Skip to content

Category: +Audience

Thyroid patients and the Coronavirus aka COVID-19

We need to talk about the coronavirus, aka COVID-19.

Hardly anyone hasn’t heard about the new version of a Coronavirus, aka COVID-19, which is a novel and pretty serious virus that seems to have originated in Wuhan China. As I write this, it’s making a steady jump to various countries and people. (For constant updates past the time I’ve written this, go here.)

The Coronavirus is a unique virus with characteristics of its own. Though it and the flu are respiratory viruses, the COVID-19 can be more severe with its uniqueness.

  • There is no immunity towards it because it’s new.
  • The infectious rate (how easily you catch it) is probably higher than the flu.
  • The death rate of coronavirus is slightly higher than the flu, even if small percentages overall.
  • COVID-19 can be spread through the air via saliva or mucus particles even after an ill person is no longer around you.
  • Infected people can be around you, infecting you, without any symptoms, as it can take up to two weeks before they have symptoms.
  • Some are lucky to have no symptoms, others have a mild version, but others can get quite sick from it.
  • It’s simply far too easy to get infected if you are not careful.
  • Our medical systems may end up stressed by all this if predictions of infection are correct.

Just today, March 3rd, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) came out with some interesting facts, some of which I chose for below.

  • There is now a total of 90,893 reported cases of COVID-19 globally, and 3110 deaths.
  • Outside China, 1848 cases were reported in 48 countries. 80% of those cases are from just three countries: the Republic of Korea, the Islamic Republic of Iran and Italy.
  • 12 new countries have reported their first cases, and there are now 21 countries with one case.
  • It’s spreading. https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/
  • To keep this post up to date, this.

How are some reacting to hearing about the coronavirus?

  • “I’m not worried.”
  • “It’s only a small percentage of people who are dying.”
  • “I’m young and healthy. Who cares.”
  • “It’s no different than the flu.”
  • “Meh, it’s overblown.”

But is it possible that we as thyroid patients may need to take the coronavirus more seriously?

Whether with autoimmune Hashimoto’s or non-autoimmune causes of hypothyroidism, we might have reason to take this a bit more serious. Why? It appears having the coronavirus can be more severe if there are other preexisting illnesses. I see no proof of this yet, but what if thyroid patients are more susceptible to a more serious reaction to the coronavirus if one is underdosed on thyroid meds, on a poor treatment with T4-only, have an adrenal issue, have a stressed liver, are gaining in older age, or have any other issues related to your thyroid problem? Then comes those with Lyme, mold exposure, or any other diseases and conditions which are a stress.

Coronovirus symptoms

There seem to be some key symptoms (after an incubation period up 1 to 14 days) in the early stages:

  • Fever
  • Dry Cough
  • Loss of taste or smell
  • Fatigue, then as it progresses….shortness of breath

You might get a runny nose, sore throat, aches and pains. More mild cases are like having a cold.

If it progresses and on the mores serious side, one might see liver stress, kidney stress, and for a few, this can lead to pneumonia and damage to organs from an overreactive immune system. For those with autoimmune diseases, using LDN might be key.

Positive strategies here and now for all thyroid patients possible facing this virus

First and foremost, this is NOT the time to overreact or panic, even with the presentation of facts above or on the internet or social media. Instead, this is the time to implement all sorts of great strategies to give you a sense of power!

