I guess this is sort of about something I'd pay more for. I had a Waterpik. The hose started leaking. I went to the Waterpik website and found that I could get a new hose/pik assembly for a fairly reasonable price (certainly much less than the cost of a new device), so I tried to order it. My attempts were repeatedly met with failure, so I called the customer service number. To my surprise, the agent who answered was actually in the U.S. (Colorado) and was very helpful. By chance I had looked up when I bought the Waterpik, and she informed me that it was still under warranty. Sure enough, I had recorded that it had a two-year warranty (another surprise--almost unheard-of these days). So she sent me the replacement part at no charge.
Several years later, I started having difficulty with the same part and would have ordered a replacement part again, but by this time my husband had entered the picture. He'd been having dental problems and had been ordered to use a water flosser. He couldn't get the Waterpik to work, and I accused him of having broken it, so he was willing to buy a replacement device. But instead of buying a new Waterpik, he bought something else cheaper that supposedly had better features. Two things: he has never used it, and I have never liked it. When it finally breaks, I'm getting another Waterpik.
Well, I've gotten used to it now, and it does have certain advantages. But it was off-putting at the start because the pick tips are bent at a smaller angle than on the Waterpik, so it seemed to be harder to get behind the teeth.
Indirectly, your "Weekend Interrogatory" about being willing to pay more for something raises the issue of generics vs. brand name prescription drugs. And differences among generics. The FDA states unequivocally that generics are bioequivalent to their more costly brand-name parents. Turns out not necessarily so across the board, and often to do with how the generic is formulated, what technology is used to release the active ingredients and even specific inactive ingredients.
This is a concern because I invariably buy store-brand pharmaceuticals when available, and my (two) prescriptions are written to allow the generic, which is what I get. I've sometimes wondered whether that was why my doctor can't ever get my thyroid prescription adjusted perfectly.
Could be, and in fact levothyroxine is what's called a narrow therapeutic index drug. This means that relatively small deviations from the proper dose can cause a clinically meaningful shift in pharmacological effects. Generic levothyroxine works for many, if not most people, but not all. The pharmacy may also be filling your orders with different generics, with slight variations in each. As you've discovered, the thyroid is particularly sensitive to even small changes in dosage.
I had my thyroid removed 14 years ago, and my doc said to take brand name Synthroid for that reason: The generics may have the identical drug, but the fillers are different from one manufacturer to another, which affects absorption and skews the results. And the pharmacy fills from whatever manufacturer costs the less to the pharmacy. Get the brand for a few months and see what happens.
This is interesting. I had my thyroid out last year. (Also no symptoms, my neurologist wanted an MRI of my neck to be sure the pain that went down my arm was part of my migraine and not a pinched nerve.) Completely unrelated they found nodules on my thyroid. One was big enough that it had to be checked out which they do by removing your thyroid (it was “most likely benign” which is I guess as good as they will commit to). I have been on the generic levothyroxine since and haven’t had to change dosage. But if it ever suddenly stops working I know what to ask!
I have an appointment with an endocrinologist in September. The ostensible reason--or at least what I understood from my PCP--was something to do with a prescription for osteoporosis, but when I somehow missed my first appointment (in April, after it had been on my calendar for months) and called for another one, I was told that it was their understanding that the reason for the visit was hypothyroid. Which just increased my dissatisfaction with the fact that I had been referred to another professional and fobbed off with a nurse practitioner. The annoying thing about all of this was that, when I was first prescribed levothyroxine it was quite a surprise, as I had no symptoms whatever. The dosage has fluctuated constantly, based on tests. But the last time it was reduced, it seemed to me I suddenly lost energy and started gaining weight. <sigh>
There may be a link between the two. I looked up "hypothyroidism and osteoporosis and got a few results. Might want to research (I'm not a doctor, etc.).
Interesting phenomenon, this business of being willing to pay more for a product or service. May be related to FOMO, the fear of missing out or in my case, FOBO ("fear of better option") when it strangely comes to streaming services. I consciously (and irrationally) have analysis paralysis when it comes to committing to reducing the number to which I subscribe for fear I might miss something I would enjoy at the point I want to watch something in particular or, not have the largest number of options to choose from. This pathology even extends to having a VPN or Virtual Private Network so I can access foreign platforms (don't tell anyone).
SiriusXM radio. I loathe radio ads with the passion of ten thousand suns. When Sirius started up years ago, I could not BELIEVE that I could give them money and, in return, drive non-stop from Boston to California without hearing one radio ad. Bizarrely, their fee has been getting cheaper every year to the point where I'm paying something like $9 a month for a service that originally cost almost $200 a year. I would pay whatever they asked, but I'm certainly not going to complain about how cheap they are now.
a certain female undergarment can cost $15-$50 for a national brand. the most perfect fit I have found for this item is target brand for $10. I feel like I[m ripping them off every time I buy it. Also Trader joes store brand krispy rice candy bars, 3 pack, $2.29 or something. way better than national national brand and about half as much.
