# Synthroid VS. Generic



## Endlessness (Oct 5, 2011)

Hello!

I was diagnosed with Grave's Disease at 7 years old and treated with radioactive iodine at 16 years old (sorry if I'm repeating what I said in my intro, but just in case ).

After the treatment, my endo prescribed Synthroid to replace the loss of hormones, and I was stable for a good 5 years after we found the "sweet spot" in terms of dosage.

However, when I moved to the US (I'm from Canada), I had to switch to generic because my insurance wouldn't cover Synthroid. Every since then, it's been a real roller coaster. I can't seem to be stable longer than 6 months. I just got my last result and my TSH is 14. (I'm not even sure how bad it is as I'm usually more hyper... But I think it's the highest I've been.)

I was wondering if anyone had the same problem? Is it possible that Synthroid works better than the generic brand, or is it coincidental?

(Although honestly, I've never been so happy to get a negative (or I guess positive for problems ) result. I gained like 7 pounds in 2 weeks while eating almost nothing cause I'm not hungry, and my hair is like a ball of hay, and I feel so exhausted. I was worried I would get a normal result as I sometimes do even when I have symptoms. Not getting fat for no reason ROCKS! Gimme that pill so I can get back to normal for a while!)


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

Welcome!

This topic is often debated and studied. Some say generics are just as good, some say they're not even close, and some say generics are okay as long as you stay on the SAME generic/brand over time.

Here are some articles you might find of interest:

Brand name vs. generic drugs -

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=46204

http://www.consumerreports.org/heal...-saving-guides/english/GenericDrugs-FINAL.pdf

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/questions-about-generic-drugs-answered

http://www.dbsalliance.org/pdfs/GenericRx.pdf

http://www.pswi.org/meetings/ce/SubGenDrugsforBrandName.pdf

http://www.fda.gov/drugs/resourcesforyou/consumers/questionsanswers/ucm100100.htm

And here's an actual scientific experiment conducted with levothyroxine&#8230;

http://jama.ama-assn.org/content/277/15/1205.abstract

Here's an article that says generic levothyroxine may not be such a good thing&#8230;

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/53692.php


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Endlessness said:


> Hello!
> 
> I was diagnosed with Grave's Disease at 7 years old and treated with radioactive iodine at 16 years old (sorry if I'm repeating what I said in my intro, but just in case ).
> 
> ...


So, you were doing fine on the Synthroid and not so fine on the generic? If you can afford it, can't you just pay out of pocket for the Synthroid so you feel better?

When did you last have labs other than the TSH? Can you post the results and the ranges?

TSH @ 14 is high; you must feel awful?


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## lainey (Aug 26, 2010)

Synthroid is considered a narrow theraputic index drug--in other words, patients respond very dramatically to very small changes in medication level.

Generic drugs are only the same in terms of active ingredient, route of administration and dosage amount. Fillers and manufacturing processes can affect the bioavailability of the drug for different patients. Each generic is made by a different manufacturer, so in the case of levothyroxine, each time you fill the prescription the medication could be different enough to cause your numbers to shift.

Synthroid is not horribly expensive--I pay about $16.00 per month for 100mcg after I use a downloadable coupon that the manufacturer sends me.

If you were doing well on it in the past, I would seriously consider switching back. Your health and well being is worth the price difference.


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## Endlessness (Oct 5, 2011)

Octavia, thank you so MUCH for these articles! That will help for sure!

Andros & lainey, I just changed doctor and mentioned the Synthroid thing, and he's the first one to ever tell me that it might be best to switch back. All the other ones told me it wouldn't change a thing! I was still debating if I should switch and pay out of pocket or not, but after reading some of the articles and your comments, I'm definitely going to do it.

Also, they usually only test TSH, except this time. He did test for free T4 :

Free T4
1.21	(0.59 - 1.61 ng/dL)

TSH
14.72 (0.34 - 4.82 uIU/mL)

What does it mean if the T4 is in the normal range, but the TSH is super high? Is that normal with Grave's Disease treated with RAI? Is there anything else they should be testing?

Lainey, how do you get the coupon? I would love to use one! 

Thank you SO much for your help!


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Endlessness said:


> Octavia, thank you so MUCH for these articles! That will help for sure!
> 
> Andros & lainey, I just changed doctor and mentioned the Synthroid thing, and he's the first one to ever tell me that it might be best to switch back. All the other ones told me it wouldn't change a thing! I was still debating if I should switch and pay out of pocket or not, but after reading some of the articles and your comments, I'm definitely going to do it.
> 
> ...


These test results usually mean that antibodies are at play.

Here is my list! LOL!

TSI (thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin),TPO (antimicrosomal antibodies) TBII (thyrotropin-binding inhibitory immunoglobulin), Thyroglobulin Ab, ANA (antinuclear antibodies), (thyroid hormone panel) TSH, Free T3, Free T4.

You can look this stuff up here and more.........
http://www.labtestsonline.org/

There are binding, blocking and stimulating antibodies and because of this, test results come out sort of strangely!

You would expect to see your FREE T4 in the basement w/a TSH that high? Of vice, versa!


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## Endlessness (Oct 5, 2011)

Yeah, that's what I was expecting to see, which is why I'm a bit confused...

I do have all of the symptoms of hypo though:
- Always cold
- Weight gain with no appetite
- Dry skin
- Fatigue
- Irregular period
- Mood swings
- Difficulty concentrating
- Joint pain
- Etc., etc., etc.

They did do the ANA test a while ago for something else, here are the results:

ANA SCREEN
Weakly positive at 1:80 ratio

She said it was a normal variant in the population :confused0024:

Since I was treated while I was so young, I honestly have no idea what test they did on me and what were the results. I'm kind of clueless when it comes to the tests! All I know is TSH, since that's all they usually take. I actually don't have an endo anymore, I was told a family doctor could test this and figure it out.

Is that true? Should I be getting more tests?


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## lainey (Aug 26, 2010)

If you are going to switch to a brand, I would switch over on your current dose or one only slightly higher and test in 6-8 weeks. Your free T4 is in a pretty good place in the range, even though your symptoms match your TSH.

You can register online with Abbott to get their Synthroid coupons online. They send you a new one each month if you are part of their email list.

Here's a link: https://www.synthroid.com/Registration/Default.aspx


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