Following my question on the cost of purified T4 I thought I would follow up with a very pleasing price that I have just been quoted from Boots.
For 100 x 100mcg's the cost will be £46 + £20 P&P. He couldn't tell me whether they were from Martindales or not (will be finding out exactly what company they are from before I order) but did say that they will be coming from abroad hence the £20 for postage.
Will be booking an appt with my GP a.s.a.p to get her to write me out a private script, even if I try them for 3 months to see if I notice a difference. He did say the the script MUST have the reason why I am ordering them.
Moggie x
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Thanks for the update Moggie. Interesting that it would appear to be cheaper to import from a 'foreign' compounding pharmacy than a 'home grown' one. What excipient/s are they using?
If they are being shipped in from overseas, Martindales (UK compounding pharmacy) are obviously not making them. I presume that Boots found that the price from Martindales would be a lot higher than the combined product plus postage price of £66 that Boots have quoted you.
100mcg of actual levothyroxine is such a miniscule amount, that it needs to be mixed with at least one other ingredient in order to be put into a capsule. If I recall correctly, Suze has calcium phosphate in hers. I was wondering what other ingredient/s you have asked for?
I haven't but before I order I will be asking a few questions like the one you just mentioned. I will want to know EXACTLY what is in them before parting with any money and will also want ot know the name of the company supplying them.
How would I go about finding out what is the best "one other ingredient" for me as I really do want it as pure as I can get it. Maybe I will need to talk to my GP and the pharmacist. I have got an awful feeling that, even though I am prepared to pay for this myself, my GP will still kick up a fuss.
I don't know what other possible ingredients might be offered, nor how you would know which one to choose! Perhaps you could send Suze a PM to ask her why she chose to have calcium phosphate in hers?
Just heard back from Boots and the purified T4 they have quoted £46 for (plus £20 P&P) are Martindales after all. They haven't found out what filler is in them yet but I am pleasantly suprised that they are Martindales.
My calcium levels are top of range, so I dont really want to take anything that would increase this, but Sue said that the calcium phosphate in the T4 does not effect her levels, would that be right and if so do you know why.
It's a very good question Moggie, and I don't know the answer I'm afraid. In fact, it puzzles me why they even use calcium phosphate, given that we're supposed to take anything to do with calcium well away (as in at least four hours) from anything to do with thyroid hormone.
I have wondered whether, if a different excipient was used, Suze might not need need the relatively high dose of 225mcg that she's taking. My thought process tells me that the calcium phosphate could be reducing the amount of levothyroxine that can get absorbed. So for example, take out the calcium phosphate and less levo would be needed.
But I'm not a pharmacist, so maybe there's something I don't know that they do! Would love to know the answer though, so if you get the chance, please do ask Martindales,
With regard to calcium phosphate raising your calcium level, I doubt there's enough in a capsule to make a difference. But again, I'm no expert so it might be something else to get an answer directly from Martindales about.
i imagine that not being able to speak directly with Martindales but having to rely on info going through Boots all the time is frustrating. It shouldn't be this difficult to get the answers you need!
I will definately be asking Boots to explain why they use the calcium filler and IF it can effect absorbtion. Would also like to find out their options on fillers and get my endo's advise (if he knows). It might be worth my while talking to the hosp pharmacy when I am there next week.
If I find anything out I will let you know.
Thanks again for your help - it still amazes me how much info we have to know and how many issues we have to be aware of.
I am now VERY confused regarding the Martindale purified T4 tablets as I have just got a list of fillers that they put in them. Either I have got it badly wrong or my chemist has, as the list of fillers sounds horrific. They are (and you'll have to excuse me but the first part of the fax is missing so a few of the letters are not there):
As far as I can read this fax that is about the contents of the fillers in the T4 that I have been quoted for. Dont mean to sound dumb but is this right?, I thought the whole idea was only one filler not all the above. Have I misunderstood. When I mentioned someone only having one filler in their T4 he ask me to ask them (Sue) to look at her list of ingredience as he said its impossible to only have one filler in a tablet as they wouldn't "hold together".
The heading on the fax is "Levothyroxine 100mcg's LF tablets" which I assume means "Lactose Free"
Just a very quick reply Moggie as I'm out to the dentist in a mo
The clue here is surely in the word 'tablets'! Someone is confusing the whole issue. You are asking for a 'specials' product of levo in a capsule with one filler.
The fax seems to be talking about lactose free tablets which are pre-manufactured. In fact they sound very much like the German ones I've been given in the past. Check out the ingredients on our website under lactose free tabs from Aluid Pharma
Hi there, yes Moggie and I have been messaging each other. I remember my Endo (who first prescribed purified levo) saying that the usual exipient is calcium phosphate but others are available. I am very interested to see what these are that have been quoted by Boots as they are £110 for 100 100mcgs from Martindales plus the postage. In fact I think I will ask the next Pharmacist I see (I often interrogate Pharmacists). Look forward to hearing.
Just heard back from Boots and the purified T4 they have quoted £46 for (plus £20 P&P) are Martindales after all. They haven't found out what filler is in them yet but I am pleasantly suprised that they are Martindales.
Interesting, my Pharmacist is charged £14 delivery. I saw £110 for 100 100mcgs but maybe it could have been for 200 and then this would be a similar price to yours. I know that the 25mcgs are more expensive than the 100.
I'm not a compounding pharmacist obviously, but I can't see any reason why 200mcg caps would be twice the price of 100mcg caps. Most of the extortionate cost for 'compounding' these is because they are made up specially to order every time. They're not manufactured in bulk and just sitting on shelves waiting like the levo tablets we get. The actual ingredient cost is negligible, it's the labour you're paying for here.
They only make 25, 50 and 100 mcgs. So I have 2 tubs of 100 100mcgs and 1 tub of 25mcgs. When I spoke to the man at Martindale's who actually started making these 15 years ago he said that every one was hand made.
I am now VERY confused regarding the Martindale purified T4 tablets as I have just got a list of fillers that they put in them. Either I have got it badly wrong or my chemist has as the list of fillers sounds horrific. They are (and you'll have to excuse me but the first part of the fax is missing so a few of the letters are not there):
As far as I can read this fax that is about the contents of the fillers in the T4 that I have been quoted for. Dont mean to sound dumb but is this right?, I thought the whole idea was only one filler not all the above. Have I misunderstood. When I mentioned someone only having one filler in their T4 he ask me to ask them (you) to look at your list of ingredience as he said its impossible to only have one filler in a tablet as they wouldn't "hold together".
Moggie, they are not tablets, they are capsules, you know the type that you can pull apart and empty them? They are levothyroxine with calcium phosphate ...... and NOTHING else
I really don't know what they have quoted. Do they have an account with Martindale's?
As Red Apple has already said, the answer is in the word TABLET. I have asked for one thing and Boots have quoted me for something entirely different. Know wonder they were so cheap.
To be honest, I missed this question, it was a friend who mentioned it to me.
It is so frustrating that unless you are looking at the posts every few hours you have to trawl through blogs and questions as they are not under any headings, hopefully this may be resolved soon.
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