I have recently switched to Teva brand for part of my dose (past few days). I'm on 100mcg Accord with 12.5mcg Teva (as the pharmacist gave me Teva instead of Mercury Pharma). I have changed nothing else about my regime although I did start on HRT about 8 weeks ago.
I am feeling so sleepy in the afternoons and have (re)started needing a nap, which had stopped since starting taking levo. The menopause symptoms are much better (which I put down to HRT) but the energy-related symptoms that are familiar from my hypo days seem to be returning.
Do you think this could be down to the Teva even though it's only been a couple of days? Is it worth persisting to see if it settles down?
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I can say that thyroid levels change if my hrt ie lowered or raised. So, if you have raised your hrt it's possible your thyroid levels have lowered. I think by how much might be individual.
Hi,I have only just worked this out-i have been feeling off for days and the only thing I changed was going up a pump in oestrogel,do you think that could be my problem?I've now reduced by a pump to see what happens but it's only been two days .
I've had hormone fluctuations, a bit more in the past which has made finding a stable dose difficult at times. It takes my body between 4-14 days to adjust to a dose change. For me, things like joints and muscles respond quickly but everything else takes more time.
I'm not sure I entirely understand. I'm not clear how the 12.5 Teva could could have been given instead of Mercury Pharma - because there is no 12.5 microgram, Mercury Pharma tablet.
Am I just making incorrect inferences or plain misunderstanding?
I would like to do this but I find the accord tablets are small and quite crumbly so it tends to disintegrate rather than split into 4 parts. I might try this again though and take "the dust"
Many, many members find it helps or is essential to be on one brand
U.K. Government has even issued guidelines in support of patients after decades of patients being gaslit by medical professionals saying different brands are irrelevant
Being hypothyroid we frequently develop intolerances to all sorts of things……lactose….accacia….mannitol etc
Different brands are not necessarily bio equivalent…..a fixed dose in one brand will give different results to exactly the same dose in another brand
If a patient reports persistent symptoms when switching between different levothyroxine tablet formulations, consider consistently prescribing a specific product known to be well tolerated by the patient.
If symptoms or poor control of thyroid function persist (despite adhering to a specific product), consider prescribing levothyroxine in an oral solution formulation.
Physicians should: 1) alert patients that preparations may be switched at the pharmacy; 2) encourage patients to ask to remain on the same preparation at every pharmacy refill; and 3) make sure patients understand the need to have their TSH retested and the potential for dosing readjusted every time their LT4 preparation is switched (18).
my preferred brand is teva, I was recently given my usual 75mcg as a different brand vencamil made by aristo, it gave me stomach ache and nausea and I felt sluggish the whole time. I went back to the pharmacy and managed to get my teva and things were back to normal again x
I can't take Teva brand. They substitute lactose with a acacia or manitol and I can t tolerate that substance . I felt unwell. I researched it and found some people have issues with the product. I reported it to my doctor. I have a marker on my repeat prescription so that they don't issue it to me again. Hope that's helpful.
I got my GP to put 'not Teva' on my prescription as I feel worse when taking that brand. My preference is Mercury Pharma but my chemist struggles to get hold of it every few months, whichbis frustrating as you are supposed to stick with one brand. I'm currently taking Accord and I seem OK with this too.
I'm thinking of switching to an online pharmacy that delivers, but the brand switching is one of my main concerns, and then not being able to ask them to swop it.
I had very bad cluster headaches with Teva. Lloyds only do Teva, probably cheapest. Changed to local family pharmacy & they always try & get Wockhardt first me. Online service was utter disaster despite saying no TEVA they sent it. Called & asked why? They said could not get Wockhardt. Woman I spoke with had zero pharmaceutical knowledge.?no way to return medication or alternative. Try a local pharmacy if you can. Invaluable
I’m pleased to read this if only because I think my symptoms may be caused by consistent brand change I’m on 100 and 75 alternate days. The pharmacy keep on changing the 75 brand. I’ve been feeling nauseous on certain days. Incredibly achy and stiff and also shattered. Also worrying gaur loss … again!! I’m going to ask for same brand in 50 and cut in half!! Or try and get back to 100 daily!
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I take Mercury Pharma 100mcg one day and 75mcg alternate days . Mercury pharma comes in 100mcg also 50mcg and 25mcg and they are easy to split ! It’s easy and keeps the dosage all with the same brand hope this helps .
When I switched from NDT I tried various brands of Levo. ,Teva, I decided was like drinking vinegar, after I’d tried Morningside. So I joked with the pharmacist saying Teva was like vinegar and Morningside was like Champagne!! It was noted!
It’s only by trying we find out what suits us, as on this forum we are repeatedly shown how different we all are.
Good Luck with your search it does take time to find out, a log is useful.
Potentially a touch confusing. Morningside do liothyronine - not levothyroxine.
And the usual suggestion (or guess) is that Teva levothyroxine can be problem due to the mannitol and/or acacia it contains. But Teva liothyronine contains neither.
It was some time back . I used Teva T4 along with other brands. I’m now on Mercury T4 it’s grand. It was later when I was on T4/ T3 combined, that I then noticed the difference between the two manufacturers recipes , hence my vinegar v champagne analogy.
I was on 25mcg Teva and 100mcg Accord. I felt unwell until I stopped taking Teva. It has been a long journey as I have tried NDT , T3/T4 and I am now very clear it is Teva brand T4 that made me unwell.
Changing thyroid brands, especially T3 brands, can absolutely affect how you feel. Per laws on medications, generic meds must be 80% to 125% of the potency of the brand name. And I can tell you, either end of that range can cause tiredness depending how much different your new med is. I learned this first hand and now make sure I get the same T3 manufacturer each time my prescription is refilled. If I can’t, I just know I probably will need to retitrate my dose to feel good again.
Yes, the FDA sets the bioequivalence standards that apply to all generic drugs in the U.S., including T3 (liothyronine sodium). The 80%-125% range for pharmacokinetic parameters like Cmax (maximum concentration) and AUC (area under the curve, representing total drug exposure) is the standard threshold for bioequivalence across most medications.
However, for drugs with a narrow therapeutic index (NTI)—where small differences in dose or blood concentration can lead to therapeutic failure or adverse effects—the FDA sometimes applies more stringent bioequivalence requirements. While levothyroxine (T4) is classified as an NTI drug and has stricter guidelines, liothyronine (T3) isn’t explicitly categorized as such by the FDA, so the general 80%-125% standard applies unless otherwise specified.
That said, because thyroid hormones are sensitive to even slight variations, many practitioners recommend patients stay consistent with either the brand or the same generic manufacturer.
An FDA report on a specific manufacturer of liothyronine identifies potency issues as below. That is, percentages which would fall within the 80%-125% range. It is odd that the FDA would pull them up for that if it were acceptable.
However, the ranges of potency I quoted are static assay requirements. Not Cmax and AUC measures.
• T3 6mcg capsules S/R, lot #01082019@9, Liothyronine Sodium (T3 ) potency: 86.3%;
• T3 20mcg capsules SIR, lot #01252019@7, Liothyronine Sodium (T3) potency: 116%;
I collect the prescription green copy from the Doctors, then if my local Pharmacy doesn't have the brand I want I can go to another pharmacy. This is a bit time consuming so I phone first to see what brands they have. Usually though my local one will offer to order it if they don't have it.
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hope this helps . 
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