Is Your Pharmacy Out of Armour Thyroid? Here's a Solution
Some sizes of Armour Thyroid are currently on backorder, and pharmacies in some areas of the country will continue to have difficulty filling prescriptions until new Armour shipments reach distributors and drugstores later this month. If you are trying to get Armour Thyroid, in the short-term, I've confirmed that the online Drugstore.com does have a large supply on hand of Armour Thyroid in the 30 mg (1/2 grain) size. If you are unable to get your prescription filled at a local pharmacy, you can have the local pharmacy transfer the prescription to Drugstore.com to be filled. Start by setting up an account at Drugstore.com for yourself. Then have the pharmacy call Drugstore.com's special transfer line at 1-800-373-2133 to process a prescription for you.
Important Note: if your prescription is not for the 30mg size that is available, you may need your doctor's office to convert/change the prescription specifications, i.e., if you are taking 1 60 mg Armour pill a day (1 grain per day), you'll need two 30mg pills per day, so a one-month supply would be a total quantity of 60 (not 30).
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Comments
Quick Note:
protocol for transferring a prescription:
The drug store that is filling the medication (I.e. The one taking the business) is responsible for initiating the phone call to transfer the RX.
You should contact Drugstore.com and have THEM initiate the phone call to your local pharmacy.
Don’t ask your pharmacist to call another pharmacy and give away their business. Have the other pharmacy call them.
I just went through this. I actually called Forest Pharm to make sure that the pharmacy wasn’t making it up.
I had my doctor fax in a new prescription for 1.5 grain x 2 rather than the 3 grain I usually take. I was sweating it because I’ll be out soon.
I recently experienced this problem with my mail order supplier but they were able to get my dosage. Perhaps the problem has been remedied.
the problem with getting prescriptions through the mail is……….the weather. A person never wants to get prescriptions mailed during hot weather because it can destroy its ingredients. i.e. postal trucks are hot…….while it waits for the Postal Carrier to get to your block……and mailboxes located outside a house are hot. It is not responsible to advise mailing of prescriptions without addressing this FACT.
I spoke with Forrest Pharm awhile back about breaking a 60 mg. tablet of Armour in half to get a 30 mg dose. They said it is not advisable as they can’t be sure that the distribution of the active ingredient in the tabs will be exactly 30 mg. in each 1/2 tab.
My concern is: Can I be ABSOLUTELY SURE that the thyroid from Drugstore.com is, in fact, ARMOUR THYROID and not some generic substitute. I have tried a generic by “Westhroid” and I had miserable results.
Westhroid is NOT a generic…but like all medications, everyone may have a different experience. Westhroid and Naturethroid are hormonally identical (source: Stopthethyroidmadness.com). Personally, I take Naturethroid and it works fine.
I take 240mg (4gr) and wasn’t able to refill last month. This month I wasn’t able to get 120mg.
I called Forest Pharmaceuticals two days ago. I spoke with a man in Customer Service for Armour. He said that batches had not passed quality control measures and that accounted for the back order of various strengths.
He assured me that all strenghts would soon be available again.
Just picked up my new presciption today. Instead of one pill a day, I’m now taking four (60mg each). It was reassuring to know that Armour is and will still be available.
Kathy B…
You are the first post I’ve seen here regarding a high dose of Armour.
I have been on it nearly 6 weeks, and gradually, I’ve gotten up to my max dose of six 30mg tabs a day. I see my new holistic doc for followup on Wednesday of this coming week, and I wish I knew what to tell her as to how I feel…
I cannot tell a bit of difference, so far, in Armour and the 175mcg daily of Leothroid I took prior to 6 weeks ago.
I have had a total thyroidectomy and I am wondering if my dose is comparable to the Levothroid I was taking. I have no idea if my doc will increase or decrease my dose. I have NO IDEA how 180mg of Armour compares to 175mcg of Levothroid. I hope someone here can answer that for me.
Thanks!
