Armour tags

As the United States approaches Thanksgiving, it’s appropriate to offer our thanks as thyroid patients to the following:

THANKS go to the American Thyroid Association (ATA), who in their Nov. 10th email newsletter, had a NATURE-THROID desiccated thyroid ad right under their logo and gave us a great chuckle! Why? The ATA has always rigidly recommended T4-only medications and the TSH–both which have failed too many thyroid patients for sixty years. Loved your faux pas, ATA, in the name of making $$!! Are we going to see it again? Huh??

THANKS to Forest Labs, who though patients feel they ruined one of the oldest and best desiccated thyroid medications ever made when they reformulated it in 2009, gave thyroid patients the memory of a desiccated med far superior to press for from other pharmaceuticals in the future after the FDA gets their act together about the safety and efficacy of desiccated thyroid. (p.s. chew your Armour thoroughly before swallowing for better effectiveness, say patients)

THANKS to Erfa in Canada, who makes their own version of desiccated thyroid just like the old Armour, where we can do it sublingually and where it still has a touch of sugar to help with dissolution. Glory be to Erfa!

THANKS to the FDA, who had enough wisdom to allow thyroid patients to order Erfa desiccated thyroid from Canada–a far superior product than the lousy T4-only medications for a huge body of thyroid patients. We hope your wisdom continues.

THANKS to all the makers of important supplements–many which have played HUGE roles in the lives of thyroid patients trying to undo the damage done to us thanks to T4-only and the TSH lab test. They include high potency B-vitamins, selenium, minerals, sea salt, iodine, and so many more. We are behind you in the freedom to choose nutritional supplements without a doctor’s prescription.

THANKS to the growing body of doctors who have been listening to patient experience and email me of that fact. We bow to all of you who have LISTENED to the whole body of knowledge thyroid patients have learned, which is also Chapter 3 in the STTM book with more details.

****************************************

When I found out about natural desiccated thyroid in 2003, which at the time was Armour (and when it used to be a better product), I was lucky to find a Nurse Practitioner to put me on it, even if I had to drive far.  Today, I use a different doctor who totally supports my new health on desiccated thyroid. Natural desiccated thyroid has saved my life.

I’ve been lucky. But some thyroid patients have not.

It’s been clear that a certain percentage of thyroid patients, who desire to be healthy and live again after the nightmare of T4-only treatment, have had a hard time finding a doctor to either prescribe desiccated thyroid, or to understand how to dose it even if they did prescribe it. Even harder have been those thyroid patients with adrenal fatigue in finding doctors who understand this widespread and debilitating condition and how to treat it.

As a result of the latter tragedy…and here comes the big elephant in the room…some thyroid patients will state they have felt forced to self-treat and find their needed medications via online websites in order to live again.

And now comes some breaking information that I think all thyroid patients who feel forced to self-treat, and even those who don’t but use legitimate prescription-required online pharmacies, need to read:

1. Apparently, we now have a possible explanation of why “some” online pharmacies have disappeared: a company called LegitScript LLC, which seems to have some power to push online pharmacies out of business.
2. Also, says PharmacyChecker.com, LegitScript has been targeting some of the “legitimate pharmacies” i.e. those who require prescriptions.
3. And here’s another twist: PharmacyChecker.com, who is “the leading online verification company for U.S. and international online pharmacies” commends LegitScript for fighting the pharmacies who send out meds without a prescription, but does not agree with LegitScript’s attack towards legitimate on-line pharmaceuticals. If this is true, the former will concern thyroid patients who feel forced self-treat in order to have their health restored, and the latter is good news for those who use these “legitimate prescription-only pharmacies”.
4. Additionally, there may be some governmental push to get ICANN, the organization that works with URL names of businesses, to forbid URL’s to certain pharmacies across the world, and that may have huge legal implications. Last week, the Santa Monica headquarterd eNom, which is a domain name registration and wholesaler, has agreed to work with LegitScript in “identifying customers who are operating online pharmacies in violation of U.S. state or federal law”.
5. There is going to be a White House meeting on September 29th which is focusing on addressing “illegal online sales” via these internet websites.

