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To all doctors and pharmacies: cellulose IS a problem with desiccated thyroid

(Though this post was originally written in 2010, it’s been updated to the current day and time, because it still applies!)

A patient reported on Facebook that a particular large and well-known health center in Texas decided to make their own compounded natural desiccated thyroid for their hypothyroid patients…with cellulose.

Having read my blog posts about certain negative patient experience with cellulose, she told the pharmacy that many of us have noticed distinct problems with the addition of cellulose in our desiccated thyroid medications–exactly why the newly formulated Armour in 2009 caused too many patients to see a return of their hypothyroid symptoms. Naturethroid has not escaped the same fate for some.

(There is also wonder if, after Activas bought out Forest in 2014 and patients then reported that Armour wasn’t working as well for them in 2015, if added cellulose was the problem. We’re not sure.(

When she asked if they could remove the cellulose, she received a firm and condescending “No” from the pharmacist, referring to cellulose as “a common ingredient in many medications and not a problem.”

Not a problem? Once again, patients are dismissed as if we couldn’t possibly know what works, and what doesn’t work, in our treatment and in our own bodies. A shameful reality. She left disappointed. 

What is cellulose?

Cellulose is the most common organic substance found on our planet–a fiber abundantly found in plants and trees, and most especially in cotton.

Where is cellulose used?

You wear it and you write on it! You eat it when you consume celery, potatoes, or mushrooms. It’s used to stabilize and thicken processed foods, and may be found in many cheeses, dry milk, puddings, and more. And since it’s difficult to find anyone allergic to wood, it’s been a common ingredient in medications, used as a filler.

So where’s the problem for thyroid patients?

  1. Unlike the happy cows in their pastures chewing their cuds, human stomachs  have a limited ability to break cellulose down. Cellulose is a fiber. And what does fiber do? It “binds”. It binds to the desiccated thyroid that has gone down with it.  i.e. the life-changing effects of desiccated thyroid are clearly dampened by the presence of cellulose. In 2009, after Armour was reformulated with an increase of cellulose in the mix, a great deal of patients started to report problems, and to some degree, on Naturethroid, whether the latter switched to microcrystalline cellulose or not (as compared to the larger celled methylcellulose).
  2. Hypothyroid patients do not digest well. As one of many complications of hypothyroidism,  especially due to the inadequate treatment of T4-only medications and poor diagnosis from the TSH lab test,  low stomach acid and poor digestion is COMMON in hypothyroid patients.  So when you add cellulose to the mix, you are further damning thyroid patients.
  3. Though not specific to just thyroid patients, we are not too comfortable with finding out that cellulose can collect in our lungs, as revealed in pubmed articles here and here.  (Thanks to thyroid patient Danny for alerting me to this.)

Bottom line, desiccated thyroid is a quality and superior treatment medication which has changed the lives ten-fold for thyroid patients around the world. But cellulose and desiccated thyroid DO NOT MIX for certain patients, it appears. And BRAVO to those compounding pharmacies who have listened and have used the beneficial probiotic acidophilus as a filler. We appreciate you.

JanieSignature SEIZE THE WISDOM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Want to know your options for better thyroid treatment?? Go here.

Need help finding a good doctor? Go here.

Think desiccated thyroid didn’t work for you?? Go here.

See common Questions and Answers here.

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Is Cellulose the real problem in desiccated thyroid meds for many?

Screen Shot 2015-08-05 at 12.53.55 PM(This blog post is updated to the current day and time. Enjoy!)

When Forest Labs reformulated Armour desiccated thyroid in early 2009, they stated they increased the filler Microcrystalline Cellulose, and decreased the Sucrose (sugar). And all of sudden, the tablets became impossible to do sublingually–a method so many of us loved and which seemed to give even more of a punch.

And we were left wondering in 2009 why they would change a particular quality (being able to do the tablets sublingually) that thyroid patients praised so heavily?  Positive opinion among patients for Forest Labs back then slipped several notches. (Forest Labs was bought out by Actavis in 2014)

But the real cuckoo’s nest for many thyroid patients still on Armour in 2009, who knew firsthand the life-changing benefits of natural desiccated thyroid, was a maddening return of serious hypo symptoms on the 2009 Armour with its increase in cellulose, and subsequent new stress on their adrenals, sooner…or later! You can read several horror stories in the comments of the post below, or go here.

So patients turned to other alternatives, which at the time was Naturethroid and Westhroid by RLC Labs. (Naturethroid stopped working as well in 2018)

So what has been the common thread in the most problematic desiccated thyroid products?

It has always been CELLULOSE, a plant fiber, and more commonly known by the trade name Avicel. And what does fiber do in your stomach? Inhibits absorption. Armour’s cellulose was raised, and bamm…problems.  Compounded desiccated thyroid, with cellulose as a filler, has been problematic for many patients with a return of hypo symptoms, especially if it was Methyl Cellulose, a larger particle size product. But some have even had problems with compounded containing Microcrystalline Cellulose, the smaller cellular product. And a certain body of patients even had problems with Naturethroid back then before it became scarce for awhile. And Naturethroid used cellulose as a filler.

Note: With all the complaints, Forest Labs did change something about Armour by mid–to-late 2010. Though it never returned to what it was before 2009, it did become a softer tablet and patients did better on it. But we certainly learned a big lesson about cellulose in our NDT pills..

Is this problem true with T3-only products?

Yes. Patients noted that generic T3 was far less effective than the brand name Cytomel (both Liothyronine Sodium)  And what filler is up to 70% in the generic T3?  CELLULOSE.  

What does literature say about the use of Cellulose as a filler in medications?

Plenty. Cellulose is from wood. Wood is fiber. And fiber in your gut affects absorption. From http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/fiber-000303.htm we get this:

* Dietary fiber has been reported to lower the blood levels and effectiveness of tricyclic antidepressant medications…Reduced dietary fiber intake increased the blood levels and improved symptoms in these patients.

* While fiber supplements may help to regulate blood sugar levels, they may also interfere with the absorption of anti-diabetic medications….Therefore, fiber supplements should not be taken at the same time as these medications.

* Taking soluble fiber such as psyllium with carbamazepine (Tegretol), a medication used to treat seizure disorders, may decrease the absorption and effectiveness of carbamazepine.

* Fiber in the form of pectin (from fruit) and oat bran reportedly reduces the body’s ability to absorb cholesterol-lowering medications known as “statins,”… and could lead to decreased effectiveness of these medications.

* Fiber supplements may reduce the body’s ability to absorb digoxin (Lanoxin), a medication used to regulate heart function.

* Clinical reports suggest that psyllium or other soluble fibers may lower lithium levels in the blood, reducing the effectiveness of this medication.

* In one clinical study, the fiber supplement guar gum reduced blood levels of penicillin.

Fast forward to the present

If you are using a compounded desiccated thyroid medication, it’s strongly recommended to request powdered acidophiles, also spelled acidophilus, as your filler.  One gal states her compounding pharmacy uses powdered Ginger (but beware of too much Ginger if you have Mitral Valve Prolapse. It can cause palps if you take too much–my experience).  Others might use powdered Vitamin C.  See what other fillers your compounder can offer.

Another possibility is Cellulase, an enzyme which helps the splitting and breakdown of cellulose, It’s found on most supplement websites.

JanieSignature SEIZE THE WISDOM

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* Become an informed thyroid patient! //www.laughinggrapepublishing.com

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