Cynomel from France

[Summer64]

My GP is prepared to give me a private prescription so I can get some French Cynomel as I had issues with the German Thybon. Can someone pm me a pharmacist were I can get this please?I know you can buy it over the counter as a friend did this for the two boxes I have but I don't know anyone going to France for months now.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Summer64,

If you have a prescription (private or NHS) - and can afford it, if private - you can ask any pharmacy in the UK to get the product for you.

The price charged might vary hugely - so check with several pharmacies before accepting a quote. Just ring up and ask.

[Summer64 in reply to helvella]

Thanks Helvella but would that mean they'd get me the UK one which I know is terribly expensive. I can't afford that. Would they be able to get me the French one? I don't mind paying a bit more but I am only an OAP on basic pension.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Summer64]

Summer64,

Yes they could get you Sanofi Cynomel.

The doctor needs to write the prescription appropriately. For a start, state 25 microgram tablets.

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu....

Putting the specific brand would also force their hand.

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

You might find a French pharmacy that will fulfil your prescription directly - but afraid I do not know of any. However it would be worth going down this route as it is likely to be less expensive.

[Summer64 in reply to helvella]

Well I spoke to my pharmacist this afternoon who is adamant she can't get medication from abroad. She did recommend that if I can't get any of the French one to try the Thybon again but taking it at night instead so any side effects would wear off overnight. Something I could try, or maybe even splitting the dose and taking half in the morning and half at night might help.

[Hidden in reply to Summer64]

The French one is 25mcg and should be written on your prescription. The cost for two boxes is 6.96 euros but it will cost you more to order it into the UK I expect. The maker is Sanofi Aventis.

[Summer64 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Bunnyjean. I have got some and it is 25 mcg so I'm halving it and cutting a tiny bit off as I only need 10 mcg with 75 mcg T4. I will be tackling my pharmacist and doctor tomorrow.

[teen17 in reply to helvella]

If you manage to get some on a private prescription it my be very pricey. My local chemist get it for me on the nhs but

has to order it in every time as he want keep it in stock as it cost £354.00.

[Summer64 in reply to teen17]

Heck, I can't afford that.

[Summer64 in reply to Summer64]

How many tablets do you get for that teen17?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Summer64]

Summer64,

That would probably be 28 tablets of one of the three UK licensed liothyronine products.

A non-UK product (whether Thybon from Germany, Sanofi Cynomel from France, or even a USA product) would likely be less expensive.

[Summer64 in reply to helvella]

Thanks Helvella. I will have a word with my pharmacist. I've noticed of late that some of my other medications come in foreign packets with an English label stuck on so I don't see why they can't import it at a reasonable price or even the NHS import it come to that.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Summer64]

Summer64,

The underlying issue is very much that the other products are not licensed in the UK. The default position is that if a licensed product exists, that should be dispensed. So a prescription has to be written so as to force their hand.

Foreign labelling does not necessarily mean that a product does not have a UK licence. Also, in times of shortage, they can supply products that are not UK licensed.

[greygoose]

Your friend may have struck lucky in getting two boxes of T3 from a French pharmacy without a prescription - they probably took pity on a tourist - but T3 is prescription only in France. It is not OTC.

[Summer64 in reply to greygoose]

Oh I didn't know that.

[greygoose in reply to Summer64]

[Hidden in reply to Summer64]

I live in France and buy it over the counter every four weeks without a problem.

[Summer64 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Bunnyjean. I will see what the pharmacist says tomorrow and take it from there.

[gdread in reply to Hidden]

Hi Bunnyjean. Would you mind messaging me the details of your Cynomel pharmacy in France? It would be very useful for me in getting a private prescription from my local clinic. Thank you!

[Wantie]

All pharmacies in France will supply Cynomel. Some don’t stock it so you order and pick it up the next day. You will need a special arrangement to get a regular monthly order dispatched using a UK prescription, and setting this up through a UK pharmacy would probably be the most reliable way to do this. You can get cynomel from most French pharmacies with a UK prescription but only on a one-off basis. As greygoose says, they will take pity and help you out if in dire need. Sounds like you need a formal relationship. I’d try pharmacy to pharmacy.

[Summer64 in reply to Wantie]

So I can't just order it online like I did from Germany. Are there any other countries that do Liothyronine Sodium as opposed to Liothyronine Hydrochloride?

[marin5 in reply to Summer64]

summer64 The United States does Liothyronine sodium, but you must have a prescription!

marin5

[Summer64 in reply to marin5]

Thanks Marin5 is that 20 mcg or 25 mcg and how many do you get in a box? My doctor is willing to give me a prescription. Any idea on cost. At least I would be able to read the information leaflet. That really sounds the best option if I can find a way of doing it.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Summer64]

Summer64,

You can read the Patient Information Leaflets for one UK make here:

medicines.org.uk/emc/produc...

And the Public Assessment Reports (which includes PIL information) for the othert two makes here:

mhra.gov.uk/home/groups/par...

mhra.gov.uk/home/groups/par...

