Do you take Synthroid for your Thyroid?

[HaleyB]

Quick couple of questions.
I take Synthroid (currently a generic) and the last few weeks I have felt like it was not working. So I went to see my Doctor and she ordered a blood test to check. When we talked about it she said something about also checking my 'uptake' or something like that, but she just ordered the basic blood test. Do any of you know what I am talking about? Is there a way to test if my body is actually useing the Synthroid, or how well it is useing it? Do you know what it is called? I plan to call the nurse in the morning but I am afraid I will not be able to word my question very well.

Second, my insurance will only cover the generic and makes me use a mail order company. Well I can ask for nongeneric but I have to pay 6X as much and I take 7 scripts so it will really be hard to pay the extra fee. My Doctor said it is possible I need another generic or the nongeneric form. So have any of you had to fight your insurance over something like this? Do I have any chance? Or do you think since they do cover it, and just charge a lot more in my co-pay, I am out of luck?

Last of all, when do you take it? With all the problems with foods binding to the drug I was thinking I should switch to bedtime instead of first thing in the morning, but am worried it will keep me awake. Am I being silly, it seems to me I feel it kick in about 4 hours after I take it (and sadly it kicks back out about 4 hours after that, which is why I think I need more).

Ok I think that is all

Thanks in advance to anyone that tries to respond, I ask a lot of questions on here...

 

[Alex2kMommy]

Wow, sounds like you know a lot more about it than i do. i never had any symptoms; they found the problem during a blood test, so I go in yearly for an exam and blood test to make sure I'm still at the right level. The dosage has been increased a couple times over the years, but again, i never noticed any specific symptoms.

I also am taking a generic. I do take it at bedtime, and have no trouble falling asleep, but sounds like you might be more sensitive to it? Sorry I can't be of more help.

 

[munchkin bunchkin]

I have been hypo for years and take Synthroid , my Dr. renewed my scrip(wrote generic) and the pharmacy filled it .Over the course of 3 months things didn't seem right , wacked out periods , major hair loss and many other things so I asked the pharmacist about these changes that recently started occurring and she told me that once you start on synthroid you should stay on it not switch to the generic ( cheaper yes, but once your body is used to Synthroid nothing else works as well ).so they refilled with brand and I definately saw a change for the better. You may want to see if your Dr. has been doing the full Thyroid Panel and not just measuring your TSH levels. I also take my Synthroid 2-3 hrs. after dinner each day!

 

[lovethattink]

Synthroid vs generic synthroid has been a controvery between the individual states and the manufacturers. It's best to stick with the same manufacturer's brand on each refill. There have been significant differences in blood levels between switching brands in patients. Here is what the makers of Synthroid recommend. http://www.synthroid.com/patientinfo/menu2_3.jsp?page=menu2&submenu=2#Switching thyroid medications

Please note that some insurance companies will not pay for the brand name. Also, the generics are good, but there is some questions as to whether or not they are 100% equivalent to Synthroid brand.

 

[klineyqueen]

I am currently have hypo struggles myself. I had a baby 6 months ago and my thryoid has been going crazy. I always took my pill with breakfast. Last week the Dr. changed it to empty stomach. Now I wake up and take my pill. I eat about an hour later. Some people are stable for years on one dose. I unfortunately have been all over the spectrum. If you are feeling symptoms then you probably need a higher dose or change to empty stomach. It is a long process. Hang in there!

 

[bettybeth]

My 8 year old son takes it and the pediatrician said he absolutely can not have the generic. Well, our mail order company sent the generic anyway just yesterday and now we are in a dispute with them. So obviously the generic has a bad reputation. Good luck and hope you get it figured out.

 

[taximomfor4]

My endocrinologist knew when I was taking generic...my numbers went bad quickly. He told me that he had just attended a conference, where they found out that while generics for most drugs are quite equivalent, that due to different preservatives, etc, the generic meds for hypothyroidism were VERY inconsistent in the amount of drug being taken up in the body. Since it takes the pituitary gland about 6 weeks to adjust its TSH release to the new med dose, the generic never allows the pituitary gland to adjust properly...the dose is never constant.

My dr and pharmacist both were adamant that I take non-generic, and that I take it on an empty stomach. I take mine first thing in the morning, and wait AT LEAST an hour to eat.

You probably shouldn't feel highs and lows from the meds, because it builds up in your body over time...doesn't go for immediate use. I would discuss with your dr. how to get non-generics. It might take some further contact with your insurance company.

