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393685 tn?1425812522

"BYE BYE ARMOUR" your new formula is JUNK!

This new formula has been absolutely horrible for me my friends.:(  

I had the last script of the original Armour last week end. I picked up a new script on Monday. Within two days, over 60% of my hypo symptoms returned like a tornado blowing in.

I forgot the brain fog feeling....................

..... oh, I didn't miss that at all!

and the aches of hypothyroid is back with my head feeling like it ways 300 pounds!!!!

It's awful to try and take it sublingually. It sat in my mouth for about 4 hrs after my last 11:30 dose. Like I was trying to dissolve a piece of chewing gum! -- YUCK.

I called Forest Pharmacuticals regarding the problems and "they" didn't seem (to me) they are willing to do anything for a patients questions on the new formula, ............especially............ if you are a Co Leader of a thyroid forum asking the questions.

I think they cringe when they hear my name- since the February shortage of Armour started surfacing.

"Que sara sara"...................

So - if you are on the brand name desiccated Armour and are having trouble recently. Look into the new ways they are processing the medication. As far as I am concerned, I BOOTED Armour and RAN to my doctor's office yesterday to switch to Naturethroid.

I am disgusted with the pharm's way of conducting my phone call too.

If you are not sure if you are on the NEW Armour yet - look at the pill- the embedded "A" is different.

I'd like to take a POLL on the Armour thyroid patients here at Med Help to see if others are having trouble too.









78 Responses
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Avatar universal
In what way has it ruined your life?  Also, please post your thyroid test results and reference ranges shown on lab reports from before and after you noticed a difference.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
whatever they changed has ruined my life!
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Avatar universal
whatever they changed has ruined my life!
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Avatar universal
Perhaps your thyroid levels or other important things like Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin are still inadequate.  If you will post your test results and reference ranges shown on the lab report we will be glad to help interpret your status.  Other than weight gain what other symptoms do you have?
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Avatar universal
I was on Amour for a really long time until the reformulation. I'm on Naturethroid now however, I still feel horrible and I've gained weight.
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Avatar universal
A funny thing happened on the way to the re-formulation of Armour thyroid, now all of them have levothyroxine, not natural thyroxine. The manufacturers through commercialism, would like us to believe that levothyroxine (synthroid) is natural, it's not.
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734073 tn?1278896325
Post a seperate question for this ( start a New thread). Thanks
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Avatar universal
Hello everyone, and thank you TamraW. I am still not able to find any Nature throid, however I contacted a compounding Pharmacy in Missouri called Bellevue Pharmacy, I checked on their license, they have a legit Pharmacy license in the state of missouri. The pharmacist said they could make a compounded porcine thyroid. Has anyone tried this or know anything about this? Thanks for all the helpful information here.
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734073 tn?1278896325
I would say that desicated should have plenty of t3 in it (4times what a human thyroid would supply) I can't recall what the ratio of t3 to t4 is, but it is more than ample in the t3 area. More than likely it is the t4 that is deficient. Especially since you're body was use to higher amounts of t4 on the synthetic meds.I would not add cytomel to the mix!!! That would really complicate things while you are trying to figure out your correct dose on Naturethroid. Instead, I would tweek up slowly and divide between more doses, until you are feeling better. Then wait for blood labs to truly see what is low, the freet4 or the freet3? Yes, the 4 hour intervals are working great here. I'll let you know what our labs say on 9/20. Good Luck and God Bless!
Helpful - 0
727481 tn?1231203771
I've had a rough road with meds since August 2008.  I was extremely ill on Levothyroxin, Synthroid and Levoxyl and finally got my doctor to prescribe Armour.  Still not right though so started with Nature-throid just this last few weeks.  I start with 1/2 grain at 6AM and then 1/4 grain at 2PM.  Yesterday I increased the second dose to 1/2 grain so that now I'm taking 1 grain per day.  How do the four hour intervals work?  I think some of my problem is a very low free T3 that will need to be increased with Cytomel.  I find that I have to experiment on my own which my husband said is wrong, but only I know how I feel with this stuff so even the doctor can't keep tabs on it's day to day effect.  
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Avatar universal
What about a compounding pharmacy? Google it and see if one is in your area.

:) T.
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Avatar universal
Good Day everyone..I would like to switch to the nature throid..however I am being told they are on backorder for 90 days, I don't want to risk taking the armour as I am experiencing a racing heart while on it. Any advice on how to obtain it or any pharmacy that might have it in stock?
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734073 tn?1278896325
My daughter has no gland is on 1 grain more of the Naturethroid 195mg (3- 65 mg pills per day taken at 4 hour intervals)  then she was on Armour 130mg (2-60 mg pills taken twice per day at 5 hour intervals). It took a little while to feel "right" on the Naturethroid, but I think it is because she began feeling so "wrong" on the Armour all of a sudden. I upped her by 1/2 a grain after 10 days. We did this twice until we began to feel a relief of hypo. symptoms. It's been 7 weeks since the switch and she is doing soooo much better now, but it takes time and was not an easy switch due to the dose (conversion) issue, but definately the right one! I will take her for labs next Monday 9/14 and will have the results the following Monday 9/20. I suspect she may need another bump of 1/2 grain in the morning, but I'm waiting to see labs. The waiting is the hardest thing with thyroid issues! Hang in there and keep working at it!  
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393685 tn?1425812522
Yep Ken - I see where your thinking is....

