“my doctor mandates that I MUST take name brand”

To which I say, how do you feel about that?  How do your finances feel about that?

Can you afford to pay close to $100 per month for levothyroxine sodium???  Or can you afford to pay $40 per YEAR for levothyroxine sodium.

Here’s MY suggestion if your doctor insists that you take a name brand levothyroxine sodium, tell your doctor that is fine as long as your doctor pays the difference!

Enough is ENOUGH with this ‘name brand’ levothyroxine crap!  You decide!  Not your doctor.

 

“can I use generic levothyroxine after thyroid cancer”

Yes.

Yes you can, and NO, the manufacturer will not be different every time.  And NO, the dose does not vary, and NO, brand names do not have better ‘stability’.

…and YES, ‘generic’ levothyroxine DOES have to be ACCURATE in dosing.  150 mcg of unbranded is the same as 150 mcg of branded.

Don’t let the big, bad, brand name fool you with their slick marketing campaign.  Realize they want their slice of the #2 highest selling medication in the U.S.!*

Why pay more for the SAME thing!

*Top Medicines by Prescriptions – IMS – Appendix 3, page 38: 

http://www.imshealth.com/ims/Global/Content/Insights/IMS%20Institute%20for%20Healthcare%20Informatics/IHII_Medicines_in_U.S_Report_2011.pdf

Tirosint, Synthroid, Levoxyl, etc…..

They are ALL

levothyroxine sodium!!!

Each and every one of them are LEVOTHYROXINE SODIUM!  The active ingredient in these are levothyroxine sodium.

Tirosint is levothyroxine sodium

Synthroid is levothyroxine sodium

Generic levo is levothyroxine sodium

So when a person ‘says’ I feel so much better on Tirosint (for example) than I ever felt on Levothryoxine sodium, just know that these two pills are the same medication!

Sure, people can have sensitivities to the inactive ingredients.  Synthroid loves to use lactose and acacia, and a lot of people are sensitive to those inactive ingredients.  But the ACTIVE ingredient is levothyroxine sodium!

Same shit, different brand name, different inactive ingredients.

Is one levothyroxine sodium better than another?  I highly doubt it.  Spend your money on what you want to spend your money on.

You can purchase a 3 month supply of unbranded (aka: generic) levothyroxine sodium at Target for 10 bucks.  Works just as well, and costs a hell of a lot less than some brand name (unless, of course, you have allergies to the inactive ingredients).

Be well, Stay strong!