• hypothyroidism
• naturethroid

As the one grain tabs of Naturethroid desiccated thyroid by RLC Labs are hitting pharmacy shelves again all across the nation here and there after the recent shortages and the sad reformulation of Armour,  and patients are starting to use the new Naturethroid, we are gathering some good information, both anecdotal and factual:

• The typical smell of desiccated porcine is less intense with the new tablets. We have no idea why.
• The tablets are now stamped with RLC on one side, and N over 1 on the other, whereas before you’d see just NT1 or a reference to the fact that Time Caps Labs (TCL) used to make Naturethroid for RLC Labs
• The package insert is no longer inside the bottle but stuck on top of the cap
• Lot number info used to be on the edge of the label running vertically, whereas now, it runs along the bottom of the label  under the ingredients.

One grain is still 65 mg, with the T3 content being at 9 mcg and the T4 content being at 38 mcg.  The T2, T1 and calcitonin still unmeasured.

There are filler/inactive ingredients which have changed:

• Calcium filler has moved up from 16 mg to 17 mg (calcium binds thyroid, but you just take more. Don’t swallow it with milk, please.)
• The old contained Magnesium, Potassium, and Sodium (each at less than 1 mg), whereas in the new, potassium is now removed
• And here’s the best part: the old NT had Hydropropyl Methylcellulose–that’s the larger size cellulose structure which we know binds some of the thyroid hormones. Now, the new NT has Microcrystaline Cellulose, the smaller size. (Too bad we can’t see all cellulose removed!)

Below are the new NT fillers, which are identical to the old except for the cellulose change:

Carnaba Wax, Colloidal Silicon Dioxide, Dicalcium Phosphate, Hypromellose, Lactose Monohydrate, Magnesium Stearate, Microcrystaline Cellulose, Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)-400, Sodium Starch Glycolate, Stearic Acid.

Most all the above comes courtesy of Stephanie Buist, owner of the Iodine group on Yahoo and thyroid and adrenal patient and advocate.  Thank you, Steph!  You can read about the fillers here by scrolling down.

Oh and by the way, the new tablets are now scored. A helpful addition!

In patient groups, we are seeing a variety of experiences with the new Naturethroid.  Most folks seem happy with it so far, and even some report it seems a tad stronger than the old (the cellulose change may have caused that). Occasionally, someone will report problems, but they appear to be from underdosing or a potential RT3 problem which has arisen and needs treatment with T3-only.  Changing brands can also bring different reactions, so you have to wiggle the dosage around sometimes to find your sweet spot once again.

All in all, it looks good.

P.S. If you are reading this via the Newsletter Notification, just click on the above link to put yourself right on the actual blog post if you want to comment. Let’s gather all our experiences with the new Naturethroid.

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If you missed the last internet radio Thyroid Patient Community Call with Dr. Kent Holtorf, you missed a VERY good one. Thank you Dr. Holtorf for excellent information. But good news! All the shows are recorded.  Just go to the following link, scroll down, and you can click on any past interviews, including two with Dr.  John C. Lowe and a great one with Endocrinologist Dr Pepper–one of a rare breed of open-minded Endos.  (I’ve also stopped doing my long intro’s about me in the last two, figuring if someone wants to know, they can go to the About Me page, or read the Introduction in the book which has even more detail. lol.)

http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=62603&cmd=tc

The news this morning about Oprah made me pause.

Yes, it’s being announced today that there will be no more Oprah Winfrey Show on CBS after Fall of next year.  She’s saying goodbye. And the rumor is that she will move her talk show to The Oprah Winfrey Network, which replaces the Discovery Health Channel. We’ll see when she formally announces it today on her show.

But the change sure does shine a bright spotlight on a colossal and complete failure by Oprah and The Oprah Winfrey Show for hundreds of millions of thyroid patients. Though she had her own bout with thyroid disease (and may still be dealing with it when you consider her weight issues), we all winced a year ago when she stated that a month long Hawaiian vacation and eating fresh foods with soy milk (a goitrogen) were a great way to treat her thyroid condition. Yikes.   We equally squirmed in our seats when Dr. Christiane Northrup made the comment that our thyroid problems were due to an “energy blockage in the throat region, the result of a lifetime of ’swallowing’ words one is aching to say.” Double yikes.

And since then, we have watched nothing, zilch, zero from Oprah and The Opray Winfrey Show about a horrendous 55-year medical scandal of thyroid treatment that has negatively affected the lives of hundreds of millions of thyroid patients worldwide. T4-only meds like Synthroid, the darling medication of the medical community for hypothyroidism treatment, has left hundreds of millions sick.  The TSH lab test has equally sent us to hell.  Because we have been forced to live with continuing symptoms of hypothyroidism, we’ve endured much more testing and have been put on many other medications to bandaid our continuing symptoms. And a majority of us have had to deal with the additional burden of adrenal fatigue thanks to all the above.

It’s been hell, Oprah. But you never listened.  So for me personally, I could care less what you do now. You’ve let millions of us down.

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On a far better note:  Last night’s Thyroid Patient Community Call on Talkshoe was excellent. From thyroid/adrenal patient Valerie Taylor, who is absolutely one of the most knowledgeable patients in the world about adrenals and RT3, we gained good information how it raises its ugly head when you have high or low cortisol, low B12, low ferritin and other untreated issues, and how to treat it. You can go back to Talkshoe and listen to the broadcast, which was Episode 7.  See my blog post right below this. As far as future Talkshoe Community Calls: they will always be announced here first.

Below that, you’ll read how cellulose as a filler just may be a huge problem in natural desiccated thyroid meds. But we are also discovering that a good desiccated thyroid like Naturethroid, even with its cellulose, can seem even worse if we have undiscovered and untreated issues like low B12, low Vit. A, low ferritin, low Vit. D and other conditions common with hypothyroidism.  Make sure you have tested for these.

