Mercury Pharma Levo availability

[Workingitout]

After taking MP Levo for the past 3 years (75mg in 25mg tablets to ensure l am not mixing brands) l am being told only Teva or Northstar are available.

I have been told to get a prescription specifying MP brand from GP and ring around pharmacies to find one that can provide me with it. I don’t want to change brands without advice, have heard about Teva side effects and seen posts about this sort of thing before (looked but couldn’t find them).

I previously had 50mg Activas tablets with my 25mg Mercury Pharma and found the Activas caused muscle pain in my thighs.

I live in Bristol, SW England, am 58 yr old female with Hashi’s autoimmune disease causing painful joints, tendency to low energy and feeling cold. Have healthy gluten, grain, nightshade & mostly dairy free diet, normal weight, healthy exercise. Supplement vit D & K2, B12, C, Mag, Sellenium. Any advice welcome.

[helvella Administrator]

I almost always recommend contacting the company and asking them!

Northstar 25 microgram tablets are actually Teva product.

[Workingitout in reply to helvella]

Thanks Helvella, do you mean contacting Mercury Pharma?

[helvella Administrator in reply to Workingitout]

Yes and I will add contact details later.

Advanz Pharma

Address

Capital House, 1st Floor, 85 King William Street, London, EC4N 7BL, UK

Telephone

[phone]

Medical Information Direct Line

08700 70 30 33

Customer Care direct line

[phone]

WWW

advanzpharma.com

Fax

[phone]

Medical Information e-mail

[e-mail]

medicines.org.uk/emc/compan...

Workingitout - have added contact details for Advanz. Many times, we find the company denies any issue and it proves to be the pharmacy or distributor. But going to the company seems the best way. They have been known to provide contact details for a pharmacy to use to contact them.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

You have to ring round/visit pharmacies until you find helpful one...usually small independent pharmacy can order what you need

Mercury Pharma is available

[Workingitout in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks SlowDragon, l will try both suggestions tomorrow.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Workingitout]

You can get 50mcg mercury Pharma too

[Workingitout in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks will look into that

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Workingitout]

Are you only on levothyroxine, or taking T3 as well?

75mcg levothyroxine is low dose, unless very petite

[Workingitout in reply to SlowDragon]

I am only taking Levo, l still have the tiredness and feeling cold but as ever GP feels l am within range on 75mg. I tried taking an NDT supplement (Metavive) but was put off by the heart palpitations. I will post my blood test results from April when l had high inflammation markers and more aches. Am planning to do a private Thyroid test next week so will post those too for advice: want to see where vitamin levels are at particularly.

[Workingitout in reply to Workingitout]

I’m not petite, 5’8” and slim: weight 60kg - this has been around the same for my whole adult life. I don’t seem to absorb fats and advice from naturopathic nutritionist and acupuncturist is my kidneys and liver are struggling. I can’t tolerate caffeine or alcohol well so avoid both. Past results show l am a poor converter of T4 to T3, l think likely to be genetic. My mother was also diagnosed in her mid 50’s with hypothyroidism and takes same 75mg dose, she is now 82 and her hands shake. I would like to avoid getting the shakes! (Sheavoids cows milk but not gluten and no issues re weight).

[Workingitout in reply to SlowDragon]

In May 2020 my results were:

TSH 0.63 (0.27-4.20)

FT4 20.9 (12-22)

FT3 4.5 (3.1-6.8)

Plasma Viscosity 1.93 (high)

Folate 16.2 (2.5-19.5)

Ferritin 132 (30-470)

B12 1026 (180-900) - but l hadn’t be 7 days supplement free)

Magnesium 0.88 (0.70-1.00)

Calcium 2.41 (2.2-2.6)

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Workingitout]

Poor conversion

Ft4 is 89% through range

Ft3 only 37.84% through range

Helpful calculator for working out percentage through range

chorobytarczycy.eu/kalkulator

Likely to benefit from adding small dose of T3 alongside levothyroxine

Worth considering Dio2 gene test

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

What about vitamin D result?

What vitamin supplements are you currently taking

Do you have Hashimoto’s

Are you on strictly gluten free diet

[Workingitout in reply to SlowDragon]

Hi, Vit D was 53 May 2018 and 109 in Dec 2019 - normal no action.

I take oral Nutri D3/K2 drops, Magnesium Citrate & Malate alt nights + the rec Selenium at night and CoQ10, Vit C & skin spray B12 after lunch. 75mg Levo early morning and breakfast several hours later.

Have been strictly gf several years and now nightshade free diet, mostly df except some goats cheese, plus keep to Paleo (grain & pulses free) this year. Eat veg, nuts, seeds, eggs, some fruit, meat, fish & chicken. Avoid refined sugar, make my own bread & cakes.

Would Dio2 gene test give me access to Endo and getting T3 on prescription?

I believe l have Hashi’s as antibodies were over 1,000 when l had a private test. I have inflammation in my body shown by my high plasma viscosity. Usual aching joints, tiredness, feeling cold, dry skin & thin hair, eyebrow gaps etc.

I am 58, relatively active and well but would like to get to optimum.

Would like to add T3 but not keen to do without guidance & monitoring as scary to do alone. Feel it should be available via NHS, as l think everyone with Hashi's does!

Thanks for your interest and advice so far.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Workingitout]

Have you had the list of recommended thyroid specialist endocrinologists who will prescribe T3 from Dionne at Thyroid UK ?

