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Wednesday, September 2, 2009
The FDA does away with Armour Thyroid: Another example of freedom of choice in healthcare being taken away
Posted by Carol Roberts on Wed, Sep 2, 2009 at 1:00 PM
Be aware: There seems to be an effort afoot to eliminate the most effective form of thyroid replacement, Armour Thyroid. It has become increasingly difficult to get in any dosage strength, and many patients are having to switch to more expensive alternatives.
When I started my practice, Wellness Works, back in 1994, I had a string of patients who all reinforced the same idea. They were all older ladies who came in on the synthetic alternative form of thyroid replacement, Synthroid. This drug is a form of T4, a “prohormone” that must be converted by the body to the active form, T3. Many people have a hard time making this conversion, due to genetic abnormalities, nutritional deficiencies or missing enzymes in their system. All these ladies were asking (almost begging) me to put them back on Armour thyroid, which is made from dessicated pig thyroids and contains both T4 and T3 as well as other components of the whole gland. They simply stated they felt better when they were on Armour. Since their new (young) doctor had switched them, they had less energy, their hair fell out more, they couldn’t sleep at night and they had gained weight.
When a string of patients come in one after another, all saying the same thing, I tend to listen. I just don’t believe they’d all be lying, or all be wrong about their personal experience. In fact, when I gave them back their Armour, they all did extremely well. They lost weight, their hair, skin and nails looked healthier, and they were massively appreciative. So I started prescribing Armour for all my patients who needed thyroid replacement, and pretty soon I was getting patients from all over the state and beyond, who were seeking a doctor who would prescribe this more natural, more effective option. Most doctors won’t do it because Synthroid is what they learned about in medical school and they are not about to move beyond their training. (For the few who do, they use dosages that are about half what the patient needs, because of how the blood tests look on Armour vs. Synthroid.)
Then one day about 2000, the FDA started rattling sabers in the direction of this medicine. It was revealed that Armour had never been officially “approved” by this regulatory agency, whose members are mostly drug company executives who take a sabbatical from their high paying jobs to sit on the FDA, returning to their drug companies when their term is over. Talk about the fox watching the henhouse!
As it happens, the chief competitor, Synthroid was also never approved! (This news came out a few years later.) Both of these medications were around long before the FDA set the standard for approval so high that no one but a giant pharmaceutical company can afford to jump through all the hoops.
I have called the company that makes Armour, Forest Pharmaceuticals, and was told they are “having problems with their supply of dessicated thyroid”. Are we not slaughtering pigs anymore? Are we exporting all the thyroids to China now? Or maybe these factory pigs don’t have thyroids anymore. Or maybe that’s not the real reason. It’s hard to know the truth.
The last resort for people who have thyroid problems now seems to be compounded thyroid made from synthetic T3 and T4 and put together by a pharmacy that knows how to make custom formulations. These are the same pharmacies that are making custom hormone preparations for many of our menopausal ladies and are also under attack by the FDA. I smell a rat. They don’t want us to have freedom of choice in healthcare, they want us to line up for their drugs and be “good patients”.
What we can do is make noise about our choices in healthcare. It’s not just who pays, it’s about what is being paid for. Take away Armour one day, take away vitamins the next, do nothing about the deadly “Standard American Diet” and we have corporate control of our health. Is that what we want?
If you wish to reply to this post, I will collect the responses and put them in a letter to the FDA, President Obama, Forest Pharmaceuticals and anyone else who might have some influence on the situation.
Carol L. Roberts, MD
Comments (40)
Showing 1-40 of 40
It is unfortunate that as I read this article no one else has commentted on this artilce as of this date. I have been on Armor Thyriod for about a year. I was aware of the problems with the synthetic drugs but not completely aware of all the problems. I can just say that right now after several months, I am fine. The people that I know on the sythetic drugs have problems.
Signed unwilling to take the synthetic drugs.
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To Watts: There were dozens of comments on this article, but they have all been removed. This site was down for about a week, and now that it's back, all comments are gone for some odd reason.
