Hi all,
What are your preferred Levothyroxine brands and why?
I'm currently on Wockhardt and I'm not sure if it's good for me or not. I'm taking 75mcg and getting it in 25mcg tablets.
I've been having low mood, headaches and all the time terrible tinnitus.
Is it just going to be like this all my life and do we hypo people ever feel balanced and we'll??
previous post month ago showed very low B12
poor conversion of Ft4 to ft3
Low ferritin too
Are you now taking daily vitamin B complex and separate B12 supplements
Plus increase in iron rich foods in diet to improve ferritin
Retest thyroid and vitamin levels in another month
You have room to increase dose levothyroxine……perhaps initially 100mcg and 75mcg on alternate days
Hi, I replied to your other comment on my old post. I'm taking vit D, B complex which is really upsetting my stomach, magnesium and I have liver pate few times a week.I went on 75 6x a week and 100 on Sunday lady year and I was super unwell! The only change then was the extra25 on Sunday. My tsh quickly went down to 0.3
Which vitamin D are you currently taking
Which magnesium
Magnesium needs to be afternoon or evening at least four hours away from levothyroxine
Increasing levothyroxine
Have you tried splitting the dose
Taking half waking and half at bedtime
I haven't yet splitting as I'm often hungry at bedtime 🙈I'm taking all solgar and taking them afternoon or evening
Looking at your last blood results your FT3 is too low, hence you have the symptoms you do. Looks like you're a poor converter of T4 to T3. Perhaps when you see your Endo again you should stress the remaining symptms you have and ask for a trial of some added T3.
I'm not an expert in brands of Levo but if your current brand is not specifically causing you issues then stick with it. Your issue is the low FT3.
Thank you. I never understood what T4 and T3 levels mean and should be. I seen to be one of those people that feel any tiny change in levels. If my tsh changes from 1.5-2 either slightly up or low, I feel so unwell. But T4 and T3 have never been discussed. I'm fed up paying privately and not getting better 🙁
It's a slow old job I'm afraid. Need lots and lots of patience which of course when you're feeling unwell isn't funny.
T4 is what levothyroxine is, it's a storage hormone. When you take it your body has to convert it into the active hormone T3. At the end of the day that is what makes you feel better getting a good level of that along with T4. Many people do this naturally very well, but it looks from your blood results that your T3 (active) is still pretty low despite taking enough T4 (Levo). There are genes that affect how well we convert these hormones.
People usually feel well when their FT4 level is near the very top of the range and FT3 60-70% of the range. Yours is at 35%. There's a calculator you can use to wor these %'s out.
I have been on 100 micrograms of thyroxine for many years and feel well. I am fortunate in that I seem to be unaffected by brand type or timing of my doses. I am one of the silent majority.
Hearing loss and tinnitus run in my family. (I have two hearing aids.) I find it is exacerbated by alcohol and particularly red wine. I think foods can be a trigger too. It’s very hard, but it’s best to try and distract yourself from thinking about it.
I also have a tendency to headaches. Mine are frequently triggered by foods. Orange juice, chocolate, blackcurrant and liquorice sweets to name a few. Also dehydration - I need 3 litres of fluid a day.
There’s lots of great advice here already, but yes, you can feel well again. Best of luck getting there.
Thank you for your advice. I rarely drink any alcohol due to having chronic fatigue syndrome and it's triggered by alcohol amongst few others factors, but if I have anything, it'll be red wine. My tinnitus has started few years ago before I was diagnosed with hypo. After few weeks on levo it went away so I put those two together. It came back last January wise than ever when my ths Sunday changed to 0.3 after a dose change. It was better after lowering the dose. My last year's in Nov showed tsh again at the low end at 0.7 and the tinnitus continues all day long. My Endo was happy with that result. I emailed him several times about symptoms continuing but he has never got back to me 🙈 I ignore the noise most of the time but it's much worse in the evening and it also indicates to be that my dude is perhaps not correct.
I’m the same - don’t drink much, but red wine is my usual choice 🙄
Good luck getting sorted. It’s a long journey for some, but there is hope.
You probably know about this website already, but just in case you don’t, this may help you cope with the tinnitus tinnitus.org.uk/
edit - actually the site has changed from what I remember. This page may be helpful tinnitus.org.uk/support-for...
If you could get your Endo to check your conversion from T4 levothyroxine to the most important hormone T3 that would be good. If they won’t do it for you, you could get a private blood test done if your TSH, T4 and T3. It’s not expensive at about £29. Then post those results on here. You will get feedback on how your are converting. Your TSH might be too low with high amounts of T4 levothyroxine but your T3 could be low which needs to be at least 50% way through your blood results. I’m a poor converter of T4 to T3. For over a decade I couldn’t understand what was wrong with me. Turns out I needed T3 medication combined with T4 levothyroxine. Hey presto, my world suddenly changed for the better. Never felt so good and remaining that way 3 years on. All it was was low T3 fixed by adding T3 medication. You also need to have your vitamins D, folate, B12 and ferritin in a good place too to help.
