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Year: 2018

Guest Post by Jacqueline about the availability, or not, of T3-only meds

The following is written by thyroid patient Jacqueline of the United States, and may be of interest to all of you who use T3 / T3-only, no matter where you live. Her mention of Cytomel is a major brand of T3, but there are other versions.

Let Jacqueline and others hear about your issues with finding T3.

Just spent the better part of two hours trying to locate some Cytomel after Walgreens and Safeway said they and all their distributors (which are used by all the other pharmacies) are out of the 25 mcg size tablets. I have tried to locate Cytomel at least two times in the last 6 months. Earlier, I had been able to locate some in the pipeline of pharmacies and distributors. But not anymore.

Keep in mind that I do not convert T4 to T3 very much ( I do take NP Thyroid for T4, T3, T2, T1). I have tried generic and compounded T3 meds and got nothing from them. So I switched back to Pfizer-branded Cytomel last year with now a  HUGE expense as the price is now so high that the formularies do not list it any more, meaning I only get 20% coverage.

Per day, I take two of the 25 mcg of Cytomel by Pfizer, plus 60 mcg (~1 grain) NP Thyroid.  I have taken Cytomel for 20 years. To try to save money after Pfizer hiked the price about six (?) years ago, I tried switching to the generics and to compounded T3. But they were very ineffective for me, and I have been dealing with health problems that the attempted switch caused for the last year and a half. I resigned myself to the high expense, but now Pfizer has disrupted the supply, and may now be making changes in how/where it is made. UGH

My experience in trying to reach Pfizer

1. When I tried to send an email to Pfizer via their website, the field keeps saying I have too many characters no matter how many are in the box, so that was a failure.
2. When I called Pfizer Customer Service 800-533-4535 five times today this happened: there is only voice option to respond to questions on the menu, so I said “Product Information”, then “Cytomel”. They cut me off every time. No idea if the call system is broken or the product name triggers the line to be cut.
3. When I called 800-438-1985, I took the section for “Professionals” because that was the only thing that made sense. A service rep took down all my personal information, then found me a customer rep.

What Pfizer’s customer rep stated to me i.e. these “company-lines”:

a. 50 mcg is not being made until March 2019, and is unavailable. (I could use this size of the pills by cutting them in half, would save me the most money, actually.)

b. 25 mcg is not being made until March 2019, and can be ordered by pharmacy drop ship to individual patients. Actually, the manager Safeway’s pharmacy refused to do this for me. My Walgreens pharmacy did it, by going though their distributor, which the customers service rep did not understand would be necessary. Pfizer gives only two bottles per call to the pharmacist, and I got one, another client got the other. I have no idea how long this will take – last time Walgreens ordered a drop ship of Cytomel, it took 3 weeks, acc’g to the gal at Walgreens. This will not last me until end of March, so I have to consider other options, as well. Meanwhile, the old Cytomel pills expire in February!! I have no problem taking them for a while post expiration, but this is all a mess.

c. 5 mcg are back on the shelves. I would have to take 10 pills a day plus maybe 1 or 2 more to compensate for the extra filler in so many pills- thus could cost me, after the piddling 20% insurance coverage, $800 or more per month. This is the most expensive option, but I may need a back-up.

Why the disruption in supply?

Pfizer Customer Rep said that there is some “change in ingredient(s) supplier.” The exact details are considered private “corporate information” LOL. Actually this is CRUCIAL info for docs and their patients. I will consider moving to a different company’s product since there are going to be changes and the timing is not certain or shared with patients.

i. If even one ingredient is being made in a new facility, the formula is different, and may not perform the same. For those of us who depend on something in its exact form, WE NEED TO KNOW THIS.

ii. Since we depend on this product for our health, we need to know the TIMING of this, and whether they DEFINITELY will resume producing this medication.

iii. Reasons for disruption are factors we and docs should know for deciding whether to change to a different version.

My theories about why this happened

1. Price hikes led to removal from formularies (official list giving details of prescribed medicines) led to limited insurance coverage, rather than co-pays, which then reduced demand (I tried to switch away for this very reason, but nothing worked, so I came back despite the insane expense). For example, the first approx. 14 years of taking Cytomel, it was covered by my co-pay. Then the list price went way up A LOT (why? KEY INFORMATION NEEDED BY US as patients who NEED T3). From that point on my insurance only gave me back 20%, so I was paying almost $500/month. When I gave upon on alternatives and went back to Cytomel, I was on T3-only to reduce RT3, so I was actually able to take fewer pills (2 x 25mcg vs. 4x 5mcg in the past), which reduced the cost a bit as it seems to be more based on # pills than #mcg. It is likely that many switched to generics or compounded versions to save money when the price was hiked. The reduced demand would make it less profitable, and harder on the production facility.

