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Category: compounded

Have you switched from one desiccated thyroid to another? Let’s share.

“A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents
and making them see the light, but rather because it opponents eventually die,
and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it” ~ Max Planck

NOTE: Though this post was originally written in 2011, it has been updated to the current date and time.

Screen Shot 2015-11-26 at 10.55.40 PMHOW DIFFERENT BRANDS OF DESICCATED WORK FOR SOME, NOT FOR OTHERS

Granted, we note from patient reports that all brands work based on individual reports of any brand.

But some patients, for a variety of reasons, feel they do well on some NDT’s, but not on others. It’s very individual. This may be due to the fillers in any product.

Or, there are some like me who had to switch from one desiccated thyroid brand to another, not because of fillers, but changes in the product. I, for example, was on the pre-reformulated Armour from 2002 to 2009, and successfully treated.

Then came 2009 when patients were reporting Armour not working as well anymore. It had been reformulated–the cellulose raised and the sucrose decreased. I just let my old Armour run out, and I started on Erfa Thyroid from Canada. And it was an easy and successful switch for me.

But even some batches of Erfa seemed to go bad in 2014, so I then moved over to NP Thyroid, which has been great to this day.

So I am an example of the way that all three did work for me, and simply had to change due to reported problems in the way Armour, or Erfa, was made.

What if any switch doesn’t result in good results?

For many, the NDT they have switched to works just as well, as happened to me. But for some, a switch has not been smooth. One brand seemed to serve them well, while another brand caused them to tank.

What causes the switch problems?

For many, it could be the adrenals. On one product, they may have felt fine, yet due to an underlying adrenal issue they hadn’t caught, a different brand with that “something different” may have been the umpff that revealed their adrenal problem.

For others, the issues on the new brand could be from a sensitivity to one or more of the fillers. You can read about all fillers in each brand here.

And for still others, there is a mystery of why one didn’t work and another did.

What has been your experience? What did you switch from and to? Armour? Naturethroid? Erfa? Compounded? Thyroid-S? Let’s share.

If I need to switch, how do I do it?

It’s pretty much an even switch. i.e. if I was doing well on 3 grains on one brand, I go on 3 grains of the other.

But if I wasn’t doing well on a brand, it’s important to ask one self four things:

  1. Did I raise the current brand high enough? It’s common for hypothyroid symptoms to return on lower non-optimal doses. How to raise is explained here.
  2. Do I have an issue with a filler?? They can be looked at here.
  3. Do I have optimal levels of iron? Because if your iron levels aren’t “optimal”, it can cause problems when raising NDT. Optimal has nothing to do with normal. See this page.
  4. Do I have an adrenal problem being revealed due to NDT?

JanieSignature SEIZE THE WISDOM

  • Join the STTM STTM Facebook page for daily tips and inspiration on thyroid issues.
  • Have you ever heard of the gal who calls herself nonstickpam? I’ve known Pam for many years, and she has spent most of that time giving helpful advice on low carb eating and how to maintain your weight while dealing with thyroid and/or adrenal issues. Recently, she wrote an article for STTM about this very issue: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/hypothyroid-and-weight-issues/

 

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Sue’s remarkable and shocking story about cellulose as a filler in our thyroid meds

(This page has been updated to current date and time. Enjoy!)

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.

One thing anyone can try is chewing up their Natural Desiccated Thyroid which can release the 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. There are some NDT’s which do not have cellulose.

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.

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** 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?


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