elderberry, for those without Hashi’s or autoimmunity
  • Wash your hands thoroughly after touching anything in a public place. Wash your hands again and again all day.
  • Don’t eagerly reach out to shake someone’s hand right now. Fist bumps rock right now.
  • Get rest now. Support your sleep. Take naps. De-stress. Find times to laugh. Gentle yoga. Etc.
  • Stock up now with healthy foods for your home.
  • Buy some 60-80% alcohol based wipes and keep them in your purse, pocket, vehicle. Use them liberally on door handles, public tables, anywhere you go.
  • See if you can get a THREE MONTH SUPPLY of thyroid hormones and/or any other prescription meds. If you can get it, might be wise to have T3 on hand to counter the fact that this could cause RT3 to go up. If you canNOT get it, taking good liver support like Milk Thistle can help lower RT3. We add some iron to the Milk Thistle.
  • Work on supporting your adrenals now to counter stress. There are good adaptogens out there. If saliva revealed a need for cortisol, get optimal on them. Chapters 5 and 6 in the updated revision STTM book explains it all.
  • Having optimal Vitamin D is stated to be important for a good immune function. Many of us have to take 10,000 IUs to get ours up. Most of us are shooting for 60-80 in certain ranges. Many add K2 to it.
  • Dr. Brownstein mentions vitamins A, C and D, plus iodine, as supportive of immune function.
  • Consider all sorts of good supplements! Elderberry (gummies, capsules, liquid) is known to have a strong anti-viral component! Most recommendations are taking the recommended amount on the bottle or box and taking 4 times a day. Watch antibodies, just in case, if you have Hashi’s. Vitamin C is stated to be highly antiviral. Zinc is stated to be highly antiviral. Astragalus is stated to be immune supportive, but do your research if you have Hashi’s. .
  • There are also interesting immune function supplements out there to consider. Beta Glucan 1,3D is one–it’s expensive. Look up cheaper sources, if need. Do your research on it. But if you have Hashi’s or autoimmune diseases, might want to check your antibodies to make sure it’s not causing a rise. It doesn’t in everyone, like the gal with Hashi’s who has been on it a year with no rise in antibodies. So just keep an eye on your own.
  • Check out this article about using Quercitin.
  • Check out this article about using Melatonin to counter the inflammation.

You can also join the discussion here on Facebook. 🙂

READ ALL THE BELOW:

There is NO WAY I could fit everything in this blog post. This is just a summary.

If you have heard of other great supplements to help, tell us about them with a link.

If you find good non-scaremongering info, you are welcome to post it in a comment. Keep it POSITIVE and supportive.

This is NOT, NOT about your strong opinions in a comment or the strong empty opinions in other groups. Keep your comment verified.

IF YOU ARE READING THIS FROM AN EMAIL NOTIFICATION SIGNUP (below), DO NOT respond to the email. No one sees it. Click on the title of the blog post to get directly to the blog, and do your comment there.

132 replies
woman showing eyeroll looking up in disgust

Informed thyroid patients are officially a bother, says the American Thyroid Association

The American Thyroid Association is losing its marbles and squirming in its uncomfortable seat thanks to informed thyroid patients.

Oh boy. Here we go again with a brand new nutty focus by the American Thyroid Association.

The American Thyroid Association (ATA) has recently released a dim-witted and negative article towards informed thyroid patients, based on the ATA’s own biased survey with a hidden (but obvious) agenda, titled Patient Requests for Tests and Treatments Impact Physician Management of Hypothyroidism. You can find it in the ATA journal, called Thyroid, Volume: 29 Issue 11.

Who was surveyed?

According to the abstract of the article, the survey was directed towards physicians, whether Endocrinologists or Primary Care doctors, of which 63% responded. It states that “almost half of the physicians reported that patient requests for tests and treatments were somewhat to very likely to being a barrier to appropriate management of thyroid hormone therapy (46%)”. Endocrinologists “were more likely to report patient requests as a barrier”. (Well duh, informed patients would exclaim, as they find most Endo’s to be rigid, arrogant, and narrow-minded.)

“Physician-reported patient requests included requests for preparations other than synthetic thyroxine (52%), adjusting thyroid hormone dose based on symptoms when biochemically euthyroid (52%), maintaining thyrotropin level (TSH) below the reference range (32%), and adjusting dose according to serum T3 level (21%).”

“Physicians who reported receiving patient requests for the former three unconventional practices were more likely to execute them…”

The gist of the article is that thyroid patients who are requesting certain “tests and treatments” from their doctors are erecting “barriers” because of those requests, i.e. barriers against “appropriate management of thyroid hormone therapy.”

i.e. how DARE informed thyroid patients request certain tests and treatments that years of patient experiences reveal has helped!!

How DARE informed thyroid patients learn from years of patient experiences before them and request the same tests and treatment which patients before them used to get well!!