2. Cost of raw materials went up? Raw materials in short supply??? How they are looking for alternatives?? If this is the case, the company should be telling us this!!

3. Raw materials supposedly made in Puerto Rico facilities taken out by Hurricane Maria and now unavailable??? If so, Pfizer should be telling us this.

4. 5 mcg are likely the most popular as they are most common usage is to supplement a T4-only synthetic or a Natural Desiccated Thyroid (NDT)) with a little bit of T3. For example. I used to take 150 mg Tirosint (gel-based T4, also very expensive now, so I switched) plus 20 mcg Cytomel. However, when my RT3 went way up (after I was on generic and compounded T3!), I had to take A LARGE amount of Cytomel for T3-only therapy: my theory is that the numbers of people taking such high doses of T3 and/or doing (temporary) T3-only therapy are not that high or constant, so there is is not much demand for the 25 mcg or 50 mcg pills of Cytomel.

Sorry about this long saga, but I hope to help others.

If anyone has any further info about any of this,. or any suggestions, or any relevant experiences, I am very interested.
Please post!!!  ~Jacqueline

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From Janie: as we wait for more information as well as your comments on this important Guest Blog post, here are links to help you in your quest to feel better..

1) Want to order your OWN labwork because you like being self-directed? Go to this page and scroll down to see the icons for different lab facilities.

2) Have a high RT3? Check out this page.

3) Learn what patients have learned in the use of T3-only.

4) See the different brands of T3 in pink on the Armour vs Other Brands page.

5) Have what looks like a optimal free T3 (top part of range or even higher) but you still feel awful? You may be pooling due to a cortisol issue that needs discovery with a saliva test. Once you get your saliva results back, DO NOT go by their graph. Go by this page.

6) Here’s info on the different thyroid medications: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/hypothyroid-medications/

NOTE: if you are reading is via the email notification you signed up for, DO NOT REPLY TO THE EMAIL. It will not be received. If you want to comment, CLICK ON THE TITLE of this blog post, then scroll down to comments. 

58 replies

Let’s talk WP Thyroid–not the old one….the NEW one recently coming out!

UPDATE: This page was written in December 2018, and by Summer of 2019, even NP Thyroid was starting to go downhill. Here’s a blog post which explains it all: https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/2019/09/23/the-sad-saga-of-where-we-are-today-as-hypothyroid-patients/

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RLC Labs, the makers of Naturethroid, WP Thyroid, and what used to be called Westhroid, has been around a LONG time. All are natural desiccated thyroid. meaning they are made from porcine powder and contain all five thyroid hormones, T4, T3, T2, T1 and calcitonin.

And RLC is correct in promoting themselves as the “pioneer and industry leader in the field of hypothyroid treatment.“1 They started out in the 1930’s, even though the pharmaceutical name was different for awhile, aka Western Research Labs/Laboratory.

A change started in 2017 with WP

But in 2017, thyroid patients started to see both Naturethroid and WP Thyroid slowly or quickly run out in their pharmacies and on websites, and achieve backorder status. That problem persisted into 2018.

What caused this change? Patients reported that RLC stated it was due to needed machinery updates. But??

Mid-2018

Finally, in 2018, loyal patients excitedly reported the slow return of Naturethroid natural desiccated thyroid to their pharmacies.

But with that return came a growing body of reports from patients in many groups, including the Stop the Thyroid Madness Facebook page, that they were seeing a major return of their hypothyroidism on the “new” Naturethroid…rising TSH, low free T4, low free T3, erratic frees and TSH, fatigue, depression, dry skin or hair, hair loss, anxiety, lowering of iron or B12 or Vitamin D, stiff joints, pain, achiness…on and on.

And now come some reports of an adrenal problem after being on the new Naturethroid

What are adrenal problems? It’s finding oneself with either low cortisol, high cortisol, or mixed highs and lows–any can be the result of the adrenals trying to kick in due to the return of hypothyroidism on Naturethroid. Some proved it by doing a saliva cortisol test,.

