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More on Acella desiccated thyroid….plus RT3 ratio calculator fine tuned!

 

Screen Shot 2015-11-09 at 12.21.12 PM(This post has been updated to the present day and time. Enjoy!)

In 2011, I had a friendly and informative conversation with Philip Vogt, the President of Acella Pharmaceuticals, and Ellen Gettenberg, Director of Marketing.   Acella is the company which brought out what is often termed a generic form of desiccated thyroid, but appears to be simply another great brand name of NDT. It first caught the eye of thyroid patients in November, 2010.  And I want to pass onto you what I learned:

Acella is different

Acella Pharmaceutical of Georgia, USA, is not like the gigantic pharmaceuticals we often hear about. Instead, they attempt to target the under-served markets, producing medications for particular niches of treatment, or those which are low-profile medications.  They also seek to produce lower-priced competitive versions of certain medications while keeping the quality. Thyroid patients appreciate that, especially after seeing the 2015 horrible rise in price for Armour desiccated thyroid after Forest Labs was bought out by Activias–often triple the original price–besides the fact that patients began to report a return of symptoms.

How they make their version of desiccated thyroid

When it specifically comes to its desiccated thyroid, they go by older version “recipes” – using more dextrose (sugar) and less methylcellulose, which we love  But in their case, the tablets are stated to contain NO cellulose. That is actually good.  Their tablets are also not as hard-pressed as Armour seems to be now. That means patients who like doing their NDT sublingually can make the Acella version work. 

The ingredients

Acella started out with a 65 mg tablet to represent a grain, but by 2011, became a 60 mg tablet for its “grain”.  They also make a 30 mg tablet  (1/2 grain) and a 90 mg tablet (1 1/2 grain). The desiccated thyroid is speculated to come from the same manufactured source as do other brands.

Says the website:

The tablets contain both tetraiodothyronine sodium (T4 levothyroxine) and triiodothyronine sodium (T3 liothyronine) providing 38 mcg levothyroxine (T4) and 9 mcg liothyronine (T3) per grain of thyroid (or per 60 mg of the labeled amount of thyroid). The inactive ingredients are calcium stearate, dextrose (agglomerated) and mineral oil.

Note that like all manufacturers, they use the “synthetic” names for T4 and T3, but desiccated thyroid is NOT synthetic.

Reports by patients

They love it. It’s rare to hear anything negative about it. (If you do have a bad reaction to even Acella’s NP Thyroid, here’s your reason: //www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/ndt-doesnt-work-for-me). So we say “Keep up the good work, Acella!

JanieSignature SEIZE THE WISDOM

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ABOUT THE RT3 ONLINE CALCULATOR on STTM: My brainy techs have added three more combinations to the calculator, so it is now ready-to-go to help you figure out your ratio: //www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/rt3-ratio So far, the feedback is very positive and we have seemed to remove “most” kinks. REMEMBER: you need to put your Free T3/total T3 in first, then all the measurements will appear for the RT3.

WHEN TESTING YOUR THYROID LEVELS: remember NOT to take your desiccated thyroid, or your T3-only, before labs, we learned the hard way. The T3 rises consistently after you take it, giving you false-high reading and freaking your clueless doctor out.  **Picture doctor, eyes bugged out like a giant wasp, looking at lab result** With desiccated thyroid, the T3 will peak in approx. 2 hours, then a slow fall; with T3-only, it can take approximately 4 hours to peak. Recommend labwork found here.

NEED A GOOD PATIENT GROUP? Go here.  Of course, the groups are free and can be very helpful. Or, you can choose a paid consultation with Janie, which seems to be extremely helpful for those who want more immediate feedback and help.

TYPICAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS about thyroid, treatment, more issues:  www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/common-questions-answers

Isocort has been changed, plus a new STTM on-line RT3 ratio calculator

This post was originally written in 2011…but Isocort stopped being made afterwards. Today, what replaces it is Thorne’s Adrenal Cortex (NOT Cortrex, but Cortex). Amazon always carries it. 