My eleven year old son had a brain tumor removed that basically destroyed his pituitary gland. He had been on Leventhroid for over a year and kept gaining weight (40lbs), lost all energy and had no real quality of life. Then we found a doctor who would prescribe Armour. My son is BACK! If you have ever seen the movie "Awakenings" he has had an awakening. I noticed the change within a week! He hasn't gained any more weight and he's doing normal 11 year old kid things. We are a very sad society that puts the all mighty dollar above our children! This Rx has saved my son's life!
Hi, i had my thyroid radiated in october 2010. I started taking levothyroxine in november. in February, i was utterly miserable, almost ALL my hair had fallen out, I had gained 15 pounds and had muscle cramps so painful I couldn't function normally. I was depressed, crying all the time, and constipated. My endo said this was not related to my thyroid treatment, but agreed to switch me to Armour. I felt better within a few days. Now i just got my refill and it no longer says "Armour" it says "Thyroid (NP). I asked the pharmacy and was told it's Armour thyroid. Is it really? I have ONE Armour pill left for tomorrow. after that, it's thyroid NP.
I, too, was doing great on Armour. No more. I was put on levothyroxine and ckytomel. I felt awful, so depressed. I quit and am taking a well researched natural approach but that is also being threatened by "Dr." John McCain and his bill to control supplements FOR MY OWN GOOD. I do not take DRUGS. I do very poorly on them.
I have never discussed anything on-line before, but I agree with all of the good Doctor's comments. I am a Family Practitioner, am taking Armour myself, as well as bio-identical HRT. My patients have had significant improvements in quality of life due to both. What continues to bother me is how much success the FDA and "Big Pharma" has had in disseminating misinformation to both Physicians and patients! I do believe the menopausal baby-boomers will prevail in the end though! :-)
DISGUSTING!! that we can not choose our own methods of treatment. I do not take medication and will not. Unfortunately, my bio identical hormone doc put me on Levothyroxine, then on synthroid according to her she said they are all the same and better than the natural. I can not stop crying, I am depressed, can not get excited or motivated about anything. The worse thing I already didn't like my body because I had gained weight well guess what on these I gained 6 more pounds in 2 weeks. I have thrown them away and now my herbalist has me on iodine 4 times a day but I have not lost weight (not gained any either) but still quite depressed. Anyone PLEASE HELP.
I find it strange that we supposedly live in the most free country in the world, yet our government and corporate america dictate out lives and with most Americans none the wiser, in a fog, naive, gullible or whatever. I for one get very angry every time a new instance comes to my attention. I am sick and tired of it, but obviously we Americans have no control over these corporate and government bullies. Americans need to wake up and realize that they are puppets on a string. I get so angry because it appears there is nothing in this world we can do about it.
Here's what I think is going on. Has to be it, it's the only thing that makes any sense at all. The FDA banned Armour's drug because it IS so effective. Big pharma is trying to create a synthetic that works equally as well as Armour's original formula. Then they will tout it as "always being available, unlike Armour," not revealing they are the weasels (when they served on the FDA's board) who were responsible for Armour's no longer being available. Nice that they have so much control over the health of everyone for whom Armour worked a miracle. Reformulated Armour DOES NOT WORK for me, and I, like millions of others, am paying the price with my health.
Can someone please tell me why my comments keep being deleted? I am submitting comments that I think will be helpful. If they are going to be deleted, there is no point in my wasting my time on this; I'll find another way to reach people. Thank you.
You are right. I was taking Armour Thyroid and my new doctor took me off it and put me on Synthroid. I do feel better only becasue I was being over medicated with the Armour. I wish I knew how much Armour would constitue 88 mcg of Synthroid I would go back on the Armour. I was taking 65 mlg of Armour and my blood work for years was high and my primary care doctor who is not a specialist did not notice it was too high but the new specialist did. Please give me any comments on the Armour and what I can get that is comparable to the 88 mcg of Synthroid.
OMG...I just flew to California from DC to get my previous doctor to prescribe Armour Thyroid again. Argued with new endocrinologist when ALL my symptons came back with stupid Synthroid. I'm sure his stock portfolio had a significant amount of synthroid too!