You can read the documentation on USA Liothyronine products including packaging details here:

dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailym...

[Summer64 in reply to helvella]

Well that was an interesting read. The CCG say my dose can be easily done without as it's so small. I'm on 10 mcg which is normal if in combination and here it does say elderly starting dose and children 5 mcg. I always halved my tablet but according to this, if you take 10 mcg you are meant to dissolve the whole tablet in water and then take 10 ml off with a syringe. doesn't say if you can keep the other half until the next day.

What I meant though about the patient information leaflets was that I can't read the French or German ones.

[marin5 in reply to Summer64]

summer64 What address do you send for in France? I need to order T3 also. My Dr. won’t prescribe for me! Do you know if it is only cytomel, or do they have liotyronine or T3 ?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to marin5]

marin5,

Cytomel is a brand name owned by Pfizer in the USA.

Cynomel is a brand name owned by Sanofi in France.

Both of those products are just brands of Liothyronine.

[Summer64 in reply to helvella]

That's what I was asking in my original question marin5. I need to find a pharmacy that will honour a UK prescription. What I have so far has come from a friend who went to France but she won't be going again for a while.

[Hidden]

I am sorry I can't help I buy it over the counter here in France. I have tried to find out about it online but I haven't been able to find any information, sorry.

You could ask boots to obtain it for you.

[Summer64]

Thanks I will look into it tomorrow. I've been on it a week now and feel improvement already. T4 is just no good for me and I've proved it.

[MaiteFrench]

Hi, I am French leaving in London. I have just bought 5 boxes of 30pills in one go with a prescription in France. I asked in the morning and got it in the afternoon. Ask your doctor to give you a 6 months prescription. Go to Calais, go to a pharmacy and explain your case so that they can send you the next prescription directly. A one day ticket is quite cheap. Hope this helps.

[Summer64 in reply to MaiteFrench]

Thanks, but there is no way I can travel to France. I'm in a wheelchair and travelling is a no no for me. I don't even have a passport. I wonder if someone else could take my prescription for me though although I don't know anyone going now until July.

[Summer64 in reply to Summer64]

For Cynomel from France I didn't need a prescription. A friend was able to buy it for me over the counter but this year someone else tried for me in a different place and they were told prescription only.

[Hidden in reply to MaiteFrench]

Hi, may I ask did you use a French prescription or uk private prescription. 😁 Thank you

[MaiteFrench in reply to Hidden]

A Belgium prescription in fact. It doesn't matter. It's all Europe.

[nettecologne]

What issues did you have with Thybon? Medical ones?

[Summer64 in reply to nettecologne]

Everything was fine for the first few weeks then I got severe vertigo one day and didn't think anything of it. I do suffer with occasional dizziness but this then happened every day and about two hours after I'd taken it. It would wear off during the day and I'd be fine in the evening. This went on for two weeks. I then left it off for a day and found I was OK. Apparently it works slightly differently from the sodium one so I am now too nervous to try it again although I do have a lot left which is a shame. I tried T4 only but got symptoms of being hypo on that and if I increased both hyper and hypo symptoms so gave up on that. Even with the French one I'm getting slight dizziness at times. I'm really fed up with it all, I'd been fine before they started messing me about in August.

[truthseeker136 in reply to Summer64]

The dizziness is because T3 depletes potassium. You can take cream of tartar to replenish. I take Postassium chloride 1/8 tsp twice a day. Be careful with the second as u dont wnat to overdose potassium chloride.

This is the same as adrenal cocktail but i take higher strength per my doc's advice

[Summer64 in reply to truthseeker136]

That's very interesting. Thank you. You'd think they'd test for that then wouldn't you. I will mention this when I go to the hospital in November. I've heard that one type of potassium helps prevent kidney stones which I suffer from so maybe this is my problem.

[So-Ken2]

<link to untrustworthy supplier redacted>

Hi summer this is the order details for link to get it from Greece no prescription needed and very cheap! You need to be able to make an international bank transfer - if not Do a western union in many newsagents fill in the form you’ll pay a small fee. I pay 40 euros for about 6 boxes of 25 Mgm It’s not licensed in Uk anymore my prescription was private and nearly £400 so I couldn’t afford it!! Good luck let me know if that works- they send it quickly too xx

[ Edited by admin:

24. Do not post advertisements, links or information of any sort whatsoever, on where or how to obtain UK prescription only medications without prescription. This includes online pharmacies who issue 'prescriptions' on the basis of the completion of a simple health questionnaire.

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu... ]

[Summer64 in reply to So-Ken2]

Thanks for that. I was put off the Greece one because people were saying last year that their orders hadn't been fulfilled.

[So-Ken2 in reply to Summer64]

Got told off by admin! Not allowed to provide links ect

[Hidden in reply to So-Ken2]

So-Ken2 You need to remove that e-mail address as it breaches Forum Guidelines.

[babsi]

Hi Summer 64

I can help you if you like , perscription is neccessary though.

Bunnyjean , I agree with greygoose.