*HO HO HO! Have a STTM book sent to someone  you care about as a CHRISTMAS or HOLIDAY present. All the work is done for you!

Word has trickled down to me from a few patients and emails that even Naturethroid is getting harder to come by at pharmacies because of the extreme demand on RLC Labs.

No, they are not ceasing to make desiccated thyroid. They just weren’t prepared for the high demand due to the reformulation of Armour and problems it caused.  And they aren’t keeping up and won’t for several months.

So, if you can’t last with your current prescription for several months, you will probably need to talk to your doc about getting a generic version by Major Pharmacy, or get some over-the-counter like NutriMeds, or even the “Hypo Support Formula” made by RLC Labs, but expect to take much more of either.  Many patients are also mentioning Thyroid-S by Greater Pharma as a backup until RLC catches up.  But it’s by mail order and will take a few weeks to arrive.  Google any of the above. Finally, you can move a slight step backwards and talk to your doc about doing synthetic T4 and synthetic T3.  It’s not going to be quite a good as being on desiccated thyroid, but it’s certainly better than being on T4 alone, don’t you agree?? Keep connected to your doc.  And hang in there. This will pass.

Janie

P.S. I’ll be adding more information to this post tomorrow. Check back.

*Want to be informed of these posts? Curious what’s on Janie’s mind? Use the Notifications on the left and below the links.

Below is the actual release by RLC Labs:

For any patients experiencing difficulties in attaining either Nature-ThroidTM or WesthroidTM through their pharmacy, RLC Labs, Inc, asks these individuals to have their pharmacy contact us directly at 877-797-7997 to place an order, or have their pharmacy request a drop-shipment through their wholesale supplier.

RLC Labs’ products are only available through wholesalers, pharmacies and or their doctors; thus all confirmations and/or tracking information will only be available through the wholesaler, pharmacy, or doctor’s office that placed the order.

RLC Labs is experiencing a substantial increase in orders for Nature-ThroidTM and WesthroidTM. The recent unexpected influx has inundated our customer service and shipping departments, thus causing delays and depleting our current stock. We are working around the clock to fulfill all current orders; however, we cannot guarantee that
any future orders will be fulfilled until our stock is replenished.

RLC Labs will continue to accept orders from our customers, however as of Friday August 14th, we are backordered on all strengths of Nature-ThroidTM and WesthroidTM. Shipment is expected to resume within 90 days.

We regret to inform you of this situation; however, we can assure you that we are working diligently to replenish our stock and will resume shipping as soon as possible. Please accept our sincerest apology for any inconvenience.

We do understand how much of an impact this has as most of us employed @ RLC Labs, are hypothyroid and take our own product. Thus, we know and understand how important it is to get product back into the market place. We are grateful for your continued patience, patronage and support!

Feel free to contact our customer service department with any questions concerning this matter @ 877-797-7997.

Thank you from all of us @ RLC Labs, Inc.

In 2002, when I first got on desiccated thyroid and it absolutely changed my life, it happened to be the brand name called Armour by Forest Pharmaceuticals.  And I swooned.  You could do it sublingually (even if it wasn’t made that way), and I praised Armour for that. So did other patients after we spread the word on patient groups, on the STTM website and in the Stop the Thyroid Madness book.

My fondness for Armour did not take away my praises for other prescription brands, though, including Naturethroid or Westhroid by RLC Labs.  I simply made a doe-eyed commitment to Armour for my personal treatment because you could do it sublingually. I have also used the name “Armour” interchangeably to represent all good desiccated thyroid products.

But because of a succession of three events, I think it’s time to give back my going-steady ring.

The first blow to my romance with Armour centered around the extreme tight-lipped secrecy from Forest when the reformulation of Armour began. We can surmise the trouble begin in 2007 when patients were finding Armour in the larger sizes to be suddenly ineffective.  For the entire year of 2008, supplies were extremely limited and only the one grain size or lower could be found, if at all.  Patients were worried and unhappy.  I even supported Forest in my blog posts, assuring patients that everything would be fine.  But Forest said practically nothing. Why was and is Forest mum about why this was happening ?

The second blow to our courtship was the change to the “reformulated” Armour. Suddenly, patients find that doing Armour sublingually was a thing of the past. Now all we get is a never-ending chalky pasty residue.  Additionally, many patients have been reporting that the amount of Armour that once removed all symptoms, was now bringing them back.  Huh?? In spite of an apparent drawback in some batches in 2007, why would Forest take an effective product and change it?

And the third and final straw to my affair of the heart? I made a phone call to Forest using the same 800 number you all can use. That was Tuesday, May 5th. My intent was to ask about the word anhydrous which is now after the ingredient dextrose in the Armour ingredients listing. (It means that all moisture has been withdrawn, but I wanted to confirm the details for the brands page.)  When I reached the representative for Forest, and after she asked my name and I gave it (oops),  the tune of the conversation changed.  She said she could not answer my question since I own a public website, and would have to inform the “Media group” from Forest, and they would call me back. When I asked when, the answer was a vague as Synthroid is in treating hypothyroidism i.e. she didn’t know. I even called back the next day to get the same dribble.   Why have representatives on the Forest hotline been instructed not to answer a simple question from someone like myself,  and I still have not received a phone call from Forest?

Sob.  Yup, breaking up is hard to do, but a gal can only take so much strange betrayal, tight-lipped silence…and ignoring a simple question from someone who has done a LOT to put money in their pockets out of extreme gratitude. Besides, there’s another pharmaceutical courting me at my door:  RLC Labs. Thank goodness there are other fish in the sea.