Thus, as they have been moving over to NP Thyroid by Acella2, or Armour second, or the two T4/T3 synthetics or T3….they have problems raising any of them, or problems being on the same amount. They then blame the different NDT, T4/T3 or T3-only, which instead is just the latter now revealing the cortisol and/or iron problem!!

But I feel good on the new Naturethroid!

Yes, there have been what looks like a minority who state they feel “good” on the “new” Naturethroid. But what we noticed over time is that a certain body of those came back and said they started to feel the problems creeping up on them. Here’s the string to talk about your experiences with the “new” Naturethroid:

https://stopthethyroidmadness.com/2018/05/16/naturethroid-wp-thyroid-rlc-labs/

What about WP Thyroid?

The end of 2018, especially December and when I am first writing about this, is where reports started trickling in that WP Thyroid was making a comeback in certain pharmacies.  Questions about it have surfaced, such as “Is it going to be lousy like Naturethroid has been for so many of us?”, “Can we trust RLC?” and “Do I dare try it when I’m now doing well on NP Thyroid or Armour?”

One person reported directly to me that the bottle looks the same, the label looks the same, the ingredients look the same.

What we want from you!!

This will be YOUR STTM blog post to comment on your experiences with the “new” WP Thyroid…now and the longer you stay on. Let us know if you note any differences in the pills, in the smell, in the results. Let’s share patient-to-patient and learn from each other…which is STTM’s purpose!!

Note: by using the word “new” in front of Naturethroid or WP, it is just a reference to coming out again in 2018. 

Footnotes:

1. https://www.rlclabs.com/about.php

2. https://npthyroid.com/

323 replies

All about Drug Recalls and what happened to Westminster’s Natural Desiccated Thyroid

Probably most people have heard about “drug recalls”, but may not know the ins and outs about recalls.

What is a recall?

I personally think the best definition of a drug recall comes from the Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary1:  a voluntary action of removing a product from retail or distribution by a manufacturer or distributor to protect the public from products that may cause health problems.”

Note the word “may” cause. Recalls can also be about risk, not just about definite adverse consequences.

So a recall is voluntary by a pharmaceutical?

It definitely can be. And it can also be at the request of the FDA.  Either.  From the FDA2: Drug recalls may be conducted on a company’s own initiative or by FDA request. FDA’s role in a recall is to oversee a company’s strategy, assess the adequacy of the recall and classify the recall.

What are reasons for a recall?

WebMD3 defines five potential reasons:

1) it’s a hazard to your health
2) it’s mislabeled or poorly packaged
3) it’s potentially contaminated during production or distribution
4) it’s not what it says it is
5) It’s poorly made, effecting it’s quality, purity, and/or potency

For #3 above, note that the potential contamination may be harmful OR non-harmful.

Are recalls common?

Believe it or not, yes! A 2017 article in the Journal of the American Medical Association4 stated that 1/3 of all prescription meds have been recalled due to “safety events”.

If something I take has a recall, what do I do? Can I get my money back?

Yes. But you do need to call the pharmacy from which you got it, first. They have to get official notification of the recall before giving that refund.

Shouldn’t I get a replacement for my prescription medication before taking it back?

Call your doctor so he or she can prescribe a different one before you return your recalled medication. That way, you can pick it up at the same time you return your recalled medication, say experts.

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Now let’s move to a recent recall of one particular natural desiccated thyroid medication by Westminster Pharmaceuticals.

Westminster came out with its own natural desiccated thyroid (NDT) product, considered a generic version, in late 2017.  You can read more about their NDT product on Stop the Thyroid Madness’s page which lists brands and ingredients, here.

Westminster voluntarily issued a recall of their NDT in August 2018 due to “risk of adulteration”. See below.

Why did Westminster voluntarily issue a recall?

The recall states it was done “as a precaution because they were manufactured using active pharmaceutical ingredients that were sourced prior to the FDA’s Import Alert of Sichuan Friendly Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., which as a result of a 2017 inspection were found to have deficiencies with Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP). Substandard cGMP practices could represent the possibility of risk being introduced into the manufacturing process.”

It’s important to point out the words “possibility of risk”. That is different than a definite negative outcome as having occurred. But time will tell.

