Hi,
I just started hillcross & have started having an allergic reaction, so I asked if anyone else had ever heard of hillcross or had similar issues.
A lady said it’s fine as it’s really just Teva just in a different brand name box.
This can’t be the same, it has to be different because i have no issues ever taking Teva….??
Uat-hashi, Have you looked at the PIL (Patient Information Leaflet) inside the box? That will have details of the manufacturer and list of ingredients.
No it’s not in their I must of thrown it away as I never read them, sods law.
Look on the foil layer on the back of the blister pack. it will have a brand name printed on it.
The PL number will always also be on the outside of the pack. 
Yes, sorry, “I thought I mentioned in the post that a lady had already said this”. It does say Teva, I said it can’t be, not the genral brand, as I don’t ever have a reaction to Teva ? It has to be made differently as I’ve always been given mixed Teva, Accord & Northstar & something else? All have always been fine. This one however is not?
Hi Uat-hashi! Are you mixing brands or switching between brands? I wouldn't do either. My personal experience mixing levothyroxine brands was horrendous. It'll be harder to determine which one is causing you allergy, since each formula has different fillers.
Consider reading the new prescribing advice for patients who experience symptoms on switching between different levothyroxine products. These were the symptoms reported by patients associated with certain brands of levothyroxine or by switching between brands: fatigue, headache, malaise, anxiety, palpitations, pruritus, nausea, myalgia, dizziness, arthralgia, feeling abnormal, alopecia, depression, abnormal weight gain, and insomnia.
gov.uk/drug-safety-update/l...
Not to mention migraine and numbness
Yes this was already confirmed, but I posted to check the facts claiming to be the same, as Ive never reacted poorly to Teva?
As you've thrown away the PIL, there's no way to check the ingredients for the tablets you have.
What reaction are you having now that you've never had before, and how are you sure it's from these levo tablets?
It is Teva!
It is shown on Teva UK's own website:
products.tevauk.com/hcp/lev...
I appreciate the attached screenshot might be unreadable. Just go to the link above. (You might have to say you are a Health Professional!)
Same PL number, the links to the Patient Information Leaflets and Summaries of Product Characteristics point are identical and point to the same documents.
Of course, there could be a problem with the batch. But it is most definitely Teva.
I suggest that you consider retaining some sort of history. I offered one idea here:
helvella - How to keep a history of medicines
A simple technique of recording what medicines (brand, dose, date, batch) you take.
helvella.blogspot.com/p/hel...
Just to add, it is technically possible that AAH Hillcross would switch to another supplier. But that never happened with Almus nor Northstar over many years. Switching within months of launching this own-label supplier product seems extremely unlikely.
Theirs no way a company would use a well known brand name, but changing the product/ ingredients to save on costs, or push sales?
I know I may sound insane. I believe despite it being in b&w writing, the ingredients have to of been changed, for me to suddenly have a reaction?…
unless I’m a rare case & suddenly developed an allergy, to that of which I’ve taken many times before? It does happen on slim occurrences , but bit of a coincidence being represented by a new name as-well?)
Yes you can suddenly develop a reaction to something you've had lots of times before. It happened to me with Penicillin, followed by dairy, what, egg pork... and the list goes on. I had no food allergies and intolerances, now I have lots. I suspect that the reason for this is that I was prescribed levothyroxine monotherapy for decades which put my immune system under stress because I'm a very poor converter of T4 to T3 and really needed a combination therapy of T4 + T3. Even when I switched to bovine NDT and now T3 monotherapy the allergies and intolerances remain.
Uat-hashi 'Theirs no way a company would use a well known brand name, but changing the product/ ingredients to save on costs, or push sales?'
No. This is levothyroxine we're talking about! It's already a cheap medicine. It really wouldn't be worth their while to do such a thing.
If you're sure it's these tablets causing your reaction, put in a Yellow Card report healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
I did mention: Of course, there could be a problem with the batch.
Things can and do go wrong. It is quite possible that there is an issue with the batch. Some ingredient differently sourced. Or contaminated in the factory in some way.
Put in a Yellow Card and ask the pharmacy to arrange a replacement.
(More than ten years ago, there was an unauthorised change to one make and that caused it to be effectively sub-potent. It got taken off the market for around four years. Hmm... that was Teva! But current product is made abroad and is a new formulation so already very different.)
Did someone not post that Teva liquid levo which has always been manufactured in the Netherlands, is now being manufactured in Greece? Maybe Hillcross, Teva Levo tablets being manufactured there too now? I had it in my head that Teva Levo tablets may have been Croatian before for some reason?
Teva Levothyroxine Oral Solutions changed to be manufactured in Greece on 03/07/2023.
Information about that is in my medicines document.
They were formerly manufactured by Delpharm Bladel who own several plants but I think this is likely the actual factory: delpharm.com/en/our-sites/p...
Even if Teva moved manufacture, the Patient Information Leaflet includes that information and both Teva branded and Hillcross branded point to the exact same document. So they cannot have changed one and not the other.
Tablets are manufactured by:
Pliva
PLIVA Croatia Ltd, Prilaz brauna, Filipovića 25, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
That’s very cool thankyou, I may start doing that to see if I can keep track of reactions in future.
That's a brilliant suggestion of how to monitor your medication!!! Thanks helvella. 💙💙💙Only someone with a working brain would have been able to think of that & describe it so accessibly. 😆
Best of luck Uat-hashi
It just struck me one day - keeps it soooo simple!
Teva is the only levo brand that has no lactose. I can only take Teva...insist on Teva.
Not so!
Aristo Vencamil is also lactose-free. Unfortunately, for now, only available in 100 microgram tablets.
Thank you...I didn't know there were 2 lactose free brands..😊
helvella's medicines documents (UK and Rest of the World) can be found here:
helvella - Thyroid Hormone Medicines
helvella has created, and tries to maintain, documents containing details of all thyroid hormone medicines in the UK and, in less detail, many others around the world.
This link takes you to a page which has direct links to the documents from Dropbox and Google Drive, and QR codes to make it easy to access from phones.
The UK document contains up-to-date versions of the Summary Matrix for tablets, oral solutions and liothyronine available in the UK.
Thybon henning T3 also has no lactose. I am prescribed thybon henning on NHS because Teva has fillers in I'm allergic to. I post the prescription to Tollesbury Pharmacy who return my T3 by tracked 24hr Royal mail post. I had to ask my GP to complete a form saying I had a clinical reason for thybon henning as its an unlicensed medicine. Thybon henning T3 is only unlicensed since we left the EU, as it was an EU license.
When you say "allergic reaction" what do you mean - a true allergic reaction or an intolerance? Because they are not the same. Intolerance would be essentially side effects, such as an upset stomach, GI issues etc. Allergy is an immune response and can be facial swelling, respiratory distress etc and potentially life threatening. Apologies if you are well versed in this but people often say allergy when it really isn't. If an allergic reaction you do need to know what has happened.
If you believe you have suffered an allergic reaction and that the medication is the culprit, as well as appropriate treatment from hospital/GP (depending on severity) you should use the yellow card scheme to report this. You can do this online. Your pharmacist should have details of the batch etc and may be able to assist.
Hello I have been given Hillcross instead of my normal box of Teva . I was worried, but I seem fine and ingredients are the same. I am lactose free so double checked. Maybe you are reacting to something else?
Hope things improve for you
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