HTH some!
Beth

 

[BlondeAlligator]

It's been a while since I was diagnosed with Grave's Disease (hyperthyroidism) but I can tell you these things:

1) Your doctor should test your TSH and Free T4 levels. The uptake test involves taking a small dose of radioactive iodine to see how much your thyroid is working. You take the iodine & then wait a bit & then you have to have a scan done (I hope I am remembering this correctly).

2) I take Levoxyl & have never had a problem with Blue Cross paying. At one point, I was paying for it myself, and the more pills you buy at a time, the cheaper it is. If you end up doing this, tell your doctor so that he/she can write a large Rx (ie. 100 pills) so the pharmacy won't give you any trouble.

3) I have always taken my meds at night & I've never had a problem with sleeping. Just be sure it's been 2 hours since you've eaten anything.

You say that you have felt like it hasn't been working...what symptoms have you had? Since I started out hyper- and then went severely hypo- after my radiation treatment, I know what both ends of the spectrum feel like. If your meds are working properly then you should not feel any difference from one day to the next as long as you take your meds at the same time & the same way (ie empty stomach) each day.

I have done a lot of research on this since it was the cause of my infertility so if you have any questions, please feel free to PM me.

 

[BlondeAlligator]

I am currently have hypo struggles myself. I had a baby 6 months ago and my thryoid has been going crazy. I always took my pill with breakfast. Last week the Dr. changed it to empty stomach. Now I wake up and take my pill. I eat about an hour later. Some people are stable for years on one dose. I unfortunately have been all over the spectrum. If you are feeling symptoms then you probably need a higher dose or change to empty stomach. It is a long process. Hang in there!

After the baby your doctor should have been testing your thyroid at least every 2 months. Pregnancy is a hyperthyroid state...I actually had to increase my meds 5 times during my pregnancy to simulate what the normal thyroid would be doing. After your delivery, your levels should steadily drop...it can take about a year to go back to normal. Did you have thyroid issues before you were pg or was it a result of the pg? I'm glad to hear that you are taking it on an empty stomach...thyroid meds should never be taken with food because they do not absorb right & it can be like you're not taking it at all.

To any other new moms out there...it's very important to keep your levels steady after birth if you plan to nurse...if your thyroid is out of whack it can drastically affect milk production.

Good luck all!

 

[SandrainNC]

Hi! What someone else posted about the uptake is correct. You get a small dose of radioactive iodine (I remember a pill and a needle at some point) and then a big giant machine is put over your neck while you lay there.

I actually take Armour instead of synthroid. I take part of it in the morning (and then wait an hour to eat) and part in the middle of the day (I try to do it 2 hours after eating and 1 hour before I eat anything else). It seems to make me feel a little better instead of a whole bunch of thyroid meds all at once (which is not how your thyroid works).

If you ever switch to Armour it is ALOT cheaper than the synthroid. I have to do mail order also and it is around $12 for 3 months.

FYI, just in case you don't know (some people don't), Armour is the natural medication that contains not just T4 like Synthroid, but has T4, T3, and also T2 and T1 and is made from pig thyroids.

Sandra

 

[WeLoveThePoly]

I take levothyroxine. I had hyperparathyroidism and had my parathyroid glands removed. During the surgery they couldn't locate one of the 4 PTH glands so they removed a quarter of my thyroid gland thinking the 'missing' PTH gland was imbedded there (it wasn't - they did other test to find it but never did). This was back in 1989.

I take my levothyroxine when I wake up - on an empty stomach - and eat breakfast about an hour after taking it. I haven't had any trouble with it.

I go for my annual physical next month and will have all the usual bloodwork to see if my dose is still OK.

Debbie

 

[HaleyB]

Just wanted to say thank you for all the info here. My Doctor did mean to order the uptake test and forgot to give me that form. I am so glad I asked!

I have swithed off the generic. Synthroid is only $14 a month for me so I am not going to worry too much about insurance. My Doctor says that if she writes it as "dispense as written, do not substitute" they should cover it.

 

[100 acre wood]

My Dh was just dx ed with thyroid cancer , had it all out and will be on Synthroid very soon. It's my understanding that you need to stay away from the generics, because a pharmacy can change which generic they use and it just might be somehow different. An uptake test, does your dr. mean you will have some radioactive iodine tosee how much your thyoid takes up? Pardon me if I seem to be on a one track mind about it, but I didn't know therewas any other kind of uptake test? Anyway, best of luck with it all!