And of course, how dare we go against “appropriate management of thyroid thyroid hormone therapy”–the very therapy which has kept millions in a continued hypothyroid state for decades now. Sorry ATA, we as informed patients are not fooled by your “appropriate” therapy below which we will gleefully stand FIRM against.

  1. Treated with T4-only (which has kept millions of us since the 1960’s with continued hypothyroid symptoms in our own degree and kind)
  2. Being held hostage to the man-made TSH lab test range (which patients noted has caused continuing hypothyroid symptoms)
  3. Your refusal to prescribe the Reverse T3 (RT3) lab test since it’s “unnecessary” (in spite of the fact that rising levels clog our cell receptors which lowers Free T3)
  4. If T3 is added, failing to give enough to treat one’s need for direct T3 (and of course, because T3 lowers the TSH–an abomination!)
  5. Calling us “normal” based on erroneous ink spots on a piece of paper (in spite of clear problems related to what is called “normal”)
  6. Treating clear results of a continued hypothyroid state with more prescription drugs (hypothyroid depression, anxiety, easy weight gain, hair loss, pain, etc)
  7. Discounting the reality of adrenal/cortisol problems from their “appropriate” treatment as bogus.

And then the second birdbrained comment….

After the comical idea that patients should never request certain tests or treatment which would be inappropriate for proper care, the ATA comes up with another batty conclusion:  that if a doctor DARES to “adhere to patient requests”, it may be a “driver for inappropriate care and lead to harm”.

*Yawn*

No ATA, if informed patients (who’ve read the patient-to-patient Stop the Thyroid Madness and/or the books) manage to wisely convince a doctor what they sorely need to feel human again, that doctor is being WISE and HELPFUL. i.e. T3 in their treatment, getting the free T3 optimal, ignoring the low TSH when on T3, and understanding that a reaction to T3 is more about a cortisol problem, just as having a high RT3 can be about low iron or inflammation.

Bottom line

The American Thyroid Association is clearly reacting uncomfortably against the informed patient push contrary to their long-held and HARMFUL beliefs and protocols which have NOT worked for patients and have kept us sick for decades.

No ATA, it’s YOU and the medical professionals who follow your pea-brained ideas which has harmed patients. Put your empty opinions and arrogance on the coat rack and LISTEN TO NEARLY TWO DECADES OF PATIENT EXPERIENCES AND WISDOM in getting well again on Stop the Thyroid Madness. WE are the evidence.

REFERENCES:

The abstract: https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/thy.2019.0383

From PubMed: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31436135

162 replies
The Change of Natural Desiccated Thyroid in 2019 is bad

The Sad Saga of Where We Are Today as Hypothyroid Patients

This page is always updated and fits the current day and time. If anything changes, I will say so. ~Janie

The Change of Natural Desiccated Thyroid in 2019 is bad
The life-changing prescription NDTs are not that they used to be…

I never thought that I’d be writing this, but patient- reported evidence underscores that all prescription Natural Desiccated Thyroid (NDT) in the US and Canada have changed from the consistent, quality NDT’s they used to be. 🙁

Where’s the evidence? It’s from many patients who were doing well on each one for years, then saw their symptoms go south, including seeing changes in the tablet at the same time.