I guess this is sort of about something I'd pay more for. I had a Waterpik. The hose started leaking. I went to the Waterpik website and found that I could get a new hose/pik assembly for a fairly reasonable price (certainly much less than the cost of a new device), so I tried to order it. My attempts were repeatedly met with failure, so I called the customer service number. To my surprise, the agent who answered was actually in the U.S. (Colorado) and was very helpful. By chance I had looked up when I bought the Waterpik, and she informed me that it was still under warranty. Sure enough, I had recorded that it had a two-year warranty (another surprise--almost unheard-of these days). So she sent me the replacement part at no charge.
Several years later, I started having difficulty with the same part and would have ordered a replacement part again, but by this time my husband had entered the picture. He'd been having dental problems and had been ordered to use a water flosser. He couldn't get the Waterpik to work, and I accused him of having broken it, so he was willing to buy a replacement device. But instead of buying a new Waterpik, he bought something else cheaper that supposedly had better features. Two things: he has never used it, and I have never liked it. When it finally breaks, I'm getting another Waterpik.
Take the plunge. Get Waterpik now. Be your luck that cheapo never breaks.
Well, I've gotten used to it now, and it does have certain advantages. But it was off-putting at the start because the pick tips are bent at a smaller angle than on the Waterpik, so it seemed to be harder to get behind the teeth.
OK, Gene, you're not just trolling for readers who say, "A subscription to the Gene Pool," are you?
How am I doing that? I need to know. If there's a way, and it works...
Indirectly, your "Weekend Interrogatory" about being willing to pay more for something raises the issue of generics vs. brand name prescription drugs. And differences among generics. The FDA states unequivocally that generics are bioequivalent to their more costly brand-name parents. Turns out not necessarily so across the board, and often to do with how the generic is formulated, what technology is used to release the active ingredients and even specific inactive ingredients.
This is a concern because I invariably buy store-brand pharmaceuticals when available, and my (two) prescriptions are written to allow the generic, which is what I get. I've sometimes wondered whether that was why my doctor can't ever get my thyroid prescription adjusted perfectly.
Could be, and in fact levothyroxine is what's called a narrow therapeutic index drug. This means that relatively small deviations from the proper dose can cause a clinically meaningful shift in pharmacological effects. Generic levothyroxine works for many, if not most people, but not all. The pharmacy may also be filling your orders with different generics, with slight variations in each. As you've discovered, the thyroid is particularly sensitive to even small changes in dosage.
My wife is on this, and when they switched her to a generic she had lots of problems. Doc now specifies the brand name.
I know this is true in at least one case because the same dose (at different times) was in a different-shaped tablet.
What Dale said.
I had my thyroid removed 14 years ago, and my doc said to take brand name Synthroid for that reason: The generics may have the identical drug, but the fillers are different from one manufacturer to another, which affects absorption and skews the results. And the pharmacy fills from whatever manufacturer costs the less to the pharmacy. Get the brand for a few months and see what happens.
This is interesting. I had my thyroid out last year. (Also no symptoms, my neurologist wanted an MRI of my neck to be sure the pain that went down my arm was part of my migraine and not a pinched nerve.) Completely unrelated they found nodules on my thyroid. One was big enough that it had to be checked out which they do by removing your thyroid (it was “most likely benign” which is I guess as good as they will commit to). I have been on the generic levothyroxine since and haven’t had to change dosage. But if it ever suddenly stops working I know what to ask!
I have an appointment with an endocrinologist in September. The ostensible reason--or at least what I understood from my PCP--was something to do with a prescription for osteoporosis, but when I somehow missed my first appointment (in April, after it had been on my calendar for months) and called for another one, I was told that it was their understanding that the reason for the visit was hypothyroid. Which just increased my dissatisfaction with the fact that I had been referred to another professional and fobbed off with a nurse practitioner. The annoying thing about all of this was that, when I was first prescribed levothyroxine it was quite a surprise, as I had no symptoms whatever. The dosage has fluctuated constantly, based on tests. But the last time it was reduced, it seemed to me I suddenly lost energy and started gaining weight. <sigh>
There may be a link between the two. I looked up "hypothyroidism and osteoporosis and got a few results. Might want to research (I'm not a doctor, etc.).
I guess there are hormones involved in both.
Interesting phenomenon, this business of being willing to pay more for a product or service. May be related to FOMO, the fear of missing out or in my case, FOBO ("fear of better option") when it strangely comes to streaming services. I consciously (and irrationally) have analysis paralysis when it comes to committing to reducing the number to which I subscribe for fear I might miss something I would enjoy at the point I want to watch something in particular or, not have the largest number of options to choose from. This pathology even extends to having a VPN or Virtual Private Network so I can access foreign platforms (don't tell anyone).
SiriusXM radio. I loathe radio ads with the passion of ten thousand suns. When Sirius started up years ago, I could not BELIEVE that I could give them money and, in return, drive non-stop from Boston to California without hearing one radio ad. Bizarrely, their fee has been getting cheaper every year to the point where I'm paying something like $9 a month for a service that originally cost almost $200 a year. I would pay whatever they asked, but I'm certainly not going to complain about how cheap they are now.
a certain female undergarment can cost $15-$50 for a national brand. the most perfect fit I have found for this item is target brand for $10. I feel like I[m ripping them off every time I buy it. Also Trader joes store brand krispy rice candy bars, 3 pack, $2.29 or something. way better than national national brand and about half as much.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/275113227591 not on tj website so this is ebay photo. https://www.ebay.com/itm/275113227591