The following comment by RLC Labs, a pharmaceutical which has made desiccated thyroid like Naturethroid since the 1930’s, was sent in a letter to a pharmacy. You may find it interesting as compared to problems so many have reported with Forest Labs and the newly formulated Armour:
We have never had any mandatory or voluntary recall of any of our thyroid medications due to inconsistency in dosages. Our formulation and preparation is able to stabilize the T3 and T4 hormones through its entire expiry period (3 years from manufacturing) providing additional assurance to both physician and patient alike in quality and consistency of our strengths.
Kudos for RLC Labs and Naturethroid! Patients whose lives have changed ten-fold thanks to desiccated thyroid need a good product. (And we’re going to hope down the line that “someone” will create desiccated thyroid in a sublingual form.)
P.S. If you don’t know what has happened to Armour and patient experiences with it, scroll down.
*Want to be informed of these blog posts? Curious what’s on Janie’s mind? Just use the Notifications to the left and below the links.
*SALE! Stop the Thyroid Madness T-shirts are now 50% off just because I like sales. A great way to spread the word about our patient revolution for the superiority of desiccated thyroid over T4-only meds. You’ll also see funny bumper stickers. Also…when you order the STTM book and request it, you get a Calvin peeing on….(you’ll see) bumper sticker for FREE, and it’s a hoot.
This entry was posted on Friday, July 17th, 2009 and is filed under hypothyroidism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Laura said:
Jul 17, 09 at 9:44 amOOh, I would LOVE to have one of those bumper stickers. I didn’t get one with my book when I ordered it last year! LOL
I asked for a got a script for Nature Throid today. Sure is nice to read that they seem to be a very reliable company and have not had any potency issues with their product. I like that a lot.
I started on the new Armour last week and noticed a difference in a few days. I’ve come too far in the last couple of years to go backward. Thank you, Janie, for everything you do.
Elaine said:
Jul 17, 09 at 3:05 pmAs dessicated thyroid users, what could we do as a grassroots group to persuade a pharmaceutical like RLC labs to develop and market a sugar-based, sublingual form of dessicated thyroid? It seems to me that these folks are unaware of the many people who use/used it that way, and might appreciate finding out another marketable application / product for their business. I know the Docs I’ve been to and the pharmacist I use have been unaware that dessicated thyroid could be taken in that fashion. and from what I read here, they certainly are NOT the only ones.
So who do we talk to to let them know there’s a market out here for a sublingual dessicated thyroid product?
Eventhough we live in the “Information Age” it is remarkable what information never makes it to the ears of those who have the power to make a difference…..as a “new” pharmacuetical, this could also be an opportunity to promote a far better and far more effective product to folks who really could use it. Surely it is not only “common folk” who deal with hypothyroidism….what well-known person has this condition and takes dessicated thyroid? (besides Janie B. or Mary Shomon that is
) You know, like a Michael J. Fox or a Marlo Thomas or a Mary Tyler Moore?
Janie, you’ve set up so many useful channels of communication….what can we do to funnel the request for sublingual dessicated thyroid to a place like RLC….surely there would be “something in it” for them.
My two cents. E
(from Janie: I’m in contact with three pharms about it as we speak.
)
Gunjar said:
Jul 17, 09 at 9:37 pmSometime ago someone in a response mentioned they were using Natural Thyroid made in Thailand.
I followed this up and got a consignment sent to me here in Oz, so far it seems really good. Dissolves nicely Buccally, cuts well and my body likes it as much or maybe more than it liked the old Forrest.
Much cheaper, I sourced it from edrug2.com cost US$99 including shipping for 500 x 60mg (1gn) on my doorstep in 5 days, much cheaper if you buy more but here in Oz we are only allowed to import 3 months worth at a time.
