Second topic today a T3 question.

[arTistapple]

This is me being a bit ‘previous’ again as I am not quite ready for T3 due to more tests needing to be done early September. Does anyone know if the red colour of UniPharma T3 is due to red food colouring dye or if the colour is integral to its recipe/stuff it’s made with? Apologies proper word escapes me. I ask because I know red food colouring is one of the few things I absolutely know I react very badly to.

[helvella]

From one of my old posts here!

UNI-PHARMA T3 ingredients:

Active ingredient: Liothyronine sodium

Excipients**:

a) Lactose (lactose monohydrate, gelatine, starch maize),

b) sodium starch glycolate, magnesium stearate,

c) silicified talc (purified talc, colloidal silicon dioxide),

d) egg yellow lake art 74675 (25mcg), and

d) yellow lake No 6E110 (50mcg).

The above ingredients are taken from a leaflet enclosed with a box of Uni-Pharma T3 (manufactured 10.2014, it seems from "LOT 14 10"). Although the leaflet is largely in Greek, at point 1.2 of it, the English translation of the ingredients is helpfully given.

originalText

originalText

None of the ingredient is red! Both T4 and T3 are white (and in such tiny quantities they'd not have much effect on colour).

Which red colouring? Erythrosine? Used to be used for cherries but less so now. And in some medicines. It is a substance which consists of a lot of iodine - sufficient to cause issues in some people.

[arTistapple in reply to helvella]

I thought I better check when I looked at what seemed to be a picture of the actual tablets online. Whatever ‘red’ it was I experienced, I had the same reaction as children exposed to it, behavioural? problems plus urine infections, feeling totally out of control. BUT it was definitely red food dye. It’s sold in bags in the US and in Saudi Arabia. Americans dowse their food in it to make it more appetising?!? Although I understand it’s banned in the USA now too. I also found an article on red hair dye when I was googling and it’s effect on thyroid which helped scare the living daylights out of me. Luckily never used it. However as you point out it’s yellow in the T3. I hope this puts my mind at rest. Thank you.

[helvella in reply to arTistapple]

181 compounds are banned from use in hair dyes (in the EU - which included the UK in 2015 when this paper was produced):

List of 181 substances banned for use in hair dye products

ec.europa.eu/docsroom/docum...

And this is the USA FDA list of the statuses of colourants:

Color Additive Status List

fda.gov/industry/color-addi...

Too many to be able to immediately recognise and point at!

[arTistapple in reply to helvella]

helvella as ever your finger on the pulse. Thank you.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

arTistapple

I use Unipharma T3, I have for years, and have some recently sourced, and I can assure you there is no red colouring whatsoever. The tablets are an off white to cream colour which comes from the yellow dye.

[arTistapple in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you SeasideSusie. Mr. Google led me to believe there was a red colouring which I associated with differentiation from tablet to tablet. I have found a source online without prescription and I just assumed I was having to deal with another disappointment by not being able to use it if it had red dye in it. I am all stroppy when talking about things less directly associated with my own ‘case’ and panicky when it is about my ‘case’. I am still hanging on for my September tests and checking what the results are of the supplementation you advised and hopefully then it will be full steam ahead! However no doubt I will have more questions. Thank you for support and confirming - no red dye!