Vencamil (Aristo branded Levothyroxine) is now available.

[Grey-Sky]

I thought that I'd share that Vencalmil is now reported as being available for 12.5mg to 100mg strengths.

This was important for me as I had been noticing mild stomach discomfort for some time since being moved to Teva products and being told from the online pharmacy, local pharmacy and boots that Teva was the only available option.

Thankfully my local pharmacy has been both helpful and patient with this issue and after many calls with the very helpful staff at Aristo and countless emails between the pharmacy, Aristo and myself the previous supply issues seem to have been overcome and my stomach distress following taking Levo is no longer an issue.

My thanks goes to the members of this site that gave the advice on how to contact Aristo and the very helpful post that listed many of the Levo brands in the UK alongside the filler materials that are thought to cause issues for some users (of which I count myself as one).

For myself life became a little better as a result of this.

[helvella Administrator]

Completely agree that 25, 50, 75 and, of course, the original 100 microgram product are available.

I had an exchange of emails with Aristo in the past few days. We discussed the 12.5 microgram product and they said:

The 12.5 mcg Vencamil remains in process but, its not a priority application for the regulatory authorities so, latest estimation of availability is September 2026.

Are you absolutely certain the 12.5 is available?

[Grey-Sky in reply to helvella]

Thanks Helvella, it seems that Aristo have given you slightly differing advice to that which they gave to me. I haven't ordered or recieved the 12.5mg dose, but I was told by multiple Aristo staff that it was available. I suspect that what you were told may be more correct.. For myself my GP has been happy for me to be prescribed the 75mg and 25mg tablets and to allow me to vary the dose (cutting the 25mg in half) according to the private blood test results and my perception of symptoms as long as I check in once every few months to update on my progress.

[helvella Administrator in reply to Grey-Sky]

Have to say, I feel better on Vencamil only (rather than mixed with another make). It's difficult to be certain about potency. I'm pretty certain that laboratory potency will be spot on. But effective potency - how much we absorb - could be slightly different to other products. It has not been a problem for me!

[Grey-Sky]

I thought that I would add to my post above that it's my impression that Vencamil is slightly less potent than other brands of Levo that I've used (Wohart, Mercure, Teva) and I started to experience mild symptoms of being under-medicated shortly after switching (tiredness, brain fog, memory recall, caffeine cravings). Subsequently I've increased my dose from 87.5mg to 100mg with an immediately noticeable improvement and I'll be reviewing this in a couple of months to see if I need to increase the dose further. Other than this I'm not noticing any side effect.

Currently TSH is 1.34, T3 is 4.3 and T4 is 19.5, so everything seems to be in range.

[GlowCoach Administrator in reply to Grey-Sky]

It sounds like you may have been under replaced previously anyway.

Please add reference ranges for each test result.

Do you do tests as per the protocol recommended here? Recommended blood test protocol: Test at 9am (or as close as possible), fasting, last levo dose 24hrs before the blood draw, last T3 dose 8-12 hours before blood draw & no biotin containing supplements for 3-7 days (Biotin can interfere with thyroid blood results as it is used in the testing process).

Testing like this gives consistency in your results and will show stable blood levels of hormone and highest TSH which varies throughout the day. Taking Levo/T3 just prior to blood draw can show a falsely elevated result and your GP/Endo might change your dose incorrectly as a result.

Most people feel well when their TSH is at or just below 1 so you may in time have room for a further increase. Do start a new post once you have those results.

When hypo we get low stomach acid which means we cannot absorb vitamins well from our food, regardless of a great diet. For thyroid hormone to work well we need OPTIMAL levels of vitamins.

Have you recently or could you ask your GP to test levels of ferritin, folate, B12 & D3? Private tests are available, see link for companies offering private blood tests & discount codes, some offer a blood draw service at an extra cost. thyroiduk.org/testing/priva...

There is also a new company offering walk in& mail order blood tests in London, Kent, Sussex & Surrey areas. Check to see if there is a blood test company near you. onedaytests.com/products/ul...

Only do private tests on a Monday or Tuesday to avoid postal delays.

[Grey-Sky in reply to GlowCoach]

Hi Jaydee,

Thanks for the advice above. I follow the (most excellent) advice given above religiously when taking tests, always between 6am and 7am before food etc and it certainly has improved the consistency of the test results.

