Wondering which desiccated thyroid brand to take? Any other good options? Here is a list with summaries of your options. These are in no particular order. All are good, and if there are any issues, it’s explained in the summary.

1. ERFA aka “Thyroid”: Turns out Canada’s pharmaceutical “Erfa Canada, Inc” has always produced an excellent desiccated thyroid product, which they simply call “Thyroid”, but which patients call Erfa.  It’s almost exactly like the old Armour used to be (before Armour was reformulated in 2009 and ruined, say patients), thus you can do it sublingually.  The FDA allows US citizens to order this from Canadian website pharmacies. List below.  I, Janie, use this and love it. See the January 20th, 2010 blog post about favorite Canadian pharmacies.
2. ACELLA’S  N.P. THYROID: In late 2010, there suddenly appeared a generic version of desiccated thyroid–a real shock to patients since the FDA, in all their wisdom (cough), shut down all generics in 2009.  And so far, it appears the Acella version is very workable, say patients, plus there’s the bonus that it can be done sublingally. It appears to be made very similar to what Armour used to be made before it was reformulated in 2009. Patients report being very happy with this.
3. NATURETHROID and WESTHROID-P: Naturethyroid is a tried-and-true desiccated thyroid which has been around since the 1930′s, and is made by RLC labs. It appeared to have been reformulated in 2009, but many patients still swear by it. Some chew it up before swallowing for better absorption; others do well just by swallowing it. Hard to do sublingually. Westhroid has been around almost as long, but they made a new version with the P on the end. Have only one other ingredient with the desiccated thyroid.
4. ARMOUR: Until 2009, Armour by Forest Labs was the darling of all desiccated thyroid products. We could do it sublingually, and even if swallowed, it worked well. But, by early 2009, it had been reformulated with an increase in cellulose (which binds the thyroid hormones) and a decrease of  the sucrose. We had to chew them up to get their effectiveness back. Then in 2012, some of the tablets became soft again.
5. NUTRI-MEDS and THYROGOLD: Nutri-Meds is an OTC desiccated thyroid “supplement” in both bovine and porcine. It’s far weaker so you’ll have to take a lot more, but we’ve always been thankful for its presence.  Tell your doctor you are using it to maintain the relationship. http://www.nutri-meds.com/   Thyrogold is sold by Tammy Lowe, widow of Dr. John C. Lowe, and many are happy with it.  Capsules are 150 and 300 mg from New Zealand pasture-fed cows and 25 mg of Coleus forskohlii, which is said to promote thyroid function. www.naturalthyroidsolutions.com Says a patient on Thyrogold: I lost 23 lbs. I can fit into my clothes again! My digestion improved. My memory improved 100%. Joint pains went away. I sleep all night through and  my weight remains stable, and I can enjoy food. I am 64.
6. THYROID-S or “THIROYD”: These are two different brands of  desiccated thyroid made in Thailand that many patients swear by. Google “thyroid-s Sriprasit” or “thiroyd greater pharma” to find sources.  Information on ingredients here. Keep your doctor informed of your use.
7. A GERMAN PHARMACY will supposedly send the medication abroad, prescription required and credit cards accepted. They source the thyroid from Europe and have no shortages. They will also compound any strength and combination you require. ”THYREOGLAND” from Munchen (Munich), Kloesterl Apoteke, Waltherstrasse, 80337 Muenchen. Phone: 089 54343211 (Let me know if my information is incorrect, please)
8. INTERNATIONAL VERSIONS OF DESICCATED THYROID shown here.  Use the Contact form at the bottom of any page on STTM to let me know if I need to list others or make corrections, please.
9. SYNTHETIC T4 and SYNTHETIC T3: Granted, patients who have tried this synthetic combo, then switched to desiccated thyroid, report the latter has even better results. But the synthetic combo is still a much better choice than being on T4 alone! You can even choose to be just on synthetic T3, but remember that you’ll have no T4, the storage hormone, to covert to T3 for you, so you’ll have to dose it more, such as 3-4 times a day. Five times a day hasn’t been as effective as 3 or 4. Also, many patients report disliking the slow release version of T3–it’s an inexact man-made release and often runs out…and you feel it. Patients prefer dosing the T3 themselves with Cytomel of Cynomel. Read more here.
10. COMPOUNDED DESICCATED THYROID: This is a method of “making” your desiccated thyroid via a compounding pharmacy. It works, but is far more expensive than any of the above, and in most cases, patients say there’s no need for it.  And beware of two important problems: 1) some compounding pharmacies just use synthetic T4 and synthetic T3  and still call it “compounded Armour”. ASK for proof of what you are getting. 2) many of these pharmacies still try to use cellulose as a filler, which binds the thyroid hormones, even if they deny it.  Instead, ask that the filler be something like powdered Acidophilus or oil. Use this link to find a compounding pharmacy and you’ll need a prescription: http://www.wikihow.com/Find-a-Compounding-Pharmacy
11. HEALTH FOOD STORE products: There are good over-the-counter products with raw thyroid you can check out.  But as it true for Nutri-Meds, they are far weaker. Additionally, to raise these products high enough to get some relief of hypothyroid symptoms can result in you getting too much of added substances in these products. Check the labels.

IMPORTANT NOTE: if you aren’t doing well on most anything you try, don’t blame the product! That points to either an adrenal issue and/or low iron/low ferritin. You could also have an underlying illness like chronic EBV, Lyme, or others. But check out your adrenals and iron/ferritin FIRST, and dose correctly according to what patients have learned. Teach your doctor!

How to find a good doctor: http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/how-to-find-a-good-doc

Ingredients in different thyroid brands: http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/armour-vs-other-brands

Why desiccated thyroid is a better choice than T4: http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/t4-only-meds-dont-work

Order your own labwork to show your doctor later: http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/recommended-labwork

***Order the Revised STTM book for even more details: http://book.stopthethyroidmadness.com

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CANADIAN PHARMACIES LIST: 

http://www.universaldrugstore.com/

www.77canadapharmacy.com

www.canadamedicineshop.com

www.canadadrugsonline.com

www.pharmacy-online.ca

www.doctorsolve.com

www.canadadrugstore.com

www.discountrxmart.com

www.crossborderpharmacy.com

www.CanadaDrugsUnited.com

www.valuepharmaceuticals.com

http://www.pharmasourcing.com/ This is where you order directly from the company that makes Erfa, and they state you will get the latest batches from this.