If you haven’t heard the latest, Isocort, an over-the-counter adrenal support product that has been favored by adrenally-challenged patients with minor to moderate adrenal problems, as well as favored by their forward-thinking doctors, has been reformulated.

Now for thyroid patients who loved Armour, “reformulated” is a nasty word. Armour lowered its sucrose, raised its cellulose, and most patients who had been on it successfully for years reported a return of symptoms. The partial solution has been to chew it up before swallowing.

But with IsoCort, the change “may” still be workable. All the following is right on the Isocort page on STTM. As we get more information on it, I’ll be adding to it:

IsoCort has changed! As of early 2011, Bezwecken changed the product from a bovine adrenal cortex to a fermented plant-derived cortisol, joining over 100 other chemical substances which are plant derived.

Why has Isocort always been popular with thyroid/adrenal patients? For years, patients favored Isocort because unlike so many other adrenal support products on the over-the-counter market, it was made solely from the adrenal cortex, i.e from New Zealand sheep. That is an important distinction since the cortex only contains cortisol as compared to whole adrenal glandular products which contain both cortisol and adrenaline (epinephrine). And giving yourself more adrenaline was the last thing you would want as an adrenally-challenged, low cortisol individual. Dysfunctional adrenals already cause the production of too much adrenaline as it is, resulting in anxiety, an increased heartrate and further stress on your already-stressed adrenals.

Will this change to plant derived affect the way Isocort works in me? Hopefully not. As before, it only contains cortisol and avoids the unneeded adrenaline that you get from adrenal glandulars.

What’s in the newly-reformulated IsoCort? Besides the cortisol, Isocort still contains Echinacea, as Echinacea Purpurea (6 mg per pellet). It also contains Lactose, Magnesium Stearate, Starch Arrowroot, Maltodextrin, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Magnesium Silicate, and Lactase.

Previously, it was listed as follows: Freeze-Dried Adrenal Cortex (soluble fractionation) from New Zealand Sheep. Echinacea Extract (trace amount). Prunus and Lomatium dissectum root isolate (kreb concentrate-2%) in pellet base of lactose and lactase.

In other words, it still contains lactose and lactase, but the rest you see are new.

Why did they change the bovine adrenal cortex to plant derived cortisol? For one, the change now makes the product vegetarian-friendly. And it now joins a group of over 100 plant-derived substances made out there which are effective.

Can you tell me more about it being plant derived? Medicinal plants have always contained substances that are helpful for humans. Aspirin is one good example, made from willow or other salicylate-rich plants. In fact, there are so many medicinal plants out there that we haven’t even begun to touch the surface of using them! China is an exception, having used plants for thousands of years. It’s said that the practice of ayurvedic in Asia uses nearly 2000 different kinds of plant species. The Botanical Garden of the National Autonomous University of Mexico has stated there are approximately 3,500 species of medicinal plants in Mexico alone. And more and more cancer drugs are going to be plant-derived.

How do patients use IsoCort? When after doing a 24 hour saliva cortisol test, it’s discovered there are some low cortisol readings, the use of Isocort gives back the cortisol that the sluggish adrenal/HPA function is not giving. You can read more about dysfunctional adrenal function here. After reading that page, you’ll see a link on what patients have learned in treating it, plus references to other websites and patient groups.

Are there any other OTC adrenal cortex products out there? Yes. If you will use your favorite search engine and put in adrenal cortex supplements, you’ll find other sources. Just read the labels correctly to make sure it’s only adrenal cortex.

* To read four facts about plant-derived medications, go here.
* To read why you may need cortisol, go here.
* For good patient groups, go here.

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FREE T3/REVERSE T3 ON-LINE CALCULATOR ADDED TO STTM

Not doing well as you raise your desiccated thyroid as compared to others? Have dysfunctional adrenals or low ferritin/low iron?? You may be making far too much Reverse T3 (RT3), which clogs cell receptors and prevents regular T3 from getting to your cells. And the best way to find out is to understand the RATIO BETWEEN YOUR FREE T3 and REVERSE T3.