Ive been taking Amour Thyroid at my request for about a year. I feel better than with the synthetic however Im still not my old self. I guess it is something I will just have to live with.
I was on Armour for a number of years and did well, then when I could not get it I went on a compound and did well. Now the insurance put me back on Armour but it has been changed with a different filler, and I am not doing well now.
Anyone having the same issues? Anyone try any of the health ones for Thyroid?
I battled the Dr.'s with my depression, hair loss, constipation, and gross weight gain. I was told for years I was within the "normal" range for my thyroid. I was put on anti-depressants instead of treating a possible hypo-thyroid. I wasn't able to function on these medications and would quickly discontinue, only to resolve to nothing can be done for me and I need to just cope with it. I finally found a doctor willing to do T3 & T4 blood tests. I was found to be hypo-thyroid...finally!
I was playing with Synthroid for 5+ years, raising and lowering the dosage to get a normal balance. This was never ending. All the while my symptoms would subside slightly or drop off the other end. I have gained a total of 75 pounds thru this process - loose 25 lbs to gain 40 lbs, over and over again. I spent last Thanksgiving with my family when my aunts and cousin all told me about Armour. I have been on it since then. I have normal hair loss and have noticed I have eyelashes again. I didn't have a problem with my doctor prescribing Armour but was cautioned that it would work as effectively as Synthroid. I couldn't disagree more. I haven't lost any weight as of yet, but haven't gained any either. This product has been my life saver. I just need to get motivated again to loose the weight. It feels like a never ending battle.
I would like to change to Armour Thyroid. I've been dealing with changes to the dosage of Levothyroxine for over two years, every three months it's the blood tests and then the increase. I've gained weight, which is depressing in itself, and my hair stylist has commented on my thinning hair. I don't sleep well and what I thought was restless leg syndrome could possibly be due to the hypothyroidism. Now, I'm concerned about the formula change I've read about and the negative reactions to Armour. Is there anything else to do? My older sister went thru years of the synthetic and then switched to Armour with astounding results. She feels I should do the same since we would have similar DNA.
Hi, I am 56 years old and I have Been on thryroid meds for 30 years and now am about 80lb over weight. I have been on Levothyroxine for that long, and still feel like CRAP.I Have asked them to put me on something different but was told levels are with in normal ranges !!! I have all the Symptoms of low thyroid yet my TSH comes back normal. I am being told I have Fibromyalgia, arthritis, and Depressed, I have Had 2 back surgerys and Both Knees Replaced and 3 foot surgery. I drag all the time. So I started to check online about my thryoid and I also work at a small clinic part time. So I asked at work and they told me to go to my primary Dr. and ask about Armour Thryoid meds. I was basicly told that they do not like to deal with the Armour Thyroid meds because they are harder to get and it take more appointment or visit for them to make sure the levels are right !!!!!
I can't believe there are so many woman out there with the same systems. I've been asking myself, "What is wrong with me lately?". "Why am I so tired and disinterested all the time?". "How come I don't want to do anything?". It is almost a relief to know that I am not the only one. I say almost because I wouldn't wish this feeling on anyone. I've just switched to Armour without knowing about the reformulation. It's only been a week so I don't know if it will work or not. God, I hope so...
wow it's unreal to find so many people with common symptoms. I also have tried all the synthetic drugs out there, even a mixture of them for the past eight years. I had every symptom a lack of thyroid can cause. I have gained so much weight and stay swollen. Last month I requested Armour from my doctor and I'm feeling much better. I lost eleven pounds, better frame of mind and more energy. I really don't understand when a doctor sees that the synthetic brands are not helping they don't switch you to a natural thyroid. Is it so we will need to go to the doctors more, which means they make more money? This is the rest of our lives people. We have no control.
I have had a thyroidectomy and am dependent on oral thyroid hormone. I was fine on Armour Thyroid for several years and then it was gone and I was put on Levothyroxine..I survived for sure but it was not the same. Now I am back on Armour and feeling better overall. My doctor does think this is all in my head but I don't care. I know how I feel.
