No T3 at Big Research Teaching Hospital SOS

[marigold22]

I managed to get my GP to agree that I did need T3/liothyronine and she sent me to an endo last August (2017). I had my dodgy DIO2 test results, handed them to the endo, she frowned but I kept on at her quoting what I knew. She relented and gave me a 6 month prescription for T3. I went straight to the pharmacy in the hospital & picked it up. Today, I've had a phone call from the pharmacy at the hospital & the pharmacist told me that I was still owed 90 tablets. I actually wasn't aware of that for various reasons. He told me that they only had T3 tablets which expire within 5 weeks & he couldn't possibly let me have them. He then said he had no idea when the next delivery would be in.

I told him the history of T3 tablets in England, then added "We patients who need T3 to stay alive, may as well jump like lemmings now".

This is getting so scarey

[greygoose]

Well, it wouldn't really be a problem if they expired in five weeks, people take T3 much older than that, with no problems.

[marigold22 in reply to greygoose]

I know that greygoose, but it took me a good 5 minutes to convince the pharmacist at the hospital to send it to me. I had to keep telling him what a massive dilemma we are in before he relented.

[greygoose in reply to marigold22]

Well, at least he relented. That's the main thing!

[marigold22 in reply to greygoose]

My post is about me wondering if there is a shortage of Liothyronine in England now. If a large hospital is running out with no idea of when next delivery due, it's surely looking a bad situation? Maybe I'm panicking for no good reason?

[greygoose in reply to marigold22]

More like them trying to discourage people from taking it.

[EbonyEvans in reply to marigold22]

Just my opinion. But if it’s a busy Hospital they’re likely to run out sooner. I’d ask for it to be faxed to another dispenser and transferred over to your hospital. Just because they’ve run out doesn’t mean a dead end. They really could have taken more care to help you. That’s quite bad they gave you no other suggestions as to what to do. Pharmacies borrow all the time from each other. It’s just a case of whom covers courier costs etc. If you’re owed. You’re owed. Please go back and ask them for a solution. That’s over a month they have to sort the rest instead of fobbing you off. I hope you took the 5 weeks worth and of all 90 days they should still find you the balance (not that taking the expired ones will harm you) and if they can’t refill your script I’d go back and say the expired ones had lost potency (wrong I know but it might help them pull their finger out for yourself and others in the future. MP I assume?

[marigold22 in reply to EbonyEvans]

EbonyEvans Thanks. The pharmacist did relent and say he would send (in the post) my outstanding 90 days worth which are about to expire. I had to give him a 10 minute lecture on what T3 takers are going through.

[EbonyEvans in reply to marigold22]

@marigold22 I thought it was illegal to lost T3 within the U.K.? My supplier does but negates that by sending it signed for so it doesn’t fall into children’s hands or gets invested by a naughty dog?

[SlowDragon Administrator]

There appears to be loads around. Two new suppliers of NHS T3 as well

Lots of Mercury Pharma is very old stock. So many patients have had prescriptions stopped there's presumably a massive stock pile.

Morningside Healthcare T3 is all brand new and has two years away use by date

Tesco very helpful in ordering brand of your choice

[marigold22 in reply to SlowDragon]

Maybe that's what is happening.... the hospital pharmacy is stuck with loads of Mercury Pharma old stock about to run out of date (and pharmacy have to be pedantic about giving out tablets about to expire date wise). And they're trying to sort their cashflow by not buying in yet.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to marigold22]

Yes Boots was the same. Had old stock on the shelves. Wouldn't get different brand in or newer stock until they had used all that up

So I went to Tesco instead

[EbonyEvans in reply to SlowDragon]

My last batch of UniPharma from 11 months ago has May 2020. I’m a bit upset I’ve ‘only’ got two and a half years left now that it’s January and we’re into the new year. 😏

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I have been taking T3 from last May at the moment and I am fine.

[marigold22]

Thanks. My main problem was to convince the pharmacist to issue nearly expired T3 to me. Obviously it goes against the "rules".