You can read more about PharmacyChecker’s opinion about the White House and online pharmacies here and their opinion of Legitscript here. You can read about an investigation request against the president of LegitScrip here and his rebuttal here. I am just now reading about this, and reporting above on what I know right now. I’m sure there is more to come, and I also have no doubt that this is going to produce a lot of discussion and/or action by thyroid patients. If you want to contribute to discussion on this, here is where to go. BUT REMEMBER: unlike what has happened before, let’s keep a level head and stick to facts.

I received in an email from Sue in Australia.

Sue’s son has complex difficulties with a diagnosis of sarcoidosis, an inflammation disease that can occur throughout your body. From the disease, says Sue, he was fairly emaciated, which is common with Sarcoidosis (emaciated means he was basically “skin and bones”).

He was also born without a thyroid. So he’s been on compounded natural desiccated thyroid–the way thyroid is made in Australia–and of course, the filler has been cellulose.

When she read from STTM (see here) about the problems with cellulose and the way it binds the desiccated thyroid–making the compounded thyroid less effective–she approached a biomedical doctor to have the filler changed to acidophillus as suggested. He instead suggested glycine powder. Glycine is a non-essential amino acid and neurotransmitter which helps with digestion, central nervous system health, besides create muscle tissue and convert glucose into energy.

And, says Sue, “the immediate reaction was startling as my son who had been suffering from emaciation for years with a diagnosis of sarcoidosis put on over a kilo in much needed weight in the space of little more than a week.” In fact, she now wonders if much of his problems has been related to his lack of thyroid, and the cellulose filler making the medication less effective, all along!

Says Sue, “His case is a complex one, having been born without a thyroid gland, but the removal of cellulose ( or the addition of glycine or both) have certainly heralded some exciting changes”.

She also added, “There must be more to this than meets the eye. I did have to reduce his thyroid extract dose as I’m assuming that the binding effect of the cellulose meant he was on a higher dose than necessary to get a reasonable result and/or perhaps glycine enhances absorbtion. I’m sorry there are still quite a few questions to be answered and the results of a  blood test in a few weeks time will be interesting. I’ll keep you updated.”

Bottom line: adding cellulose as a filler with desiccated thyroid has been a disaster, as patients discovered after both Armour by Forest Labs and Naturethroid by RLC Labs were reformulated in 2009 and early 2010, respectively.

If you are on either Armour or Naturethroid, make sure you CHEW THE TABLETS UP thoroughly to release the desiccated thyroid from the binding cellulose. You can also choose to use a mortar and pestle to pulverize the tablets, and add a touch of honey or sugar, which helps with digestion.

If you are on compounded desiccated thyroid, ask the pharmacist to change the filler to acidophilus. Or ask about Glycine (or L-Glycine) to see if it is good for your particular situation.

All good alternatives for thyroid treatment are found here.

****************************************************

Thank you!! A hearty thank you goes to those who have contributed to the hosting fees for STTM–a patient-to-patient educational site! I can’t do it alone, so you are VERY appreciated. And if you would like to contribute to the hosting fees (which I do not get: the host server does), go here.  Stop the Thyroid Madness is YOUR site.

The large size STTM t-shirts are now gone. If you can wear an X-large or XX-large and want to spread the word to others, go here. And the bumper stickers REALLY catch attention!! I am stopped in parking lots because of mine. YOU could change someone’s life!

Vitamin and mineral deficiencies:  It’s common for thyroid patients to be low in iron/ferritin, Vit. D, magnesium, potassium and more. Have you checked your levels lately?

A patient recently reported on Facebook that a particular large and well-known health center in Texas decided to make their own compounded natural desiccated thyroid for their hypothyroid patients…with cellulose.

