Armour/thyroid med shortage?

[retroworx]

Terribly frustrating time with Armour shortage (30mg) here in NY for the past few months. Had to get some mail order from a compounding pharmacy in MD a while back -- they had back stock for some reason. 'Course then my insurance wouldn't cover it.

[nonstickpam107]

If I use my drug card from insurance, my Armour costs 20 dollars a month. If I pay out of pocket, and get Westhroid (generic for Armour) it's 10.45 out of pocket. Um that's for 3 grains, I split it myself.

Pam

[Doggygirl]

Originally Posted by ardawn

I just switched from Synthroid to Armour 4 days ago. I am starting on 1/2 grain sublingually,and will work up from there. I find that it dosen't even taste bad like I thought it would. I am in NW Arkansas,and I have not heard of a shortage here.

Do those of you that take Armour split your doses? I start feeling suer,super tired by 3-4 like I can hardly move. Doc is correcting my low cortisol levels,so maybe it's related to that?????

My doc started me at the same dose yours started you on, and I've worked up a bit but my full daily dose is still only 1.25 grains. Doc said it was very important to start with a low dose and work up gradually (no increases in dose until two weeks passed, and then only a small dose up and then two more weeks and a report....etc.) because too high a dose at once can "shock" the thyroid and it may stop producing whatever hormone it IS producing and actually worsen the situation. (Pam, feel free to comment - I'm just going by what the doc said)

I had the same issue as you....I felt great in the morning, but pooped out in the afternoon. So we started splitting doses and that solved the problem. My understanding is that T3 only lasts for 4 - 6 hours in the system, so it would make sense (to me anyway - just logically) that energy would wane in the afternoon if your body is using that T3 up.

I currently take .75 grain right after I get up, and another .5 grain at lunch time. That's working for me at least for now!

FWIW..

DG

[nonstickpam107]

Well, we with Hashimoto's won't have a thyroid that keeps producing any thyroid hormone anyway! The antibodies attack it till it looks like a shriveled up walnut on an ultrasound, lol.

But you don't start out large with hormone..most of us on 1/2 grain (30mg.) unsplit for about six weeks, re test, then another half grain (this is where you can take half morning, half early afternoon...), and then retest in eight weeks, and so on.

Depending on how much Synthroid you were taking Ardawn, half a grain is about right (BUT if you were taking anything over 75mcg. Synthroid, you could have started on one grain, split).

Pam

[Samantha42]

OK... thanks everyone for your replies. I just wanted to clarify some things...

1) It is the 60mg that have been hard to get ahold of? (that's 1 grain tabs?) My 120mg (2 grain) tabs have been very difficult to get. Is there a certain size that people ARENT having problems getting?

2) Stick with Armour as opposed to generic?

I would never ever go to Synthroid or any other strictly T4 medication.

I'm seeing the doctor tomorrow and wanted to be sure my new prescription wouldn't have any problems. I take 3 grains of Armour daily (1 2 grain tab and 1 1 grain tab).

I'm still not really sure what Armour strength I should be asking for. It seems like 60s and 120s (1 and 2 grains) are both low in supply?

[Locarb4me]

Maybe Medco bought it all. I just got my 3 month supply of 60mg filled last week.

[retroworx]

Originally Posted by Samantha42

OK... thanks everyone for your replies. I just wanted to clarify some things...

1) It is the 60mg that have been hard to get ahold of? (that's 1 grain tabs?) My 120mg (2 grain) tabs have been very difficult to get. Is there a certain size that people ARENT having problems getting?

2) Stick with Armour as opposed to generic?

I would never ever go to Synthroid or any other strictly T4 medication.

I'm seeing the doctor tomorrow and wanted to be sure my new prescription wouldn't have any problems. I take 3 grains of Armour daily (1 2 grain tab and 1 1 grain tab).

I'm still not really sure what Armour strength I should be asking for. It seems like 60s and 120s (1 and 2 grains) are both low in supply?