And if you really want to get into detail about why the FDA issued an alert about Sishuan Friendly Pharmaceutical, the maker of desiccated thyroid powder that Westminster was using, it’s all here.

How do I know if my particular bottle of Westminster’s NDT is part of this recall?

The recall notice lists many lots. You’ll need to call your pharmacist to see which lot your bottle came from. But it does appear that most of Westminster’s NDT has been recalled by the long list of lot numbers.

Has anyone been harmed by their use of Westminster’s NDT?

In the 2009 recall wording, it was stated “To date, Westminster Pharmaceuticals has not received any reports of adverse events related to this product.”

Is this the first time that any thyroid medication has been recalled?

Nope. For example, Levoxyl, a T4-only medication, was recalled in April 2013.  Synthroid, another T4-only medication, has been recalled numerous times due to issues like subpotency and the same failure to follow good manufacturing practices.

Is 2018 a year of Natural Desiccated Thyroid mishaps??

Boy oh boy, it sure has been.

First, RLC’s Naturethroid and WP Thyroid ceased production in 2017, and Naturethroid only started creeping back in 2018. But sadly in 2018, there seem to be quite a few patients reporting it to be far weaker than it used to be and finding that out the hard way with the return of major hypothyroid symptoms. Some are trying to raise it to see if they can regain their former feel-goods; others have been switching to other brands.

Then comes this with Westminster’s NDT. What a mess.

Is there a conspiracy at foot to take our NDT away?

No, it does not appear to be conspiracy.

My doctor claims these recent issues prove that desiccated thyroid is unreliable and I should use Synthroid. What do I say?

You say “What is proven by millions over the years is that T4-only like Synthroid is the unreliable way to treat hypothyroidism”.

So where do I turn now?

People have been moving over to NP Thyroid by Acella, or Armour. You can also choose to have your NDT compounded. Or move to synthetic T3 with synthetic T4. But the goals are the same, which for years includes seeking a free T3 towards the top part of the range, and a free T4 midrange. Both. And to achieve the latter, it’s still important to have the right amount of cortisol and iron, we’ve learned repeatedly, because if you don’t, you can see problems. Too often, people blame their problems on NDT, when in reality, it’s what NDT or T3 reveals that is the problem.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Footnotes:

1. Saunders Comprehensive Veterinary Dictionary, 3 ed. © 2007 Elsevier, Inc.

2. https://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/DrugRecalls/ucm612550.htm

3. https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/what-is-a-drug-recall#1

4. http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2625319

99 replies

A way to bring up serum iron without taking iron supplements?

Yes, it appears so…with lactoferrin. But first…

It is common for hypothyroid or Hashimoto’s patients to get low iron

Why? The most common reason is being on T4-only like Synthroid or Levothyroxine. The latter leaves most with lingering hypothyroidism, sooner or later. Thus, continued hypothyroidism lowers one’s stomach acid, and lowered stomach acid means you aren’t going to absorb nutrients well. So iron can fall, as can B12, Vitamin D and more.

The second most common reason is being underdosed on Natural Desiccated Thyroid (NDT) or T3 for a long period of time…usually due to a doctor who goes by the TSH or doesn’t understand how to get you optimal.

The third most common reason? Being undiagnosed for awhile, once again due to doctor’s clueless reliance on the lousy TSH lab test. The TSH can be “normal” for years before it rises high enough to reveal your thyroid problem.

But before I get into the topic of this post, please know that the vast majority of thyroid patients with inadequate levels of iron have successfully raised it with the right amount of iron supplements and for years! It’s all explained on the iron page.

How do I know if I have low iron?

It’s about four iron labs, NOT just ferritin–the latter which too many doctor rely upon solely, and is a mistake. You can have low ferritin and good or high iron due to a methylation problem! Those four iron labs are serum iron, % saturation, TIBC and ferritin. Yes, all four. Then you compare your results to this page: http://stopthethyroidmadness.com/lab-values

Your results have NOTHING to do with just falling anywhere in those ridiculous ranges. Compare to above link!! It’s serum iron you treat.

And if ferritin is high with lower serum iron, that means inflammation you’ll need to treat and get DOWN, otherwise taking iron will raise your high ferritin even more.

How I found out about a new way other than iron supplements

I do coaching calls. And one call in particular was impressive! This young man raised his serum iron from 77 to 130 without taking a single supplement of iron. How did he do it? With nothing more than lactoferrin. He was also taking astaxanthin, but I’ll explain later .