Hi, my Endo is private and last bloods were also done privately. They were over £1200 but covered by my insurance, thank God! He was happy with results though and asked for repeat in 6 weeks. Several emails later asking him to get me bloods referral, still nothing. It's not like I can walk in to GP surgery and ask for them. Lady time I did, that only did tsh and T4 but when he writes to them, they'll do what was requested. I'm out of any endos in the area now. They all are terrible. Communication is poor, and still they care about is tsh level and manipulating this with levo.
I don't get on with Wockhardt, proved in blood tests too so my doctor has now put Mercury Pharma on my prescription so I always get the same now.
Hi, could you tell me more about that please? What made you question this brand in the first place. I'm not sure yet if it's due to the brand but I've seen some comments here before about some brands and I was joking to get an advice.Also, how was that proven in your bloods?
I just didn't feel so well when I got given that brand and my TSH went up when they checked my bloods. Once back on Mercury Pharma my TSH went down. It's the only brand that has done that but I do find Mercury Pharma the best. I know some people swear by Wockhardt so it obviously just depends. Maybe something different in the fillers.
I'm on Aristo, it's the only one that suits me as need lactose free. I too suffer from tinnitus since being on levo (I had RAI though due to graves disease). I have been trying to figure out the cause for 4 years, I think it's due to low iron and low blood pressure. I have an appointment with my surgery next week to try and get them to do tests etc x
Hi, I haven't heard this brand before. Are you UK based? I don't know if I'm lacto intolerant but I've been on lactofree milk for about 10 years. Or was advised to me by a beautician.
Interesting as I’ve been on Wokhardt for past 2 months. I’ve had a headache every day since October & always have Tinnitus but it is louder lately. As I have epilepsy my nurse has referred me to the headache nurse. Your post has now made me wonder. It would be great if it’s that causing the headaches as something can be done about it. Please see if you can get your repeat prescription changed. Thanks x
Hi, I've been on this brand for about a year purely because I needed 25mcg tablets. My pharmacy started with giving me scraps of several different brands at first and I had to fight for one brand after being advertised here. I had tinnitus way before I was diagnosed 2 years ago. Then it went away and it only seem to be coming back when my tsh levels are below 1. The same really with migraine and headache so in my case they are not brand related symptoms.
I can't imagine it's the Wockhardt causisng you headaches. I was put on a small dose of 25mcg of Teva and made me feel really ill and apparently it is because it contains mannitol, so now I have Wockhardt. Pharmacy always gets it's wrong every month except for once so i have to put the script in early. I don't understand why Teva needs to add all that rubbish (maize starch, mannitol (E421), microcrystalline cellulose, sodium citrate, acacia and magnesium stearate) when you compare the size it is about three times the size of the Wockhardt. Maybe there are 75mcg that don't contain mannitol to save taking three lots of pills. I am not sure, I am certain someone knows here.
There is currently only one available 75 microrgam levothyroxine tablet - Teva.
Much, much more information here:
helvella.blogspot.com/p/hel...
Many thanks, I have downloaded the blog, very helpful. It seems I am okay with lactose although i do eat lacto free cheese but the wockhardt is so tiny I doubt there is much.
I suspect, though, that some people cannot tolerate lactose in levothyroxine - but are fine with most lactose in their diets. (This is just a suspicion, a guess, but it makes sense from posts of personal experiences.)
I think it's the incorrect dose rather than the brand as well. My pharmacy at first was giving me scraps of even 4 different brands until I had a word with them. They put finally notes on their system but never get the brand on time for me so I always have to go back for another box.
I wouldnt want more than 25mcg, as it was the gp had to get permission from local endo for that in case i went hyper.
HiI was started on Wockhardt a few years ago. Initially I felt great, levo kicked in, but then my legs started aching & I felt unwell. The doctor changed me to Eltroxin which I've been on ever since. I get earache if my dosage is too high/low. I'm sure the docs will do their best to get you on the right brand & get you to that optimal level. Best wishes.
Sadly I am not so optimistic. I was out on levo without even explaining to me what it was and what it meant for my thyroid! It wasn't also explained on how should I take it (morning, no caffeine etc). I had to find this so out by myself. Nothing is ever discussed except of tsh. Brand don't seem to matter. I've learned everything on this forum rather than from dr's which get paid for my private apps.
You're right, we need this site to help one another. I've learnt so much from these guys.
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