This is a difficult area. Yellow Cards are appropriate both for side effects/adverse reactions AND defective medicines.
If the PIL identifies a simple, self-limiting issue, then I wouldn't.
But at least some people appear to be having issues of allergy or intolerance to ingredients. The Patient Information Leaflet says this (or similar):
Do not take Levothyroxine Tablets
β’ if you are allergic to levothyroxine or any of the other ingredients of this medicine
It seems important to me to report all such issues.
If you have previously taken that exact product and not had issues, then it could identify a batch issue or change of ingredients.
If the exact medicine is new to you, it at least records the issue.
The PIL will then say something like this:
Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor, pharmacist or nurse. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet.
I tend towards thinking that if it is a common and mild issue, then it is obviously known and there is little point. But if it is rarer or more serious, then you at least provide some statistical information about frequency.
Remember that the sudden withdrawal of "Old Teva" levothyroxine in, I think, 2012, was due to Yellow Card reports. If they hadn't been reported, the issue could have continued for far, far longer.
Finally:
You cannot be wrong to make an honest Yellow Card report.
It is up to the MHRA to combine reports, to make assessments and - if needed - to investigate, even up to withdrawing a product from the market.
Yes, I would. Particularly if they are the less common ones. At worst it will confirm what they already know, and at best they might find a reaction is more or less common than they originally thought.
I was only able to argue my case with the pharmacist about not having Teva liothyronine prescribed because I had completed a Yellow card report. It wasn't enough to get the doctor to prescribe a specific named brand unfortunately, but it has helped me to consistently get the brand that works best for me.
It's not just thyroxine meds though, everyone should report any reaction to any medication or vaccine they've received (mild, moderate or severe). It's the only way out with research trials that they know what's happening. It's though that only as little as 1% of reactions are reported and most of those are severe ones reported by doctors. I'm not sure that many people actually know about the Yellow Card reporting system.
I've certainly lost count of the number of times I have posted and/or replied mentioning them and encouraging people to fill them in.
And quite a number of members also add replies which suggest doing so.
Still the number of reports is woefully low.
The levothyroxine Patient Information Leaflets suggest many issues are due to too high a dose. But they ignore that too low a dose can also result in numerous "side effects"!
Indeed, they seem to imply that an awful lot of the issues are bad prescribing and miss that the tablets themselves have a major role. With some of us absorbing better or worse depending on the actual formulation.
I *think* they shouldn't change, at least not regularly - but it was only a fairly short time ago that site had a rejig which meant previous links all failed!
Interesting that the rate of Yellow Card reports shot up around 2012 or so - more or less as this forum got going seriously. (Not claiming it is the only reason, of course. There are others who also promote use of Yellow Card reports including the MHRA themselves.)
I thought there was a connection between the rejig of the site and the pandemic. I tried looking up Yellow Card reports for the various vaccinations that were available when I was due to have my first one and couldn't find any. I thought it might have been deliberately hidden or made hard to find.
In the end I had my first vaccination very late because of this lack of a Yellow Card report, and I only got it done because of the restrictions put on my movements and places I could go.
I think it's this. There's a consolidated/general report and separate files of the details for the different brands. I don't know what they'll do about the bivalents, probably lump them in. gov.uk/government/publicati...
I filled one in about levo 8 years ago after 7 years of taking it left me near dead. My GP said to me 100 times 'it can't be the levo it's just a replacement'. But it was.
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