What is lactoferrin?

Lactoferrin is a protein, also called a “glycoprotein” because it has both a carb and a protein. Lactoferrin is primarily found in a mother’s breast milk at the beginning of nursing and it’s at quite high levels–seven times higher than it will be later, or in regular milk1. And what does lactoferrin do for infants who breast feed, as well as adults who use it as a supplement? It plays a fabulous role in enhancing your immune response, making it antibacterial, for one, plus anti-viral, anti-parasitic and even anti-fungal. Lactoferrin is also stated to be anti-cancer, and also known to promote bone health.

And for all of us, lactoferrin envelopes (binds) iron, constraining the iron from feeding a bacterial or viral infection, from feeding candida, from being too toxic in our bodies, or causing too high levels of free radicals! But there is evidence that it also helps raise low iron.

Some ask about the lactose in lactoferrin since it comes from a mother’s milk–it’s very very low.

So has research also shown that lactoferrin supplementation can raise iron levels?

Yes!

Here’s a 2006 study of 300 women, part taking lactoferrin and part taking just iron supplements, and the women taking lactoferrin saw a definite rise in their serum iron as did those taking supplements, but the former had even better results! It was 100 mg lactoferrin twice a day vs 520 mg once a day of ferrous sulfate. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16936810

And here’s a 2009 study showing that with one group using iron supplements and another group using lactoferrin…the outcome was the same–each had raised their iron status comparably! results! https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19639462

In 2014, a study with pregnant women showed the same as above–that transferrin did the job in raising iron as much as iron supplementation and with fewer potential side effects. Transferrin also lowered inflammation. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24590680

And there are more studies which scientifically validate that power of lactoferrin to bring up iron from the iron content in foods you eat. Most studies show participants taking 100 mg twice a day, to equal a total of 200 mg.

How have we used lactoferrin before?

Stop the Thyroid Madness–the mothership of patient experiences and wisdom rather than empty strong opinion, has always mentioned using lactoferrin with your iron supplementation to envelope the iron and carry it around, besides protect you from the toxicity of iron. That is especially true if your liver isn’t making much transferrin as revealed by a lower TIBC–an indirect measure of your liver’s ability to make transferrin. Transferrin is in the same family of proteins as lactoferrin, thus lactoferrin supplements are ideal.

But now we have evidence that lactoferrin ALONE may do the trick. And guess what…there are even lactoferrin receptors in your body.

Will lactoferrin supplementation do the trick for everyone in raising low iron?

We don’t know yet. We need more patient feedback on their experience with it. But as mentioned above, there is evidence both in experience and research that is a bit exciting and interesting. And you probably need to take it while eating foods rich in iron, too.

Which lactoferrin should I get if I want to try raising my confirmed low iron?

Most brands seem to be fine; most lactoferrin supplementation is shown to be safe; they come from bovine sources. But I would choose a brand you have read about and/or trust.

There is a brand of lactoferrin by Life Extension that says it’s the apolactoferrin form, meaning iron depleted. Regular lactoferrin in most other brands do contain a little iron which is not depleted. I would personally go with other brands, not Life Extension, but that’s me.

What about the astaxanthin mentioned above?

If you have inflammation, iron will tend to go high into storage (aka ferritin), instead of supplying your serum iron levels. For women, you can suspect inflammation if your ferritin is nearing 100 or much higher, and for men, if you ferritin is going above the 130’s. With either men or women, your serum iron will be lower than it should be if ferritin is revealing inflammation!!

And it’s your serum iron levels you are supposed to be treating, NOT ferritin… unless you have inflammation! Thus, taking inflammation lowering supplements are important, as lowering inflammation is the only way to raise low serum iron! Astaxanthin2 is one (such as a minimum of 12 mg and possibly twice a day?), but so is curcumin twice a day (in higher doses than bottles say) or other anti-inflammatory supps of your choice.  Take the time to check out this page–we all have to be educated to get well: —-> http://stopthethyroidmadness.com/inflammation

Bottom line?

1. We now have science showing the efficacy in using lactoferrin to raise low serum iron levels, plus solid patient experience in doing so, as well.