But figuring out that ratio may be daunting for some who hate math. So to counter that problem, STTM now has a page where you can plug in your two lab results and the measurements and get your ratio number: //www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/rt3-ratio Please note that there are currently three combinations that are not in there, but are being worked on as I write this by STTM’s brainy techs. Hopefully by next week, you’ll see all of the possible combinations!

To read more about Reverse T3, go here.

“Are Endocrinologists just DETERMINED to be stupid?” ask some thyroid patients.

(Though this was originally written in 2011, it has been updated to the present day and time. Enjoy!)

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Will it ever end?

A very troubling article

On March 21st, 2011, from the Endocrine Today website, comes the article Hypothyroidism only partially responsible for decreased quality of life in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. And this article has so many troubling comments and wording that it has made some thyroid patients question whether their Endocrinologist can really help then.

For example, the article notes that there seems to be a “higher symptom load and the lower quality-of-life scores in the group of patients with increased anti-TPO levels”, which can include “Chronic fatigue, dry hair, dysphagia, irritability and nervousness”.

Yet, the article states, these patients have

    • “normal thyroid function”
    • are “euthyroid”
    • have an “ideal biochemical response to thyroid hormone replacement therapy.”.

Are you kidding me, say many thyroid patients???  Euthyroid technically means “the state of having normal thyroid gland function.” Yet, chronic fatigue, dry hair, dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), irritability and nervousness are far from normal, besides being classic hypothyroid or Hashimotos symptoms, as well as having potential adrenal issues from having poorly treated hypothyroidism!

And of course, most informed thyroid patients know that ” euthyroid” and “normal” and “ideal” in the mind of poorly-trained doctors refer to an ink spot on a piece of paper called the TSH lab result and NOT cellular receipt and/or use of thyroid hormones. The TSH is a pituitary hormone, not a thyroid hormone. The TSH lab test has failed patients for decades, just as has T4-only like Synthroid, levothyroxine, Eltroxine, etc!

Also mentioned is a particular Austrian study involving 426 women aged 19 years or older who were undergoing surgery for benign thyroid disease. When patients come on thyroid groups and report Endocrinologists who want to remove their thyroids simply because they have the treatable Hashimotos disease, you have to wonder why 426 women were having surgery for “benign thyroid disease”…

But in spite of all the above, there is hope!

Hashimoto’s patients have become wise and informed. To read all the ways patients have learned to adequately treat Hashimotos, go here.

To find out if you now have an adrenal problem, go here. This is important to know because it can be problematic in raising NDT if you have low cortisol, or high cortisol. Thus, the need to treat it first.

To find a good doctor to work with, and/or teach while you are working with, go here.

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Do you look back and wonder about the fact that your thyroid was taken out?  Let us hear your story by commenting on this post. What has been your experience with an Endocrinologist? Tell us about it.

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** Have you Liked the STTM Facebook page? It provides daily information and inspiration just for thyroid patients!

** Check out recommended patients groups on the internet.

** Stop the Thyroid Madness is available in TWO different books! //www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/comparing-the-sttm-books/

How does your insurance deal with desiccated thyroid?

(Though this post was first written in 2011, it has been  updated to the present day and time. Enjoy!)

Wendy is one of those gals that tries to adhere to “natural” in regards to her medication choices. She switched over to Natural Desiccated Thyroid (NDT) from Synthroid about three months ago.

The transition was slightly trying, says Wendy. Her doctor didn’t believe her that she shouldn’t be on a low starting dose for more than a couple weeks without upping it. So she  went hypothyroid all over again. It’s a common mistake that many doctors make with NDT.

But after successfully upping the dose every few weeks, she will now shout that it’s been the BEST thing  in every way!  She tells folks that being on Synthroid was like having your hand amputated and replaced with a hook, while being on desiccated thyroid was like having it replaced with a fully functional prosthetic.  Her skin is softer, hair is not shedding, her mood has changed in a good way, memory has returned, fogginess has faded. She feels closer to her old self than she has in almost five years.

