Is this akin to “improving” cardboard?
The FDA announced today that they are tightening the potency specifications for levothyroxine sodium (aka Synthroid, Levoxyl, etc) “to ensure the drug retains its potency over its entire shelf life” rather than what often occurs with any T4 med: the deterioration of T4 before it’s expiration date. They state that this tightening will improve the quality of the product.
Cough.
Let me give you some history. After it was isolated, T4 was first produced as a treatment substance over 80 years ago. The T4 did result in some improvement in patients they tried it on at the time. But guess why they never gave it to patients beyond the early experiments? BECAUSE THEY KNEW IT WASN’T STABLE. They knew that fact 40+ years before it came back on the market in the 60’s due to the heavy and moronic pharmaceutical promotion.
And the irony of this so-called improvement is that it’s NOT going to stop the deterioration of T4. They are only attempting to stop it before “the expiration date”.
Sorry FDA. You can improve the tensile strength of cardboard, but you can’t improve the FACT that T4-only meds are about as effective as giving a hypothyroid patient CARDBOARD…whether it’s stable or not.
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01717.html
(Thanks Stephanie)
bonnie said:
Oct 04, 07 at 10:46 amI bet cardboard wouldn’t produce the terrible side effects of $yncrap.
I experienced migraines, chest pains, panicky feelings…all of which went away on Armour. I don’t think any other drug in history has been as useless yet as relentlessly pushed on the consumer as synthetic T-4!
Nancy Greene said:
Oct 06, 07 at 1:32 pmJanie, Thanks for your input on this Thyroid stuff that is so important to feeling human again. I started Armour some time ago & am so glad I did. Thanks again. Nancy
Trish said:
Oct 11, 07 at 1:00 pmJanie,
Our stories are the same, only the names change. I am on Armour and feel much better. It is still a constant struggle to convince the MD’s to look at symptoms instead of a antiquated TSH test. MD’s still feel I will go hyper if I am out of a certain range even though I do not experience any of the symptoms and only feel more human. What will it take. I know so many thyroid patients that suffer, I think, needlessly.
aprillv68 said:
Oct 18, 07 at 9:08 amOH what the FDA, and Dr’s,would or wouldnt do just to keep making a buck
As a nurse working in a nursing home there’s not very much i can say to our staff dr’s for i’ll lose my job. Right now i am observing a resident with a very high TSH, needless to say QUITE hypo, on a low dose of Synthroid, when i reported this to one of the dr’s on staff guess what she said? “Repeat TSH in 6 weeks.” I just wanted to strangle her.
libby said:
Dec 11, 07 at 10:00 amI started taking medicine for my thyroid in 7th grade. I am now 46 I too have tried every anti-depressant under the sun and felt hopeless, agoraphobic.…how to explain to your husband and child what you can’t even figure out. Since staring so young, I have been on automatic pilot.. bloodwork every 6 months, and taking whatever was prescribed. I found your site and it all made sense. I called my dr. and he called in armour for me I am due to go in for a re-check and have an appointment in March with an endocrinologist…I can definitely tell a difference. Still have some symptoms, but not a feeling of being completely overwhelmed by the little things in life, and less clouded thinking, and concentration. Am considering a complete switch to armour.