unable to source 25 mcg of North Star L4 now - Thyroid UK

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unable to source 25 mcg of North Star L4 now

BitterSweetS profile image
14 Replies

Pharmasist unable to get North Star in less doses than 50? I need 25 and not allowed to pill cut my 50s

Was given TEVA but my 100s are in North Star

I was told not to mix brands or change currently anyone have any advice.

Ive emailed GP will be a long wait for reply usually.

Bang head here....

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BitterSweetS profile image
BitterSweetS
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14 Replies
cjrsquared profile image
cjrsquared

North Star doesn’t make 25mcg. As levothyroxine is a storage hormone many people alternate doses for example one day 100mcg the next 150mcg to give an average of 125mcg. Have you tried doing this?

BitterSweetS profile image
BitterSweetS in reply to cjrsquared

Ok good to know, looks like thats an option to try. Thanks xx

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Many people react badly to Teva brand so best avoided

You can take different dose on alternate days

Why are you "not allowed" to cut up 50mcg tablets?

They cut easily

BitterSweetS profile image
BitterSweetS in reply to SlowDragon

Dr said it wasnt a true exact dose, I was doing that with my 50s anyway ive got a cutter but apparently the smaller the pill that harder it is to fet ot exact.

Jist feels like more complication to this whole debacle of feeling crap on T4. Thanks for advice much appreciated xx

BitterSweetS profile image
BitterSweetS in reply to BitterSweetS

We were supposed to be trying 100 one day 125 the other. Might jist carry on cutting 50s instead myself.

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to BitterSweetS

It's not a problem taking slightly different doses of Levothyroxine. It's a storage hormone

Some take 50mcg one day and 100mcg the next

Liothyronine (T3) needs to be same dose everyday, but with Levothyroxine (T4) it's not important

BitterSweetS profile image
BitterSweetS in reply to SlowDragon

Thanks all your advice is keeping me going of late, so helpful x

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministratorThyroid UK in reply to SlowDragon

Afraid I very much disagree with you there.

I found alternating doses is not good for me. For a while I tried 100 and 125 micrograms on alternate days. I find it far preferable to take 112 every day.

(I do realise that others seem not to notice at all that they are taking different doses. As with everything to do with thyroid, we are all different.)

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to helvella

I never use to notice.

But now I take 20mcg T3 too, I do also cut my 25mcg Mercury Pharma Levothyroxine to take 112mcg every day

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministratorThyroid UK in reply to SlowDragon

I'd be hard put to explain exactly why I do notice.

Perhaps if I say that when alternate day dosing I was far more often questioning my dose. I kept thinking that I might be very slightly over-dosed, or equally slightly under-dosed. But on same-every-day I forgot all about that and just took it every day.

Of course, it is possible that there were psychological aspects. But I am in my own mind convinced that it makes a difference.

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministratorThyroid UK

I would rather have hoped that the pharmacist might have explained that they cannot get 25 microgram NorthStar because they are not manufactured. Not left you to think that they exist but cannot be acquired.

I put it to you that the pharmacist failed either by ignorance or by failing to explain adequately.

BitterSweetS profile image
BitterSweetS

Yes I think maybe he failed to explain that fact to me...it was manic in there at that moment.

As for taking 112 how do you split yoyr dose so well?

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply to BitterSweetS

That's 100mcg tablet plus a half a tablet of 25mcg.

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministratorThyroid UK in reply to BitterSweetS

Two ways!

First, I had been able to acquire some 12 microgram tablets (Uni-Pharma) which worked well for me.

Second, I split 25 microgram tablets. Who cares if you have 10 one day and 15 the next? So long as you do not lose any of the tablet as you split it, the worst effect is a less than perfect dosing. But in my example, up or down by just 2.5 micrograms a day!

(I believe that careful splitting, and only doing one tablet at a time, taking half of it now and the other half for the next dose, is unlikely to cause major variation. Certainly less variation than alternate day dosing.)

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