I've heard it all Now T3

[eghjm100]

I've heard it all now ! My usual chemist closed and I was transferred to Boots when I ordered my T3 thye supplied me with Teva T3 I explained to them I have a bad reaction to Teva can the supply morningside please. They said I would have to get my GP to write it on the prescription so after many attempts to get him to do this I went to collect my prescription and again got Teva This time the chemist said The GP needed to put the brand name morningside first in front of the medicine name otherwise the chemist would be liable for the difference in price which is £65 per month more for Morningside. My GP has put the brand name after the medicine name I have told them I get bad reaction to other brands but they are unwilling to fill my prescription. I know the solution is to go to another chemist but really!!!

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

I don't want to criticise a GP who seems to have tried to do the right thing, nor let Boots off the hook for something that appears not good. But why do we have to tell GPs how to write prescriptions?

[Wired123]

Avoid Boots like the plague, they are the worst chain and have overstretched pharmacists who are rude and stressed. Support your local independent

[Lora7again in reply to Wired123]

I agree ... I rarely use them myself.

[Lalatoot]

I get my T3 from Boots. They supply me with Morningside. My prescription reads liothyronine 10mcg. There has never been any brand written on. The folks in Boots know I usually get Morningside so that is what they get in.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Lalatoot]

While I have no idea how Boots are organised internally, I get a distinct impression that some geographical areas are far better than others. Maybe they have six or twelve areas which have some separation of management? Or are supplied by different arms of the distributors?

[Lalatoot in reply to helvella]

I live in the far north of Scotland in a small town. We have a good team in our high street Boots and I find them very helpful.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Lalatoot]

One branch I used to have to use (sometimes) a few years ago was appalling. Seemed to be operated only by locum pharmacists, extremely slow and under-staffed. Not sure how much blame to assign to Boots and how much to the staff.

[Cherryboo in reply to Lalatoot]

hi

How do you get T3 on the nhs ? Or is it a private prescription please, any tips

[Lalatoot in reply to Cherryboo]

I get it on the NHS. It depends on where you live. I live in Scotland - NHS Grampian.

You need to have jumped through all the hoops with levo. Then demonstrate using FT3 and FT4 results that you are a poor convertor. Then if you are lucky you might get a trial. I was lucky.

[KatieT1982 in reply to Lalatoot]

How do you demonstrate that you are a poor convertor? Blood tests?

[Lalatoot in reply to KatieT1982]

Yes blood test or genetic testing for the DIO2 gene.

Blood tests your tsh should be 1 or below. Then work out the percentage ft4 is through its range. Compare that with how far Ft3 percentage wise is through its range. They should be in similar positions if conversion is good.

After 4 years and on 100mcg levo my results were

Tsh 0.19 {0.25 ~ 4.5}

Ft4 19 {10 ~ 25} 60%

Ft3 4.5 {4.0 ~ 7.0}16.67%

I also made sure all vitamins were optimal and I was gluten free. There was nothing else the endo could suggest other than a trial of t3

[Cherryboo in reply to Lalatoot]

Thankyou so much.

I paid for a private Endocrinologist and he gave me a trial of t3 ,I paid .

But I couldn't tolerate side effects. I would be interested in trying again sometime.

[eghjm100 in reply to Lalatoot]

glad to hear that some one definitely leading me up the garden path though

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Different brands of T3 on NHS are all the same price on NHS

Try small independent pharmacies. Generally much more helpful

[eghjm100 in reply to SlowDragon]

Yes I was with an independent pharmacy but the were taken over by boots who now tell me morningside is £65 per month more expensive than Teva

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to eghjm100]

Not what it shows on the British National Formulary!

Teva has an indicative price that is £83.93 more than the NHS Tariff price.

But there is no NHS indicative price for Morningside 20 microgram tablets.

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

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to eghjm100]

Which is b******t

Morningside 10mcg or 5mcg tablets are more expensive than 20mcg tablets

20mcg tablets are exactly the same price across all three brands

Just checked the Drugs tariff

drugtariff.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/#/...

20mcg tablets have just reduced in price in October tariff - down to £121 per 28 tablets

10mcg (only Morningside brand) £148 per 28 tablets

5mcg (only Morningside brand ) £98 per 28 tablets

Liothyronine 20mcg tablets down from £161.36 in September tariff

drugtariff.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/#/...

[eghjm100 in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you for the info and links if you guy's can find out this, why would they tell me such lies ? ignorance, stupidity, laziness? it borders on malicious I really don't understand this, my old pharmacist was so good thanks guy's forewarned is forearmed

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to eghjm100]

We get many post where pharmacy has told patients a certain brand is discontinued....and that’s always rubbish too

What they mean is.....they can’t be bothered to look/order

[shaws Administrator]

I think its because prices for T3 are extortionate to the NHS. It is scandalous that the NHS cannot purchase T3s at a much cheaper cost. How can all the suppliers charge practically identical astronomical prices?

We can always use a pill cutter to provide smaller doses etc and can gradually increase our dose until we feel well with relief of symptoms.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to shaws]

20mcg T3 is down to £121 for 28 tablets...still got a way to go...but heading in right direction

drugtariff.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/#/...

[shaws Administrator in reply to SlowDragon]

Still an exorbitant cost to the NHS. How many Endos will prescribe T3 to patients? That's the 24,000 dollar question. They've been (I assume) told as student endos that levo is the 'be all and end all'. Levo for me was 'an end all' and the memory of taking it haunts me still and especially to know that some people have a similar response to it. Husband had to cope with me as pulse was going sky-high especially in the middle of the night and I lost count of the visits to A&E. My method of trying to reduce was to sip ice-cold water and wrap neck with an ice-cold towel.

I hope the professionals are left to use their initiatives instead of us being banned or endos pursued as Dr S and Dr P were (amongst others we are unaware of).

[eghjm100 in reply to shaws]

So many rules and regs none of the doctors can use their initiatives, if they do their in trouble my back surgeon used to give me left and right pain injections 6 months apart thus insuring some relief for most of the year. then he was in trouble as the rules said they had to be done with in three months so when they both ran out usually after about 9 months I would have to wait 3 months in severe pain crazy

[shaws Administrator in reply to eghjm100]

That's awful - to wait for pain relief when you know it works for you.

[eghjm100 in reply to shaws]

It gets worse I have the de nervation yearly for 15 years but I can no longer go to that hospital because of covid as patients choice is stopped so have to attend pain clinic in my own area so am waiting for referral

[eghjm100 in reply to SlowDragon]

It is indeed going in the right direction at one time it was nearly six time that according to my gp but it it a vital medicine.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to eghjm100]

Highest price was £268 for 28 tablets (or something around that) when only a single supplier