  • ARMOUR by Allergan--which for years (before Allergan bought out Forest) was always a consistent and excellent NDT, was the first that patients noticed had made a change in 2009. Patients reported a miserable return of their hypo. 2015 also saw a similar problematic change. See the September, 2015 Stop the Thyroid Madness (STTM) blog post. Good news: as of early 2020 as I’m adding this part, Armour has been working for some as long as you seek to get optimal, even if it’s still not the same NDT it used to be (harder, far more expensive). Some add T3 to it if they feel it’s needed. Same with 2021, even with what appear to be some bad batches. Many patients report still doing well on it. Time will tell.
  • ERFA Canada’s NDT in Canada, which many in the US moved over to after Armour went south in 2014 (but is better today and is working if one gets optimal)-there were vast patient reports of a return of hypo symptoms after Erfa had been a great product before. And of course, Erfa stated they changed nothing. Here’s my blog post. It’s still not the smoothly consistent NDT it used to be.
  • NATURETHROID by RLC Labs, which gave excellent results for years, seemed to royally change in 2018 when it came back out after a hiatus. Too many patients reported a miserable return of their hypothyroid symptoms in the worst way when they got back on. See that blog post here. Even though some patients swear it’s working, their labs reveal otherwise, sooner or later. WP Thyroid seems to have gone downhill as well, reported by several patients. Remember it’s about being optimal, not just “how you feel”. Update: there has been a 2020 recall of Naturethroid as well as WP due to sub-potency.
  • NP THYROID, the last remaining consistent and excellent NDT by Acella Pharmaceuticals, seemed to have made the worst change by the summer of 2019. Patients started to report a miserable return of hypo symptoms. But it didn’t end there. Patients also reported a slew of other terrible symptoms, ranging from nausea, burning in stomach, allergic reactions, flu-like symptoms and more depending on who was reporting. Also reported is a highly repulsive taste and rank smell (many patients comparing it to cat pee or kitty litter). My blog post about this here. In 2020 as I’m writing this part, it appears by patients that Acella is now trying cover up the nasty inside with a coating. But that hasn’t changed that it’s nowhere near what is used to be, and also leaves patients wondering what they are still putting in their bodies under that coverup coating. 2020 also announced a recall of NP tabs made in 2018/early 2019, stating super-potent levels of T3. But to ONLY recall NP because of what occurred BEFORE patients reported a return of hypothyroid symptoms, and some with worsening labs starting in the Summer of 2019, and especially starting in the Fall of 2019, seems a bit weird, don’t you think??

And the pharmaceuticals don’t seem to give a damn, exclaim patients!

Sadly, when hypothyroid patients reported contacting each pharmaceutical about the return of their hypo symptoms as well as other strange symptoms, the pharm replies were similar: “We didn’t change anything”. That line was especially true for Erfa, RLC Labs and now Acella, say patients. Some patients have cried “Foul!” and compared it to gaslighting and dismissal.

Or, after patients reported to Acella about a strong return of hypothyroid symptoms on top of the clearly changed tablets, the first seemingly official Acella-reply never even mentioned the horrible symptoms, and simply underscored that “it is normal for tablet colors to be different between batches and have a slight smell’. No, say the majority of patients, the new smell was far worse than any NDT all these years, besides being repulsive, as is the taste. Many patients have compared the smell to kitty litter or cat pee. See patient comments as to what was happening to them on this blog post.

At the time of this writing, not ONE pharmaceutical has done a thing to return these NDT’s to their former, consistent and smooth excellence which once changed our lives, or even considered or admitted that their product was no more what it used to be…or cared. Said one patient in a group “They remind me of the three monkeys.”

It’s all about the money, not about you.

“But I feel good on the changed prescription NDT’s”…

Here are four things we’ve noticed when someone says that….

1) They are still on the former good NP Thyroid (at the time of this writing), somehow managed to be on the former Naturethroid, or are just an exception to the rule…but they are still at risk….

2) They do “feel better” on certain NDT brands which are proven to have gone south. But there’s a failure to understand that “feeling better” may be the result of an increase in adrenaline and cortisol due to still being hypothyroid because of the changes to these brands. We have seen this a lot lately. And their labs (free T3 and free T4) reveal the truth i.e. if the free T3 is midrange (non-optimal) or lower, or the FT4 is low, yet one feels good, it’s usually the adrenaline release.

3) They are combining a low dose of NP Thyroid or Naturethroid with higher doses of T3. They may not notice what’s been going on with others since their NP dose is so low, and their T3 is helping. But some would worry that whatever is in NP (or Naturethroid) now causing all these issues isn’t worth putting in our bodies.

4) Or an unknown, since so many are not doing well. We need to continue figuring this out….

So what are our options now?

Remember, we have found in each other that we still have to be optimal on any of the below.

