I started taking T3 in June 2X 10mg a day.. no negative side effects.
I saw the NHS endocrinologist in late August for my review
my T3 was 5.5 previously 3.8 and I’m feeling so much better..I’m getting a life back difficult at 61 as many friendships etc have suffered due to my health. She agreed to sign my prescription over to my GP surgery.. what an amazing result.
I’ve been taking morningside 10mg but switched to splitting 20mcg as the pharmacy said they couldn’t get the 10s.. I wasn’t bothered as I wanted to stay on the same brand..I went to pick up my prescription today and now they can’t get morningside..the wholesaler had sent them 20micrograms from strides Pharma..
What do I do to ensure I don’t get a different band every couple of months..my T4 is eltroxin which hadn’t been sent when I went to pick it up. Can anyone recommend a brand that is more consistent?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Thank you for all the past advice it has been a lifeline.
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JadeFox
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I'm not really up to speed with this I seem to remember people struggling to get Morningside but then I also thought Strides had dried up too (Strides contains mannitol and acacia if either of them are a no no for you) the NHS usually try to get everyone onto Roma capsules as they are the cheapest though obviously you can't easily split them accurately and it isn't cheaper if you need 2 x 10mcg than splitting a 20mcg tablet 😵
There have been lots of reports of issues getting Morningside - and I think that has applied across all dosages.
Strides appeared and it seemed good to have another make. But then hardly anyone mentioned it at all after a few months. I rather assumed few, if any, were getting Strides in any dosage.
We've seen several posts recently about lack of availability of Advanz (Mercury) levothyroxine.
I suspect that, for levothyroxine, the most available have been Accord and Teva - especially if you include them when supplied under own-label supplier branding.
If your prescription states a make, properly, then that is what you should get. But what happens when the pharmacy cannot get hold of it? With the best will in the world, the pharmacy ends up with two options - supply nothing or substitute another make.
Prices are confusing. My document has a link to the BNF -Medicinal Forms. That has prices for all makes and dosages. However it also includes distributors and that means it looks like there are more products than there really are! It can also be up to a few weeks out of date.
My document also includes links to the dm+d database which is the cornerstone of the NHS drug system. That has up to date prices but you need to look up each product separately.
Or you an look at the NHS Drug Tariff. The start page is here:
Click on the link to this month's online drug tariff. Then search for "liothyronine".
helvella - Thyroid Hormone Medicines - UK
The UK document contains up-to-date versions of the Summary Matrixes for levothyroxine tablets, oral solutions and also liothyronine available in the UK. Includes injectables and descriptions of tablet markings which allow identification. Latest updates include all declared ingredients for all UK products and links to Patient Information Leaflets, Dictionary of Medicines and Devices (dm+d), British National Formulary, etc. PLUS how to write prescriptions in Appendix F.
Also includes links for anti-thyroid medicines (but not product details).
With my Levo, I had to get the GP surgery to write on the prescription 'Accord brand only'. This ensures the pharmacy order Accord for me. I think it has to come from the prescriber (the GP) or the pharmacy will just give you the cheaper/whatever they can get
I also have asked my Endo/ GP to ensure ‘Morningside only’ is on my Liothyronine script. I’ve found in the past I’ve needed to ‘shop around’ to find a pharmacy that stocks it, but (so far this year) my local Boots are fulfilling my prescription.
Dear JadeFox, I can’t help with the recommendation you asked for but, I had this same problem of inconsistency of supply just with Thyroxine. After a lot of discussions with the pharmacist about it supposedly being out of stock I contacted the manufacturer direct they said it is in stock and that if he contacted them they would invoice through him through his own wholesaler. Then he said I had to get the surgery to specify it on my medication record, which I did but can’t now find🙁. Now he’s making the same complaint “can’t get Wockhardt”, since then I’ve been supplied Mercury, and now Crescent Pharma. I did a little research with some assistance from Helvella but I started to struggle, my brain just won’t function after too long online. My feeling is that it is all about cost and the product you get is the very cheapest available. Good luck. I hope you manage to get your problem sorted out. Take care.
switching to the 20mgs saved the NHS a lot of money as they’re £15 I have my Levothyroxine as a brand of eltroxine since March and that’s becoming a problem also. I’ll call my surgery tomorrow and see if I can get some assistance from my GP I’ve had to fight for this and I’m frustrated and hope this is not going to be an ongoing issue..