[e-mail]

As you are gluten and dairy intolerant it’s likely you need T3

If you test positive for Dio2 gene this can help persuade nhs to prescribe

Likely to need private consultation initially

A) NHS appointments are over year wait

B) even if request particular specialist, you often get junior

C) GP unlikely to agree to refer you

D) even if GP will refer you, often referral gets refused

[Workingitout in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks for your advice SlowDragon, l will email Dionne and look into all of that including the Dio2 gene test.

[Workingitout in reply to SlowDragon]

Is Advanz the same as Mercury Pharma Levothyroxine? As the chemist has Advanz 50’s but not my usual 25mg MP.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Workingitout]

Yes....so has box changed to say Advanz?

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[Workingitout in reply to SlowDragon]

Yes, the box says Adnanz 50mg Levothyroxine

[Workingitout in reply to Workingitout]

Advanz

[helvella Administrator in reply to Workingitout]

Does the pack actually say "Advanz Levothyroxine" on it?

If so, it appears that Advanz might be re-branding from Mercury Pharma.

Otherwise, could it be that the pharmacy staff are seeing it listed under "Advanz" and just calling it "Advanz", somewhat carelessly?

On the balance of probabilities, I cannot see Advanz introducing another levothyroxine tablet with a different formulation. But that is my guess - not necessarily reality!

[Workingitout in reply to helvella]

Thanks for your replies. The Chemist showed me a box of 50mg Advanz Levothyroxine tablets, they said it was a different company to Mercury Pharma but it sounds from your replies that this is the 50mg version of the 25mg Mercury Pharma Levothyroxine tablets l was taking?

[helvella Administrator in reply to Workingitout]

I'm afraid, I can sum that up in only one way. She is ignorant.

Just so I have double-checked - it had the word "Advanz" in big letters where you might have seen "Mercury Pharma" in the past?

[Workingitout in reply to helvella]

Yes, 'ADVANZ' was in big letters on the pack, and had purple on the box.

My previous box said 'Levothyroxine 25 micrograms Tablets' in big letters with Levothyroxine Sodium written underneath in smaller print with a symbol (black circle with white leaf sort of shape on top) and Mercury Pharma in smaller print with a blue wave of colour along the base!

[helvella Administrator in reply to Workingitout]

Thank you so much. I have this morning emailed Advanz to try to get a definitive answer.

[Workingitout in reply to helvella]

Thank you Helvella, l really appreciate that. My GP has issued a new electronic prescription so l can go to any pharmacy and choose the brand l have. GP said Advanz are showing as doing a 25mg. Boots are still saying they can’t provide me with 25mg Mercury Pharma or Advanz - even though they showed me the 50mg Advanz which l am happy to have if it’s the same thing!

[Workingitout in reply to SlowDragon]

Am also caffeine free and only occasional small amount of alcohol.

[Lalatoot]

The problem is the 25mcg dose tablets which are difficult to get You might find it easier to get MP 50mcg and cut tablets if you need separate doses.

[Workingitout in reply to Lalatoot]

Okay, that’s useful thanks. I was told no MP avail but didn’t ask about 50’s. I have a handy pill cutter.

[Citrine77]

Hi

I have just gone through the same thing. Had Teva and it just does not work for me. This was in August. I spoke to Mercury and they gave me the names of 3 wholesalers they supplied which was DE pharmaceuticals, alliance healthcare and Phoenix. I emailed my local pharmacist that I get my meds from and described all symptoms The Teva product was causing and he has found me 7 months supply of Mercury that he says he has marked up for me. I feel absolutely blessed to find someone that has helped. I had to fight with my surgery to get named product in the first instance. So try doing the same and hopefully yours will help.

[hyporeb in reply to Citrine77]

I have exactly the same problem every 3 months, even though I have Mercury named on my prescription and I use the same local chemist.. They always give me a different brand (which I always check before I leave the shop) first they blamed Brexit, now it’s Covid - but interestingly as soon as I remind them it’s named on my prescription they magic some from their stockroom... I’ve often wondered if maybe Mercury is more expensive and so the pharmacists try their best not to give it out ????

[helvella Administrator in reply to hyporeb]

The Drug Tariff Prices prices listed in the British National Formulary are the same across all makes/brands. But the NHS indicative prices do show some variation. Not always as you might have expected.

bnf.nice.org.uk/medicinal-f...

[Citrine77 in reply to hyporeb]

The pharmacy buys from the wholesaler, who goes out to tender and buys lowest possible price. I think that Tevas product is so unpopular that they have dropped the price. Hence flooded the market, wholesalers make more money and patients suffer. Like you, I always check my meds and cause a fuss but the last time the pharmacy did not have another brand and thankfully phoned other pharmacies and took their stock. As I have had a T T, I had to take the Teva.

[Workingitout in reply to Citrine77]

Thanks, that’s helpful. Will try doing the same.

[Partner20]

My prescriptions are dispensed by Boots, whose supplies of 25mcg are nearly always Mercury, with Teva given if Mercury is unavailable. In fact I have just collected my meds which included 2 months supply of Mercury 25mcg levo. My 50 mcg levo is always dispensed from Boots as Almus by Accord.

[san_ray70]

My prescriptions are put in daily boxes by the chemist, so I have no idea of the brand. I have been taking levo 125 for almost 15 years. The first couple of months was trial and error, I have had no trouble with what I am taking. I get a blood test once a year.

[helvella Administrator in reply to san_ray70]

If you check what the tablets look like - imprinting on both sides is usually sufficient - it is easy to identify the make(s).

Further, you are entitled to a copy of the Patient Information Leaflet for every medicine that is dispensed. Though you might have to ask for them.