PS Just read about the Armour you need to be careful with that! In addtion to pigthyoid hormone, which works fine for a pig, one cannot be certain there aren't other undesireable substances in it. Just FYI

 

[DeeCeeSW]

I actually take Armour instead of synthroid. I take part of it in the morning (and then wait an hour to eat) and part in the middle of the day (I try to do it 2 hours after eating and 1 hour before I eat anything else). It seems to make me feel a little better instead of a whole bunch of thyroid meds all at once (which is not how your thyroid works).

If you ever switch to Armour it is ALOT cheaper than the synthroid. I have to do mail order also and it is around $12 for 3 months.

FYI, just in case you don't know (some people don't), Armour is the natural medication that contains not just T4 like Synthroid, but has T4, T3, and also T2 and T1 and is made from pig thyroids.

Sandra

I have been taking Levoxyl and Cytomel for my Hashimoto's Disease (hypo) for years now. Even though my levels are "normal," I still have symptoms, and so I will be discussing the possibility of switching to Armour with my endo. My understanding is that many docs do not want to prescribe it, so I hope he listens to what I have to say and lets me try it.

 

[belle1627]

I'm in Canada, so I don't know if this is a different version but I take eltroxin, I was given synthroid once (went to a different pharmacy) and everything went wacko, hair loss, tired etc. Got back on eltroxin and after about a month I stabilized again. I always know when my levels are changing by how I feel. Thankfully in Canada it is 100% covered.

Gina

 

[vhoffman]

I don't take Synthroid, but have battled insurance co's over other drugs. They insist on sending the generic, no matter what. My doctor wrote "dispense as written" but they still got around it and sent the generic anyways. Seems they have something called "prudent provider overide" at least my insurance co does. Even if the doctor writes 'dispense as written' the insurance co contacts the doctor and asks if it would be ok to send the generic, stating it would save me a significant amount of money. This was all at the clerical level--the doctor never even saw it, just someone in the office rubber stamped it, then I still get the generic! I found the way to get around the "prudent provider override" is to have the doctor (or the patient) write on the perscription "patient does not want generic" so it won't get bumped to the nice people at ppo who are just trying to help me! Why didn't they call me to see if I wanted the generic and its savings, or would prefer to pay the difference and get brand name? Well, I guess they just didn't want to bother me with such details. How nice there's a whole department at my insurance co just looking out for me! Well, I've yet to see it happen, but seems if I write "patient preference" even if the doctor writes "dispense as written" they can charge me full price since it was my preference, not the doctor's directions! Well, I really do need my medicine, so last month I just paid out of pocket--$350. I needed the medicine more than the hassle. Better luck next time!

 

[NotUrsula]

Also, be careful not to take a multivitamin at the same time as your thyroid meds; vitamins can interfere with the absorption rate. I take Armour as well (had to really fight to be allowed to try it) and I take it at bedtime, so that I can take my vitamin in the am with breakfast.

 

[NotUrsula]

Seems they have something called "prudent provider overide" at least my insurance co does. Even if the doctor writes 'dispense as written' the insurance co contacts the doctor and asks if it would be ok to send the generic, stating it would save me a significant amount of money. This was all at the clerical level--the doctor never even saw it, just someone in the office rubber stamped it, then I still get the generic!

Actually, procedures like these are usually approved by your employer; they get a discount on the group premiums for agreeing to let this be SOP. If you don't like it, you should complain to HR. However, don't be surprised if they tell you that they won't be able to afford to offer coverage if they don't allow the insurance company to do this.

 

[SandrainNC]

I have had that same problem with my mail order pharmacy. They just send me whatever they want no matter what the prescription says. So last time I put a sticky note on it and put "I want Armour. Do not send me a generic". Then I called them and told them if they sent me the generic they would be deducting it from my visa and sending me the right thing. And I got my Armour! But the cost is so much cheaper for the Armour than the Synthroid, the cost isn't a big deal for me to do this. There is no way I could pay over $300 for my thyroid meds every 3 months if I was taking synthroid.

Sandra

 

[DeeCeeSW]

My understanding is that part of the reason why most docs don't prescribe Armour is precisely bc the price is so low. There are no special incentives for them to prescribe it, so they don't bother. However, most don't know the real facts about Armour's effectiveness and if it's "safe" to prescribe (despite being FDA approved), so they go with the synthetics.

BTW, my mail order pharmacy calls me everytime I send in a new script for Levoxyl as well despite the dispense as written order written on the bottom.