Which fillers in levo tend to give most problems?

[Lulla]

Hi, tomorrow I have an appointment to review my levo prescription and so have the chance to perhaps ask for a particular type. Over the years I have heard that some people have issues with some of the fillers in levo tablets and wondered whether there are some more common ones. Or is it a case of everybody being different and reacting to different fillers?

In the past I have taken two separate tablets to get to my dose. For example I am taking one tablet of 100 and one of 25 to get to my 125 daily dose. It has just dawned on my that this could be a bad idea as in so doing I'm getting twice the amount of fillers? What do you think?

Thanks

[humanbean]

Acacia and mannitol are two I've heard of causing problems for many people.

And for people with problems tolerating dairy products, lactose is often an issue for them.

[Lulla in reply to humanbean]

thank you. Sounds like it would take a long time to try and test various types with various fillers. And from what I see the list of fillers do not indicate the amount of each.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Lulla

Or is it a case of everybody being different and reacting to different fillers?

Yes, everyone is different. Person A may react to lactose, Person B may not. Person C may react to maize starch, Person A, B and C may not, or any combination.

The brand which seems to be the one we hear most about for adverse reactions is Teva. This is likely to be because they removed lactose and now use mannitol.

In the past I have taken two separate tablets to get to my dose. For example I am taking one tablet of 100 and one of 25 to get to my 125 daily dose. It has just dawned on my that this could be a bad idea as in so doing I'm getting twice the amount of fillers?

You're always going to have to take 2 tablets to achieve a dose of 125mcg, however you do it, eg alterate 100/150, or cut a 50mcg tablet in half to make 25mcg and add to 100mcg. You're not necessarily getting twice the amount of fillers, but you are getting more than if you take one tablet and they don't make a 125mcg tablet.

If you know you do well on one particular brand then it's best to stick to that brand.

[LivingWithHT]

Lactose. Sorry to sound gross but if there’s a lot of it as a filler then I’m constantly bloated and gassy. Euthyrox did this to me when I was on it, it was such a nightmare that I had to switch to Eltroxin but, generally, I prefer NDT to synthetic.

[Lulla in reply to LivingWithHT]

I've been on Euthyrox from the start, 6 years ago. Only now changed to what seem to be generic (?) 100mg by Almus and 25 mg by Mercury Pharma, as Euthyrox not availabel in the UK . Also don't know why the chemist would give two different types.

Are you in the UK? I often feel bloated too and always blamed it on wheat.

[LivingWithHT in reply to Lulla]

No, I live in Dubai, but it’s the same Euthyrox you get in the UK. It’s likely the one here is imported from there (or maybe from Germany.) Currently there is a shortage of both Euthyrox and Eltroxin here because the suppliers are no longer exporting due to something to do with reformulating them, I think.

Both those brands used to be widely available here, were very affordable and could be purchased OTC without a prescription...probably because they’re not potent or effective enough to cause any serious issues. I found neither of them to be effective on their own but I found Eltroxin far easier to tolerate.

The moment I started Euthyrox, it felt I just had a big glass of full fat warm milk and was having the usual uncomfortable bloated feeling I get after consuming too much lactose in one sitting...that’s how I knew it had to be the lactose filler. I am not severely lactose intolerant, but I am definitely intolerant enough that it’s uncomfortable to handle.

[Lulla in reply to LivingWithHT]

Thank you. I got it while I was In dubai too, and continued to get it from there via friends while I lived in the USA. Having now returned to the Uk I was told it’s not available here so I’m confused. However I see the fillers if the tablets I’ve been given here are more or less the same. I also just heard about the revolt in France against the new formulation of euthyrox. So I thought maybe just as well to have a change. I’ll enquire about eltroxin - thank you

[LivingWithHT]

When I hear about a thyroid medication being reformulated, I worry because it almost always means they’re going to be made with lower quality ingredients that weakens their potency even more. And, as always, companies will deny this and say they only ever use the best quality 🙄.

[Lora7again in reply to LivingWithHT]

It is all about money with drug companies and they need to make a profit because it is just business to them.