Levothyroxine in a plain bottle no brand on the label

[kathleenkiri]

Hi, does anyone else in UK receive their Levothyroxine from the pharmacy in small bottles without any brand name on the labels is this common practice as my husband is hypothyroid and he still gets his prescription inboxes ie branded Actavis, Almus Mercury pharma, etc from the same pharmacy? Thank you.

[nellie237]

Hi

I've been hypo for 14yrs, and always received Levo in boxes - never once loose in a bottle. Maybe others have.

[kathleenkiri in reply to nellie237]

Thank you for your reply much appreciated.

[humanbean]

Are you being supplied with a Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) with every prescription? Because you should be. And the name of the maker of your pills should be on that.

But I would agree with you - I would be wary of thyroid hormones being dispensed in an anonymous brown bottle.

[kathleenkiri in reply to humanbean]

Thank you for your reply will check the next prescription as no one has explained since they stopped giving me levothyroxine inboxes. Thank you

[humanbean in reply to kathleenkiri]

I'm assuming your GP sends prescriptions directly to the pharmacy that dispenses your prescriptions.

You can alter your nominated pharmacy if you want, and I think in this case it would be a good idea if there are others available. Before you choose a new pharmacy it would be worth phoning up other pharmacies and asking what manufacturer(s) of Levo they dispense and whether or not it comes in the original boxes and blister packs.

[kathleenkiri in reply to humanbean]

Thank you yes that's another option.

[fuchsia-pink]

I got lio in an anonymous brown bottle - no patient leaflet - when it was first provided by the hospital. Have only ever had levo in proper packaging from pharmacy (and lio after the GP took over prescriptions)

[kathleenkiri in reply to fuchsia-pink]

It's strange always got my prescription inboxes and branded for at least 15 years, now the staff at the counter said that this is how the levothyroxine is being delivered loose and the chemist dispenses it in bottles. Thank you for replying

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to kathleenkiri]

They should always give you PIL leaflet and brand info

Change pharmacy ?

[thyreoidea in reply to kathleenkiri]

Maybe they are sourcing a cheaper brand without packaging. When I was first diagnosed with Hypothyroidism the pharmacy next to the surgery tried to give me a brown bottle without a leaflet and I refused them, I told them that they were breaking the guidelines of dispensing medications without a patient leaflet, they produced one pronto. Never had them again like this, I got the feeling they were trying it on as I had not had them before.

[helvella Administrator in reply to thyreoidea]

Maybe they are sourcing a cheaper brand without packaging.

Further down the thread I suggest that might well not be the case, indeed, might not be possible. There are additional costs associated with dispensing from bulk supplies.

[helvella Administrator]

You can find out the make, at least for UK products, by checking in my medicines document. It has details of the markings of all UK thyroid hormone products.

As others have said, always ask for a Patient Information Leaflet. Also ask them to write the batch number and expiry date - e.g. on the PIL. Only if they do so have you a leg to stand on if there is a recall.

Note: The PIL supplied must be the one for the product. They are not allowed to give you, say, an Advanz/ Mercury Pharma PIL when you were dispensed Accord. Nor even a PIL for a different dosage of the same make as you received. (Some PILs do actually cover multiple dosages. Check properly before accepting or rejecting.)

helvella - Thyroid Hormone Medicines

I have created, and try to maintain, a document containing details of all thyroid hormone medicines in the UK and, in less detail, many others around the world.

dropbox.com/s/shcwdwpedzr93...

[kathleenkiri in reply to helvella]

Thank you for the information also for your reply.

[Anthea55]

Some years back I had brown bottles. I asked at the pharmacy and said I wanted it in original packaging. No more brown bottles after that. Can't remember their excuse.

[DoeStewart]

Hi there, when I first went to work in a pharmacy the majority of medication came in huge bottles for us to dispense as per each prescription into small medecine bottles, labelled with the name of the drug but not the manufacturer. This stopped many years ago when medication started to be delivered in monthly dose boxes so no need to be dispensing into the bottles. I do wonder where your pharmacist is getting the medication from or why they feel the need to take it out of the original packaging and dispense it in a bottle? Most peculiar.

[helvella Administrator in reply to DoeStewart]

Pharmacies do still get large bottles - the Patient Information Leaflets frequently mention them as packaging alternatives.

I think they are necessary for things like making up dosette packs. Also, hospital use where they wouldn't want to give out 28-day packs.

I did once, ten years ago or so, have a prescription like that due to a transient shortage of one make. But the pharmacy did write the batch number and expiry date properly.

[DoeStewart in reply to helvella]

Thanks for that Helvella, I do remember we got certain cancer drugs still in bottles as the dosage was so individual. Even the boxed medications are allowed to be split, for instance a prescription is for 30 tablets but the boxes are 28's, we used to cut 2 from another box and add it to the 28 and dispense the 30 as per the script. We always had split boxes on the shelves. All antibiotics used to come in large bottles so that the amount on the script could be dispensed but in later years we just cut the amount from a monthly box. We were also allowed to mix tablets from different manufacturers into one of our own boxes and unless patients looked at the blister packs they were non the wiser?

[helvella Administrator in reply to DoeStewart]

This 28/30 business is a real pain!

In Germany they do bizarre things like sell in 50 and 100 tablet packs and also 98-tablet Kalenderpackung!

[DoeStewart in reply to helvella]

How bizarre? Yes I must admit we did think the meds would come in full calendar months but unfortunately not - didn't make life any easier I must admit

[magsyh]

Up here in Scotland my sister gets her thyroid medication like that. I think it's because chemists are bulk buying the cheap stuff. I told her to complain as she said it was rubbish and her levels were low on it.

[helvella Administrator in reply to magsyh]

I suspect that might not be the case.

The cost of levothyroxine (in most dosages) in ready-for-customer blister packs is very low. NHS tariff £1.15 to £1.29.

The cost of staff time and packaging to accurately count and dispense bulk (loose) tablets 28 at a time added to even a discounted bulk supply price is likely not to provide rich pickings.

[Partner20 in reply to helvella]

Plus the cost of the bottles, and the purchase if the PILs, which, as you state, should always be given with any prescription dispensed!