April 2009 - Stop The Thyroid Madness Skip to content

Month: April 2009

A un-brilliant double whammy by the FDA concerning a weight loss medication

alliThere’s an over-the-counter weight loss drug called Alli made by the huge pharmaceutical GlaxoSmithKline. You can see it on the shelves of most any Wal Mart or local drug store.  It’s also called Orlistat which is marketed under the trade name of Xenical by the pharmaceutical Roche.

It’s promoted as safe, and it works by limiting the absorption of fats from what you eat, which in turn reduces your intake of calories.  (What has always turned me off about Alli or Orlistat is that is creates oily and loose stools. Bleck. )

Medscape just today reported about an FDA warning: the Use of orlistat may decrease L–thyroxine (T4) absorption and lead to hypothyroidism. Clinicians are advised to administer levothyroxine and orlistat at least 4 hours apart…

Oh jolly. So now we have the FDA giving a warning about Alli causing problems with “thyroxine” use,  yet it’s the VERY “thyroxine” use that causes a certain large percentage of those using Alli to need to use it in the first place. You can see that reality in the questions about the hypo problem on the Alli forum.  i.e They are all on thyroxine!

Hitting my head against the wall.

P.S. Reported in Endocrine Today and from just a month ago, and article titled Hypothyroid patients required increased levothyroxine during pregnancy.  Zombie Endocrinologists. Zombies. That’s like having an article titled Sick patients need more blood-letting. i.e LEVOTHYROXINE SUCKS AND SHOULD BE IN THE PAST just as much as blood-letting.  WAKE UP ENDOCRINOLOGISTS!! WAKE UP!!

*Check out patient response to the newly formulated Armour below, and add your own comments.

7 replies

Thyroid patients say PHOOEY to new Armour formulation and Forest Pharmaceuticals

armourtabletsugh1 As the “newly” formulated Armour desiccated thyroid pills, made by Forest Pharmaceuticals/Laboratories, have been hitting the market, so are comments coming out from some thyroid patients…and they are not in the least complimentary.

The reason that Armour had been favored by so many thyroid patients among all the desiccated thyroid brands is the ability to take it sublingually.  Sure, Armour was never officially made to be taken sublingually, but it worked.

Sublingual refers to the administration of a medication via the millions of tiny capillaries that line your mouth and mucous membrane. The pill was placed under the tongue and allowed to dissolve–most of it entering the body directly via your sublingual glands, and only a small amount swallowed.

Some patients who switched from swallowing to sublingual noticed the difference, too.

But the beauty of sublingual has gone even farther than noticing anything different. First, it was always a known “baddy” to swallow any pills that might contain iron, estrogen or calcium at the same time we swallowed Armour or any other desiccated thyroid brand. Why? All three interfere with and bind a certain percentage of the thyroid hormones in our stomachs.  We were forced to take any of those hours apart from swallowing our pill. So doing the Armour sublingually allowed us to swallow the above pills, or drink milk, or eat high iron foods, at our own timing and not hours away.

Second, the old formula was usually gone in our mouths within 30 minutes give or take. Now, patients who take their newly formulated pills sublingually (which now has less dextrose and more cellulose) despise the “chalky, pasty, gritty residue” left in one’s mouth.  It also results in Armour taking far too long to be properly absorbed.

Third, those with adrenal fatigue can find themselves waking up with nausea due to the morning low cortisol. And being able to take Armour sublingually bypassed the need to swallow a liquid to take a pill and promote more nausea.

Fourth, those with Celiac disease, and even those with standard low thyroid digestive issues, found sublingual administration to help their absorption of what desiccated thyroid offers, which they didn’t get well if they swallowed the pill.

All in all, the buzz around patient groups or on comments here  about the newly formulated Armour is not complimentary.  It doesn’t work well sublingually. It’s too chalky. It leaves a gritty paste in your mouth.  And patients are highly disappointed.  Let’s hope that one of the pharmaceuticals takes the ball and runs to create a sublingual desiccated thyroid.

What is your experience with the new formulation? Are you still trying to do it sublingually?  Have you found doing Naturethroid sublingually works? Are you switching to Naturethroid or Westhroid out of principal, as many are stating they are doing? Use the comment section and let’s talk.

*Express your opinion to Forest here: 1-800-678-1605, ext. 66297.

*Want to know what’s on Janie’s mind? Want to read the latest about desiccated thyroid and better treatment? Use the Notifications on the left at the bottom of the links.

108 replies

Let’s set the record straight about “swine flu”, viruses and Natural Desiccated Thyroid!

pig1

Though this page was written in 2009, it’s been updated to the current date and time!
***********
With the recent March outbreak of swine flu in a few humans, I want to speak of facts.  This would involve all of you who use  desiccated porcine products like NP Thyroid, Armour,  Naturethroid, Westhroid, Thyroid-S, etc.

Recent cases

As of April 26th in the US, there are only 21 human cases of “swine flu” this year reported by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention):  California 7 cases;  Kansas 2 cases;  New York City 9 cases;  Ohio 1 case;  and Texas 2 cases. There have also been outbreaks in Mexico which may be related.  No one has died and none of the cases have been severe.  The current outbreak is a combination of swine, bird, and human influenza viruses.

What is the Swine flu?

Swine flu is a type A influenza and has been in existence with pigs for a long time.  Many pigs will get sick when it does go around; very few will die.

Why are humans getting it?

The real irony is that humans can be ones who give it to pigs in the first place!  But in turn, new human infection from infected pigs is actually quite rare. In most all cases, a healthy human will get it from contact with a live pig, such as at a livestock show. Then, the infected human will spread it to other humans.  So, when you see that “21” people have gotten it,  some may have gotten it from “one” person–i.e. a human-to-human contact.