  • Synthetic T3 with synthetic T4. Yes, they can work for many, espeically those who are getting optimal. So it’s not about a token small dose of T3 (like 5 mcg) that too many doctors will put you on, and leave you on. Dosing the FT3 and FT4 is still very important, we have experienced. Note that one grain of NDT has approx. 38 mcg of T4 and 9 mcg of T3 (this was inadvertently backwards in those who get an email notification. Forgive me). So a switch to the two synthetics can be made based on that, and in a few weeks, we retest the free T3 and free T4. Also take the time in groups to ask others what T3 has been working for them, whether they are swallowing or chewing it up, etc. (For example, the Mayne version has been awful for many patients. So you have to decide if you want it for you. There are other brands.)
  • Armour Yes, it’s the ONLY one that may still work for some; others have had issues with it. But it’s worth a try, and be prepared that those “some” may need to add T3 to it and get optimal Also be prepared that also for “some” depending on where you live, it went way up in price compared to where it used to be. Sad.
  • Natural thyroid “supplements” like NutriMeds, Thyrogold, Thyrovanz and others like them. And remember that even on these, patients have reported the need to be optimal, not just “on them”. NOTE: there are times that even these OTC natural thyroid supplements aren’t doing the job correctly. So it could be wise to keep T3 on hand if that happens to you.
  • A new Thai version of NDT called Tru Thyroid. Sadly, it appears that Thyroid-S, Thiroyd, and T-man aren’t made anymore. Bad timing!!And right now, we haven’t gotten enough feedback about Tru Thyroid. And this? https://www.bioiberica.com/en/media/news/healthcare/bioiberica-launches-natural-origin-thyroid-api-cphi-2019
  • Being on T3-only Yes it works well, but most need to multi-dose it at least three times a day, 3-4 hours a part, to counter the lack of T4 converting to T3 behind the scenes. And some add a small dose at bedtime.
  • Compounded Thyroid There do appear to a few compounding pharmacies who are using a good source of porcine powder made only for compounders. There are also some patients who are reporting that the PCCA-sourced porcine powder is causing problems (just like pharmaceutical-made NDTS.). We are keeping an eye on that. If you know of a pharmacy which is compounding porcine powder that still works, and you are optimal on it, comment below.

Please use this information in working with your doctor if you can. Or find a better one to work with.

I, Janie Bowthorpe, am disgusted by this.

Disgusted that the last consistently excellent NDT by Acella also went down the drain as experienced and reported by a wide variety of patients.

Disgusted by the dismissals by pharmaceuticals when patients report all their returned symptoms and even new and awful symptoms.

Disgusted that they will simply say “we changed nothing” when clearly each NDT did change as reported by patients seeing a return of symptoms with changed tablets.

Disgusted that not even one pharm acknowledges something went wrong, and thus, no changes to the NDT.

Disgusted that we now have this problem on top of doctors who can’t see past their noses about the right use of the former NDT or T3 in the first place.

Disgusted that some facilities are even refusing to test the free T3 and free T4, which are VERY important in finding our right dose of whatever we are on. Or refusing to the test the reverse T3, which is also VERY important.

Disgusted that one pharmaceutical representative may have said that this is all just social media hysteria. Unbelievable.

Disgusted that those in Europe and elsewhere are under a medical system which makes it nearly impossible to get T3, or thinks a TSH up to 10 is fine and dandy.

Disgusted that too many of the over-60 wonderful patients can’t get US medicare to pay for NDT, to pay for T3, both which CHANGE LIVES.

Disgusted by the implication that our wonderful over-60 thyroid patients should be on only T4, or off needed thyroid meds.

I am totally and thoroughly disgusted.

But let’s not be silent about this!

1,087 replies

Part 2 – Lot numbers or expiration dates

Are you reading this via an email notification that you signed up for? DO NOT reply to the email. No one sees your reply. Click on the title of the blog post in your email which will take you directly to this blog post about NP Thyroid lot numbers to comment.

From Janie: READ ALL OF THIS with the green background. DO NOT SKIP!!

