TEVA - Levothyroxine

[anniec11]

Hi, I have seen a number of posts now about Levo being manufactured by Teva and that not being a agreeable, can someone please tell me what differences/side-effects they are experiencing with Levo made by this manufacturer. I have just received a new batch of Levo and the Chemist has changed manufacturer to Teva.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

The difference between Teva and other brands is that Teva is lactose free and they have substituted Mannitol for the lactose. No other UK brand uses Mannitol. This seems to be what is causing the problem.

ThyroidUK has an article mentioning this, and also mentions the problem with the French Levo made by Merck which also used Mannitol instead of Levo

thyroiduk.org/tuk/treatment...

Side effects vary from person to person.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Always check the bag BEFORE you leave the pharmacy

They might take them back, but it's unlikely, if you have left the building

Two options.....try them....cautiously....if any symptoms get new prescription

Don't risk it, request new prescription

[m7-cola in reply to SlowDragon]

I wouldn’t risk it!

[m7-cola]

My husband was given Teva Levothroxine recently and has suffered most uncomfortable adverse effects. He thought he’d caught a virus or was having bad attack of sinusitis. He has felt quite ill. The Manitol used in the Teva filler seems to have been the culprit.

[anniec11]

Thank you all so very much...I did look at this question on Thyroid UK, but on there they seem to mention Levothyroxine 100 only. I was trying to find out if the same warnings applied to Levothyroxine 25 mcg... but 50 or 25 mcg are never mentioned?

[helvella Administrator in reply to anniec11]

Teva make 12.5, 25, 50, 75 and 100. The issues affect all of them as they are all the same basic formulation. (It is possible that some dosages have slightly different proportions of the ingredients so that all the tablets are of manageable sizes.)

[Buzcat in reply to anniec11]

I was given 25mcg of Mercury pharma and50 of Teva new formula I thought I had been poisoned over a year now and still having side effects some very serious the doctor said it could take a year for to get back to normal and that’s over a year now.

[anniec11]

That is very worrying indeed... I am so sorry to hear you are suffering so badly... And still they won't stop manufacturing this one. I am also surprised that you have a doctor who actually acknowledges that they are NOT all the same...that at least is a bonus! Mine just dismisses the problem as psychological! I have asked the Chemist NOT to give them to me, but they still do when it comes to 25mg dose. I am sure you reported your problems on the Yellow Card Buzcat?