dont have a physical prescription as its dispensed by my surgery but I can put a note in the box online when I apply for the repeat. If they insist on changing bottles I'll make sure I get the label

[Babette in reply to jezebel69]

You can ask the GP to add the instruction to your prescription (I don't know whether the note box does that. Or have a chat with the pharmacist. They can add dispensing notes on their system. Good luck!