my armour refill differs from the first. The pills differ in taste and how they cut when divided, and do not agree with me. Is it the fillers or what?
Pill inconsistancies-How do I find out what fillers are used in armour thyroid 30mg?
- Posted:
- 28 Aug 2009 by lindasch
- Topics:
- armour thyroid
Details:
Added 2 Sep 2009:
Someome has answered that the pills are generic. The logo on the pills is Armour Thyroid. Are generic pills allowed to use the logo?
Answers (3)
itsmetoo216 Mar 2011
It isn't a generic you received if it has the Armour logo. Armour did reformulate their pills awhile ago. They claim that the active ingredient is still the same, but the filler, cellulose, is different. Quite a few posts can be found online with complaints from Armour Thyroid users about this new formulation, most complain that the new filler has changed absorbtion and that they are not getting as much of the active medicine into their system. Some have changed to either Westhroid, or Naturethroid, which are the generics for Armour. These are both dessicated thyroid, and not synthetic like Synthroid and Levothyroxine. Maybe with enough complaints Armour will make the old formulation available again, if not, and you are still having problems with the reformulated Armour, you may consider trying one of these generics I've listed. Wishing you the best!
kmoran22
16 Mar 2011
Oops, I meant to give you a thumbs up. I accidentally hit the thumbs down instead! I can't figure out how to undo it, so I thought I'd just leave a comment instead. BTW, you are correct. The formulation did change and many of us have experienced a return of our hypothyroid symptoms, or other intolerance to the new filler. With the old Armour I would dissolve the pill under my tongue to ensure maximum absorption, but the new filler doesn't dissolve like the old formulation did. I am thinking about switching to West or Naturethroid as you suggested, or maybe even a compounded desiccated thyroid if I can find a reasonably priced compounding pharmacy nearby. I do worry about the variation in potency from pill to pill though with compounding.
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swhitt21 is right, the formulation and filler changed for Armour Thyroid awhile back. It is not because they filled your prescription with a generic. If they had-the Armour logo wouldn't be on the pills and the bottle would not say Armour Thyroid on it (if it did, it would say 'generic for Armour Thyroid').
Gish, I posted 2 years ago...
Firstly I have since then decided to add to my answer, the diffrence between Armour Thyroid and Synthroid.
Expand this post...
"Armour Thyroid (desiccated porcine thyroid gland) and Synthroid (levothyroxine) are used as replacement therapy for thyroid hormone when the thyroid is under-active, nonfunctioning, or has been all or partly surgically removed. The thyroid hormones naturally produced in your body are liothyronine (T3) and levothyroxine (T4). These hormones are necessary for metabolic regulation, normal growth, development, and mental function, among other things. T4 is found in the body at approximately four times the level of T3, but T3 is four times more potent. T3 is the active thyroid hormone used in the tissues, whereas T4 is a storage form that is stored in the liver, converted to T3 as needed. This storage mechanism acts as a buffer to help the thyroid keep up with the body’s demand for thyroid hormones. The controversy over whether to use synthetic versions of thyroid hormone (Synthroid, Levoxyl, et al.) versus natural forms (Armour Thyroid) is better stated: “whether to use T4 alone or a T3 and T4 combination.” Armour Thyroid was the only treatment for hypothyroidism for about 50 years, but it was found that the amounts of T3 and T4 varied greatly from batch to batch. Eventually, synthetic T4 (Synthroid) was being produced and widely used because it did not have similar problems of standardization in common with the naturally derived Armour Thyroid. A disadvantage of Synthroid is that some patients do not feel quite as well on T4 alone as they do on T3/T4 combinations. This is thought to be because not all tissues have the ability to convert T4 to T3 equally, such as brain tissue. In order to compensate for this, physicians may over medicate patients with T4 in order to compensate for this conversion problem. This may lead to greatly increased T4 levels, resulting in a temporary hypothyroid condition. Synthetic T4 products have not been shown to produce permanent hypothyroidism, though most patients return to a normal thyroid state soon after stopping the medication. In some patients, combination products may be better than single T4 products, because of a lack of ability to convert T4 to T3. In recent years, a synthetic T3/T4 combination (Liotrix) has been developed to deal with the problem of standardization of the Armour Thyroid. However, Liotrix is more expensive than either Synthroid or Levoxyl, and remains the reason why most therapy for hypothyroidism is initiated with these agents. Prepared by Jed Oyer, PharmD "
http://www.netwellness.uc.edu/question.cfm/24516.htm
Hope this helps anyone, as I do see that someone did not like my previous answer as I received a -1, for my rating from my peers. What I wrote before (2 years ago) I still stand by.
Wishing you all good health.
When I said filler, I was not taling about the person or pharmacy filling a RX, But the inert ingredients added to the product, to hold it together. AKA: Binders AKA: Fillers
That is good info that you posted from the pharmacist. I was only agreeing with swhitt21's answer to the initial question. The person who asked posted additional information and said the pills they got are marked as Armour Thyroid, which means they aren't generic. I wanted to clarify so that if someone found this page they would know that Armour is still available, but that they did change their formula and the pill does look different. The active ingredient is still natural desiccated thyroid, they are not using synthetic like Synthroid or Levothyroxine. If the pharmacy was to give a generic for Armour, it would most likely be Westhroid, Naturethroid, or a compounded formula of desiccated thyroid if it was a compounding pharmacy. The synthetics, generic or brand, should never be given to someone who is on the natural desiccated brands as an alternative or 'generic' without the doctor changing the prescription.
It is my understanding that Armour thyroid has been reformulated to include T3? Does anyone know if this is certain; and has anyone used the new formulation. I did use armour thyroid; and, then I could not find it. I was prescribed levothyroxine; however, I am highly allergic to acacia (which is used in most brands of levothyroxint) and I had a severe rash, very itchy. I have been tested for acacia; so, I know for a fact how my body reacts to this substance. I am now off of levothyroxine for 21 days; and, my long-standing, itchy rash is clearing up. Now I need to find a natural product that does not contain accacia in their microcrystalline cellulose. Can anyone help me?