Now the bad news…

All this time, she only paid $15 for her desiccated thyroid at the local Walgreen’s. But as of April 1st, 2011, it became what is called a Tier 3 drug under her insurance plan–United Healthcare.  Exclaims Wendy in outrage and sadness:  “This means that the natural drug I love, that has restored my in so many ways that the synthetic t4-only drugs never could, will now cost 85 bucks! Who can afford that?!

And here’s the awful irony when it comes to her insurance plan: Synthroid, the worst medication ever thrust upon us in the treatment of hypothyroid, is Tier 2 (i.e. costs less), and generic T4-only is Tier 1 (costs even less).  i.e. if you are under this insurance, you have to pay big bucks to feel a thousand times better.  She has no clue why this is happening, but warns that it might start to happen across the board for others as well!

In the United States, most Tiers look like this (and some companies have three tiers, while others have five):

Tier 1 is for generic medications and has the lowest co-pay

Tier 2 is for “preferred” brand name medications, i.e based on “safety, efficacy and cost”, and is the second lowest co-payment. (I put the word preferred in quotes because it’s not based on what changes YOUR life as a thyroid patient.)

Tier 3 is for non-preferred brand name medications or preferred specialty drugs. It’s termed as those drugs which are not typically used as first line of treatment, and have a higher co-pay.

Tier 4 is for specialty medications, i.e those which require special dosing or administration. Highest co-payment.

In the United Kingdom, where the National Health Service (NHS) provides publicly funded health care, there are formularies which specify which medications are available…or not, and one can get Prescription prepayment certificates (PPC) .

In Australia, “Medicare — via the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) — subsidises the cost of around 1,700 ‘necessary and life-saving’ medicines. In fact, most medicines available on prescription are subsidised under the PBS, so just by having a prescription filled you receive the benefit of the subsidy. https://www.justlanded.com/english/Australia/Australia-Guide/Health/Medicines-Chemists

Does your health insurance cover your desiccated thyroid?

JanieSignature SEIZE THE WISDOM

 

 

 

 

 

 

How medical journals affect the prescription practice of your doctor: An interesting article on this found here. And here’s an article about how the author of a medical article fails to state his association with the pharmaceutical of the product he is writing about–one more conflict of interest and influence on your doctor!

Ridiculous! Basing “normal” for Hashimoto’s patients by the TSH, a pituitary hormone, NOT a thyroid hormone: Read it here and weep.

Vit. D can help you stay sharp: So many benefits from optimizing your Vit D, and here’s one with your brain.

Need to talk to others? See all your alternatives here.

A legendary soccer player with hypothyroid who was forced to quit, plus one creative YouTube video.

A guy posted about this one of the STTM Facebook groups, and I found it hauntingly familiar. When I was in my early 30’s, I was forced to quit my beloved career as a well-trained and talented fitness instructor due to hypothyroid complications causing debilitating dysautomia reactions thanks to T4-only medications. It was very grievous and hard.

But famous Brazilian soccer football player Ronaldo, who was the all-time leading scorer at the 2006 World Cup,  has had to retire because the game rules FORBID him from taking the hypothyroid meds he needed, even if they have been the lousy T4-only levothyroxine meds. i.e. the rules see taking thyroid hormones as against the anti-doping rules.

What a shame. He’s young, 34 years old, and could have continued with a great career. But you also have to wonder how long he would have lasted at that, because Brazil doctors are still putting people on T4-only medications like so many other clueless doctors around the world.

You can read about it on CNN here.  Did you identify with losing a career or hobby thanks to hypothyroidism? What’s your story?

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I get really interesting emails from folks, and one arrived last week from Brian, the creator of a YouTube video called Our Holy Miracle of the Infallible TSH Test that he wanted me to view.

I confess that when I first saw it, I thought it was quite bizarre! Wasn’t sure what I thought of the humor with the female as she was dressed.  But the more I thought about it, I also see it as extremely creative, a good sense of humor, and a pertinent message. In fact, it may strongly appeal to younger folks because of it’s intentional hip irreverence.  So, go there with an open mind and sense of humor, and you just might like the message as I do and others are! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOb2POQGE6g

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