Has anyone changed thyroxine brands and noticed a difference?

[Angie33]

I am still drained on 50 mcg of T3. As a result, my endo wants to re-introduced thyroxine and lower my T3.

She also wants me to find out which brand of thyroxine I was using previously. However, when I asked the pharmacist, she got angry and said she was fed up with people asking her about thyroid and breast cancer brands as the fillers are very similar therefore it shouldn't matter. There must be something else wrong with me

Apart from her being in the wrong job (clearly an off day!) she has left me feeling a bit down. I am constantly going round in circles. Not nice when someone takes their frustrations out on you when you feel vulnerable and a bit frustrated/low about all of this.

Anyway, waiting for Dr Myhill to review my results, so I can revert to metavive and hope this helps.

[helvella Administrator]

When I first started levothyroxine, while I knew of people say the various products differed in several ways, I found it difficult to understand. To some extent, it seemed like a USA problem rather than UK - or even worldwide.

So I simply accepted whatever I was given - keeping my eyes open but switching as needed.

After a few months, something wasn't quite right. And the make I was taking suddenly was withdrawn. It had the right quantity on levothyroxine but something about one of the other ingredients stopped it all being made available to be absorbed.

I had been slowly incrementing dose and this had put me backwards rather than continuing forwards.

Since then it has been ever more obvious, year by year, how many of us have issues with one or more makes of levothyroxine.

Indeed, I have just switched from Accord to Aristo because something didn't seem quite right to me about how the Accord felt. Far too short a time (just two days!), but amazingly enough I do feel slightly better already.

Will be doing a Yellow Card report later today. And I encourage EVERYONE who has issues with a product to do so. It doesn't have to be a major issue. Just a difference from another product is sufficient reason.

[Hedgeree]

Hi Angie33,

I'm fairly new with 'all things thyroid' as only prescribed Levo thyroxine in August last year. But don't let the unpleasant pharmacist get to you. That's her problem not yours! If it's possible there are lots of other chemist's available and hopefully they'll be another nearby that you can use.

Asking what brand you were taking is a perfectly reasonable question. Do you still have the box or any blister foils that the tablets came in as that would show what brand of levo you were on previously?

[SlowDragon Administrator]

looking through previous posts

Are you still on lactose free diet

Which brand of T3 are you currently taking

Teva or Aristo are the only lactose free brands

Aristo only available in 100mcg tablets

What are your most recent thyroid results

Day before test always split T3 into 3 smaller doses spread through the day. With last dose Approx 8-12 hours before test

On levothyroxine last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test

Have you ever had thyroid antibodies tested for autoimmune thyroid disease (hashimoto’s)

Are you on strictly gluten free diet

Can’t see any results on any previous posts for vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

These should be tested at least annually

What vitamin supplements are you currently taking

[Pearlteapot]

I asked my pharmacist about brands they had dispensed to me and it wasn’t on their system. They only keep a record of the prescription dispensed. Your pharmacist may be different but I wouldn’t be surprised if they all the same software with the same fields to be filled in.

[Angie33 in reply to Pearlteapot]

Thanks! Yeah same with my pharmacist! They showed me the different boxes for the different doses so l recognised the 100mg box being North Star. They were so rude l ain’t going back there! Not what you need when tired, vulnerable and frustrated with the whole thyroid issue. Grrrr