The CDC also states that in a particular study, 76% of swine exhibitors tested had antibody evidence of swine flu infection but no serious illnesses were detected among this group. In other words, the majority of those exposed don’t even get the illness. If they do, it’s mild for most and only serious for a very small minority.

How common is swine flu among pigs?

Swine flu is common in groups of pigs all across the world, especially during the winter months.  Anywhere from 25-50% show evidence of having been infected.  But many pigs are vaccinated against it.

Can I get it from the use of desiccated thyroid products?

The standards in the making of desiccated thyroid powder as set by the U.S. Pharmacopoeia is extremely rigorous.  So, it is important to understand that your chances of getting swine flu from taking a US Pharmacopoeia-approved product is remarkably low, low, low. You have a much greater chance of injury from riding in your car.

So, for me, with all the above facts, I’m going to take my NDT with ease and peace, because using desiccated thyroid to treat my hypothyroid is FAR FAR better than any other treatment. Perhaps you will decide to do the same.  If you stay worried about it, you might also want to avoid using your car, stop using stairs, and avoid most people at all costs. :)  P.S. Check out the comments to this post. Will also help put you at ease.

* Here’s Dr. John C. Lowe’s rebuttal to the scare of swine flu. It confirms everything I’ve said plus a whole lot more.

* Want to know what’s on my mind? Interested in the latest information on desiccated thyroid? Just use the Notifications on the bottom right of any age. 

*If you find the website to be too enormous for your brain fog, or want better ease of getting the facts, the patient-to-patient STTM book is proving to be a good choice, say many who write me.  Just make sure you have a yellow highlighter. haha

7 replies

Thyroid Tidbit: Did ya notice that various Armour sizes are back??

armour-tabletsI can remember a few people the past year who proclaimed fervently that Armour was being discontinued because of the shortage.  And I chuckle about it.  Hopefully, my previous posts helped calm that fear.

But in case you haven’t heard, those larger sizes are back!  And you can keep track of what’s going via the Forest Pharmaceuticals customer product availability hotline: 1-866-927-3260  As of today, April 19, they state that the one grain tabs (60 mg) and 1 1/2 grains tabs (90 mg) are on backorder, and will catch up with production on April 20th, tomorrow as I am writing this.  We’ll see.

Unfortunately, the new formulation has made Armour lacking in sweetness, and it’s almost impossible to do it sublingually.  Sad. Maybe another pharmaceutical will get the hint. In the meantime, if you swallow your desiccated thyroid, make sure to avoid calcium, iron and estrogen at the same time. And if you’ve been doing it sublingually, and have to switch to swallowing, you may need a tad more.

Remember: if you have any issues with natural Armour desiccated thyroid in the treatment of your hypothyroidism, you can always ask your doctor for a prescription switch to Naturethroid or Westthroid, both fine FDA-approved, US Pharmacopeia standard prescription desiccated thyroid.

Janie

Want to be informed of my posts? Curious what I am raving about as a Thyroid Patient Activist? You can sign up for a Notification at the bottom of the links to your left.

P.S. If you haven’t bought the Stop the Thyroid Madness book yet, wanted to tell you that numerous patients are emailing me, stating they find the book even easier to refer to than this vast website (plus it has more details and information).  So if you want the ease of referral, the book may be the way to go.

10 replies

Multiple sclerosis, Dysautonomia, you name it…ALL made worse from hypothyroidism or being on a T4 med

Screen Shot 2015-08-04 at 2.30.58 PM(This post has been updated to the current day and time. Enjoy!)

Before my thyroid disease of hypothyroidism was discovered, I had horrific and debilitating consequences from exercise or any activity.  You can read about it in even more detail in the Introduction of the patient-to-patient Stop the Thyroid Madness book.

When my so-called “borderline hypothyroid” was discovered by age 30, I thought whoo-hooo, I’ll finally get rid of this strange nightmare whenever I tried to do ANYTHING.  I was put on Synthroid and my anticipation for a better life was profound.

But my hope was dashed.

Not only did my body continue to overreact to activity, it got much worse over time.  Horribly worse. I got to where I couldn’t even grocery shop without paying horrible prices in fatigue and other miserable symptoms.

Nearly twenty years after I had started on a T4-only medication, and had even raised it. I was told by one doctor after another that my problem was not my thyroid. I was forced to start the process of applying for social security disability–a low, low time for me.

But they were all dead wrong.

Sure, turns out I have a form of Dysautonomia, a malfunction and overreaction of my autonomic nervous system, causing my body to far overreact to activity or stress. But remaining hypothyroid, as so many of us do on t4-only medications, had made it far, far worse. And I proved it. When I switched to natural desiccated thyroid in 2002 and raised it according to what patients have learned, a miracle occurred.  My severe autonomic reactions made an almost complete turnaround.

And my experience of change or improvement when it comes to other diseases or conditions has been shared by others.

Last week, I received an email from a man whose brother has MS–Multiple Sclerosis.  And though natural desiccated thyroid has not taken his MS away, it allowed him to move from this wheelchair to a walker! That is quite impressive.

So I am left wondering:  what other conditions or diseases, which are unique in themselves, are worsened being either undiagnosed or dosed the lousy TSH lab test range…or due to the inadequate treatment of Synthroid, Levoxyl, levothyroxine, Eltroxin, Tirosent and all other T4-only medications for all to many like myself? It’s awful to think about it.

JanieSignature SEIZE THE WISDOM

* Learn about the problems with T4-only right here. 

* Join the STTM Facebook page for daily tips, information, and humor!

* Get the STTM books here, because you have to become informed in order to get well: www.laughinggrapepublishing.com

13 replies