Can I go online and order it from somewhere in the Uk with my prescription?
Dear Jade Fox, I hope someone else here will reply re ordering online. I have seen a lab called Roseway mentioned on this forum but I am not well informed about how it works, so sorry. I hope some on this forum picks this question up for you. All the best, good luck.
Roseway are a private compounding (make their own capsules) pharmacy that also dispenses branded thyroid hormone replacement too. But folks need a private prescription. There is one called Springfield in Richmond who take NHS prescriptions (info in SD’s post above) 🌱
I’m also having problems obtaining Morningside Liothyronine. I switched to pill cutting a 20mcg about a year ago, as the pharmacy said they couldn’t get 10mcg. My usual pharmacy have been out of stock of 20 mcg for 2 months, but their sister branch in another village managed to get 10mcg. As my prescription said 20 mcg they couldn't issue 10’s without a new prescription even though they know I pill cut 20’s into 10’s. Morningside is the only brand of Liothyronine that agrees with me. The whole stock issue is becoming quite stressful. Does anyone know the reason for the stock availability issues?
My experiences with T3 shadow yours in some ways. I’ve been on a T3/ T4 combination since 2019. I had Teva brand for a while then it was switched to Morningside. Wow I noticed the difference, for me Morningside was like champagne and Teva like vinegar, I told the pharmacist this, they had a laugh. I received Morningside as long as it was available. It alternated with another brand which was ok.
However this Summer the pharmacy had been told to serve out the cheapest…..I was given a variant of Teva which has Mannitol in. This chemical I’d had problems with in the past and after consulting 3 chemists, I was advised to fill in a yellow card.
This enabled me to get my doctor to rewrite my prescription now saying” ( Morningside Healthcare Ltd)”& ( Morningside Brand Only). So thank you very much NHS for this medication.
This T3 has helped greatly with my brain fogs, but I’m still darn tired, I try yoga and walking, but something is out of balance!
Hi do you mind me asking how would one know if they could be better on a different brand. I was given Teva last October & awaiting my first follow up. I have only tried Teva.
My champagne discovery came over many, many months as I’d been using what ever I was given by the pharmacy. But my sweet spot happened when my brain fogs lifted. Everyone has different sweet spots.
I kept a journal so I could find when I was feeling good.
My Teva in 2019 was T4 as you correctly note, Helvella then it did have Mannitol in it. I kept the info sheet.
This year I had the choice of two T3 tablets, the cheapest had Mannitol in it. It wasn’t an original Teva brand, but a cheap S Irish franchise of Teva brand. Costing £ 29 for 28 tabs. I quoted this in earlier correspondence here.
My local pharmacy is now only supplying brands made in the UK & Ireland…..as they are cheaper than European imports. This T3 did have Mannitol in it thus I was able to have my Morningside tablets after my doc changed my prescription as it was the only other NHS T3 prescription drug available to my pharmacy.
I was told having it named on the prescription enabled my pharmacy to claim back the extra expense incurred from the government.
I have issues with some brands, so my GP has specified two makes on my prescription, which the pharmacy does its best to find. On one occasion when they couldn't source those brands, I spent several hours on the phone, located a pharmacy with some in stock, and put the two pharmacies in contact with each other. They have to exchange a specific code, apparently, and then the pharmacy with the item in stock can dispense it to you. Hope this helps.
Hi Jadefox, a slightly diff question, how do you get T3 on prescription? Are you in the UK? Which area? In Dorset I have to go private to get T3 . Thybon Henning is great
Years of been fobbed off until I was so hypo. And the impact on my life and work.
I did try to go private and was quoted £450 but I couldn’t afford that.. my gp referred me to an nhs endocrinologist the letter was shocking and very biased so I made a formal complaint.. in the letter he also wrote that I had to come to terms with the fact it wasn’t my thyroid causing my health problems!
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