I NEED my thyroid meds and they don't know when they'll have any available? Ridiculous!
This is scary and it's been going on too long!
What else is available to us?
Posted by dmc (Member # 5102) on :
Hasn't your MD rxd Sythyroid to take until Amour is availabe? I have to take that until Amour is back.
Posted by joalo (Member # 12752) on :
I didn't know there was a shortage. I've been getting my refills every month without any delay. Posted by street129 (Member # 23472) on :
i heard that they are not making them any longer.
sorry for the bad news
Posted by Lymeorsomething (Member # 16359) on :
There are other natural thyroid meds. Armour is not the only one. The synthetic med Synthroid is T4 only.
You can run a Synthroid and Cytomel combo though.
Posted by jamieL (Member # 16563) on :
What are the names of the other natural thyroid meds?
Posted by Lonestartick (Member # 2151) on :
Shortages of the raw natural desiccated thyroid from which Armour natural is made has begun affecting RLC Labs, which is the provider for Westhroid and Naturthroid, the other natural products equivalent to Armour. Now all of the major US natural thyroid medications seem to lack enough supply to meet current demand.
Here is a statement RLC issued about the shortages of their natural desiccated product:
There may be another natural alternative available, though, but I don't know much about it because I've not tried to pursue it yet.
ERFA is a Canadian manufacturer of natural thyroid that enjoys a good reputation among patients. Here is information from their website about filling prescriptions outside the US. I spoke with a European patient yesterday who switched to ERFA recently due to shortages with Armour. This is heresy because I haven't tried it, but some patients are reporting it's better than Armour, as many of the shortages with Armour have been a repeat of production quality issues they're had in the past where changing the formulation binders appears to impact the bioavailability of their product creating problems for their patients.
I hope you will be able something that is a natural product. You are not alone when it comes to difficulties using synthetics. I tried for more than a year to adjust to synthetics and compounded formulations guaranteed to be better and safer than natural only to have them all impact my health negatively. My health is quite stable on natural so long as I can find it, but I worry about what I'll do when I use up the last of my natural prescription.
Posted by jamieL (Member # 16563) on :
I've got five days of Armour left.
My pharmacist said I got the last few pills in the whole city... ???
Posted by jamieL (Member # 16563) on :
Lonestar, thanks for that info!
Posted by Lonestartick (Member # 2151) on :
The following is a link to a thyroid forum and they may have additional information. BTW, in the links in my previous post, I forgot to mention, Mary Shomon, the about.com Guide to thyroid also has a forum, but this one seems quite good also as some of these patients may know how to obtain natural or the pros and cons of trying to treat with a raw natural nutritional product in the interim, which sound iffy to me.
Best of luck to you and to all of us dealing with these shortages. Please do keep as posted so we know whether or not you're able to find a natural source to continue with. In the meantime, I hope others will come along with more information.
Wishing you every success!
edited to clarify A.L. is the only US provider of raw material.
[ 01-08-2010, 04:32 PM: Message edited by: Lonestartick ]
Posted by jamieL (Member # 16563) on :
I looked at the ERFA website. The pills cost $40 per month plus it costs 31.00 just to ship. Posted by joysie (Member # 11063) on :
I was unable to get my Armour. I am on Synthroid + Cytomel Kris
Posted by Lymeorsomething (Member # 16359) on :
quote:Originally posted by jamieL: What are the names of the other natural thyroid meds?
Well, there were Nature-Throid� and Westhroid� among others I believe. I use T3 only currently so can't vouch for the availability of these others.
You could consult the Physicians Desk Reference (PDR) at your local library to get an idea of whats available.
Best.
Posted by Lonestartick (Member # 2151) on :
Jamie,
you might be one of the lucky patients who is able to shift to a synthetic thyroid successfully and enjoy the savings. However, if you are like many of us who require a combination of T3 and T4, but find the synthetic combinations don't work well, you might find the ERFA product to be worth the added expense. It's always good to have options and a backup plan if the synthetics create too many undesirable symptoms instead of the relief of your hypothyroid symptoms the natural thyroid you've been on provided.
These links explain the difference between T3 versus T4. They also clarify the amounts of T3 and T4 found in Armour and the natural products. I never was able to adjust to a compounded T3 and T4 product despite the ratio being compounded identically to the Armour product. I think that may be because natural thyroid contains T3, T4 as well as T1 and T2; although, not much is known about how T1 and T2 work, other than it is found in normally functioning thyroid glands.
For me, there was a cost savings using Armour over the compounded synthetics. Also, I don't have to test as frequently to be within an ideal range. I'm hoping my doctor will permit me to switch to ERFA when I see him. As a long time thyroid patient, I've had decades to discover how ineffective synthetics are for me, so I would be willing to see a Canadian doctor and travel to Canada to import my own if I had to, but that's just me based on too many years of personal experience determining what works in my own situation, LOL.
Wishing you every success.
Posted by METALLlC BLUE (Member # 6628) on :
It's now finally happened in Massachusetts too. I can't get access to it.
I am fortunate that I won't need it, but I sure hope you guys who do can get something.
Posted by tdtid (Member # 10276) on :
I too am running on short supply. My mail order pharmacy has no more which is what we are suppose to use if you will be on a medication longer than 3 months.
They gave permission to get it locally, but even calling around was hard to locate it. As it was, we had to get it in smaller doses and take 3 pills a day instead the 90's that I usually take.
I had been on Synthoid for awhile and was swapped back to Armour so this will be interesting to see what the doctor will do now.
Interesting topic.
Cathy
Posted by jamieL (Member # 16563) on :
Since everyone has had to switch from Armour to either Nature-throid or Westroid, those are also back-ordered.
Forest and RLC labs say it's a supply problem.
Where has all the dessicated thryoid gone?
Last I checked, there is still bacon and ham in the grocery stores...
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- You don't want thyroid from the pigs used for just regular bacon and ham. Most pigs are subjected to terrible conditions.
The NatureThroid pigs are supposed to be better treated than that.
-
Posted by keltyl (Member # 14050) on :
Synthroid literally almost killed me 10 yrs ago.
When the shortage started, my pharmacist gave me all he had. I'm only taking 1 a day, instead of 2 till I find out what's going to happen.
Posted by ConnieMc (Member # 191) on :
Try contacting compounding pharmacies. I was on Armour and when pharmacies started having difficulty getting it, the doc arranged for a compounding pharmacy to do it.
![[confused]](graemlins/confused.gif)
![[Frown]](frown.gif)