Lloyds Pharmacy Levothyroxine 100mcg/5ml Oral Solution ingredients?

[Tintin0202]

Does anyone know anything about Lloyds Pharmacy's own brand Levothyroxine Oral Solution 100mcg/5ml? The dispensary at the doctors' surgery has not been able to provide me with my usual Zentiva prescription saying it has been discontinued, or been able to find me an alternative. They told me to try Lloyds Pharmacy.

I rang Lloyds today and they told me that they can get their own brand of liquid Levothyroxine at the right dose for me from their suppliers AAH. But when I asked who actually makes it and what the excipients were, the pharmacist did not know and I can't find anything online. Does anyone know anything about it? I know several others are chasing round the country to get their oral solution Levothyroxine and I am hoping the lack of supply of all the well known brands will ease soon. It is important to me to stick with the same brand as not all the brands agree with me and that is why I am questioning Lloyds' 'own brand' Levothyroxine as I suspect it might be one of the cheaper ones with questionable ingredients. Thanks for any help on this.

[Jaydee1507 Administrator]

If you have issues with different types of the liquid due to fillers then I'd be pressing Lloyds harder to find out whats in their own brand Levo liquid.

Really at the moment you need to be grabbing whatever liquid you can as it's so scarse. I ended up with a different strength to my usual liquid but only need to avoid lactose.

[Tintin0202 in reply to Jaydee1507]

Yes I think you are right. Lloyds must be able to give me an answer. I too need to avoid lactose, so it is important to know the ingredients. At the moment we will have to take what we can get. Just wonder how long this shortage is going to last.

[Jaydee1507 Administrator in reply to Tintin0202]

There is no lactose in any of the liquids so I'd just go with the Lloyds own brand (didn't know there was a such a thing!).

I last got a prescription for it filled about a month ago - with difficulty! I can't re order until 31st of this month so have been cushioned for a few weeks now but I'm very disappointed it hasn't sorted itself out yet.

[Tintin0202 in reply to Jaydee1507]

That's good to know, but being a liquid I suppose it wouldn't have lactose. Will go for Lloyds brand and can then look up the ingredients. I've been told I can't re-order for a month although this bottle only gives me 20 days. But the loophole is that if you say you are going on holiday they will give you more! Thanks for your input.

[Allergy in reply to Tintin0202]

Lloyds couldn’t get me any liquid. And they couldn’t tell me ingredients I even phoned AAH ant they couldn’t tell me I wanted mercury pharma or ten pharma

Been without for six weeks still waiting to see iboots have any luck they have got me brill pharma not picked up yet

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Lloyds simply MUST tell you.

If nothing else, they should be able to get the PL (manufacturing authorisation number/product licence number). And from that it is trivial to look it up!

Note that for these own label supplier products, the manufacturer could change without warning. I'm sure they don't literally change each week, but you must always make sure.

[Wua13262348]

I have a feeling it may be Brillpharma levo liquid. In August , Lloyds told me they could only get "Bristol". There is no such thing listed for liquid levo. I asked if this was Brillpharma and about the ingredients. They didn't know and couldn't find out.

I said if it is Brillpharma the ingredients will be fine for me. I asked if they could return it if it didn't suit. They said yes.

I e mailed Bristol Labs, after going down a few rabbit holes, and eventually got a reply from Bristol Labs, saying that they do provide Brillpharma to AAH and AAH Trident distributors.

It was Brillpharma that Lloyds pharmacy received. Brillpharma is exactly the same as Zentiva, except that it has one less ingredient than Zentiva.

Hope this helps.

[Tintin0202 in reply to Wua13262348]

I think you maybe right. I rang Lloyds today and they said that they could get some from Bristol but didn’t know the brand. Brillpharma suits me too. But they only have 75 mcg bottles which would last me less than 20 days. But it’s better than nothing! Thanks for that info. Much appreciated.

[Wua13262348 in reply to Tintin0202]

Lloyds told me 20/9/22 they could get no liquid levo and that 75mcg strengths were "specials", which are more expensive and take longer! Good luck.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Wua13262348]

I think that Brillpharma is the only 75 micrograms per 5 mL solution. But it is NOT a "special".