If you like , I can ask my pharmacy if they can do this, on an english privat perscription. It is quite inexpensive. 2.46 Euros per box from what I can see on doctissimo . If you have a paypal account , I do not see a problem. You can pay me upon reception.

[Hidden in reply to babsi]

I know what it says on the box prescription only. I buy T3 every month without a prescription. The first time I ordered it was last May I simply went to my local pharmacy and asked for two boxes they never even mentioned a prescription. They had no stock but ordered it in for the same afternoon.

The Pharmacy now keep stock and I go in every four weeks and buy it cost 6.96 euros for two boxes.. My husband has bought it for me as well when I was away.

I also ordered it from the next larger town where I shop and they ordered it without a prescription also. Perhaps I am just lucky.

I cannot get the blood tests here that Greygoose gets in her area so it's swings and roundabouts.

[Summer64 in reply to Hidden]

Worth me asking anyone I know going to France then.

[babsi in reply to Hidden]

Im in between Bordeaux and Toulouse. I don´t know what Graygoose gets. I get next to nothing here. I´m in the countryside. At least I have a doc I can talk to. It is hard at times... I once asked for cynomel in a pharmacy. They acted is if I was asking for Heroin. Good luck to you, Keep the boxes, so you can allways justify, that you take it, and are doing well. When they do a bloodtest, tell them to put it on the note as well. Just in case you need prove one day.

[Hidden]

I live as you do in the middle of nowhere between Poitier and Limoges 1 hour each way.

My nearest town is 6 kilometers away and has 1000 inhabitants. This is where I buy my T3.

I have also ordered it from another larger town and picked it up the same afternoon.

Now I just show them the empty box and it's fine they keep it in stock at my local Pharmacy.

The first time I just wrote the name and maker down on paper and they looked it up on their computer before ordering it in.

Only once did they ask for a prescription but I explained that I paid for it in full and no more was said that was back in August.

I get my blood test done privately back in the UK once a year. I never visit the doctor or Endos they were a complete waste of time.

I take 1 NDT and 2 x halves of T3 every day and feel well I self medicate and if I have a problem I just simply post it on here and receive replies.

When the scare i.e. lacking of T3 in the UK started earlier this year I wasn't on T3 I only wanted to see if I could help people in finding a source that was back in May and I have been buying it every four weeks since then.

I only started using it myself 6/7 weeks ago.

[babsi in reply to Hidden]

Bunnyjean, we are not exactly neighbors. I´m a bit further south. 3 hours or so.

I can see why it works for you. Since you are not on paper, they are relaxed about it. Finding a good doctor is hard , and Endos are a waist of time.

Out of couriosity I asked my lab, if they would test my TSH LT4 LT3. They said yes, it was 60 Euros only. You may want to have yourself checked , in case it´s neccessary.(Complete iron panel and D3 I did not ask.)

My doc is only allowed a certain amount of testing per year. But I get it if I ask.

[Summer64 in reply to babsi]

My GP will only test TSH. He did do my T4 in September after they stopped the T3 and it was 11 whereas before it was 16. I asked for T3 and T4 last time but he said the labs are not allowed to do it. I had a severe Vit D deficiency, my result was 7. Endo told me I would need testing every 6 months but GP won't do that. Went 3 years last time. It's disgraceful how we all get treated.

[babsi in reply to Summer64]

Change your doctor. And before you even shake his hand ask him if he is willing to do a complete test. If he says no, see another one. You don´t even have to tell him. Just make an appointment. T3L T4L libre.

[Hidden in reply to babsi]

Hi, Yes, I know where you are a good few kilometers between us. I have tried to get tested at my local lab but they will not without a doctors prescription and she says no. I have tried. Also the Endo in Poitier would only test TSH.

Now I don't bother with either of them, although I would like to be tested twice per year instead of only once. Instead I test once with Blue Horizons when I return to the UK. It's a shot in the dark not knowing how your medication is working blood wise but I feel good so not to worried.

What do you mean ( not on paper)

[babsi in reply to Hidden]

No paper as in you pay them directly, no carte vital, no insurance or authorities involved , no trace.

Don´t go to Endos. They are the worst.

Just go to another doc. Mine does it.I have to drive a bit longer , but she does FT4, FT3, Antibodys, TSH, D3. She testet my cortisol, plasma, etc.

What does your GP think you are taking?

[gdread]

My local clinic can prescribe Cynomel T3 from EU pharmacies, they just don't have a supplier. If any one has a good French pharmacy which can supply Cynomel T3 please kindly let me know!

[greygoose]

I'm afraid I don't know because I've never had a UK prescription to try. But, I think it might very much depend on the individual pharmacist and where they are. Here in the heart of industrial France, where I live, I wouldn't recommend you try! All the pharmacists round here think they're god and sent to rule us all! Flexibility is not in their vocabulary. lol But this region of France is not typical. I can't tell you about anywhere else. But Wantie gives some good advice.

It's certainly cheap, though, compared to the uk!

[greygoose]

It certainly is a problem. Have you tried the German pharmacy? I'm afraid I don't know the details, but plenty of people on here do.