Can I get my prescription earlier?

[Boon79]

I've been on Actavis and Teva levothyroxine for almost two weeks now and have never felt so ill. Like being in a heavy fog, unbelievably tired, but not in the true sense, coldsores, lack of appetite, dry eyes, itchy ears and generally feeling as though I've been turned 'inside out'. I desperately want my beloved Mercury Pharma as I so much want to feel well. I have a job interview in a few days. My doctors tell me that I can pick up my prescription as soon as I'm nearing the end of my meds, but that's another couple of weeks away!! Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[helvella Administrator]

Try:

Going back to pharmacy and explaining that what they dispensed is unsatisfactory;

Going to your surgery and requesting a new prescription because you are (don't know how this works if you are getting electronic prescriptions).

And put in a Yellow Card report about how you feel: yellowcard.mhra.gov.uk/

[Boon79 in reply to helvella]

Thank you. I have put a yellow card in about TEVA. I'm thinking of being crafty and telling the Dr that I left me meds during an overnight stay just to get a new prescription! I can then take it to a new pharmacy and get the levothyroxine that suits

[helvella Administrator in reply to Boon79]

A helpful pharmacy could let you have a few tablets to get you through the weekend.

Think carefully as to whether you actually want to keep your bad experience away from your GP. It could be better to tell him/her.

[Boon79 in reply to helvella]

I told the gp who told me to take what I have and come back when they've almost run out!

[Nanaedake in reply to Boon79]

If a medicine is not suiting you, you should not be forced to continue taking it. Make an appointment with whatever GP you can get an urgent visit with and take them the MHRA 2013 report on levothyroxine,. None of them seem to have seen it and have not been informed of the historical problems. Tell them it's very possible that despite TEVA's reformulation that they have still not got the formulation right and as it's making you feel so ill it clearly doesn't suit you. It's not only what's in the tablets that can have ill effects but also the way the tablets are manufactured and the solvents used (solvents are never named on the packaging as they evaporate in the production process).

Copy of MHRA report

gov.uk/government/uploads/s...

By the way, levothyroxine costs pennies so it's no skin off their nose to replace it.

[Boon79 in reply to Nanaedake]

Thanks for your reply. My prescription has ' Mercury Pharma' started on it and obviously the dosage, but my pharmacy didn't have them and fobbed me off with what they had. I want to bin the awful brand I have now, grab my new prescription from the doctor and go to a different pharmacy!! The advice from the doctor was to 'suck it up' basically and wait until the pack has finished. Can I demand a new prescription do you think?

[Nanaedake in reply to Boon79]

yes, why should you take something that makes you ill. I was so sick with the previous formulation of TEVA that I couldn't work and it took me 4 years to recover my health.

[Nanaedake in reply to Boon79]

Ask the doctor if he has read the MHRA review on Levothyroxine and ask him if he/she would continue taking a medicine that make them sicker??

[Boon79 in reply to Nanaedake]

I will look at the MHRA review and demand my prescription on Monday. I shouldn't have to put up with this

[Nanaedake in reply to Boon79]

Note that at the end of the report the MHRA says it will keep the situation under reveiw so very, very important for people to make a yellow card report as well as reporting it to pharmacy, doctor and anyone else who will listen. I think the MHRA are very, very slow to act and not on the ball at all in respect of regulating thyroid medicines. They are under the impression it's all ok now and they are saying levothyrxoine is interchangeable so if it's not then people need to make a stink or noone will take any notice and we will keep having these problems.

[helvella Administrator in reply to Boon79]

Consider putting in a formal complaint to the pharmacy.

[Anthea55 in reply to Boon79]

If your prescription states 'Mercury Pharma' go back to your pharmacy and explain how ill you feel. They will have to ring round and find the right stuff. You've got that on the prescription for a good reason.

You say Actavis and Teva. Does that mean that you are taking mixed brands? This can also make people ill. See this page from Thyroid UK, about 3 or 4 paras from the end.

thyroiduk.org/tuk/treatment...

Don't put up with it. Fight on.

And good luck with the interview.

[Boon79 in reply to Anthea55]

Thanks for the advice. I will read up on mixed brands. Fee like I've gone back to square one

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Boon79]

Try small independent pharmacies. They want to be helpful and have access to broad range of suppliers

[Anita1949]

I was given Teva it made me very ill I wrote all my symptoms down and went to see my Doctor I told him I was certain it was the Teva making me feel so ill and he agreed so now he has written on my repeat prescriptions only Actavis brand to be prescribed please,Ive reported it on a yellow card

[Boon79 in reply to Anita1949]

Hi Anita1949. I have done a yellow card for TEVA a few days ago. I feel marginally better on the day I've taken Actavis but still don't feel that this brand is for me either. Compared with Actavis, TEVA is a much bigger tablet so I assume more fillers? It seems like I've been 'set back ' big time since switching brands after feeling so well for months. Hopefully the new pharmacy I'm going to try will be able to get the brand I want. How did you feel on TEVA?