Given that with an oral syringe any dose can be achieved, I'm somewhat surprised anyone launched this product. After all, you only need to take a bit more 50, or a bit less 100 to get the same dose!

[Wua13262348 in reply to helvella]

Good to know. It is what the Lloyds pharmacist said though.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Wua13262348]

We seem to be in a love-hate relationship with pharmacists.

Some we love because they are so knowledgeable and helpful. Others we hate because they seem to say whatever pops into the mouths at the time.

They might not mean to come across like that, I really don't think it is intentional.

[Wua13262348 in reply to helvella]

Ordered what I remembered as Advanz liquid levo 50mcg, Monday 3/10/22, from Boots Pharmacy as a balance on my prescription when nothing at all available of any strength or make, 20/9/22. They had a bottle of Wockhardt previously ordered in for me, 18/8/22, which did not suit, and had not been returned, which I gratefully accepted due to the nationwide shortage.

I went there today, as this branch opens on a Sunday and they have not been answering their phone all week.

It has not been delivered yet despite showing on their system as green and available.

Must be driver shortages!

The brand isn't Advanz, but Allianz, which I think will be a Boots brand.

Since I am currently on 75mcg levo and hope to go up to 100mcg in next few months I asked if 50mcg, 75mcg and 100mcg are showing availability as any would do at a pinch. I was told today that Allianz 50mcg and 75mcg are showing availability. I asked if the 75mcg is a special, and she confirmed that it is not a special.

Therefore, it would appear that Allianz (Boots) have introduced a 75mcg liquid levo.

Brillpharma (Lloyds) seem to have done the same- a 75mcg liquid levo.

The problem , for me, seems to be that my liquid levo is available and sitting in the Allianz premises, 6 miles away, but must be stuck there due to driver shortages??!!!!

I asked could I pick it up, since I've been waiting on it for 3 weeks now, and it has definately been available for a week now!!!!

There are no 100mcg bottles available.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Wua13262348]

The brand isn't Advanz, but Allianz, which I think will be a Boots brand.

I suspect someone might have been mis-informing you!

The in-house branding used by Boots is Almus. Alliance is the distributor/wholesaler arm of Walgreen Boots Alliance. I know that in some documentation it looks like Alliance could be a branding/own label supplier name, but I have my doubts.

However, the proof... So do, please let us know what you actually get! If it is labelled Alliance, I'll have to add it to my medicines document.

[Wua13262348]

Will do. I might even spell it right!

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

I have in the last few minutes received this from Lloyds:

Hello ,

Thank you for your patience

The stock team has gotten back to me and explained the following

We do not currently produce our own brand of Levothyroxine oral solution

We are currently only able to order Levothyroxine 75mcg/5ml Oral solution sugar free

Many thanks and best wishes

Sean

Sean Sean from LloydsDirect

Jaydee1507 Wua13262348

[Jaydee1507 Administrator in reply to helvella]

So just need to phone pharmacy and get them to check different strengths that are available of your current strength isnt. 😀

[Guost]

hi I’m in that situation. I rang for zentiva they didn’t say it was discountinued but there was a shortage. I’m trying to find another one with few fillers but don’t know which one is best. Quite a few contain lactose. Have you any idea which ones give the least side effects xx

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Guost]

I'm not aware that any levothyroxine oral solution contains lactose!

They mostly very similar ingredients - most are based on glycerol, but not all.

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.

And do keep up to date. I edit it frequently- sometimes trivially, sometimes extensively. If your copy is more than a few weeks old, please download it again. (You must download - not just view in a browser- for the Table of Contents to work.)

From Dropbox:

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From Google Drive:

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[Tintin0202 in reply to Guost]

I was told yesterday by the doctor's dispensary that they can no longer provide any liquid thyroxine through their dispensary but they can send the prescription to the nearby pharmacy - Lloyds in my case. Goodness knows why, but they said it wasn't about the cost! It seems that Lloyds can provide Brillpharma 75mcg only. As it happens the ingredients are as close to Zentiva as I have found and it suits me. Having said all that, I have still to pick up 2 bottles once they tell me that they have it in - hopefully this week. I have been chasing around all the local pharmacies for the last 3 weeks and no-one has any in stock. So fingers crossed. Will keep you informed!