Worth trying
Gunjar
Lena said:
Jul 18, 09 at 4:46 amLook for a good old-fashioned compounding pharmacy. They can make up medication, including desiccated thyroid extract, in any form you need: gelcap, tablet, or yes, proper sublingual “troches” (aka lozenges). I get mine from one here in Australia, at about $60 (Australian dollars) for 180mg (3 grain) for 100 capsules. To take them sublingually, I just empty out half the thyroid powder onto a spoon and stick it under my tongue, twice a day. It tastes like char-grilled ham to me, though others don’t like the taste of the plain powder.
Australian compounding pharmacies all use Thyroid USP, the same stuff used to make Armour and Naturethroid – only you can get it in any format.
(from Janie: In America, compounded thyroid is frequently compounded synthetic T4 and synthetic T3, sadly. So if anyone goes this route, make very sure they are compounding “desiccated thyroid”.)
carol said:
Jul 19, 09 at 7:50 amHi:
I went to the site and found something called Armour Thyroid Thyroid-s Generic. Is this what you bought, Gunjar?
nutralady2001 said:
Jul 20, 09 at 10:20 amYes Carol, I think that is what Gunjar is referring to
I started on Thyroid -S when I switched from T4 by far the cheapest alternative for me here in Australia compared to a compounding pharmacist (I take 6 grains a day)
I then switched to Armour and was probably the first person to complain to Janie (privately) about the return of hypo symptoms with the reformulation, thinking maybe I was losing my mind but within 2 weeks the other complaints started coming in.
Am now waiting on an order of Thyroid-S again can’t wait for it to get here have ordered it from a new source as the one I used previously changed it’s ordering system which made it very difficult to place an order with them
Gunjar said:
Jul 21, 09 at 8:44 pmHi Carol,
The version I got wasn’t Thyroid-S, though I think that’s probably also fine.
It was Thiroyd made by Greater Pharm, both the same price for 500 though the Thyroid S gets a bit cheaper for 1000, but as far as I can see it’s a bit of a risk to order so many, as legally in Aus one is only allowed to order enough for 3 months at a time, and one should get a script from ones Dr & scan it and send it as an email attachment so the website can print it out and put a copy in the package for customs. I explained the situation and persuaded my very cooperative Dr to write a script that worked out to be for 6 per day which is more than I actually use but that covered 500 for the 3 month rule. I don’t think he would have been OK to write one for 11 gn per day, too risky for him.
Customs hadn’t opened my package but if they had and there had been no script they would have just confiscated it
But of course if you are somewhere where they don’t have such silly rules then websites offer a much better price for 2000
Regards
Gunjar
Whitney said:
Jul 22, 09 at 3:52 pmHow do you know what your country’s shipping restrictions are? I live in the US.
Gunjar said:
Jul 25, 09 at 2:30 amWhitney,
Here in Australia, you ring up the Therapeutic Goods Administration ( equivalent to the FDA) or go to their website, and the Customs Dept and between them they will tell you what is allowed for a particular drug, I would assume it would be somewhat the same in the US.
Regards
Gunjar
Stacey said:
Jul 28, 09 at 12:38 pmJust was switched to Nature Thyroid, when no results were seen from Armour Thyroid. After several patient complaints my doctors office called and found out that Armour recently switched their formula.
Tina said:
Jul 31, 09 at 10:53 amI just sent my doctor a link to this email and told him I wanted to
talk about switching at my next visit. I was pleasantly surprised that he replied after a couple of days via email and he is going to call it in today. I had my thyroid out almost 4 years ago and I have been on armour thyroid for almost 2 years.
