Query about Teva brand levothyroxinenatrium from Netherlands

[Izzie11]

Hi

Just wanted to know is TEVA levothyroxine really that band? Someone i know was advised to get eltroxin which again don't know anything about and was told is by teva brand. When she received it's levothyroxinenatrium by teva from Netherlands.

I've read few posts re teva which areygood at all.

Please advise as i would not want her to start these if there are issues. I did googke translate the ingredients but it did not have mannitol....

Has anyone used levothyroxine by almus its a uk brand if not mistaken

Thanks

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Almus is a UK brand, it is made by Accord and reboxed with Almus brand for Boots.

Accord is also reboxed as Northstar brand in 50mcg and 100mcg dose tablets for Lloyd's Pharmacy. Northstar 25mcg is made by Teva.

So Accord, Almus and Northstar 50mcg and 100mcg are all the same tablets are all the same, just different boxes.

The Teva levothyroxine in the UK contains Mannitol and it is thought this ingredient is what causes adverse reactions in some people. However, some people find Teva brand suits them better than any other brand. It is lactose free and uses Mannitol instead of lactose.

If the levothyroxinenatrium by Teva from Netherlands doesn't contain Mannitol then it's not the same as we have here in the UK.

[Izzie11 in reply to SeasideSusie]

I see. Thanks will definitely double check to make sure there isn't mannitol... i would have thought that the brand woukd have the sane ingredients in all European countries.... guess it might differ from the ones in uk or where actybeing manufactured...

I didn't know about almus, accord and northstar being the same...

So 25 or 75 dose is made by teva cos as far as I'm aware almus/accord don't do 25

It's bad enough to live with hypo then there's issues with different brands and ingredients

Btw would you by any chance have any advise on the hairfall issue? Thyroid keveks are stable abd yet been losing so much that gotten thinner

Am already taking b12, D, iron, zinc...

[Buzcat in reply to Izzie11]

myself and daughter were given Teva in 2018 it came from Croatia wee became very ill it contained mannitol so it might depend what country it is coming from.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Izzie11]

Izzie11

Btw would you by any chance have any advise on the hairfall issue?

Have you checked nutrients? Low ferritin can cause hair loss. Check out:

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

particularly the part where it says:

According to some experts, ferritin levels of at least 40 ng/ml are required to stop hair loss, while levels of at least 70 ng/ml are needed for hair regrowth.

Also see:

hubpages.com/health/16-Vita...

[Izzie11 in reply to SeasideSusie]

I am already taking iron tablets but will check the levels of ferritin from now on thank you

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Izzie11]

Worth checking out if any deficiencies of any of the nutrients in the other link as well, although possibly ferritin could be the main one.

[English_Patient]

I have a warning on my repeats for pharmacy not to issue TEVA. I have IBS and mannitol is not friendly, however, for others, lactose is the problem, so I guess it's about finding what suits us individually.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

You absolutely MUST NOT assume that products in one country are the same as those in another country. Even when they are adjacent EU countries.

Merck Euthyrox has changed formulation across the EU. But it was done more or less country by country. (Changed form lactose to mannitol.) Hence, for a considerable time, the products differed between countries.

Accord in Netherlands is an entirely different product to Accord in UK.

However, in the case of Teva, I have some more information about Teva Levothyroxine across the EU:

This medicinal product is authorised in the Member States of the EEA under the following names:

Bulgaria Teva Thyrox

Germany L-Thyroxin-Na-CT

Italy Levotiroxina Teva

Czech Republic, Ireland Levothyroxine Teva

Spain Levotiroxina Sódica Teva

The Netherlands Levothyroxinenatrium Teva

Poland Wolarex

Portugal Levotiroxina sódica Ratiopharm

Slovenia Dicitiro

Unfortunately, the specific Netherlands entry is incomplete in my medicines document (and the site I use for information is not working properly today).

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. It is sectioned by UK - rest of the world, and by T4, T3, desiccated thyroid, etc.

From Dropbox:

dropbox.com/s/wfhrlmb5983co...

From Google Drive:

drive.google.com/file/d/11z...

[Izzie11 in reply to helvella]

Thank you so much for your message appreciate it.

Yea can see that the ingredients in medicines differ from country to country... I am on almus from UK and the ingredients are as has been for few years... and no mannitol either..

It is unfortunate that some countries only manufacture one type and that is it such as in Sweden they only have one levothyroxine but it contains gelatine and not suitable for everyone.

The one from Germany by Henninge contains castor oil which not suitable for those with migraines and in general for some castor oil did not work...

And Sweden is unable to order levothyroxine from UK hence from Netherland and that's how ended up looking into the medicines and brands and ingredients... am glad came across so much information here, has been helpful. Thank you

the only issue with Netherland ones is that the patient leaflet isn't in English trying my best to google translate and seems like it does not contain mannitol and am guessing that is the one ingredient whic h people are reacting to. So the brand teva isn't bad cos I got the impression to avoid brand teva.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Izzie11]

I think that most UK reports about Teva are likely due to the mannitol. But it is still somewhat mysterious because, just as with lactose, some people who have issues with Teva levothyroxine seem fine with mannitol in other (non-levothyroxine) products.

In my experience, Google Translate appears to be pretty good at ingredient translations. I think is possible that a combination of how they have "trained" the translation process and possibly they have done some revision to ensure accuracy.

[Izzie11 in reply to helvella]

Yeah the one from Netherlands does not have mannitol the ingredients are almost the same as ones from Almuc accord. The only thing different is natrium

this is the translated

the other ingredients are maize starch, pregelatinized maize starch, microcrystalline cellulose, colloidal anhydrous silica, magnesium stearate

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Izzie11]

Is that a difference?

Not just one version saying Levothyroxine and the other Levothyroxine sodium? (Quite common for some to drop the "sodium" as it is universal and doesn't actually add anything - just marginally more precise.)

[Izzie11 in reply to helvella]

i see.. yes seems like it.. not sure why use a different way to write it, but guess every country has their own way of printing things

[Kathleen-1 in reply to helvella]

hi Helvella, I had been given Teva 25mcgms. At first I thought I was OK. BUT then I had four nasty accidents not getting to them loo in time, and getting trousers, pants and pads thoroughly soaked. When I looked up Mannitol it told me that it was a diuretic which caused all these problems to me because I already have an over active bladder. So now I am waiting for a different brand to be given ti me.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Kathleen-1]

Poor you!

Thanks for passing this on - I don't think I've previously seen it mentioned.

[Dryski in reply to Kathleen-1]

I just went through the same problem with teva and my poor bladder.