Armour Thyroid’s FAQ answers several questions brought up here.
The page at — http://www.armourthyroid.com/con_faqs.aspx includes a dosage conversion chart I looked at when I switched from Synthroid 6 weeks ago.
the one thing i haven’t seen ANYONE mention is thyroid injections. i’ve been on thyroid injections for 3 years now because i don’t absorb the pills anymore because i’ve been on them since i was 10 yrs old and i’m 43 yrs old now. does anyone have any suggestions to a specialist to see or a medicine to try?
Just an update. I tried to get Armour thyroid 120 MG threw my mail order pharmacy and was told it was discontinued. Called a local pharmacy and they also were unable to obtain the 120 mg. Finally called Forest Pharmeceuticls this morning and was told that the 120 mg were still on back order and would probably be for another TWO OR THREE MONTHS. So now I have to get a prescription for 2 – 60 mgs.
My Pharmacist Rocks! It took him a few days but he was able to get a bottle of the 120mg Armour for me. He’s being told the 120mg may not be available in the future but that the 60mg will be and I could double that, but hopefully Forest has it all squared away before I’m due for another script. I hope everyone else can get their scripts filled. Good luck.
The comment about innocent pigs being killed for Armour users prompts me to ask if you all think the FDA is correct that cloned meats are safe. I’m having second thoughts about Armour when I think of the possibility of Armour Thyroid from clones pigs.
Camille – Armour Thyroid 90 mg or 1 1/2 grain is equal to 150 mcg (.15 mg) Levothroid.
Armour Thyroid 30 mg or 1/2 grain is equal to 50 mcg (.05 mg) Levothroid.
I take 180mg a day of armour and my pharmacist gave me 90mg(60tabs) this late february. They don’t have any tast compared to the 180mg I’ve taken. I was told by my doctor to chew them. Has anyone else noticed the change in smell or tast and does that mean they been on the shelf longer and have expired.
I take 240 mg of armour per day for 30 years. I received 60 mg or 120 tabs March 10. Last month I received 120 mg tabs or 60 mg tabs, but they ran out.
I haven’t noticed any change in smell or odor with the 4 gr, 2 gr or 1 gr I have taken.
Cheryl,I have never chewed them and am wondering why your physician recommended that route?
Cheryl, I have taken 240 mg for 30 years. The last 2 months Bi Mart has given me 120 mg instead and for March 60 mg as that is the highest dose they have.
So I have taken 1 (240 mg), 2 (120 mg) and 4 (60 mg) per day over the last three months.
I notice no difference in taste or smell, but I do not chew them. I am wondering why your physican recommends chewing your Armour??
I spoke with a Forest Pharmaceuticals rep today.
She told me that the higher-potency formulas (120 milligram and above) may not be back on the market until June. The smaller-potency tablets should still be available.
Thanks Dave and others for your updates. I am a 30 year post cancer and take 4 grains of Armour.
To all concerned:
Drugstore.com does NOT deliver to Europe!
Good idea for US-citizens,..but where do non-US Thyroidpatients go for Armour?
Sincerely,
Ira
Hi Ira,
Yes, I have the same problem as you. Its very difficult to get it here in Europe. No Internet firm delivers here………
Gale
I take 90mg per day. I bite the tablet in half and let it dissolve under my tongue. In the afternoon I take the other half under my tongue. Sublingual is said to get into the bloodstream faster and bypasses the stomach where certain foods (and I imagine stomach acid) can interrupt absorption. They’re sweet and don’t taste bad anyway.
I have been on Armour Thyroid for five years. I am now up to 4 grains (240 mg) a day and I still don’t think that’s enough because I’m still having symptoms of low thyroid such as fatigue, falling asleep during the day, insomina at night, difficulting concentrating, memory problems, dry skin, body aches, etc.
I wonder how many people are on five grains (300 mg)?
