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?
-------------------- Diagnosed with :yme and mycoplasma pneumonia Aug 08. Treating with Doxy and Ceftin ever since. 15 sessions in hyperbaric o2 chamber Posts: 183 | From all around | Registered: Jul 2008
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dmc
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5102
posted
Hasn't your MD rxd Sythyroid to take until Amour is availabe? I have to take that until Amour is back.
Posts: 2675 | From ct, usa | Registered: Jan 2004
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joalo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 12752
posted
I didn't know there was a shortage. I've been getting my refills every month without any delay.
-------------------- Sick since January 1985. Misdiagnosed for 20 years. Tested CDC positive October 2005. Treating since April 2006. Posts: 3228 | From Somewhere west of the Mississippi | Registered: Aug 2007
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posted
What are the names of the other natural thyroid meds?
-------------------- Diagnosed with :yme and mycoplasma pneumonia Aug 08. Treating with Doxy and Ceftin ever since. 15 sessions in hyperbaric o2 chamber Posts: 183 | From all around | Registered: Jul 2008
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posted
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.
Posts: 487 | From USA | Registered: Feb 2002
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My pharmacist said I got the last few pills in the whole city... ???
-------------------- Diagnosed with :yme and mycoplasma pneumonia Aug 08. Treating with Doxy and Ceftin ever since. 15 sessions in hyperbaric o2 chamber Posts: 183 | From all around | Registered: Jul 2008
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-------------------- Diagnosed with :yme and mycoplasma pneumonia Aug 08. Treating with Doxy and Ceftin ever since. 15 sessions in hyperbaric o2 chamber Posts: 183 | From all around | Registered: Jul 2008
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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 ]
Posts: 487 | From USA | Registered: Feb 2002
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posted
I looked at the ERFA website. The pills cost $40 per month plus it costs 31.00 just to ship.
-------------------- Diagnosed with :yme and mycoplasma pneumonia Aug 08. Treating with Doxy and Ceftin ever since. 15 sessions in hyperbaric o2 chamber Posts: 183 | From all around | Registered: Jul 2008
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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.
Posts: 487 | From USA | Registered: Feb 2002
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METALLlC BLUE
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6628
posted
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.
-------------------- I am not a physician, so do your own research to confirm any ideas given and then speak with a health care provider you trust.
tdtid
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 10276
posted
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
-------------------- "To Dream The Impossible Dream" Man of La Mancha Posts: 2638 | From New Hampshire | Registered: Oct 2006
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posted
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...
-------------------- Diagnosed with :yme and mycoplasma pneumonia Aug 08. Treating with Doxy and Ceftin ever since. 15 sessions in hyperbaric o2 chamber Posts: 183 | From all around | Registered: Jul 2008
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Keebler
Honored Contributor (25K+ posts)
Member # 12673
posted
- 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
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.
Posts: 847 | From upstateNY | Registered: Dec 2007
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ConnieMc
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 191
posted
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.
Posts: 2276 | From NC | Registered: Oct 2000
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