[helvella Administrator in reply to Anita1949]

Have you ever been offered, or received, Northstar or Almus?

They are both re-branded Actavis and I am wondering if pharmacies do actually realise this.

[Sybilla14]

Hi Boon79. I also do best on MP, currently taking eltroxin 100 and 50. I've had problems getting MP a few months ago (i posted about this at the time) but found that a local boots can get it for me. I've been told that Alliance (Boots) is a distributor of MP and an independent family pharmacy couldn't get hold of it.

Why don't you take the remaining pills to your GP and ask for a replacement prescription. This way they don't have to worry they may be giving out too many prescriptions to you?

[Boon79 in reply to Sybilla14]

Thanks. I will try boots if I have no joy with my local pharmacy.

[rioqueen55]

I refuse to take TEVA or Actavis as they both contain an ingredient in them called Microcrystalline Cellulose. I was on them for over a year before I realiseed what it was that, what was making me feel so ill. After finding an old packet of Mercury Levothyroxine, and comparing ingredients, I realised they did not contain the Microcrystalline Cellulose that the TEVA, and Actavis did. They make me itch from head to toe, give me thrush, make me depressed, I got to a stage where I couldn't even string a sentence together, I sweated in my head, face, and neck so bad, my hair would become wet, suffered really bad brain fog, the list goes on. I believe they have totally messed my thyroid up, and am now waiting to see a specialist. I have had an underactive thyroid for nearly 20 years, and have always felt well, and although over weight, my weight stayed the same. Now i'm losing my hair at a frightening pace, have gained over 2 stone in weight, suffer from insomnia, i'm always extremely tired, I can't even get through a tv programme without falling alseep. I have so many other symptoms that I have never had before too. I found that ingredient in a prescribed diuretic I take, and a prescribed antihistamine also, and I was taking all 3 at the same time, every day. After doing some research to find out what happened to Mercury Pharmaceuticals, I discovered they were brought out by AMCo Pharmaceuticals, and they were brought out by Concordia International, and they still supply Mercury Levothyroxine. I now take Mercury ELTROXIN Levothyroxine, so that's what you need to ask your doctor to put on the prescription. My doctor told me that when the write a prescription out, they only put Levothyroxine, and the dose, it's the Pharmacists that then dispense whatever they have in stock at the time. My doctor now writes ELTROXIN Levothyroxine on my prescriptions, so that I only get that. For whateve reason, the Pharmacists are being sent TEVA, and Actavis all the time now, and my Pharmacist cannot get me any other make for my Diuretic as when he orders it in, he always gets sent Actavis. I hope this has been useful to you. I did stop taking the TEVA Levothroxine for over a week, and all itching stopped, and the sweating, and other symptoms, that's how I knew it was the Microcrystalline Cellulose that was the cause.

[helvella Administrator in reply to rioqueen55]

I do not believe there is any difference between Mercury Pharma Levothyroxine and Mercury Pharma Eltroxin.

For example, in 2016, the lettering on the tablets changed (now LT 25, LT 50 and LT 100 depending on dosage), and both products changed at the same time. And the Patient Information Leaflets for them are identical.

[Boon79]

I must be in the same boat as you with this awful ingredient. My face feels as though its on fire and I can't get my words out in the right order. Cannot wait to get back onto the MP levothyroxine! They also helped me lose 3lbs in a couple of weeks. Now I'm back up again despite eating less because my appetite has gone. I've only just discovered that MP levothyroxine and Eltroxin is exactly the same, apart from slightly more acacia powder in their 50mcg. If the pharmacy have Eltroxin I'll go for them.

[helvella Administrator in reply to Boon79]

I do not believe there is any difference between Mercury Pharma Levothyroxine and Mercury Pharma Eltroxin.

For example, in 2016, the lettering on the tablets changed (now LT 25, LT 50 and LT 100 depending on dosage), and both products changed at the same time. And the Patient Information Leaflets for them are identical.

The acacia powder difference was eliminated several years ago.

[rioqueen55]

I didn'tknow tou could get Mercury Pharmaceuticals levothyroxine. When I was doing my research, Mercuryy Pharmaceuticals ELTROXIN Levothyroxine came up. and that's why I asked my doctor for it. Since being on them I have felt better, although not 100%. My Pharmacist ordered my ELTROXIN in for my first prescription, but gets them alll the time for me now, and hasn't had any problems getting them.