That's where most of my time is right now. Working on the info with this situation.
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529974 tn?1212974220
Have been on Naturethroid now for 1month 3weeks, doing much better!
My hair is growing back, still have rash problem. But energy is better by
far!

Also am taking 4 NT compared to the 3 Armour I was on. Am doing 3 NT one day and 4NT the next due to the shortage, I want to make sure Im covered till RLC catches up with demand!
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727481 tn?1231203771
Maybe my doctor was right then as she wanted me to start with 1 1/2 grains of NT, but even on .75 grains I find my internal shaking has increased and I need to compensate by taking Lorazepam to calm my nervous system. I might try increasing the NT to 1 grain just to see how it affects me, but generally I don't feel too well.    
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393685 tn?1425812522
not in my opinion.

I raised almost 2 extra grains on NT then what I was on with the original Armour.
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727481 tn?1231203771
I started on Nature-throid (NT) again last week and saw with the conversion that 1 grain (65mgs) of NT is equal to 1 grain (60mgs) of Armour or 100mcg of Levoxyl.  Is this conversion formula accurate based on any users reading this?  
Helpful - 0
393685 tn?1425812522
You probably will find that the NT is different than the Armour. A bump in meds is what I needed to get back on track after I switched.
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517871 tn?1252289824
I switched to NT from Armour a little more than a week ago and I'm already getting dry skin and am starting to drag. That being said I have been working out every day so I might have altered my BMI a bit.
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734073 tn?1278896325
Hello my daughter was born without her thyroid gland. She was also on Synthroid most of her life. Was not converting enough of the t4 to t3 and began having lots of heart palps(pvc's) due to the imbalance in her body. She had lots of other hypo symptoms on Synthroid alone. We decided to give Armour a try and we gradually made the switch 6 months ago,  and she did great! Blood work was perfect for the first time and finally her t3 was good. Most of the HypO symptoms were eliminated. Until our final refill was brought home, (same dose just a new bottle),she began having severe joint aches and blood work had changed for the worse, all in 6weeks time.Figured it must have been the "new formula" that I'd been hearing more and more about, so we changed to Naturethroid. Doing so much better. Labs are in 1 week. She is on 1 grain more of the Naturethroid then the Armour. (Conversion chart seems too modest). Problem is, now it is also hard to find. Armour "stepped in it "with the FDA and production has been halted. Who knows when and if it will be available in the future. Naturethroid and Westroid are both made by the same company and they are under a severe supply and demand crisis.They say they will be sending it to the pharmacies by mid November. Until it is available many people are having it compounded. Anyway, if you are suddenly not feeling well, it is probably the "new Armour" causing it. Talk is, they changed the fillers/binders and now it is not releasing the hormone as well. It has really put us all in such a tuff situation! Good luck and hope you figure out what avenue to take in this situation.
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Avatar universal
Hello , I am new here, I have had thyroid disease since 12 years old. I am now 45. Switched to Armour about three years ago, I could not tolerate synthroid. In march 2009,After a regular morning routine, I noticed my heart beating funny....then boom, boom, boom, boom, goes my heart, I was shaking terribly, thought I was having a heart attack. then my heart just slowed down, It was terrifying!! This has happened a few times since, But I am always jittery, and my heart races, and sometimes at night I feel so anxious, like I am going insane. Could this be the "New Formulation" of Armour or am I going crazy? Anyone else have these anxiety issues? HELP!!
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393685 tn?1425812522
Yes

Try Naturethroid and find a doctor that knows about thyroid issues.
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Avatar universal
I started taking Synthroid .1mg in 1983 after doing thyroid destruction with radioactive iodine.  My thyroid had gone wild and was out of control.  The .1mg dose was too high for me and caused burning of the left leg sciatic nerve, swelling at the knees, soreness in the chest, sore spots around the left ribs that were painful to the touch, heart palpitations, constant sinus swelling and finally peyronies disease in which a small knot formed in the penis and caused tissue damage,  I had enough.  I quit taking the synthroid cold turkey until I got a reversal and kept doing a small dose until I got relief.  I tried Levothroid and others and finally settled on taking two to three doses daily of a reduced amount instead of one pill a day.  This method worked the best and kept any of the horrible symptoms from returning.  It seems to me that a single large dose can do more damage than multiple smaller doses.  Brain fog and sudden debilitating tiredness are my present symptoms and have plagued me for years.  The only thing that helps is an immediate nap, even if I am already well rested.  I switched to Armour thyroid with no change.  I have tried higher doses and lower dosed with no change.  I have tried binging on sugar and caffein with no change.  I recently went to the doctor with my complaints and we are going to start trying anti depressants to see if they will work.  I blame it all on the thyroid issue but I have not found a final solution.  Looks like I will live the rest of my life fighting this losing battle.  I am not ready to give up.  Any comments?
Helpful - 0
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