Teva levothyroxine

[Essexlil]

Hi, I’d be really grateful for advice. I know from this forum that some people aren’t good on Teva brand. Not only don’t I feel great on it but I have Sjögren’s and find them hard to swallow as they’re powdery. I feel well on Mercury Pharma and can swallow then as they have a coating.

I’ve asked my local pharmacy to give me Mercury Pharma every month and explained my problems. They said as part of Day Lewis they have to accept what they’re sent but they’d make a note and try to give me Mercury Pharma, however, I often get given Teva.

This week I phoned my GP surgery and asked the receptionist if my GP can please state Mercury on my repeat prescription. She phoned me back and said she’d spoken to the pharmacy and they have trouble getting Mercury and that’s why I keep getting Teva. Does anyone know where I go from here please as I’ve got another month of Teva and two weeks in I feel so tired compared to last month with Mercury. I also take my levo at 5 am then go back to sleep and on lying down I often realise Teva tablets are still stuck in my throat.

[tattybogle]

helvella recently got confirmation from Mercury manufacturers that there is no problem with the continued manufacture or supply of Mercury Levo tablets. (there were a few posts recently were we all thought they had gone into administration ) But a group of distributors supplying some areas of the country have recently gone bust so some pharmacies may be have more difficulty than usual getting hold of them .

The first thing i would do is ask your GP to increase the length of your repeat prescription from one month to two, or even 3 , because having to deal with this every month is just making life harder than it need be for you (and the chemist) .

Phone round any chemists you could reasonably travel to, and say you are looking for a chemist who is willing to get you mercury regularly to fill your repeat prescriptions because your wellbeing goes downhill badly whenever you have Teva and your current chemist is not able to be helpful .

Teva have the same effect on me ... about a week and a half in, i feel rubbish again , when i was ok for the 2 months before on a different brand .

The chemist attached to my GP surgery said same thing .. "we get what we are given .. so do you " ... i found a chemist somewhere else who was willing to put a note saying "anything but Teva" on their computer notes for filling my prescription and i get my prescriptions sent there now ... the prescription still just says 'levothyroxine' as i'm ok with several brands , i just don't like the effect of Teva.

p.s 'Wockhardt' are also very small tablets, (smaller than mercury). although they only make 25mcg size.

[Essexlil in reply to tattybogle]

Hi, thank you for your helpful information. Your reaction to Teva is the same as mine, about a week and a half of taking it and I’m falling asleep, stressed and short tempered with bowel problems. I really thought if my GP could request another brand then the pharmacy had to get it, but they won’t even honour that seemingly!

[tattybogle in reply to Essexlil]

if you do try other brands and find you feel ok with 'anything but Teva' , it makes life much easier for everyone .... limiting the chemist to 'Mercury/Eltroxin only ' by having it written on the prescription does make it difficult... especially at the moment when for whatever reason some chemists do seem to be finding it hard to get hold of Mercury/Eltroxin .

By the way, the different brands of Levo all cost the same to the NHS (different doses mcg are different prices , but different brands of the same dose are the same price), so getting consistent access to one particular brand is more of a distribution/ access problem rather than a price problem.

[Essexlil in reply to tattybogle]

Oh I think you’re right I probably am fine on other brands,just can’t remember which I may have had in the past so I could say any but Teva. I’ll try that and see how I go - I didn’t know the brands cost the same, thank you for this help

[Emj001 in reply to tattybogle]

Wow that's such great news and very much a relief. I think it has always been challenging for MP to be supplied to some pharmacies for some reason but not quite sure what that is. Anyway, definitely good news!

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Your GP could and should write on all future prescriptions

Either

“No Teva levothyroxine “

Or

“Mercury Pharma brand or Eltroxin brand only “

These are identical brand inside the box

gov.uk/drug-safety-update/l...

If a patient reports persistent symptoms when switching between different levothyroxine tablet formulations, consider consistently prescribing a specific product known to be well tolerated by the patient. If symptoms or poor control of thyroid function persist (despite adhering to a specific product), consider prescribing levothyroxine in an oral solution formulation.

Then you need to find a helpful pharmacy

Often small independent pharmacies are more obliging

If your dose is stable your GP can give 2-3 month prescriptions

Or if you find a 100% reliable pharmacy, and on unchanging dose levothyroxine GP can do a years worth of prescriptions electronically to pharmacy and you just go to collect every 2 months without needing to get new prescription each time

[Essexlil in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you for this information - I had no idea we can be given more than one month on prescription. When it’s known that not all levothyroxine is the same it’s just so unfair that we have the additional stress of a simple thing like receiving the same brand on our prescriptions. If the pharmacy know of the problem you’d think they could request a supply but apparently it’s just a lottery and the cheapest wins.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Essexlil]

I now get a year’s prescription at a time sent electronically to small independent helpful pharmacy (it’s 10 miles away).. I just pick up prescription once every 2 months

The town where I live, we only have 2 pharmacies, both the same large chain and repeated point blank refusal to honour the clear instructions on my prescription by GP to only supply Mercury Pharma levothyroxine and Morningside T3.

So GP is happy to send electronic prescription to a pharmacy of my choice

[Essexlil in reply to SlowDragon]

Oh I see - there’s not much chance of me getting it locally then even if my GP asks for it - thank you at least I know not to put any more pressure on my surgery

[elwins]

I have the same problem with Teva, reported it on a yellow card, my doctors surgery have been very good so have boots the chemist. Have gone back to my old make which does not upset me. It is the fillers in the tablets. Cannot take mannitol. Boots make sure the prescription comes direct to them rather than go to a central area to be dealt with. They also open and check the bag in front of me to make sure it is correct. Best of luck in sorting it out.

[Essexlil in reply to elwins]

Hi, thank you for this information I’ll try Boots if my local can’t give me anything but Teva

[helvella in reply to Essexlil]

If you do not need 25 microgram tablets, Lloyds often supply Northstar which is Accord packaged in Northstar branding - and Northstar is owned by the group who own Lloyds.

Just be careful as Northstar 25 are actually Teva!

[Essexlil in reply to helvella]

Oh thank you I’ll know to avoid that then too!