I have been taking Levothyroxine since 2004 and I have never had any side effects, until about 18 months ago I developed a red patch on my forehead which travelled down to my cheeks, I then developed hot flashes through my body , my legs started to get hot and just got hotter and hotter and turned bright red , it felt like you could fry eggs on them , the heat was dreadful, I also take a blood pressure tablet, it was thought that maybe it could have been a side effect of blood pressure tablet as my blood pressure would bot come down, but after changing the medication it made no difference, so I started reading about medication and the thyroid and it seems that the 50mg is the one that doesn’t have fillers in, (don’t know why) so I decided to only take 50’s even though I am on 75mg, I took a 50 and half a fifty, and it made a difference body flashes stopped and my legs eased up which was great. I read some more and it seems that Teva changed the fillers in their tablets, so instead of Lactose they changed it to something called Minitol ?? The same as what a French company had done, but in France they had so many complaints about the side effects, that in end the Medical board made them change back which they did , but Teva didn’t , and so we suffer more side effects. I have filled in a yellow card and sent it off. I am now trying 50mg Levothyroxine Mercury, they do say that know matter how much you take do it with the 50mg as there a no fillers in them.
Teva : I have been taking Levothyroxine since... - Thyroid UK
Teva
All tablets have fillers/excipients, you can't make a tablet without them. The ingredients need something to bind them together then there is a coating on them.
Have a look at the document produced by Thyroid UK which lists most thyroid hormone replacement tablets, it gives all the ingredients listedby the manufacturers
thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/treatm...
Scroll down and click on
"You can access this document here: Thyroid Hormone Replacements"
And the patient information leaflet for Mercury Pharma 50mcg and 100mcg levothyroxine says
"6. CONTENTS OF THE PACK AND OTHER INFORMATION
What Eltroxin Tablets contain
- The active substance is anhydrous levothyroxine sodium.
Each tablet contains 50 and 100 micrograms of anhydrous
levothyroxine sodium respectively.
- The other ingredients are sodium citrate, lactose, maize
starch, acacia powder and magnesium stearate.
What Eltroxin Tablets look like and contents of the pack"
which is what is listed in ThyroidUK's document.
I have shown that article to my pharmacist, he asked when the article was from which was 2017 about the time when Teva changed their contents and my symptoms started, the 50mg tablet is recommended as a safe option and if it worked for me, then I will take it, as the side effects were awful, and anything that works as got to be worth it!!
Many people have found that Teva was a problem. But what I was replying to was this statement:
they do say that know matter how much you take do it with the 50mg as there a no fillers in them.
It's impossible to make a tablet without fillers. The active ingredient is a powder, or granulate, you can't make a tablet out of powder without something to bind it - excipients, which are additives that help to hold the tablet together.
freepatentsonline.com/52252...
The excipients for every brand is listed in the UK document.
Well done working out what the culprit was!! We have to take matters into our own hands to learn these things, and then fight for the right meds for us. Not easy with a hypothyroid brain and it's not what we should have to be doing! I've been through a very similar thing. I ditched the UK generics for branded Synthroid but as a result I have to buy it myself.
They say the same about 50mcg synthroid being better than other strength tablets (not that it doesn't contain Any fillers but just least reactive ones generally). This is the white tablet and other strengths contain colouring additives that a lot of people react to. Thankfully I read this nugget of info before trying synthroid too.
So glad you feel better! Your story is an inspiration xx
Thank you
tinkerbell22, As you are talking about the Synthroid brand, I assume you must be in the US. Here in the UK, no levothyroxine tablets have colours or dyes in them. All brands and dose sizes are white.
Hi RedApple, no I'm in the UK. I buy my synthroid online from abroad. I can't tolerate the uk levothyroxine generics at all so I had no choice but to pay for an alternative. I just meant the colours re synthroid 
hi, is this happening in the UK? This may be why my dd's migraines have returned when we had all but eliminated them!
Teva is a UK brand and “Merck”which Teva copied is French.
Merck is a little more complex than that!
Yes, there is a French arm, but the company is primarily German:
The Merck Group, branded and commonly known as Merck, is a German multinational pharmaceutical, chemical and life sciences company headquartered in Darmstadt, with around 50,000 employees in around 70 countries. Merck was founded in 1668 and is the world's oldest operating chemical and pharmaceutical company, as well as one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.
As distinct from:
Merck & Co., Inc., d.b.a. Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) outside the United States and Canada, is an American pharmaceutical company and one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.
Yes - it does confuse!
Why oh why don't they just keep us feeling better it could be so easy if money wasn't involved.
Funny how Teva works different for different people...I LOVE TEVA.....only Levo I can stay awake on?
I get eczema from Teva, I am fine with other brands!
Thank you for the information no wonder after having my TT whilst living in France I became very ill on their Levo. I knew nothing about the thyroid at the time never having any medication prior to the op.
I have just looked up my French Levo it contained Lactose monohydrate, amidon de mais,
geleatine, croscarmeliose sodique, and sterate de magnesium. so not the same.
I am OK on NDT now perhaps it was that I couldnt's convert to T3.
Merck the company that produces the French Levo changed back to there original format, which is something that I wish Teva would do, hopefully you will stay well now 🤗
Woody26,
Merck the company that produces the French Levo changed back to there original format, which is something that I wish Teva would do,
When Teva changed their formulation, they made it lactose free, for the benefit of those that are lactose intolerant. The previous Teva formulation had lactose in it, so it's unlikely it will be changed back to that.
