Does it matter if you have two different brands... - Thyroid UK
Does it matter if you have two different brands of levothyroxine?
If you do fine on each formulation on its own then there should not be a problem. And sometimes it is unavoidable.
Which two "brands"?
Rod
Hi Rod,
I have always been on Almus, i think that is what its called. This month I got 100 micrograms Goldshield and 50 of my usual. Thank you for your quick reply.
Gracie
Right - that is a real difference. You can see details of levothyroxine products here:
thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/treatm...
And even more, here:
thyroiduk.healthunlocked.co...
Some people can swap between one formulation and another with little or no apparent effect. Some find that they notice something slightly different. While others need to stick to one formulation.
In general, I have seemed tolerant of changes. But the only way to find out is to try!
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Rod
Goldshield? I'm surprised that there are still packets of levothyroxine in circulation with the Goldshield name on them. Goldshield changed their name to MercuryPharma over a year ago now.
For the record, Almus is a Boots own label. Boots do not manufacture levothyroxine themselves, so the tablets inside the Almus boxes are likely to be from one of the other levothyrxone manufacturers - probably Actavis. Have a look on the PIL inside the box to see who the actual manufacturer is.
Some people do just fine on 'combination brands'. Others don't do so well. It's very much an individual thing.
If you can manage to get a friendly pharmacist to help you it is best to try and keep to one particular brand, especially if you respond differently to them. I found it a problem being up one month and down the next as the brands were changed, but could not find a chemist that would help me stabilise by providing the same brand consistently.
This is very interesting as a few months ago my pharmacy changed the brand of my medication and I started to feel unwell. I went to the doctor and was told that a change in levothyroxine brand shouldn't have any affect and yet it did. I think the new brand was a different colour and said 'Sodium' on it. It may be a coincidence that I was feeling ill around that time but I felt very strange a day or so after taking it.
When you say the new brand was a different colour, do you mean the box or the tablets?
Sorry I meant the box not the tablets. When I asked the pharmacy the said it was a different brand and that some people are sensitive to the change but my doctor said she'd never heard of that before. I'm thinking of changing doctors as I've found that some are more helpful than others both from my own experience and from what I've read online. I only joine this forum today but I'm finding it very useful.
Your GP doesn't really have much control over which levothyroxine tablets you're actually given. And yes, many GPs are still under the mis-aprehension that there is no difference between the brands. For some patients that is true. But not for all of us 
This is something you can deal with through your pharmacy though. Request them to always supply you with the same brand - whichever one you find works best for you. If they don't want to co-operate, go to a different pharmacy. Sometimes we just have to shop around 
Details of currently available UK brands with ingredients are always kept up to date on our main website here
I always go to Boots and this is the first time I have had different tablets.
I just didn't know if i should take both. Thank you all for the information and help.
Much appreciated.
Gracie
Different brands of Levo
Different Brands of Levo
Different Brands of Medication
Different Brands of Levo
Change of brands DO matter....
