Brand Name vs Generic Levothyroxine: What’s the Difference?

Thyroxine is the bio-identical pharmaceutical version of the T4 thyroid hormone that your body produces naturally. The most common medication used to treat hypothyroidism is Levothyroxine. In a medical setting, you are not likely to miss a dose of levothyroxine injection. Oral levothyroxine is taken by mouth and is available as tablets, capsules, and an oral solution. Some brands of levothyroxine have different dosage instructions and/or recommendations of how soon you need to take them before eating food.

Levothyroxine is sold under several brand names, including Synthroid, Levoxyl, Unithroid, and Levothroid. But there is some controversy about whether it’s as effective and reliable as the brand-name versions. Synthroid is also used in patients who need surgery and radioiodine therapy to manage a type of thyroid cancer called well-differentiated thyroid cancer.

• Dosage titration is based on serum TSH or free-T4 see Important Considerations For Dosing.
• Taking more than your recommended dose will not make this medicine more effective, and may cause serious side effects.
• The generic levothyroxine product may contain the brand name as part of the labeling, so be sure to inspect your tablets when you receive a refill.

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Ingredients added to drugs are usually considered “inert” or “inactive.” But studies have found that these inactive ingredients can sometimes decrease the effectiveness of a particular drug. Many other medicines can be affected by your thyroid hormone levels. Certain other medicines may also increase or decrease the effects of Synthroid. Use caution in patients with adrenal insufficiency; may exacerbate symptoms or aggravate them; treatment with glucocorticoids should precede levothyroxine therapy if adrenal insufficiency present. One of the problems with the FDA’s methods is that they do not use TSH blood tests, the cornerstone of thyroxine monitoring, to compare different thyroxine preparations in study participants.

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The peak therapeutic effect of a given dose of SYNTHROID may not be attained for 4 to 6 weeks. Pregnant and lactating females need to discuss the dose and use of this medication with their caregivers. To view a report comparing 3 (or more) medications, please sign in or create an account. If, on the other hand, you are taking one and NOT experiencing relief in your symptoms then the information in this post may be especially relevant for you.

What should I avoid while using levothyroxine?

When you go to the pharmacy, do not change the brand of your thyroid medication without checking with your doctor. You should not change from one brand of thyroid medication to another, from your brand of thyroid medication to a generic product, or from one generic product to another without first checking with your doctor. Your insurance company or state aid program, however, may not pay for the cost of a brand name drug or charge a higher co-payment if you want a specific brand name drug. Repeat blood tests and visits to your doctor may be required if your thyroxine preparation is changed, and your dose may need to be readjusted. Finally, be familiar with the shape and markings on your branded levothyroxine product.

Taking the levothyroxine one hour before or four hours after these drugs is necessary to prevent binding. If symptoms occur, they often are due to toxic levels of thyroid hormone, and the symptoms are those of hyperthyroidism. Monitor for cardiac arrhythmias during surgical procedures in patients with coronary artery disease receiving suppressive SYNTHROID therapy. Monitor patients receiving concomitant SYNTHROID and sympathomimetic agents for signs and symptoms of coronary insufficiency. Consider changes in TBG concentration when interpreting T4 and T3 values. Measure and evaluate unbound (free) hormone and/or determine the free-T4 index (FT4I) in this circumstance.

In general, however, studies comparing generic and brand name formulations of levothyroxine fail to definitively show advantages of one preparation over another. If you are certain that you need to stick with a particular brand of levothyroxine, make sure your healthcare provider writes “DAW” (dispense as written) or “no generic substitution” on your prescription. From batch to batch, brand-name levothyroxine synthroid hypocalcemia productsare consistent in terms of potency.

Levothyroxine

SYNTHROID may reduce the therapeutic effects of digitalis glycosides. Serum digitalis glycoside levels may decrease when a hypothyroid patient becomes euthyroid, necessitating an increase in the dose of digitalis glycosides. Another study, which evaluated children with hypothyroidism, showed that Synthroid resulted in a significantly lower TSH when compared to generic LT4 medication replacement therapy (5). The active thyroid hormone and the active ingredient in both medications is the thyroid hormone Thyroxine. Levothyroxine should not be used to treat obesity or weight problems. Dangerous side effects or death can occur from the misuse of this medicine, especially if you are taking any other weight-loss medications or appetite suppressants.

• Seizures occurred in a 3-yearold child ingesting 3.6 mg of levothyroxine.
• Levothyroxine sodium is also used to treat other types of thyroid hormone and thyroid disorders and conditions (such as certain types of goiters, thyroid cancer).
• This study showed that using Synthroid resulted in a more rapid rise in total serum triiodothyronine and a higher peak serum T3 when compared to other T4-only products.
• However, there is debate as to whether generic levothyroxine is equally effective as the brand name version, Synthroid, in treating hypothyroidism.

These complications may occur more frequently among patients also taking levothyroxine. Therefore, careful observation is needed when intravenous epinephrine is given to patients receiving levothyroxine who also have coronary artery disease. Levothyroxine is a synthetic (man-made) version of the principle thyroid hormone, thyroxine (T4) that is made and released by the thyroid gland. In the fetus and newborn, thyroid hormone is important for the growth and development of all tissues including bones and the brain. In adults, thyroid hormone helps to maintain brain function, utilization of food, and body temperature, among other effects.

Learn which foods you should avoid if you have thyroid disease of any type. The availability of multiple new brands for the same generic medication makes it challenging to choose the right one. When being prescribed either a brand or generic medication, ask your doctor about their experience with that medication.