I was diagnosed in 2006 with Grave's and had Radioiodine treatment. I am now on 100mcg Mercury Pharma Levothyroxine every day. There's been a real struggle to get the specific brand of thyroxine - Mercury Pharma. I've called Concordia, and they confirm they have had regular orders placed by UK wholesalers. However, my local Chemist keeps telling me they can't source Mercury Pharma. So I rang other nearby Pharmacies (Rowlands, Boots, Boots by the hospital) and they all said their Wholesaler don't supply this brand due to cost efficiency. So unless there are loads of people requesting Mercury Pharma specifically, I will be waiting for a long time.
I have had no choice but to take a generic brand and have been feeling very unwell (depressed, anxious, irritable, exhausted, can't focus) It's really noticeable when they switched brands on me (have tried Teva, Actavis) and apparantly this is due to some cheap binding ingredients other brands use. Is anyone else having the same problem? I am getting a bit desperate now, as I only have 2 weeks left of Mercury Pharma. I am very happy to try other brands but so far, there isn't another brand that has a similar composition of binding ingredients to make up the pill.
Would be grateful for any advice from this forum. Thank you so much.
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paigelondon
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Thank you so much. I have been on a generic brand and my local Pharmacist wasn't honest with me. I have been feeling so poorly, depressed mainly and crying for no reason. Feeling really vulnerable because I depend on this for the rest of my life. I will call around small independent Pharmacies. Strange that my local one is indeed an independent, so not sure why he's having problems sourcing MP. Thanks for your reply. At least this forum gives me a sense of community - that I am not alone. x
Like you I prefer Mercury Pharma and my small local pharmacy here in Hampshire always supplies it so it is obviously still about.
Thank you Hylda, at least there is hope. For the longest time, my little local pharmacy made it seem like the whole of UK is out of stock of MP. Will have to take matters into my own hands. Thank you x
Yes,I am having problems now,not being given my Mercury Pharma Liothyronine.I have been given Morningside and last week they tried to change me to TEVA which I refused to have( I rejected TEVA levo many years ago) I have asked to get back to my MP and had a medication review at my pharmacy.I was told on interview that there was very little difference in cost now for Liothyronine brands.They phoned their supplier whilst I was there but I was still given Morningside when I went back late afternoon to collect what they delivered .......Oh Boy! It's like banging your head against a brick wall!
I have itchy skin and keep waking up between 3.00-4.00 am every morning ,taking Morningside.My muscular problems are worse.
I have written 2 pages of A4 questions for my Endo visit this afternoon and will query supplies at the hospital pharmacy.Will let you know how I get on.
I have itchy skin as well. The main problem I have reacting to Teva, Actavis,and Wockhardt is there is something in the binding ingredients that is making me depressed, all of a sudden burst out in tears, and irritable, snapping at my family over little things. Once I've switched back to taking MP for 3 days, the improvement in mood is so noticeable. I found a half used blister pack from my make up bag from when we went away on holiday so I have stopped taking the generic brand for now... buying some time to fine MP. However, I only have 2weeks left =(
I'm going to see my GP tomorrow (the appointment took 4 weeks lead time to book) and I will ask please for the GP to put MP, Do Not Substitute. Thank you so much for your reply. x
My levo is Actavis,but hadn't thought about whether that could be affecting me as I have taken it since Eltroxin disappeared many years ago.I don't know if there has been any change in Actavis though.I was very happy on Eltroxin.
I have Actavis levo thyroxine and Mercury Pharma Liothyronine printed on my repeat prescription label that goes on the bag when I collect my meds,but that seems to mean nothing!!.......It's not what is inside !!
I hope your GP visit goes well.......I have heard of 7-8 weeks wait in my area.I shudder to think where this is all going to end up.
Thanks Marfit74. Mercury Pharma just happens to be the brand that works for me personally. I know other patients who have had no negative affects from taking other brands, generic or not. So I think it's just my personal circumstance and I hope everyone who lives with this condition can get the suitable medication for them. Fingers crossed the GP will state MP, do not substitute on my prescription tomorrow.
Yes, definitely get this added to prescription- Mercury Pharma Levothyroxine only
You will, however still need to ring/search around. ALWAYS check the bag before leaving the pharmacy too.
Large chains only want to dispense their own supply pharmacies are not paid any extra fee to source different brands......so they are getting increasingly difficult over this issue
Online pharmacies may be worth trying too, but you need to impress on them you will not accept any other brand
Like you, I need to stick to Mercury Pharma. (Use to have Goldsheild which was better....before it was replaced by Mercury Pharma)
After years struggling to get pharmacies to recognise this issue I finally found a tiny independent (10 miles away) who has two other patients who can only tolerate MP. So they always keep some MP in stock for us
Amazing that you have found two other patients who also needs MP. The good thing is at least you can find MP, the unfortunate thing is that you have to drive 10 miles away each time. But that's well worth it to me as I am getting so desperate!
1) alert patients that preparations may be switched at the pharmacy;
2) encourage patients to ask to remain on the same preparation at every pharmacy refill; and
3) make sure patients understand the need to have their TSH retested and the potential for dosing readjusted every time their LT4 preparation is switched
Hi, l was having 50mg Activas and 25mg Mercury Pharma per day, and noticed feeling a lot better during the week when l was using up the glut of MP 25mg’s l had. So l explained this to the chemist, think l had to get a new prescription for 25mg x 3 daily of Mercury Pharma Levo, but have had no trouble getting this from my local Boots (in Bristol). So it definitely is out there! Hope that helps, and wishing you luck in getting the brand that suits you.