1) Comments on this Part 2 post are ONLY for 1-4 below.
2) NO QUESTIONS HERE ASKING WHAT IS GOING ON or WHAT TO DO, etc
3) NO QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW to know if you have the changed tablets.
4) NO COMMENTS ABOUT WHY YOU FEEL THIS HAS HAPPENED, etc, etc. I can’t approve them. Those and everything else belong here: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/2019/08/22/uh-oh-np-thyroid/

The following four are needed in your comment. Keep your answers short and to the point:

NOTE: IF YOUR NUMBER IS NOT IN THE LIST BELOW, yet it’s VERY clear they are the changed tablets, please say something like JANIE, NEW LOT NUMBER!

  1. How do you know that you are reporting on the CHANGED NP Thyroid tablets?
  2. Comment with the lot number for the bottle of what are clearly CHANGED NP Thyroid tablets, or….
  3. Comment with the expiration date for what are clearly CHANGED NP Thyroid Tablets.
  4. State the city, state, country, and name of store/website where you got the changed tablet

So far, as of Sept. 6, 2019 at 12 noon US Pacific, here are lot numbers provided by patients of changed tablets which are making thyroid patients sick, or miserable, or seeing a return of hypo…and a big thank you to thyroid patient Laura for compiling these. I, Janie, have been adding more as I see them.

  • M327B19-1
  • M327B19-3
  • M327E19-1
  • M327H18-1
  • M328C19-1 (this may be a similar lot # to former good tablets)
  • M328F19-2
  • M328E18-1 (120 mg, no bad smell, but patient says bad results)
  • M328A19-1 (120 mg, no bad smell, but patient says bad results)
  • M328S19-1
  • M328F19-2 (120 mg)
  • M328L18-1 (120mg)
  • M328F19-3
  • M329C19-2
  • M329E19-3
  • M329E19-1
  • M329B19-1
  • M329E19-3
  • M330B19-2
  • M330B19-3 (60 mg)
  • M330G19-3
  • M330E10-1 (exp. date 7/21/20)
  • M330E19
  • M330E19-1
  • M330E19-2
  • M330G19-4
  • M330K17-3
  • M331B19-2 (90 mg)
  • M331E19-1
  • M331E19-2
  • M331E19-3 (90 mg)
  • M331G19-1 (90 mg)

And here are expiration dates given by patients of the changed tablets… One problem is that some expiration dates could fit the former good tablets. These seem to come from the pharmacy, not Acella, but we’re guessing.

  • 2/20/21
  • 4/20
  • 5/9/20
  • 11/20
  • 6/20
  • 6/6/20
  • 6/30/20
  • 7/14/20
  • 7/20/20
  • 7/27/20
  • 8/7/20
  • 8/11/20
  • 8/12/20
  • 8/18/20
  • 8/21/20
  • 8/22/20
  • 8/24/20
  • 8/25/20
  • 8/28/20
  • 12/20
  • 10/20
235 replies

Uh oh–we need to talk about NP Thyroid by Acella

UPDATE: in 2020, we now have a recall from Acella implying too much T3. Seems a bit off when hypothyroid symptoms were reported coming back. And no mention here of the burning down the throat, burning and/or nausea in the stomch. https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/acella-pharmaceuticals-llc-issues-voluntary-nationwide-recall-certain-lots-np-thyroidr-thyroid

Thanks to patient Emily who took this photo. Former NP
pill on left; changed NP pill on right.

From 2019:

Comments have been coming in by some patients who are using NP Thyroid by Acella. And by those comments, it appears that NP has changed as of this summer 2019…as reported by patients who picked up a new bottle refill and started it. There are three common comments:

  1. It now smells and tastes horrible, worse then before.
  2. The tablets look different from previous ones
  3. I’m feeling much worse now on the same dose that made me feel great. Symptoms are back.

And it’s #3 that is especially concerning. .

This now makes FOUR natural desiccated thyroid products over the last few years that have changed visually and symptomatically. Why??

  • Canada’s version of NDT made by Erfa and called just Thyroid. That was followed by widespread reports of a return of hypo symptoms.
  • Armour after it was bought out from Forest and acquired by Activas Pharmaceuticals–many reported a huge return of their hypo
  • RLC’s Naturethroid, and it frankly went WAY downhill in effect in 2018 as expressed widespread by disappointed patients. We’re still not sure about WP.
  • NP Thyroid by Acella

And you know what else is common with all four pharmaceuticals?? They state “We changed nothing”. So what is going on?