2. Lactoferrin supplementation may prevent you from getting low iron in the first place.

3. If you are someone who has serious gastrointestinal issues with taking iron to correct low serum iron (not low ferritin–it’s about correcting low serum iron), this is a new possibility to explore. Even if you have no issues taking iron, the possibility that taking lactoferrin can raise iron is interesting, besides the fact that it also improves your immune function, is anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-fungus, anti-parasites and anti-cancer! Wow!

4. If you have low serum iron with high ferritin, the latter points to inflammation. Important to get that inflammation down to help raise your serum iron, even if you use lactoferrin.

5. Studies above used 100 mg twice a day to equal 200 mg daily. If you have gained any experience with using JUST lactoferrin to raise iron, please let us know how long it took you, how much lactoferrin you used, and what your results were.

 

 

 

 

 

 

P.S lF YOU ARE RECEIVING THIS BLOG POST via email because you signed up to do so (bottom right of any page on STTM), do NOT reply to the email. No one will see your reply. Click on the title of the post, which will take you to the actual blog post on STTM. Comment there!

Footnotes:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactoferrin

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4454080/

 

 

 

This information about lactoferrin can be a supplement to your STTM books! Print and insert. Here they are: http://laughinggrapepublishing.com 

63 replies

The Makers of Naturethroid & WP Thyroid have contacted Janie Bowthorpe

An update from Janie after this original 2018 post below

Sadly, since I posted the below, there have been a large and growing body of patients who have found that the “new” Naturethroid (in the same amount that once removed their hypothyroid symptoms) has left them with with major symptoms, plus free T3 and free T4 very low in the range and a high TSH. Those who have tried raising state it has done nothing to return them to their former state. Something pretty bad is going on now with Naturethroid.

There are a very few who report feeling fine…but, we notice that the longer someone is on the new Naturethroid, the more the hypo symptoms creep up.  i.e. it can be the adrenaline being released that fools people into feeling better…until they crash. 

So below, which I wrote before writing what I am now, seems to counter the comment that RLC has a commitment to quality, say many patients in groups.

2nd update from Janie as of August 2020

It turns out that Naturethroid was recalled in 2020 due to sub-potency.

And now the original blog post from 2018, below.

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Here is a May 16th, 2018 update directly from RLC Labs to me via email (and perhaps on their site)–the maker of Naturethroid and WP Thyroid, both natural desiccated thyroid brands. Comments from me, Janie Bowthorpe, below that. 

Since we went back into production, there have been a lot of questions–understandably so– around what caused the backorder, why certain strengths have been released ahead of others, and why available strengths are not yet at some pharmacies. We have done our best to communicate updates throughout the delay but deeply apologize if they did not reach you or answer your questions. It is not our intention to keep anyone in the dark or hide anything, and we hope this letter helps clear things up a bit more.

After expanding our operations to better accommodate growing demand and overcoming hurdles in obtaining raw material–the primary factor behind the backorder–we are happy to say that everything needed to ensure ongoing, full-scale production is in place. We are actively shipping and are focused on filling backorders.

We are far from being a “big pharma” company, however, and do not have the scale of one, but we are maximizing our working capacity and mean it when we say every effort is being made to expedite things. We are a small but dedicated team, many of whom take Nature-Throid® and WP Thyroid®, that has been and continues to be committed to keeping patients, not profits, the top priority. We also have very strict quality standards. Every batch of Nature-Throid and WP Thyroid is rigorously tested to ensure it meets or exceeds United States Pharmacopeia (USP) monographs for potency and consistency.

Our commitment to quality has been a huge factor in why no RLC Labs® medication has ever being recalled for inconsistent hormones and we do our due diligence to keep it that way. Working through our existing orders at our size and with our strict quality standards takes time, but progress is being made–including with WP Thyroid, which we will share updates on as soon as they become available.

We remain committed to staying as transparent as possible throughout this process, but just like any other company, some of our information–such as our processes and sources–is strictly internal-only. This has been understandably frustrating in some instances, but please know that we are sharing what information we can when we can. We will continue to do so, just as we have from the start, until all strengths are fully stocked and available again.

In that spirit, here are the real facts of some rumors you may have heard along the way:

● RLC Labs is not going out of business, nor have we been acquired by any other company.
● There are no issues with our licensing and the backorder is completely unrelated to any governmental or FDA-related rumors.
● Neither of our medications, nor any strengths of them, are being discontinued.
● We stay committed to maintaining the affordability of our medications. Pharmacies set their own prices, but ours have not changed.
● Our strict quality standards apply to every part of our operation–from our guaranteed hormone levels to our materials and manufacturing–which is why we carefully source our thyroid from the U.S. and Canada and are only in production in the continental U.S.