In February I had difficulty refilling my prescription because the pharmacy said there was a manufacturing problem. I called around and found only one pharmacy in my area that had the 1 grain dosage. I got it and am taking four of these pills a day.
I’m wondering if I’m taking them at the correct time of day and if the other medications I’m on or the food I eat is preventing me from absorbing my Armour Thyroid and that’s why I’m at such a high dosage and still feel terrible. I take two blood pressure medications (Norvasc and Cozaar) in the mornings and I take a choleterol lowering medication (Lovastatin) and medication for acid reflux (Prilosec) in the evenings right before bed (usually around midnight).
I try not to eat any foods with containing calcium or take any vitamins with calcium four hours before or four hours after taking my Armour Thyroid.
Since I have insomina, I usually wake up at about 4:00 a.m. every morning no matter what time I go to bed. I then take my Armour Thyroid on an empty stomach at 4:00 a.m. I wait until about 6:00 a.m. before I take my blood pressure medications and eat breakfast.
I have asked my doctor about all this and all he says is to take Armour Thyroid when you wake up in the morning and wait about an hour before eating breakfast. He didn’t seem to know anything about my medications or vitamins effecting the absorbtion of Armour Thyroid.
Does anyone else take other medications with Armour Thyroid? Is anyone here on four grains (240 mg) or five grains (300 mg)? Does anyone here still have low thyroid symptoms after being on Armour Thyroid for a number of years? Does anyone know where I can get answer to my questions about Armour Thyroid?
For those posts about ordering Armour Thyroid in Europe, I think this link might be what you are looking for:
http://www.internationalpharmacy.com/en/home
Medco, my mail order pharmacy, contacted my Dr. and told them that Armour had been discontinued so my doctor gave an ok to substitute Thyroid Tabs – 3 Gr manufactured by Time-Cap. Needless to say I was on the phone with Medco when these arrived. Medco told me that 3 GR were backordered and ALL other strengths had been discontinued. I asked them for the phone number of their contact at Forest Labs and when I contacted them they confirmed that 120 MG doses and above are BACKORDERED with an estimate of June before they ship but that 15 mg, 30 mg, 60 mg (1GR) and 90 mg are all availalble. Then I contacted my doctor and requested two new Rx’s, one for 90 days supply from Medco for 60mg/3 per day or 90 mg/2 per day and a second Rx for a 30 day supply from a local pharmacy that I had called before to verify they had 60 mg in stock.
You can also get it at CanadaDrugs.com. And if they have it, other Canadian online pharmacies will. I have had very good success ordering drugs from Canada.
Interesting to see I was not the only one with the problem. Due to my husband’s insurance, I need to order it in the mail. I got a call advising me that the 15mg pill was not being made anymore . I contacted the company and was told that it was still being made. So I called the mail order company and asked them to allow me to get it locally. They did and surprise ….the local Target pharmacy was able to get it for me. Sad to see this happening.
Try Nature-Throid–It is the hyperallegenic version of Armour Thyroid. It is more consistent nand I feel a lot better on it (I’ver been on Armour for 20 years). You will need a prescription for it as it comes in 129.6 mg instead of 120 mg as Armour Thyroid. It is easy and cheap through CVS Pharmacy. Go to the Nature-Throid website and read for yourself. http://www.nature-throid.com/default.asp
I heard that armour is going to change there fabrication process and that was partly the cause why they where in back order.
There are reliable alternatives to Armour for now. The most important questions to ask are the following:
1) Is the medication approved by health authorities? Many generics have unapproved process and can lead to a bad drug.
2) Can the medication by trusted? Check for how long the drug has been on the market. Don’t trust new drugs just like that.
3) Can you have a follow up if you have trouble or questions on the product? Not every company offers that services and trust me it’s a must!
If you need medical questions on desiccated thyroid I’ll be glad to help since I am in daily contact with patients that take it.