Previously I found that if I increased the dose above 87.5 then I became hyperactive and unpleasantly stressed with a worrying sensation of tightness in my chest, sometimes dropping to 75mg/day on alternate days to avoid this wheras on Vencamil I'm at 100mg and feel ok..

RefMy most recent test was through Monitor My Health, which was both inexpensive and problem free, unfortunately though they do not provide the test results in a format that is easily copied or saved (lots of large and pretty pictures, but rather short on concise data).

Anyways the extracted data is as follows:

TSH levels :Your result is 1.34 [normal (normal range 0.27 - 4.2 mU/L) ]

FT3 levels: Your result is 4.3 [normal (normal range 3.1 - 6.8 pmol/L)]

FT4 levels: Your result is 19.5 [ normal (normal range 12 - 22 pmol/L)]

Ferritin: Your result is 531 [You have a slightly raised ferritin. This is relatively common and is not normally anything to worry about. We recommend repeating this test in 2-3 months' time.]

TSAT: Your result is 32 [Normal]

B12: Your result is 130 [Normal]

Vitamin D: Your result is 80 [Your blood test result suggests you have optimal vitamin D concentrations to maintain muscle and bone health].

For the results that do not have ranges, this are displayed on a chart with colour bands, so it would become a time consiuming task to transcribe that information. If you feel it's particularly helpful then let me know and I'll copy it over when time allows.

[GlowCoach Administrator in reply to Grey-Sky]

Any folate result?

Vit D could be a little higher to around 100.

Free T4 (fT4) 19.5 pmol/L (12 - 22) 75.0%

Free T3 (fT3) 4.3 pmol/L (3.1 - 6.8) 32.4%

Both FT4 & FT3 have room for improvement. It might be that in time you need to think about adding some T3 to your Levo.

[Grey-Sky in reply to GlowCoach]

Sorry I missed off the follate result:

Follate: Your result is 11.9 [Normal]

[Grey-Sky in reply to GlowCoach]

Hi Jaydee,

As you mentioned supplements: I take various supplements (D3, Selenium, Bcomplex, B12, K2, Magnesium). In the past there were a series of posts by one of the regular contributers (Sleeping Suzi or SLow Dragon I think) about good and no so good brands for the above an other supplements. I've been unable to find these posts using the search function, would you be able to either point me towards the relevant thread or advise how I should use the search tool to find specific posts please?

[GlowCoach Administrator in reply to Grey-Sky]

Unfortunately the search function is terrible and unlikely to turn up what you are looking for.

What supplements are you looking for?

[Grey-Sky in reply to GlowCoach]

I suspect either my B complex or Magnesium citrite (from holland and barret) is giving me a mild issue. For everything else I take either Doctors best or Vitabiotics. The Selinium is Solgar - which I'm not sure about, but it was difficult to find a [200mg] 200 µg dose from other suppliers that seem to provide double that or higher which seems unnesassarly high to me and bordering on the toxicity level. As I have brazil nuts for breakfast several times a week then I didn't want to be pushing the limit on the artificial supplement.

Edit for typo: 200mg was intended to be 200 µg

[GlowCoach Administrator in reply to Grey-Sky]

Firstly I'd suggest getting your selenium level tested. 200mg is still a fairly high dose of selenium and with brazil nuts on top you may have too much already.

The H&B magnesium contains an anti caking agent Magnesium Stearate which I've had issues with. Have a look at magnesium bisgycinate but not from H&B.

[helvella Administrator in reply to GlowCoach]

Careful folks!

200 milligrams is a GIGANTIC dose of Selenium.

We need doses in micrograms.

Adult human requirements are typically less than 100 micrograms a day.

[Grey-Sky in reply to helvella]

Appologies for my typo: The dose is 200 µg/tablet which is close to the lowest dose I could find, most were 2x to 3x that. I think 75µg is the RDA assuming normal absorbancy?

[helvella Administrator in reply to Grey-Sky]

It was only for anyone coming along and reading - I assumed you knew really!

[Grey-Sky in reply to helvella]

Understood and ty, I've corrected the typo in the OP to remove this as a cause of confusion.