mary said:
Aug 01, 09 at 7:30 amI have once again attempted to refill my Armour Thyroid prescription and am exasperated. A co-worker has been alerting me to what’s been going on anyway, and I’ve spent the last year being told the drugstore’s stock of Armour was “backordered.” I am actually working with a small indie drugstore right now figuring they have more sympathy than chain drugstores, but I guess it doesn’t matter. The funny thing is I noticed recently that my pills were inefficiently stamped with the A trademark, and I couldn’t even read the dose-identifying letter beneath the A. As it happened my friend had recently told me that the pills were re-formulated, and I didn’t understand what that meant until a recent one just didn’t taste the same. Since I have been taking Armour since I was a toddler, or a baby I used to chew it, because it was sweet. In recent months I have not noticed it but I did notice something was different. And just this week, at the bottom of my pill vial, I saw crumbs of pill matter, and even what looked like filaments of it, spider webby looking small strands. So they must be coming apart in the bottle! And I tried to access the Forest Website this morning but I can’t. And by the way: I used to be on 120 mg (2 grain). ALL my life, until I had children and grew a little bit older. Now I’m on 135 mg. So instead of 1 pill, I had been taking 2 (120 mg and 15 mg). Suddenly the 120 was not available, excuse me, it was BACKORDERED. Still is not available. Today, my husband picked up my refill for me and was told the 15 mg was backordered. They had about 10 of them so I have 10 days worth. After that who knows what I’ll get to replace it. Probably something I will need to cut in 1/2 or 1/3s
Stephanie said:
Aug 05, 09 at 11:38 amI finally found a dr who was willing to put me back on Armour after many years of terrible hypothyroid symptoms. Two months after finally getting it up to what seemed to be the proper dose and starting to feel human again, even good some days, I suddenly started getting steadily worse again. I realized from the info on this website, and the change in the taste of the Armour, that the new formula seemed to be not working for me.
After 3 months of dealing with my dr about my symptoms getting worse again, I finally convinced her to switch me to Westhroid if I found where to get it. I called the company, RLC Labs, and they told me it was available for drop-ship special order which would take 2-3 days. When I finally found a pharmacy willing to do that- most would not- the representative from RLC Labs contacted the distributor and the pharmacy and set up the order, but then at that time we were told 5 days… then when it arrived it was the wrong strength… reordered but the wrong strength was sent again… then the latest order did not come on Monday as it should have, and still didn’t arrive in today’s (Wednesday) shipment. So I called RLC and spoke with the same woman who had originally helped set up the order, and now she tells me they are running way behind because they’ve had so many orders lately, and it will be 7-10 days. I asked how to find out if the proper strength was ordered this time and she said she would need the pharmacist to call her with the actual ordering codes. He says he doesn’t have time.
So I’ve been waiting three weeks so far for something that I was told by RLC would take 3 days, and don’t know when or if it will arrive, and I can’t even find out if the proper strength was ordered this time. And in 9 days I’ll be out of my last refill of the Armour, and if the Dr has to refill it (which she agreed to switch brands ONLY because of the severe shortages of Armour here), she will try to insist again that I need to be on the Levo, which has never worked for me.
And all of this would’ve been avoided if Armour hadn’t changed their formula that worked well for so many people!!!
Veronica said:
Aug 06, 09 at 12:57 pmI have had the same experience with RLC as Mary! I finally got swicthed over the Armour….right in time for the reformulation, which made me go severely hypo-hair loss, body aches…the works. So I talked with my amazing doctor who switched me over to Nature-throid….only to find that no one carries it in Chicago! Most of the pharmacists hadn’t even heard of it, actually-and the ones that did, were backordered. So I called RLC and their CS rep, after a confusing 15 minutes, stated that they dont send Nature-Throid to distributers, but can drop-ship it though it would take 5 business days. I had my very patient pharmacist call them and they stated that they are backordered, but if I, the patient, paid $30, they would overnight my prescriptions. I called RLC to read them the riot act, and talked with a very nice rep who basically apologized for the delay. I have ended up paying the extra money so that I can get off Armour as quickly as possible…but I have to say, I am not convinced of this lab. This is a terrifying experience for anyone to go through, as you all know, and to have these roadblocks, and to be aware that we are being taken advantage of, is just shameful!
Paula said:
Aug 10, 09 at 9:45 amI was on synthroid and cytomel. Felt OK but, my toenails for some reason kept falling off. They would just fall off and new ones would grow in, just to fall off again. The nail was healthy but just detached.
I talked my doctor into Armour. No problems, felt great and no toenail problems. I take 1 1/2grain.