I am a 26 year old male coming off almost two years taking Synthroid. I never felt worse in my life on Synthroid. My hair would fall out in chunks, I gained 45lbs, energy was low, and sleep was terrible. My new endocrinologist listened to my request to be put on Armour and after two weeks everything is going great. Lost 7lbs and my hair is slowly reverting back to normal. If anyone checks out Synthroid forums they will see a correlation of people with the same negative side effects. I wish more light were shed on this terrible drug.
I had been having hives every day for years and my doctor finally realized that it was my synthroid causing it. He put me on armour thyroid and the hives have subsided tremendously.
do anyone knows a dr in tampa that is willing do to T3 and T4 test and that will prescribe armour?
My goodness, I cannot imagine a dr. not willing to accomodate their patient. After all my adult life on Synthroid & finally researching I simply asked my dr. if she would prescribe Armour which she did. What a difference! When the shortage came about I went to a compounding pharmacy & feel even better. Almost immediately, I felt such a nice, smooth feeling. Hard to explain, but felt normal for the first time in 20yrs. At 70yrs old this means a lot & probably true at any age. Being in Oregon we tend to be independent-spirited & I know my current PA who was with my doctor sometimes gives me "that look". We need to speak up & locate the "right" practioner to suit our needs. What my ins pd on Armour was very little, so I do pay $58 for 90da supply. Well worth feeling good & continue to work in a field I love.
I could of written most of the posts on here. I've been on Levothyroxine for about 9 yrs. now. I have hypothroidism and none of my symptoms have ever gone away. My hair keeps falling out, my nails are horrible,and my skin is dry. I've talked to the Dr. about this and he keeps telling me my labs good it's probably due to my age. I'm 61yrs old and this has been going on for 9 yrs. now. I asked him about Amour a year ago because I heard Dr. Oz talking about it. My Dr. rolled his eyes and said it was no longer on the market. Well I just found out that it is available so I've asked to be switched over. I'm waiting for a call back from the nurse right now. I believe if the symptoms have'nt improved there's still something wrong. It does'nt take a rocket scientist to figure that out. I do'nt know how these drug companies and some Drs. sleep at night.
I am amazed at all of the comments here that are similar feelings and emotions that I have. I have been on Synthroid for about 12 years. The doses go up and down. I still feel AWFUL! I have all of the same symptoms and they have just gotten worse over the years instead of better. I feel so helpless and depressed, NO energy, have gained weight even working out and depriving myself. I am at my wits end on this. A new friend told me about Armour yesterday and that is how I found this site. I am contemplating seeing if I can find a doctor to put me on Armour and see if I will feel like a person again. God Bless to all in my same boat.
I was on Armour thyroid for twenty years and every six months, blood tests said I was in therapeutic range. Then I couldn't get it anymore and Dr. had to put me on Synthroid. Disaster! Blood pressure went up (I'd always had really good low B.P.), felt like I was going out of skin, body hurt to touch on skin on arms, legs, and I just cried, thinking I was going to have to live like this? Then Armour came back. Not the same, but all Synthroid reaction is gone. Now, however, I have very itchy skin on arms and fight depression. Why was original compound changed? I did perfectly with older formulation. Don't know if I should stop, can NEVER go back on synthroid!!!
I was on Synthroid for years and then later switched to Armour Thyroid. I was thrilled with the new energy! Not long ago there was a shortage of Armour and I was put on "an equivalent". After two months, I had gained a lot of fluid weight, got my joint aches back, and was again losing hair! The amount of thyroid was supposed to be the same with different filling agents (fillers). I finally found Armour internationally. When Forest Labs started to put it out again, I went back to that with bad results. I have been told it is the same but my body is telling me otherwise. After switching my dosage and trial and error, my doctor and I went with the international version which works better for me. I would definitely use U.S.A. made IF it worked! Why would the FDA allow such a travesty? Bottom line it is about money and cross therapy. If the new armour doesn't work then people have to go get on depression meds, etc. and spend more money in the pharmaceutical circles. I have chosen to get mine elsewhere and am doing great! Thank you to the doctors who support their patients' rights rather than pharmaceutical lobbyists' pockets.
