Goldshield brand levothyroxine has sold out in New Zealand, and frustrated thyroid patients will have to wait for more shipments to arrive, as well as possible shipments of Abbott Laboratories' brand Synthroid. The demand for thyroid drugs is due to nationwide reports from patients of significant side effects due to the reformulation of government-approved thyroid medication, Eltroxin (made by GlaxoSmithKline).You can read more about GoldShield and Eltroxin in New Zealand
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And to join the discussion with other patients from New Zealand, see the comments thread for What's Happening to Thyroid Patients Taking Eltroxin Brand Levothyroxine in New Zealand?Photo: clipart.com
I have been following this saga for a few months – regularly posting updates in usenet, contacting some people in NZ, and so on.
If I were in NZ, I would certainly be trying to order online (from reputable suppliers, probably in the US). The idea that sufferers are being condemned to choose between taking something that is causing such problems or doing without is frightening. Neither of those options could ever be acceptable.
NZ is a tiny country and there is the possibility of switching around suppliers – what if this happened to the top brand in a large country?
I have to wear Testosterone patches and the new thyroxine brought me up in a large red welt when I removed the patch and it also made me extremely itchy so I then had to put Hydrocortisone on to releive the itchiness.Prior to the new Thyroxine I had no trouble whatsoever.
People, when has taking T4 ever remediated hypo- or hyperthyroid or hashimoto’s thyroiditis? Many thyroid patients cannot convert T4 into T3 because they are lacking the Se and Zn dependent enzyme convertion. It makes so much more sense, and research confirms, giving Armour, or some other T3 would balance thyroid hormones. Without the proper nutritional thyroid co-factos, neither medicine will make much of a difference. The tremendous iodine deficiency in this country, since the introduction of chloride laden table salt, exacerbates this problem.
I have been taking Eltroxin for many years. Two weeks ago I had a blood test that revealed my thyroxin level was low so my Dr increased my dosage. I was taking 5 x 50mg + 2 X 100mg per week (350mg) and changed to 5 x 100mg + 2 x 50 per week (600mg). Three days ago I had a reaction, red face and lighthead, which increased over a 6 hour period. I headed for the local emergency dept. At this stage I did not know what I was reacting to. The next day I took my usual tablet and within 1/2 hour I had the same symptoms + rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing etc. As I had had a previous reaction to another drug very similar (Ceclor an antibiotic) I wonder if there can be a conection between the two??? I have never before had any drug related problems (60yoa) Can anyone shed any light on this. What happens if I don’t have the thyroxin??
Hi Betty,
I also have been taking Eltroxin for over 30 years. Wasn’t sure that the symptoms I was experiencing were caused by the medication but I was pretty sure. I do get red face, lightheaded, rapid heartbeat to the point the doctors put me on medication to lower my heart rate, exhaustion… I am searching for an alternative to the Eltroxin brand. I noticed that reducing my dose reduced some or all of these symptoms, but then my levels were off. I’ll keep searching for the right answer, hope you find it as well. I eat a fair bit of seaweed as I accidentally found out it can help increase thyroid function, but it does put a kink in my thyroid levels.
Tammy, Ottawa, Canada
To Spenser Reed – funny you should mention Armour. I’m in the U.S., and Armour hasn’t been available for a while – undergoing reformulation. Can’t get Nature-Throid or Westhroid either — the other two real (or at least pig) thyroid products. Even Thyrolar which is synthetic t4+t3 is backordered with no definite supply date.
So suddenly those of us who have been stabilized on the mixed products are thrown back on one of the T4’s — at least for a few months. Scary – as is the side effects people are reporting there.
i have only been on eltroxin for a few months now and experienced blackouts and so on that i do not know who i am or where i am.i am doing ok now.just need to figure out how to live with it.