ANALYZING THE COMPLAINTS ABOUT NP

THE SMELL, THE TASTE:

Ugh.

Yes, most NDT’s can smell. lol. It’s pork! But the reaction of patients, when they have started to take the “changed” NP Thyroid, is profound. “It tastes horrible!” “It smells far worse!” “It tastes like cat pee!” Other descriptions: “It tastes like insecticide.” “It tastes rancid.” “It makes me want to gag.” “

Now we do know that a batch of NDT is made up of many pigs. And it’s possible that different mixes of pigs could produce different strength of smell. So is Acella using a particularly “stinky” batch of pigs now?? Maybe. Just the change in smell and taste is not indicative of a problem…

THE TABLET:

Boy, here we go again. The visual change is very similar to what we saw with Armour. It’s also similar with what we saw with Naturethroid. There are now specks on the newer current version, and some patients say the edges are rougher. Definitely a different color, too.

Former NP Thyroid tablet on left. Changed NP tablet on right.

In a way, these visual changes would be no big deal. But they could become a big deal when some patients, (who were optimal) are reporting a return of their hypothyroid symptoms and/or feeling awful since being on the changed NP Thyroid. And why is this not the first time that we started seeing specks in different pharmaceutical versions over recent few years?

FEELING WORSE SINCE BEING ON THE NEW TABLET:

This represents the most alarming of comments. We are seeing some people who were OPTIMAL and had been for a long while, only to comment that they now feel much worse since starting on the new tablets. Symptoms range from migraines, feeling tired, sluggish, feeling awful, depression, late afternoon fatigue, feeling like the flu, nausea, hair loss, napping again…etc. Again, we are saying some. Others report still feeling good. But are they on the “changed” tablets? Looks like they are. So we are continuing to try and learn what is going on in the face of pharmaceutical secrecy and the inane need to CHANGE what was already good enough.

Here is one of many examples of how patients are now going downhill on NP. It’s provided by permission from Liz: I take 4 60 mg tabs a day, no thyroid, treated iron and adrenals and finally was doing good and steadily weight was coming off. I have been taking my last refill for about a month now, and when I first opened it noticed the horrid smell, tasted different too. Anyway, the last couple of weeks I’ve felt really fatigued, low energy, hungry all the time, weight creeping back up and bloated.

And here is how one patient sees all this, closely resembling how many are feeling: I’ve had it with all the mystery, secrecy, deception, and lack of transparency that are ultimately badly damaging many, many people’s (mostly women’s) health and lives. And then that affects the lives of all those people’s families in a trickle-down domino effect. Those pharma companies and their associates are obviously not in it for any type of benevolent reason. They obviously don’t care about us. All they care about is money and their own interests. That’s sick (no pun intended), unethical, immoral, inhumane, and lacking in conscience.

In the meantime, for those who have gone downhill, this blog post gives alternatives to NP Thyroid or any NDT that has gone downhill, as many have sadly.

The differences between the former tablets and new tablets. Thanks to thyroid patient Sara for allowing me to post this!!

UPDATE #1 on August 24th: So far, it appears that negative changes may have started in May, 2019 for some. But we don’t yet have proof that the changed tablets were coming out in May. We will continue watching for comments.

UPDATE #2 on August 26th: There are many reports about swine fever (not swine flu) killing plenty of pigs in China and into neighboring countries. Here is one. But that can end up being more about price increases. We still don’t have a definitive answer why the size of the NP pill changed, why the smell and taste is far worse, and why so many are seeing a return of their symptoms.

UPDATE #3 August 27th: A request has been made from Acella for the LOT NUMBERS of the CHANGED tablets…NOT the ones that are working. (And as of 2020, nothing has changed. Patients feel the requests were a fake concern from Acella).

UPDATE #4 September 13th: There is so much speculation and rumor out there as to why this has happened to NP Thyroid that it’s crazy. No matter what you hear, we do NOT know why this happened and NOTHING is concrete.

1,959 replies