I have been on Synthroid in the past and am currently on Armour, but still feeling awful. DJ Lee, you posted that you get your Armour internationally and it works better. Do you mind if I ask where you get it from?
I too am interested in the comment "sharlee" made on Oct 21st about compounding pharmacy's creating her thyroid meds for her. I am also curious about "DJ Lee" and buying Armour internationally. I have been on Synthroid for 8 years for my Hashimotos and continue to become more depressed and lack any energy. I'm looking into alternative solutions. If the new Armour compound doesn't work I want to have a back up either through a compounding pharmacy or by purchasing internationally. "sharlee" if you are keeping up with this thread please email me with your story and recommendations. Thanks! (design [at] cornfeddd [dot] com)
I have been on Synhroid for 40+ years. Since I got older I kept complaining to my doc that the Synthroid wasn't working right for me and I wanted to try Armour. He disagreed so I went to the Hormore Replacement Clinic and asked them to put me on Armour which the gladly did.
Within one week I had energy, felt like doing things and was no longer disinterested in going places...I wish I had this years before. I hope that they don't stop making it.
That is a great idea to use a compounding pharmacy if all other options fail. I certainly relate to almost every entry here and am thankful to know that I am not alone with this issue.
I have been diagnosed with hypothyroid about 2 years ago, and avoided any medications until now. Doctors are pushing me to take synthroid but I am afraid to for the reasons mentioned in this article. I like to try Armour thyroid medication but there isn't a doctor willing to give me a prescription for it. What's wrong with this picture? Please, let's write to President Obama and the FDA and let's get this drug approved. I spoke with people who took Armour and they are very happy with it.
My daughter had a virus attack her thyroid and lost thyroid function due to this. The ped endo put her on synthroid with a "we'll test every 6 weeks and adjust the meds accordingly, but it will probably take 2 years to normalize this. I'll see her in six months." The synthroid didn't even touch her TSH of 15. Increased the dose, didn't budge. Switched the same dose over to Armour and it's been perfect ever since. I had to go to a doctor that specializes in nutritional therapies, doesn't accept insurance, and is quite expensive to find someone that would prescribe it. This doctor was the first one to test the T3, which should always be tested since it's the active form in the body, and the first to tell her not to take her thyroid medicine right before she does the blood test since it can distort the hormone levels. She also tested a myriad of other things, put her on a thyroid boosting supplement, etc. She's doing great now. Well worth the $1000 (with all the testing we chose to do that insurance also opts not to pay for) for the initial visit($160) and testing. It's ridiculous to have to go to such great lengths to restore a child's health. This dr. is in ks if anyone is needing such services.
I am excited to share what I learned yesterday from Mary Shomon's on-line newsletter: "For the record, soy is a goitrogen and thyroid disruptor that may slow thyroid function and worsen hypothyroidism. Flaxseed is also a phytoestrogen that may interfere with thyroid function." You may want to sign up to receive her e mail newletters.
Earlier this year, I contacted lawyers who took on the tobacco industry and won. Who better, I thought, than these two to take on the FDA? I am so very disappointed that I did not hear from them. They were my only hope, and now I don't know what to do. I think we need to start a grass roots movement to take on these bullies who sit on the FDA, controlling OUR health. Once this issue gets national publicity, the FDA can't hide. We need to demand our original thyroid back!
Wow, I had no idea that there were others out there just like me! I have a genetic thyroid disorder that really hasn't been an issue until the last 4 years. I was prescribed Synthroid and cried for 36 days straight and that is NOT an exaggeration. I am a believer that anything made SYNTHETICALLY in a lab and ingested cannot be good for anyone. I simply quit taking it and just suffered through until 5 months ago when my OB put me on Armour. I am a completely different person now. I will never take anything else. How dare the government even try to take away my freedom of choice of what I want to put in my body to correct a medical problem! I will do whatever I have to do to keep my medication. The FDA is full of self-serving, selfish individuals who have no desire to help anyone other than themselves. I agree with Jan, we need to get the FDA out of the shadows and somehow expose them for who they really are!