How strange as this happened to me too. I was on 100mg. I had the red legs and my right foot swelled so much I had to cut my shoe to get it on. I’m also on a bp tablet. My gp put me on a diuretic tablet which didn’t do much. My thyroxin were Teva. I decided to have those prescribed as 50mgs and now take one in the morning and one at night and my foot is back to normal size and the red patches are gone. I didn’t know about fillers until just the other day and didn’t know the 50mg don’t have them
I’m so glad that someone else had similar symptoms to me , (in a nice way ) I read about the 50mg purely by luck , not sure for definite why the 50 works but it does , although what I read said no fillers , I’m sure that there is something in it , but what ever it is it doesn’t give me any symptoms and that’s fine by me , I do hope you stay well🤗
Woody26,
I am now trying 50mg Levothyroxine Mercury, they do say that know matter how much you take do it with the 50mg as there a no fillers in them.
I read about the 50mg purely by luck , not sure for definite why the 50 works but it does , although what I read said no fillers , I’m sure that there is something in it ,
As SeasideSusie said above, you cannot have a levothyroxine tablet without fillers. The amount of levothyroxine powder in any dose size tablet (e.g. 50mcg) is microscopic, probably wouldn't even fill a pin head. Hence excipients (fillers) are needed in order to make it into a sensible size tablet.
The problem with excipients is not that they exist, it is the particular ones used and the fact that people react differently to different ones. There is no 'one size fits all' levo tablet, so we often have to try them all until we find which works best for us as an individual, and then stick with that one Thank goodness we do at least have a choice of brands here in the UK!
Yes, it has to have fillers. , it's impossible to take the thyroxine on its own because the amounts you need are much too little to measure.
As I said on another thread, it's rather like trying to plant poppy seeds one by one because they are far too small - almost like dust. Gardeners mix the seeds with sand to help separate them, so they don't sow too many in one place - the same idea as thyroxine tablet fillers.
Woody26, No UK levothyroxine tablets have colours or dyes in them, regardless of brand. All UK levo tablets are white, regardless of dose size.
Woody26, No UK levothyroxine tablets have colours or dyes in them, regardless of brand. All UK levo tablets are white, regardless of dose size. Whatever it is you're reacting to in UK levothyroxine tabelts, it is not colours or dyes
Woody26, I had same issues with synthyroid my body would be on fire and my skin was red...I switch to the 50mcg white synthyroid and I finally had no red skin or hot flashes. It was awful.
Canyouhearthat,
I had same issues with synthyroid my body would be on fire and my skin was red...I switch to the 50mcg white synthyroid and I finally had no red skin or hot flashes.
To clarify for the benefit of others reading here, Synthroid is a US brand of levothyroxine. Some US brands of levothyroxine have dyes/colourants in some of the dose sizes. Woody26 is in the UK. No UK brands of levothyroxine have any dyes/colourants in them regardless of dose size.
Ok? So because I was on synthyroid (us brand) I couldn't have the same issues as someone in Europe, wow.
Canyouhearthat,
Ok? So because I was on synthyroid (us brand) I couldn't have the same issues as someone in Europe, wow.
No, that is not my point. I was pointing out that the issues Woody26 was experiencing was not due to dyes/colourants, which is what she/he previously wrote (Following my comments about this issue, Woody26 has since deleted her/his comments regarding colourants)
After re-reading , I now realise that what I said was the American format which has nothing to do with UK format , but I do stand be what I said about the 50mg in UK is the better one to take for the likes of me, I deleted my text before because it was the wrong information and for no other reason Red Apple
It's ok to make mistakes Woody26, we all do that, especially when we're just learning about something The internet is an amazing source of info for all of us. But we need to not assume that everything we read is true, or that it applies universally. Deleting your comments just makes the thread confusing for others who come along to read and learn.
I took Synthroid for over 20 years and the last two years I took it things really went South for me. I started having all kinds of allergic reactions. No longer take it. Now take Tirosint and T3
It’s really strange the ones I can get in Turkey are great they don’t have fillers and I feel so much better why oh why when I pick them up in the uk do I get so many different makes I’m sick of feeling hot and my legs burning.
When you take your Levothyroxine, just use the 50mgs, I take 75mgs so I take a 50 and a half a 50, it makes such a difference, as my red hot legs and hot flashes through my body have virtually gone, there is something lacking in the 50s, that stops the side effects or at least eases them, since I’ve been dong this, it’s made such a difference, hope this helps you🤗
Hi Woody 26
I recently changed the pharmacy that my prescription is administered from, all my Levothyroxine is from Teva now. Recently I have felt that my medication isn't doing anything for me, and my symptoms are worsening, weight gain, very painful joints, brittle hair etc. After seeing your post I wondered if I have the same problems and Teva just do not work for me. I am taking 150mgs daily I wonder if the 100mgs have a problem with the fillers as well. Does any other person taking Teva notice a return of their symptoms.
Hi dylansmum , Why don’t you try just taking your medication in 50 mcg tablets, it has helped me greatly. I spoke to my doctor about it as he knew that my symptoms were driving me crazy and having tried everything else, he said give it a go, and for me I’m glad I did, don’t know why the 50s work but they do, as I take 75mcg , and I take a 50 and just break one in half. Don’t know if it will work for you,could be worth a try, as it is trial and error trying to make our self feel like human beings 🤗
I think you mean micrograms, rather than milligrams.
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