The past 3-4 months I know I am hypo again. My blood work
is supposedly NORMAL according to my physician?? The last 6 months I cannot even get to speak with my doctor. I changed to a new doc last week but, I am waiting for all the new blood work and saliva test results.
I wake up tired, am tired all day, aches and pains, memory fog…I cannot even work. Gaining weight again, too.
When, I am in work, I am still not there. I feel like I want to just sleep all day. Normally, I sleep 7 hours per nite, I am up to 10.5 and I am still exhausted.
After, reading this site, it all makes sense. It took me 5 hours on Friday, to find a place to refill my prescription of Amour (2 different strengths and I have to split one. What a waste of time…should have found this site before I bought them).
Everyplace that I went to, had none. Finally found them at Costco. Well, the pills are falling apart and they disintegrate when I cut them. I am going to bring back the prescription to the RX.
I just ordered the Nature-Throid online through the UK. Hope I get them. I cannot even function. I feel just awful!
At this point, I do not know what to think…all I know is, I am angry and dissappointed at Armour.
I am sure, this is “P*****g off a lot of doctors. Plus, it is easier for them to just prescribe Synthroid. So, if the doctor does change the script, and the labs of RLC cannot get their act together, we will all be sleeping our life away:-(
Stephanie said:
Aug 10, 09 at 12:01 pmUpdate on my previous post on 8/5-
I spoke to someone at RLC on approx July 8 about how to obtain Westhroid or Naturethroid in the 1/2 grain strength, since no one here carries it and cannot special order that strength. RLC explained what to ask the local pharmacist to do to obtain it, and said it would be drop-shipped overnight. They were very nice and very helpful, or so I thought.
Last Wed when the latest order (see above) didn’t arrive, the pharmacist called RLC to find out if they have the order and if they shipped the correct strength this time, and shipping/arrival dates, and he was told it would arrive Friday. It did not. Today (Monday) after he went through a big hassle with RLC to try to find out where the order is, RLC finally decided that UPS lost it (but the pharmacist and I are both wondering why UPS cannot track it as they do everything else, or if the problem is with the order itself). RLC said they’d ship another and refund the other cost that the pharmacy had paid for the lost order. The pharmacist told them he isn’t worried about his shipping costs, he is worried about his customer getting her thyroid Rx that we’ve been waiting on for almost a month and that she needs asap because she will soon be out of the Armour that she had to call over town to find it and get another month’s supply while waiting on the order from RLC that should’ve only taken a few days. He said RLC does have records of every call he and I made including the first one almost a month ago, but the only thing they’d offer is to send a replacement shipment today and it would arrive hopefully Thursday, or by Friday latest. The pharmacist requested overnight shipping/delivery but was told no. So he got the order # and is requesting that RLC provide him with the UPS tracking # so he and I can verify that it has been shipped and track it ourselves this time.
That pharmacist has been very helpful. At first RLC was very nice and very helpful, but as the month has passed the demand has greatly increased for their products as people are finding out that there’s a problem with Armour and that RLC is an alternative, and their service is getting worse and worse, I guess because that small company suddenly has more business than it is prepared for. Hopefully this time my order will arrive on time, and in the right strength, after trying for over a month to get it.
Michael said:
Aug 12, 09 at 10:59 amThis has been some very interesting reading for me.I have been on the synthetic meds for years and have been getting worse.Can’t get enough sleep,panic attacks,no ambition and many more symptions.I am going to talk to my Dr next week and see what I can do to get switched over to “desiccated thyroid”I’m really tired of the brain fog and lack of consentration
Caty said:
Aug 14, 09 at 1:47 amI’ve switched from Armour to Nature-throid (becouase its cheaper) and I feel worse again! Heart palpitaions, cold feet and tiredness. And a twitching eye! Why is it not as good?
