NP Thyroid reformulation - bad news. Anyone taking Almus liquid Levo?

[nagasakih2o]

Folks, ever since acella reformulated their NDT NP Thyroid, I've gone drastically downhill - from what I've read, there are 10's maybe 100's having the same problem. I had done so well on it!

The new formulation cripples me with stomach cramps which has forced me to stop using.

Question now is, what do I do? With NDT options running out, I feel I'm forced back down the synthetic path.

I have the option (NHS) to trial liquid Levo (ALMUS) so I would be interested if anyone had switched from tablet and noticed an improvement? I.E Stomach upset, aches and pains in their joints etc.

I have no recent bloods since NP reformulated - I have to start gain

[helvella Administrator]

I couldn't find any liquid levothyroxine on Almus' website. Could easily be that they have not yet added it. Do you know if it is new? Or is there any possibility that the brand name has been wrongly passed on to you?

[nagasakih2o]

No it's ALMUS - I have it in front of me. 50mcg / 5ml - 100ml bottle. No idea if it's new.

MA Holder: BCM Specials Ltd

[helvella Administrator in reply to nagasakih2o]

That is a surprise. BCM was the manufacturing arm of Boots but was sold to the French Fareva company in 2017. BCM Specials is their specials arm.

It appears that BCM continue to have close ties with Boots (Walgreen Boots Alliance).

I still can't find any mention of liquid levothyroxine. Has it got a proper Patient Information Leaflet? Does it have any product licence numbers?

[nagasakih2o in reply to helvella]

So....I had one bottle of the ALMUS Liquid levo (which i didn't use due to finishing off the NP) I must of misplaced the PIL as i can't find it. I can send you a pic of the packaging is that helps. Anyway, now i'm out of NP, I've just picked up my repeat and I've been given Mercury Pharma Oral Levo.....maybe something was wrong with the Almus?! I did try a small sip of the ALMUS and it made my mouth numb.......

[helvella Administrator in reply to nagasakih2o]

Yes please - would very much like that.

I will send a Private Message with an email address.

I very much like to keep abreast of what thyroid medicines there are.

[helvella Administrator in reply to nagasakih2o]

The story of levothyroxine products is unbelievably complicated!

Looks like Walgreen Boots Alliance sold BCM Specials to Fareva. And, somehow, Ten Pharma seems to be a subsidiary of BCM.

As Almus is a brand owned by Walgreen Boots Alliance, I suspect strong links with BCM, even now. Hence, they have decided to get a product actually licensed. (There have been questions over specials manufacturers actually operating as small scale manufacturers and avoiding product licensing - which was never the intention of the whole process.) The name Ten Pharma could come from the main building BCM operate out of - which is called D10. (Just a guess.)

Ten Pharma (a subsidiary of BCM Specials Ltd)

Address - 1, Thane Road West, NG2 3AA

Telephone - [phone]

Medical Information Direct Line - [phone]

Customer Care direct line - [phone]

WWW - bcm-manufacturing.com

Medical Information e-mail - [e-mail]

The Patient Information Leaflet:

medicines.org.uk/emc/files/...

[RedApple in reply to helvella]

helvella, Good detective work as usual Just want to confirm that what you're saying here is that a liquid levo manufactured by and licensed to Ten Pharma was/is also branded with the Almus name (for Boots)? I wonder if it's also available under it's own brand of Ten Pharma, or if it's an Almus/Boots exclusive.

[helvella Administrator in reply to RedApple]

My question too. I suspect Almus exclusive. But we have seen reports of some Almus products elsewhere than Boots. Possibly distrubuted by Alliance? ( As in Walgreens Boots Alliance.)

[Netty510]

Hi i was to on np thyroid and they switched it around smells like cat piss and taste terrible.my levels went crazy...so had to switch to the old bottle of erfa thyroid..but will soon be teying thyroid-s heard it works good for most ..hoping it does same for.me..

[TSH110 in reply to Netty510]

I have taken thyroids for some years now and it suits me fine. I did try acella a few years back and think thyroids is as good. Definitely worth a try

[nagasakih2o in reply to TSH110]

Could you please PM me a supplier for thyroid s? I may purchase a tub as backup if this liquid levo doesn't agree with me.

[Duckydoodle in reply to Netty510]

I’ve not felt optimal since Armour was reformulated years ago but haven’t switched since all NDTs seem to be “off” these days. Never heard of Thyroid S, I’m in the US, maybe that’s why. I’m pretty darn close to trying a glandular - of which there are many to try!

[nagasakih2o in reply to Duckydoodle]

Are your bloods stable on Armour?

[Hypopotamus]

I wonder what the agenda is? They are basically taking an effective medication away from us, and I don't believe that it is just a financial exercise.

Thryroid-S doesn't work for me, nor the synthetics, so I'm looking at a bleak future. All my endo says is "don't worry about it".

[snow22 in reply to Hypopotamus]

All the US NDTs seem to have been reformulated and become ineffective and I am assuming they have had no choice, so have had to do this?

Then for some reason they then deny they have changed their formulation?

This further increases the number of patients who suffer as their quality of life and lives are destroyed .

I agree with the Tania S Smith articles that the 'narrow thyroid therapy guidelines and their misuse are holding back the improvement of thyroid therapy, restricting the independent critical judgement of intelligent professional physicians, and potentially costing millions of patients' lifelong health and quality of life'. As she says 'there is a desire to repress, dismiss and deny thyroid patients' complaints about standard thyroid therapy'.

The treatment of thyroid patients is certainly not progressing but regressing rapidly, at a scary pace and we are the ones who will suffer those consequences.

[Batty1 in reply to Hypopotamus]

Love people who say don’t worry when they aren’t the ones to suffer.

[shaws]

Report your personal views to the manufacturers of NDT. The more who complain surely they'll rectify whatever changes have changed the formulae.

[jgelliss in reply to shaws]

It would be nice if the NDT manufactures would listen to patients complain . And patients complain plenty . But it goes to deaf airs . The Only way to let them know loud and clear and for them to get the message that we are unhappy with their product . Is to *Stop* buying their NDT. The best message is with our purse. It speaks louder than words.

[shaws in reply to jgelliss]

Unfortunately, some time they can run out of fillers/binders and have to source equivalent replacements which may have a bad (or slight) effect on some patients (I also state I'm not medically qualified }. It is assumed that if there is a severe shortage of some fillers/binders that they will source an equivalent - but that equivalent may mean that some patients have a different response to the one they took previously. Not a good experience I have found.