Cheers to all of you.
henri
went to get my 120 Armour filled today and was told it was discontinued. This was at a CVS is a fairly large city. What is going on with this?? I have been on thyroid for years and it is the ONLY way thst my symptoms were relieved- Synthroid did nothing for me. I take a very large amount of Armour.
I am a senior and take Armour Thyroid. Medicare Part D no longer pays for it. In fact, Armour Thyroid has been taken off the Medicare formulary as of Jan. 2008.
I suspect the reason is our wonderful Food and Drug Administration.
For anyone who is not aware, our ability to obtain and use vitamin supplements AND natural hormones are under attack by pharmaceutical companies. You might want to go to the National Health Federation website or google “Codex’.
How can I get (buy) Armour Thyroid in Brazil?
Thank you very much
Is anyone STILL having problems getting Armour now?
I recently had difficulty getting my Armour refilled at my local CVS. I’m in California, and CVS has bought out all the Long’s pharmacies. Pharmacist said it was on back order. When I finally got my refill, the usual odor was not there. I’m concerned with these tablets being expired or stale. I’ll see how i feel after taking them for a few days…
My local independant pharmacy has been telling me for 2 months (May and June) that they cannot get Armour Thyroid in 2 grains or in any combination that equals 2 grains. The Forrest Laboratories hotline says 2 grain IS available and a representative from Forrest said that McKesson (the local distributor in Washington State) did have 2 grains on hand. My local pharmacists thinks I am nuts when I tell them to check with McKesson and they do and find via their computer ordering system that there is no Armour in the warehouse. I finally ordered 6 months of my dosage from an online pharmacy. My local pharmacists is simply saying I will have to change products which is I am not willing to do. Will this shortage ever be resolved?
I had a problem getting Armour Thyroid from my mailorder CVS/Caremark. They called my doc and she switched me to Nature Thyroid. I’m scared since my reaction to Synthroid! Feel a little better since others in this post are doing ok on Nature Thyroid. I also had heard about a reformulation of Armour this year, not sure how that will change things either. Any more opinions on Nature Thyroid?
I recently got my Armour Thyroid 60 mg refilled. I take it sublingually (under the tongue) and noticed that the pills taste differently. They don’t have their characteristically sweet taste and seem to break down into a powdery substance instead of dissolving like the ones I had before this refill. Has anyone else experienced this? What does it mean? Has Armour changed its fillers?
I also take Armour thyroid sublingually. My new 30 mg pills also don’t have the sweet taste and crumble when I use a pill splitter on them. Can anyone answer Kat and I on what has changed?
I’ve been calling for an Rx of Armour Thyroid in 30mg and cannot find it anywhere. All the local pharmacies have had it on “manufacturer’s back order” for 6 weeks or so. Even Drugstore.com has it on back order. What are we low-dose people supposed to do? Please help. Thank you J
Just called Forrest. 1800-678-1605, option 3, then 1 then 6 and finally heard their recorded message that gets worse every time i call, as of today they are not prepared to give a definite date of availability. the doses that are available are 4 grain= 240mg and 5 grain= 300 mg.
Smart Pharmacy in Jacksonville, FL has Armour Thyroid in stock. Their phone number is 904-221-8686
Smart Pharmacy in Jacksonville, Florida has Armour Thyroid. They can be reached at 904-221-8686
Due to a Total Thyroidectomy, I have taken Armour Thyroid daily for 45 years. I take 60 and 90 mg. I have called to Pharmacies all over my city to get my prescriptions refilled, and I always get the same answer that the medications are on back order. I never know when I am going to be able to get my 30 day or 90 day RX refilled. The Pharmacist does not know of its availability. I have called Foresr Labs and I never get an answer and they never return my call when I leave a message. I live in Florida, and the TV media has stated the the FL Board of Pharmacy has voted to have a common generic Thyroid to replace the Armour Thyroid to be effective early 2010. It was stated that Abbott Labs is challenging the decision. This needs to be supported by all of us who depend on the Armour Thyroid. Thank you and I really appreciate the comments that I have read here.