Samantha said:
Aug 14, 09 at 11:05 pmI have tried Nature-throid and find that it doesnt work for me as well as the new Armour formula did. I have also tried Nutri-meds, and although it seems a bit better than the Nature-throid (in terms of temperature and symptom stability), it still doesnt seem as good as the new Armour… unfortunately I too have lots of hypo symptoms that returned with the new Armour so it isnt good enough to stay on this, not to mention the backorder issue making it harder to find… will keep trying the different brands till I find one that is better…
Allison said:
Aug 15, 09 at 9:21 amI found a company here that doesn’t require a script:
http://www.antiaging-systems.com/iasstore/acatalog/thyroid.html
My doctor wouldn’t write one for me because my freeT3 was within range but my TSH was high. I answered 26 out of 41 of Mary Shomon’s quiz questions with answers that lead me to believe that I have hypothyroid. I have a lot of the symptoms. I also read Janie’s book. I have MS, an autoimmune disease, and hypothyroid goes hand in hand with autoimune. I’m not sure which came first but I have had some of the symptoms for a good portion of my life. I have not yet tried the Nature-throid becsuse it has not yet arrived. I ordered 15 mg. pills and if I see that they help, I will order a high dose next. Wish me success!
Peggy O. said:
Aug 21, 09 at 9:00 pmReading everyone’s stuff here is enlightning to know that I’m not alone but super frustrating to know that there are so many of us out there, suffering for sooo long with no end in sight! I’m 48 years old and have suffered from what I’ll call a ’sensitive thyroid’since I was a teenager. It didn’t just outright quit until after my hysterechtomy when I was 40. So, for the past 8 years I’ve been trying to educate myself and find the perfect combination of Dr., pills and pharmacy. What I’ve found out the hard way(trial and error) is that I have almost acceptable results if I use a Compounding Pharmacy, taking a combo T3/T4 capsule, I also use compounded Progesterone/testosterone cream, and an Estrogen tablet, all to the tune of about $240. a month. Not covered on any insureance plan. I just got done( I hope) with the nightmare of trying to use manufactured Thyroid and Estrogen again for the 3rd time. My insurance covers it for $4. a month…but I’m dying here. I have all the fatigue and fog symptoms that Paula listed above. It’s a slow steady spiral to the bottom of that black pit. I have a fabulous Nurse Practitioner who has been working with me for many years now. She understands my delima with the cost and has prescribed every combination on earth that my insurance will cover, trying to find something that my body will recognize and absorb to no avail. Regardless of any shortage or restructure…that stuff doesn’t work for me anyway. Does anyone know why not?? Is it the fillers they use?? Monday, I start back on the compounded formula at $240. a month. I can’t afford that but I can’t live like this either. I typed all this to let other people know that I’m out here too and also, maybe someone else has experienced this and has any sort of suggestion(s). I’ll never give up… I remember the gal I used to be and I love her!!
beano said:
Aug 22, 09 at 10:00 amI’m afraid of the Thyroid-s made in Thailand- just because i read the ingredient profile and it contains a lot of aluminum additives– all i need now is Alzheimer’s
beano said:
Aug 22, 09 at 10:04 amHI CATY- you posted on Aug 14th- are you any better now? I am interested in switching from Armour to Nature-throid because I have had recent problems on the Armour– but I am having the symptoms you have on Nature-throid– have your symptoms gone away now?? I hope to take nature throid but i dont want to experience that!
Bronwen said:
Aug 22, 09 at 2:12 pmAllison, I’m wondering if you received your order yet?
angela said:
Aug 23, 09 at 11:24 amI am in Minneapolis Mn and wanted to try Armour -now I am afraid to – My Doc will not prescribe Nature Throid and I can’t afford to go to a doctor who will prescribe it – I will have to pay hundreds of dollars to see the one I found. Is there anyway to get it online without a prescription? I don’t know what else to do -I am miserable…single mom..working two jobs and going to school full time – was diagnosed last fall and it’s been a roller coaster…I feel terrible..weight gain..fatigue…and I eat healthy and workout ..well I try to workout I get so exhausted now…but I do force myself to go…I have put on 15 pounds in ten months and have never been overweight in my life…would really like to try Naturethroid so if anybody could help I would appreciate it! Thank you PS…I see a post above me found a site without a script..I will go there..but if there is anyone who has been using one of these sites for their meds ..is it working? Do you feel better?