Thanks so much Workingitout. I haven't tried mixing brands. Might be just a matter of my local Chemist is not able to get MP in 100mcg dosage. He then just put me on a different brand all together. I'm going to try anything as am feeling really desperate with low mood, and hair loss, and just generally feeling unwell. I hate the fact that the shortage of MP seems to be the wholesalers are not ordering it due to cost but the NHS legally has to pay for it, so not sure if it's the Chemist who can't claim it back from the NHS? or if it's the Chemists not bothering with extra paper work? or if it's the wholesalers simply not buying from Concordia due to cost unless there is high demand for it. Either way, I am feeling really hopeless, spiralling to a point when some days, I feel I might need to move to Canada as Concordia's manufacturing plant is in Toronto, Canada.
Hi, l didn’t notice that l was being given two different brands until l was only taking the MP 25’s and feeling markedly better. It seems from looking at other posts that we are all so different- some people feel better on this brand and others feel worse. It is such a minefield, and l can hear how unwell and hopeless you are feeling right now. I found it helpful to see a private naturopathic nutritionist who specialises in Thyroid issues, and have healed my leaky gut with diet and seen some benefit from taking supplements such as Vitamin B to improve my hair. (My hairdresser recently commented on my hair seeming thicker, she had another client who had noticed similar improvement with Vit B so l figured it was due to this). I didn’t feel back to my usual energy levels taking Levo, and am currently trying a combination of natural dedicated thyroid and reduced Levo, only 10 days in so it’s very early days but l noticed immediately feeling improved mental and physical energy levels. It is so hard that there is so little research into the medication, and so many people are left feeling unwell and unsure what to do for the best. I do hope you are able to get what you need and start feeling better soon.
Same problem here - I have it agreed by GP and prescription states Mercury Pharma but pharmacy increasingly ignores it and it’s only ever at point of collection that I find this out. It seems a particular problem with 25 mcg. Also will only prescribe 4 weeks at a time so pharmacy are splitting packs although I understood the 25mcg in volume for them to dispense was mercury Pharma!! On the basis that there can be a reaction to different fillers etc and that the efface can vary as much as 10% and be acceptable and that I take a lot of other medication I do think it’s sensible to try and maintain some stability. Sadly despite the sentiment surrounding patient care and choice it seems that doesn’t translate into practical support
Hello All, Just wanted to say thank you to all the replies and support from this Forum. I am so happy to have found this online community as it makes me feel less alone living with this condition.
So an update from me: I called around three different Pharmacies and also have called Concordia(the actual plant that makes Mercury Pharma brand thyroxine tablest) and
I was so fortunate to have rang up a local tiny Boots branch, and the Chemist happened to be the one who answered the phone. She was so amazingly helpful. I explained to her my situation and she said to try smaller independent Pharmacies where they might use a different wholesaler to supply their medicine. In the end, I found a really small local pharmacy that had 3 months supply and that Chemist said she will try to call their wholesaler 2 weeks before I run out to order MP for me for next time. So I now have 3 months worth of MP (all in 25 mcg blister packs) this means I would have to take 4 x 25mcg daily, but I really don't mind at all. I am so desperate to feel better. I was just so pleased I have finally found some, it's been a 8 weeks search from making calls, getting no where, and getting bits of information, and then being lied to by my local Chemist, and piecing together all my information, and then finally found my next 3 months' supply. The true test now would be if this happens again in 3 months time. We shall see.
I should stress that MP works for me personally and other brands don't but all the Pharmacist I've talked to also mentioned there are many patients who experience the reverse. So for those who are reading this, please judge for yourself which brand suits you the best as this is not a case of one brand suits ALL.
Hi paigelondon. Your post was a couple of weeks ago and I’m wondering if you needed to fill your prescription again since? I’m wondering if there’s a supply issue more widely.
I also favour MP and have been dispensed 100 & 50mcg by boots for a couple of years. A few months back they changed to being in brown bottles as boots could only buy it loose apparently. I went to collect my prescription yesterday and they have not been able to receive MP despite putting orders in. I’ll need to try other pharmacies but when I had a problem before it was boots which was able to source it. They did have 25mcg though but I’d need 6 a day and my GP said they can only issue 56 at a time so I’d need a prescription almost every week to do that...
Hi Sybilla14. Boots Chemist was so kind and helpful. She told me it's not so much they don't source MP. It's more the fact that the wholesalers need to build up enough orders in bulk before they supply it in big batches. Also, another way to source MP brand is to find your nearest small independent Pharmacy. They use different wholesalers to supply their medicines and that is how I found mine. So to answer your question... Pharmacies large or small can source MP, but it's down to the time at which you need your prescription, how many other patients have requested the same, if that particular pharmacy has got a bulk enough order, then they can get it for you. I've also had MP in a brown bottle, loosely in bulk. So what I'm having to do now is every month, I need to call around , asking if each pharmacy is about to place a batch order and put in mine with the rest of the batch. Small independants also do the same, but it's really down to timing of other patients who also require repeat prescription around the same time as you. It is possible to find MP, just need to call around every month. I know.. it's sad but at least MP is still available in the UK. Good luck. Hope you feel better soon .x
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