Having read my blog posts about widespread negative patient experience with cellulose, she told the pharmacy that many of us have noticed distinct problems with the addition of cellulose in our desiccated thyroid medications–exactly why the newly formulated Armour caused too many patients to see a return of their hypothyroid symptoms. Naturethroid has not escaped the same fate for some.

When she asked if they could remove the cellulose, she received a firm and condescending “No” from the pharmacist, referring to cellulose as “a common ingredient in many medications and not a problem.”

Not a problem? Once again, patients are dismissed as if we couldn’t possibly know what works, and what doesn’t work, in our treatment and in our own bodies. A shameful reality. She left disappointed. 

What is cellulose? Cellulose is the most common organic substance found on our planet–a fiber abundantly found in plants and trees, and most especially in cotton.

Where is cellulose used? You wear it and you write on it! You eat it when you consume celery, potatoes, or mushrooms. It’s used to stabilize and thicken processed foods, and may be found in many cheeses, dry milk, puddings, and more. And since it’s difficult to find anyone allergic to wood, it’s been a common ingredient in medications, used as a filler.

So where’s the problem for thyroid patients?

1. Unlike the happy cows in their pastures chewing their cuds, human stomachs  have a limited ability to break cellulose down. Cellulose is a fiber. And what does fiber do? It “binds”. It binds to the desiccated thyroid that has gone down with it.  i.e. the life-changing effects of desiccated thyroid are clearly dampened by the presence of cellulose. Our “experience” has revealed it all across the globe since Armour was reformulated with an increase of cellulose in the mix.  i.e. we have witnessed a massive return of hypothyroid symptoms on the newly formulated Armour, and to some degree, on Naturethroid, whether the latter switched to microcrystalline cellulose or not (as compared to the larger celled methylcellulose).
2. Hypothyroid patients do not digest well. As one of many complications of hypothyroidism,  especially due to the inadequate treatment of T4-only medications and poor diagnosis from the TSH lab test,  low stomach acid and poor digestion is COMMON in hypothyroid patients.  So when you add cellulose to the mix, you are further damning thyroid patients.
3. Though not specific to just thyroid patients, we are not too comfortable with finding out that cellulose can collect in our lungs, as revealed in pubmed articles here and here.  (Thanks to thyroid patient Danny for alerting me to this.)

Bottom line, desiccated thyroid is a quality and superior treatment medication which has changed the lives ten-fold for thyroid patients around the world.

But cellulose and desiccated thyroid DO NOT MIX. And BRAVO to those compounding pharmacies who have listened and have used the beneficial probiotic acidophilus as a filler. We appreciate you.

P.S. I absolutely loved this comment made by another patient on Facebook when we were discussing the grief of taking our last pre-formulated Armour: Would love to get my hands on some old Armour again….those were the days my friends…

***********************************

Want to know your options for better thyroid treatment?? Go here.

Need help finding a good doctor? Go here.

Think desiccated thyroid didn’t work for you?? Go here.

See common Questions and Answers here.

In case you are missing comments on my previous posts, there is a potential solution to the problems encountered with both the reformulated Armour by Forest Labs, and the reformulated Naturethroid by RLC.

Namely, by either crushing your tablet with a mortar and pestle, or chewing it up in little pieces, patients are starting to report far better symptom relief!! i.e., this process is probably breaking down the ridiculous coatings and cellulose and allowing your body better access to the desiccated thyroid within.

And if you just can’t stomach the pulverized pill method, add a touch of honey to the powder, and lick it all up.

Let us know how it works for you!

Want to see the newest Question & Answer page on STTM? Go here.

PREVIOUS BLOG POSTS:

To read my Editorial Response, go here (or if you are reading this on the blog, right below)
To read my informal survey on the new Armour, go here.
To read UK Sheila Turner’s Guest post on those who criticize self-treatment, go here.
10 reasons thyroid patients are frustrated, angry and sick, here.