I had been having trouble here in NY with the 1/2 grain tabs. No problem this month, tho.

[nonstickpam107]

Originally Posted by Samantha42

OK... thanks everyone for your replies. I just wanted to clarify some things...

1) It is the 60mg that have been hard to get ahold of? (that's 1 grain tabs?) My 120mg (2 grain) tabs have been very difficult to get. Is there a certain size that people ARENT having problems getting?

2) Stick with Armour as opposed to generic?

I would never ever go to Synthroid or any other strictly T4 medication.

I'm seeing the doctor tomorrow and wanted to be sure my new prescription wouldn't have any problems. I take 3 grains of Armour daily (1 2 grain tab and 1 1 grain tab).

I'm still not really sure what Armour strength I should be asking for. It seems like 60s and 120s (1 and 2 grains) are both low in supply?

Kind of a 'moot point'. Your doctor should write the Rx. as 'may substitute' so that the pharmacy can give Westhroid if needed (Westhroid is the SAME as Armour..some prefer it TO Armour..I happen to prefer Westhroid), and then the pharmacy can fill the Rx. as however they can. Example: I also take 3 grains daily, and at one point, my entire Rx. for 90 days was filled with 1/2 grain tabs, and the next Rx. was filled with one grain tabs. I haven't seen 3 grain tabs since..um...prolly last year.

They CANNOT substitute (the pharmacy) a T4 only synthetic med for generic Armour. You'll either get Westhroid, or Naturethroid as the sub. I've also had to switch my Rx. from one drugstore to another last year (as the first drugstore just 'didn't get it' and was so small they only got their drugs from one source).

Pam

[Samantha42]

Originally Posted by nonstickpam107

Kind of a 'moot point'. Your doctor should write the Rx. as 'may substitute' so that the pharmacy can give Westhroid if needed (Westhroid is the SAME as Armour..some prefer it TO Armour..I happen to prefer Westhroid), and then the pharmacy can fill the Rx. as however they can. Example: I also take 3 grains daily, and at one point, my entire Rx. for 90 days was filled with 1/2 grain tabs, and the next Rx. was filled with one grain tabs. I haven't seen 3 grain tabs since..um...prolly last year.

They CANNOT substitute (the pharmacy) a T4 only synthetic med for generic Armour. You'll either get Westhroid, or Naturethroid as the sub. I've also had to switch my Rx. from one drugstore to another last year (as the first drugstore just 'didn't get it' and was so small they only got their drugs from one source).

Pam

I understand what you're saying, my concern was simply that generic (or 'westhroid') was not recommended by people (ie Mary Shomon). So I want to make sure that I should be sticking with Armour as opposed to generic. I know they would not substitute a T4 hormone for my Armour.

Why exactly is Westhroid preferable??

[nonstickpam107]

I tolerate Westhroid as well as Armour (I have other autoimmune diseases, like many with Hashimoto's). Some DOCTORS prefer Westhroid because they feel it is more 'pure in fillers'. At one point here in my area (the wilderness) Armour was NOT available at all...and that's when I began taking Westhroid (and sometimes Naturethroid) and found that it makes not one iota of difference to ME, personally. Westhroid and Naturethroid have 37mcg. of T4, and approximately 9mg. of T3, just like Armour Thyroid. It also contains calcitonin, just like Armour Thyroid. It was a matter of going WITHOUT my porcine thyroid, or taking a different 'brand'...I wasn't going to go without it. I've taken Westhroid for about five years now on and off.

Mary is telling people not to take Westhroid? (Westhroid is a BRAND of dessicated porcine thyroid...it is not 'generic' it is given AS A GENERIC by some pharmacies to sub for Armour). Can I see that link? (I don't know why she'd do that!). Now, at one time Qualitest was making some generic dess. porcine that wasn't 'up to snuf' and I think that's what you may be referring to. There is no 'generic' Armour being made at this time. The pharmacies just sub Westhroid (name brand) for Armour when it is low in production.

Pam