It has been difficult not being able to serve our patients at the level you have come to know and expect from us, but we know that what we are dealing with is a far cry from the challenges our patients are facing and for that we are truly sorry. Our teams are working around the clock to get us back on track, but below are some suggestions if your doctor or pharmacy is having trouble obtaining available strengths, or if you are having trouble locating them. Your continued understanding, patience, and support are greatly appreciated as we work to make things right.

ORDERING AND LOCATING AVAILABLE STRENGTHS

Please check the availability statement on our website (getrealthyroid.com) for a list of actively shipping strengths. If your doctor or pharmacy is having trouble obtaining available strengths, they can contact us directly for assistance via the ‘Provider’ tab on our contact page. Any pharmacy of your choice that is not required to order through a wholesaler can also contact us through our website for a direct account–this applies for many healthcare providers as well. Please note that most pharmacies do not order directly from RLC Labs but through third party suppliers, and many large chains are required to order through a wholesaler. Once product is out our doors, we have no control over how it is prioritized or distributed among pharmacies, nor do we have any insight into a specific location’s inventory. If you are having trouble getting an available strength from your local pharmacies, we recommend checking any of the mail-order pharmacies listed on our website. The states shown only indicate where they are located; please check the pharmacy’s website or contact them to see where they ship. When getting your prescription filled through any pharmacy–brick & mortar or mail-order–we also recommend asking for both the cash price and insurance price (pending coverage) as all pharmacies set their own prices.

Comments and summary from Janie Bowthorpe

As long as I’ve been doing this, I’ve always been amazed at the false information patients receive from Pharmacists especially, then from each other, which spreads like wildfire in groups.

For example, note above that RLC has not been bought out by another company, and they have their tablets produced in the continental US, i.e. NOT in Puerto Rico. Both rumors were rampant and widespread. I even approved a few comments on the STTM blog posts that stated the Puerto Rico comment, and had massive doubts. But the rest of their comment was too good to reject the post.

Also note that RLC labs is working on getting WP Thyroid back as well i.e., no, it has not been discontinued–another rumor. The lesson is: don’t believe everything you hear!!

Also note that the reason this all happened, says RLC Labs, is because of increased difficulty in obtaining their Thyroid USP–that means the desiccated porcine powder. Costs were getting higher, as well. So they state they are now sourcing their thyroid powder from both the US and Canada…they wouldn’t state from whom. The latter is also on top of “some infrastructural upgrades (bigger facility, updated technology, refined processes) not too long ago”, stated RLC, to better meet the growing demand for their medications.

Finally, I think it was a good recommendation to ask for both the cash price and insurance price at your pharmacy. There may be a savings there.

In the meantime….

There are other good Natural Desiccated Thyroid products like NP Thyroid made by Acella–many good reports on that one. Even the less popular Armour has been working for some, even if not all. Here is a summary of your choices for a much better treatment of your hypothyroid state.

Also please note: if you switch and don’t feel you aren’t doing well, consider two things:

  1. The amount that did you well on Naturethroid or WP may be a different amount with another brand. REDO YOUR FREE T3 and FREE T4 and see how you stand after being on the different brand a few weeks, because you may need to tweak. Optimal puts the free T3 toward the top along with a free T4 mid-range.
  2. Some people have developed either a cortisol problem and/or iron issue, and it’s being revealed on the different brand. Find out by doing all four iron labs and cortisol saliva testing. Too many people are blaming brands, and it’s most likely either 1 or 2 are the real problems.

Don’t hesitate to comment below! Could RLC Labs have done all this better than they did?  Does the above give you peace of mind? Have YOU been able to acquire the latest Naturethroid? How are you doing??

  • Need a good discussion group with integrity? Go here.
  • STUDY the Natural Thyroid 101 page on how patients have learned to use Natural Desiccated Thyroid–it’s important, as too many patients under dose themselves!
  • STAND UP AGAINST A DOCTOR who tries to dose you by the TSH. Be educated to counter his or lack of education!!
  • READ the STTM books! YOU have to become informed and confident to stand up to bad doctoring. 

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