I’ve had a different box again.

[1342fire]

Good morning all

hope you are doing ok

Just a quick question

I’m just going to start my 3rd box

and it’s different make again.

They are in order in the picture.

Will this mess up my blood test results?.

Thanks

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Northstar 100mcg and 50mcg are Accord

Teva brand upsets many, many people

Have you had Teva before?

Suggest you take it back to pharmacy and request Accord instead

Many people find Levothyroxine brands are not interchangeable.

Many patients do NOT get on well with Teva brand of Levothyroxine. Teva contains mannitol as a filler, which seems to be possible cause of problems. Teva is the only brand that makes 75mcg tablet. So if avoiding Teva for 75mcg dose ask for 25mcg to add to 50mcg or just extra 50mcg tablets to cut in half

But for some people (usually if lactose intolerant, Teva is by far the best option)

Teva, Aristo and Glenmark are the only lactose free tablets

Most easily available (and often most easily tolerated) are Mercury Pharma or Accord

Accord is also boxed as Almus via Boots, and Northstar 50mcg and 100mcg via Lloyds

but beware 25mcg Northstar is Teva

List of different brands available in U.K.

thyroiduk.org/medications-f...

Teva poll

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Once you find a brand that suits you, best to make sure to only get that one at each prescription.

Watch out for brand change when dose is increased or at repeat prescription.

academic.oup.com/jcem/artic...

Physicians should: 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 (18).

[1342fire in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you it’s the 100mcg I’m on for now And has you know I’m still setting myself to be on the right dose.

I’m still waiting for the reply from the doctor for the letter I had sent to them.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to 1342fire]

But there is no reason to refuse NorthStar (100 and 50 microgram dosages) or Almus! As they are the self-same tablets in the packaging.

[tattybogle]

in short .... it won't mess your results up , but it might mess you up . It is preferable to stay on the same brand, in my experience ,even though i don't have an actual allergic reaction to any of them i believe i have a distinctly 'less good' feeling when i'm on Teva.

[1342fire in reply to tattybogle]

Thank you I will ask the Cemist for accord now.

[tattybogle in reply to 1342fire]

Northstar 100's are also accord , inside the packet , just in a different box. Almus (from boot's ) are also the same .You may have to search around to find a chemist willing to be helpful, some of the larger chains will only give you what they get sent , and say they have no control over that, where's some smaller independent ones are much more accommodating.

It can be a right pain to get this sorted , but in my opinion it's worth the hassle.

Once i moved to a doctors/chemist that gave me a different brand every couple of months my wellbeing went right downhill, whereas before that i mostly got the same brand , and for 3 months at a time, and was much better.

It may have just been coincidence , but i wanted to rule it out as a cause , so now i've moved to a chemist that agrees to avoid Teva brand (and Northstar 25's which are Teva in a Northstar box ) and will try and keep to the same brand where possible.

[1342fire]

Hi quick update I have got to go to change them to accord.

That call was hard work explaining about this.

They have not been asked this question before.

Trust me to be the first one to ask about this

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to 1342fire]

There are thousands of posts on here about different brands and why it’s important to stay on same brand of levothyroxine

When dose is next increased to 125mcg levothyroxine afte4 next blood test....Accord don’t make 25mcg tablets.so prescription will need to be for 50mcg tablets and then cut them in half to give 25mcg per day

[1342fire in reply to SlowDragon]

Ok But I will check in with you to let you know 😉

[tattybogle in reply to 1342fire]

You'll be amazed how often we are told by doctors , chemist's and even the blumming receptionists, that " no one else has ever mentioned this / had a problem with that / it's just you /all the tablets are the same thing / etc etc..."

Well , all i can say to that after reading on here for a year is

"if you've never heard this before you must have had your fingers in you ears , singling La La La La for years , cos i assure you plenty of people have been saying it and reporting it for at least a decade"

[1342fire in reply to tattybogle]

Yes definitely I’m still new to all this but I have seen things mentioned about this.

My doctor has fingers in the ears singing

That too lol