Michele said:
Aug 25, 09 at 10:09 pmAs I reading these comments about the desiccated thyroid shortage, I have tears of frustration welling up in my eyes. I am having a horrible time, getting the proper prescription filled because nobody has any. My Dr. who didn’t want me to switch to desiccated thyroid in the first place refuses now to prescribe anymore to me until I have my lab work done and schedule an office visit. After feeling so great on desiccated thyroid, this last batch has left me feeling so awful…exhausted, weight gain, brain fog, etc..I FOUND THAT AFTER STOPPING synthetic thyroid I am not having migraines and hairloss…I found a pharmacy who has been waiting on their order of Westhroid..I will check again tomorrow…
Michael said:
Aug 29, 09 at 4:03 pmMy Dr. did let me have the Armour I haven’t been on it a week yet and can tell I’m sleeping better already.Will see what the next few weeks bring.
Lisa said:
Sep 03, 09 at 7:25 amI have been on Armour Thyroid for the past four years — Worked great for me — I felt good. Last month when I tried to refill my Armour, the pharmacy told me they couldn’t get it and they didn’t know when it would be available. I called my doctor’s office and left a message for the doctor to call me — and while I was waiting for his return call, I started doing some research on my own. I found good info on Nature-Throid and decided to try it. I called RLC Labs and they told me that Nature-Throid would not be available for 90 days that she gave me the number of two pharmacies — one being Knowles Apothecary in Kensington MD. I called my doctor back again — and the nurse told me that my doctor had called in a RX for Synthroid. I told her I didn’t want that and that I wanted to talk to the doctor about Nature-Throid. She said she would give message to doctor. The next afternoon, the nurse (not the doctor) called me back to tell me that the doctor had written up a RX for Nature-Throid 65 MG and that I could pick it up at the front desk. I told her that 65 was too much and that I needed 1/2 grain (32.5) — she proceeded to tell me that I was wrong and that all medications were formulated differently and that I needed the 65 MG of Nature-Throid (that this was comparable to Armour 30 mg). I called Knowles Apothecary and told her I had the RX from the doctor but that I felt it was not right and told her that I had been on Armour 30mg. She told me that I could split the tablets in half. I received the Nature-Throid from Knowles within four days from sending them my prescription. I have not yet started on them but will start taking Nature-Throid this weekend.
Teresa said:
Sep 27, 09 at 11:40 amI have been fighting with tooth and nail to try to get my hypothyroidism properly treated for fourteen years. I have even on several occasions had tests done for other completely different problems because doctors keep telling me my tests are normal; so they won’t give me higher doses of thyroid replacement. I realize now I need to get on a desciated thyroid. I have tried them before but I believe that I didn’t have enough (they were MDs so probably going by the TSH test normal ranges instead of symptoms). Now there is the question of being able to find the Nature or Westthroid. I also wish there was a way for me to just buy it through a different country. I have suffered sooooo much and actually since I was five years old of not being properly diagnosed and treated. My latest doctor reduced my T4/T3 and naturally I have been declining with many symptoms. She isn’t listening and just keeps ordering numerous drug prescriptions for different symptoms and conditions (which I won’t pick up). I will be leaving my present HMO at the end of the year. Now I am using my naturopathic physician whom has only one bottle of naturethroid left so isn’t jumping for joy to start me on it.I have had to pay for several tests with my own money even though I cannot afford it. Anyhow any suggestions on obtaining some Naturethroid would be appreciated.
(From Janie: you can obtain Naturethroid via a prescription, and here’s how to find a good doc who might prescribe it: http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/how-to-find-a-good-doc We are also having a shortage for a few months, and here are options: http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/options-for-thyroid-treatment )