Is Teva known by any other name in the UK?

[Cooper27]

Does anyone know if Almus/Actavis and Mercury have anything to do with Teva?

Is it an issue if your dose is achieved by mixing two brands? E.g. 100mcg Actavis and 50mcg mercury?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

There has been lots of confusion due to changes in ownership but, no.

Teva is Teva is Teva.

Actavis levothyroxine is a brand owned by Accord. (Also packaged as Almus and Northstar.)

Mecury Pharma levothyroxine is a brand owned by Advanz (formerly Concordia International.)

(The fourth make is Wockhardt. Also separate.)

If you get on with them, then mixing makes is fine. What you really do NOT want to do is change prescription by prescription. Even going from 100 Actavis plus 50 Mercury Pharma to 50 Actavis plus 100 Mercury Pharma.

Mixing makes can also make it more difficult to identify what is happening, and why, if you find yourself not doing as well at some point.

[Cooper27 in reply to helvella]

Thanks! I'd tried googling Actavis Vs Teva, and it suggested Actavis had bought Teva, so I'm glad they're different. I'll check the prescription history to be sure they haven't changed it without saying!

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

No they don't have anything to do with Teva.

Actavis/Almus/Northstar are all the same.

There's only an issue mixing brands if it affects you in any way. Some people can take any brand with no problems.

Some people react to certain fillers in different brands.

It's often best to stick to one brand that you know causes no problems for you, rather than risk upsetting the apple cart by mixing brands.

[Cooper27 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks! I'd tried googling Actavis Vs Teva, and it looked like Actavis had bought Teva! So it's good that's not the same thing. I'll see what the prescription history is, and see if it's possible to switch to both the same brand, just to rule it out

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Cooper27]

Yes - they did - BUT a condition of that purchase was to sell off certain parts. And one of those parts was the bit in Barnstaple which makes levothyroxine.

The company is now called Accord. I would not be surprised if they have a limited right to use the Actavis branding (e.g. for a few years) and will eventually re-brand, though we have not yet seen that announced.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Cross posted with Helvella

[silverfox7]

I would be tempted to stick to one brand and use a pill cutter if necessary. When on Levo which I was on for a long time I was given my dose of Mercury Pharmacy as it's now called, in 25's which was great but then I got a conscience as 25's was the most expensive way of getting it but I also found that 4x25 was identical to 1x 100 even in the same brand. They are allowed to work to a tolerance but no guarantee that difference strengths are working to the same one.