I have been to hell and back the past year, I was so thyroid toxic when I ended up in the ER last OCT that the ER doc was screaming I was in the first stage of a thyroid storm. (I had never even heard of such a thing until that day) It was pure hell. After two rounds of RAI I was put on synthroid even though I wanted to be put on armour because a family friend told me how wonderful she felt on the armour and has never had to change her level in the past 8 years (she had a total thyroidectomy). I gained 60 lbs overnight, hair falling out in clumps, body aches like I had the flu every single day, never slept at night, and I was worried I was going to 'go postal' on anyone that crossed my path. I was no longer myself and no matter what I told my Endo he wouldn't believe me and my GP said that people don't ever go into thryoid storms anyway so that couldn't be true (who would want to even make that up?!). I can't remember how many different times I was told all of my symptoms weren't thyroid related and I just needed to see my GP and my GP in return would tell me to see my Endo. The circle from hell is how I referred to my appts. I have been on armour for about 3.5 weeks now and I am having strange side effects and I don't know what to do. If I get excited, upset or nervous my body has this horrible pin pricking in my skin, my heart rate is back to racing out of control and I begin sweating like an animal at the smallest amount of activity to the point it is embarrassing (I was a very active person until last Oct so it isn't a new way of life for me). My hair stopped falling out and I am sleeping all night every night. I am also out of the "thyroid fog" which is wonderful. Any tips to getting control of the armour because I didn't have any quality of life on synthroid.
I'm a 30 year old patient who developed hypothyroid disease in 2009. I was on synthroid and then started getting switched between generic T4s. What a rollercoaster of being overdosed, then not enough and on and on. I now have a highspeed Doc who put me on Armour. As a 13yr Army veteran and very active person this gives me my life back. Soon I will have to pay for it out of pocket because the VA won't use it.
Another point is why in the world is T4 and TSH the golden standard? My physician uses T3 and reverse T3 much more accurate. As I told the doc at the VA today that if you don't convert T4 to T3 then the T4 is pretty much useless anyway! And why cause added stressors to your body using only T4 we already know that hypothyroid disease puts us at higher risks for things like addisons and other autoimmune disorders.
Seriously these guys need to go back to anatomony and physiology 101 and learn the basics of metabolism and the endocrine system!
hey i remember a website that helped me from this Thyroid Disease http://www.antiaging-systems.com/178-thyroid-armour-nature-westroid
I've been on Levothyroxine for 4 hrs for hypothyroidism. My mother also has it and has been on Synthroid for yrs. Much like the other stories posted, I continued to battle with low energy, depression, hair loss, etc. even though my PCP regularly tests my TSH and it stays around 4 which is considered "within normal range". My mother's symptoms have become worse over the years, insomnia, weight gain, GI upset, muscle aches, lack of energy, while her TSH continues to be "WNR". I recently went to an acupuncturist (also a CRNP) for severe tightness/ pain in my neck and shoulder. She looked at my med hx and asked if I've been tested for Hashimoto's dx, an AUTOIMMUNE disorder that's responsible for over half the cases of hypothyroidism in the US. I never was. Muscle tightness esp in upper body is a symptom, also Hashimoto's tends to be genetic. You have to get the labwork for "TPO antibodies" to find out. Turns out I have Hashimoto's. My antibodies were way high. Western MD's are taught to treat Hashimoto's the same as hypothyroidism (Synthroid, etc) but they ARE NOT addressing the autoimmune part of the disease in which your body is going to continue attacking your thyroid as time goes on and you are going to continue with the same lousy symptoms and they'll get worse and lead to new problems later on in life. This acupuncturist also has Hashimoto's (crazy, right?!) and so does her mother. Guided by a book from Dr. Kharrazian (thyroidbook.com), she has been taking herbal supplements, Vit D, and gone on a gluten-free diet. She has no symptoms, and TSH stays in a functional range WITHOUT taking hormone replacements! I'm reading the book now and gaining a wealth of knowledge about the disease and how to treat it. I'm excited to start my new plan of treatment! Check out the website, read the book!!! There's hope for us thyroid sufferers! The website gives you practitioners closest to your area who follow Dr. Kharrazian's methods. God bless and best wishes to all of you!
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