Teva Liothyronine

[fortunata]

After asking my pharmacist not to dispense me Teva Liothyronine as I’m not doing at all well on it, I’ve just opened my latest prescription to find... three bottles of Teva! I rang the pharmacist who told me they can’t request a specific brand and I have to get what I’m given. Surely this can’t be right. She also mentioned the cost of Mercury Lio and I said I was aware of the cost but my doc had prescribed it for almost two years and I’d been doing really well on it. How do I make sure I don’t get Teva again? Any answers gratefully received.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

How do I make sure I don’t get Teva again? Any answers gratefully received.

Check what you have been given before leaving the pharmacy. If it's Teva hand it back as they wont accept it back once you've walked through the door. Ask for your prescription back, ring round other pharmacies and find one that will prescribe the brand that you want.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Always get your actual prescription from the GP surgery, rather than electronic one sent to a specific pharmacy

Then you have to ring around, or go in, until you find helpful pharmacy who will get brand you need

I have Mercury Pharma Levothyroxine only written on my prescription, but only have local large chain pharmacy near me, they will not agree to provide Mercury Pharma at all, they still try to give out any brand

Once I had three different brands given in one collection. ALWAYS check the bag before accepting it and leaving the shop

Small independent pharmacies are the most helpful. For me that's a 10 mile drive each way

Large chains are disinterested and tied to certain distributors

It's frankly none of the pharmacists business that you are still prescribed T3.

[fortunata in reply to SlowDragon]

Brilliant!! Thanks, SlowDragon. ☺️👍🏻

[TaraJR]

Concordia, Morningside and Teva are charging almost identical prices - only a few pence difference I believe. So the pharmacy shouldn't be insistent because of a cost issue

[marmaris]

Hello Fortunata I have just received the same one Teva. I had always been on the Mercury Pharma. I have had a lot of upset stomach problems but I have changed my diet to Vegetarian so waiting to see if it settles down.

[Shelley1954]

You can ask your GP to write the actual make you require on the prescription ie Mercury Pharma Liothyronine etc

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Shelley1954]

Trouble with that is if things change. You might then need to get replacement prescriptions with the delays and problems that can cause.

Also, would a pharmacy issue, say, Almus if the prescription said Actavis?

[Shelley1954 in reply to helvella]

There is no easy way but at least if GP states the make, you should get what is on the prescription. Most of the large pharmacies, like Boots have contracts with suppliers and if you request a script that isnt made by a certain supplier they have to pay considerably more and the extra amount is not reclaimable from NHS. That is why they sometimes change the make you get, it just means their contract has changed to a different supplier.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Shelley1954]

In my years of knowing anything about thyroid, I think every make of levothyroxine and liothyronine in the UK has changed hands and branding. Most, possibly all, have changed Product Licence. Others makes have disappeared. So everyone who has the brand/manufacturer on their prescription would have had to at the very least have their prescription changed - sometimes several times.

[paulaelizabeth in reply to helvella]

Hi Helvella.

Can I ask, is it you or slow Dragon that takes Morningside T3?

I have just been given my first batch of Morningside and remember one of you saying that you found Morningside to be stronger than Mercury.

I still have some Mercury and was going to try at first using both.

I currently take 30mcgs Mercury Liothyronine and 25mcg Levo.

How would you suggest splitting the dosage of Morningside/Mercury?

I have just found out that I have a heart condition and am seeing a cardiologist in 2 weeks. But in the meantime they have put me on beta blockers and Ramipril And Inspra so I am very nervous about changing T3...

Any advice given would be much appreciated.

Thank you...

Paula 😤

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to paulaelizabeth]

Not me! I am levothyroxine only. 😀

[paulaelizabeth in reply to helvella]

Aah it must be Slowdragon then..

I will report.

Thank you for replying😀.

[fortunata in reply to Shelley1954]

I didn’t know this. Thanks!!

[paulaelizabeth in reply to fortunata]

I have asked my gp to write Morningside Liothyronine on my prescription and find that Tesco pharmacy is very helpful.

[Srf8]

I didn’t do well on teva t3. I don’t know what is in the fillers but my pharmacy has it noted that I am allergic to teva t3 so I don’t get it anymore. They can put notes on their system so when they get the prescription electronically from dr it pops up.

[RedApple Administrator in reply to Srf8]

Srf8, Ingredients listed on the medicines page of Thyroid UK's website

thyroiduk.org/tuk/treatment...

Teva Liothyronine Sodium 20microgram Tablets

Ingredients:

- The active substance is liothyronine sodium. Each tablet contains 20microgram liothyronine sodium.

The other excipients are: Microcrystalline cellulose, Maize starch, Pregelatinised starch, Silica, colloidal anhydrous Magnesium stearate