Dr. John Lowe Issues Scathing Rebuttal of Flawed UK Policy Against Armour Thyroid
Monday March 16, 2009
Dr. John Lowe has written a detailed, brilliant scientific rebuttal -- complete with footnotes -- refuting the British
Thyroid Association (BTA)'s condemnation of Armour Thyroid. According to Dr. Lowe, the BTA's flawed analysis "...constitutes a gross disservice to patients and clinicians who might read and be mislead by its unbalanced presentation of evidence and the false statements it contains." Dr. Lowe's eloquent rebuttal is must-reading for anyone who has had to listen to doctors or endocrinologists insist that it is somehow scientific for them to claim that Armour (or other natural, desiccated thyroid drugs), are inferior to levothyroxine -- and yet fail to produce the scientific evidence to support their popular myth. Dr. Lowe's review of the literature shows that the evidence actually suggests that desiccated thyroid is in fact superior to levothyroxine.
Don't miss Dr. Lowe's rebuttal -- the entire document is online, titled Stability, Effectiveness, and Safety of Desiccated Thyroid vs Levothyroxine: A Rebuttal to the British Thyroid Association. (You may want to print out a copy for your doctor...you know, the one who keeps telling you that he will NEVER prescribe Armour Thyroid!)
(For more information, see: "Thyroid Shakeup in the United Kingdom: British Guidelines Severely Limit Hypothyroidism Diagnosis and Treatment Options)
Photo: clipart.com
Comments
Thank you so much for posting this, and at such a perfect time, as I’m deciding between Armour and Synthroid. This is helpful, informative and timely.
I went through over a year of hell from problems taking levoxyl. Been indescribably better since going on Armour. I will never go back to the synthetic. I would rather die.
I thankyou for your emails however I am still confused as to what they mean by each brand I just wish that they had left well alone. For me if a wheel isn’t broken “DON’T” change it. Now for Thyroid sufferers we are not getting better we are getting sicker & more & more confused. Please can someone tell me what was our thyroxine that I had taken for 20years was it synthetic or natural !!! I am currently trialling Synthriod my hair has stopped falling out but I still struggle with feeling tired, bloated,bowel problems, bruising & skin breaking easily & slow healing.
I would be interested to know how many others have these side effects.
I was taking synthroid for 30 years and never having good numbers,my doctor had to change my dose every 6 nonths , I gained 20 pounds too! I read abouut Armour Thyroid and told my doctor i wanted to try it….I lost 15 pounds, and I am not blodded any more, I always had lots od energy, but my numbers are stable..Armour Thyroid is great for me!
I’ve been on Armour Thyroid medication for 4 years now. I tried the synthetic thyroid meds and found my body could not process them as effectively as Armour! I HATE the smell of Armour but given the ability to get out of bed in the morning or sleeping 14 hours a day… the stinky stuff wins! Good luck to all you and your understanding physicians! Thanks goodness mine listened to me!
I switched to Armour after years of feeling lousy. It took about 4 months to stabilize my levels but after that I’ve been at the same dosage for the past 6 years and I feel like I did before I had a thyroid problem, great! I will never go back to the synthetic and literally went into a panic late last year when Armour went through a revamp of their facilities and I couldn’t get any meds for about 2 weeks. I never ran out but it was close. Switching was the best thing I ever did!
hi all. i live in the philippines and was wondering if anyone knows where to get Armour thyroid. would really love to try it out. I have been taking levothyroxine for 7years now and have been gaining weight and not being able to lose any.
I am Hypothyroidism patient, i changed from levothyroxineto to Armour 2 and half years ago. Since then my life is back to normal, now i am having 8 month baby son and i am breast-feeding him till now….these are things not suppose happen to me According to my Doctor who laughed out when i asking him about the Armour few years ago.
Thanks for this article. Now I would like to share my own experience. I have a Hashimoto condition and was on Synthroid for several years. During that time I never really felt comfortable no matter what dosage the endocrinologist put me on. When somebody recommended to see a holistically working endocrinologist, I was very open and found out quickly, what a different medication can do. In my case for the good. I am on Armour for 1 1/2 years now and feel very good with it. Especially the dizziness and nervousness disappeared in no time. It definitely worked for me.
I have been taking Nature-Throid for 10 years (similar to Westhroid and Armour). I think it works great and when the levels are right I feel like a normal person all the time. However, I have had a terrible time getting my doctors to prescribe it for me. I finally convinced my general practitioner to do it after going through several endocrinologists who wouldn’t even consider writing a prescription for it but admitted they didn’t really know much about it and didn’t know why I wouldn’t just take Synthroid like everyone else!! It seems like a battle every year. This article should help!
I must be built differently than everyone else. I had exactly the OPPOSITE effect with Armour. I had a total thyroidectomy 1 year ago. They still have not been able to regulate my levels. I have been on every brand from synthroid to levoxil with the strange side effect of rashing. My Dr. decided to try Armour. I went from having lots of energy to none. I spent 2 days not even being able to get out of bed and felt horrible the whole time I was on it. I was taking the equivelient - if not more than what I was taking on levoxl (1 1/4 gr of armour vs 137 of levoxl. While on Armour my hair even became very straight and unmanageable. I became bloated and my bowels were backed up! I went back on levothyroxine and immediately felt better. I guess Armour Thyroid is NOT best for everyone and you have to do what is best for you.
After 5 years of feeling lousy on Synthroid, I finally found a doctor who put me on Armour. I cannot tell you the difference Armour made. I’ve only been on Armour since July, but I’ve already lost 30 lbs, and I finally feel normal. Synthroid did NOTHING to help my hypothroidism. ARMOUR REALLY WORKS!!!!!
I have Hashimotos and went on Armour after being on Synthroid for a couple of years. I did feel better. After being on Armour for about a year, my thyroid scan worsened significantly with more nodules and nodular growth in existing nodules. I have been told that since Armour is made from pig thyroid that it can cause an autoimmune response in a person with autoimmune thyroid disease. I have yet to see if going back on Synthroid with Cytomel improves my scan. I think this info might be helpful to others with Hashimoto’s
I’ve been on Armour Thyroid but still have that sluggish feeling, hair falling out, terribly dry, itch skin, ect. My doctor ran the TSH test and found out I needed iodine replacement. Has anyone else had this problem and could that contribute to me still having hypothyroid symtoms even tho I’m a that normal level of 1.5 TSH?
My most recent doctor, an internist in Atlanta, told me that she would lose her medical license if she prescribed Armour. Her partner told me that Armour would give me Mad Cow’s Disease and when I told him that it was made from pigs, he said I would still get Mad Cow Disease because pig and cow slaughterhouses are next to each other. They won’t be seeing me again.
Like Nancy, I also do poorly on Armour. I took a high dose of it for 9 years and felt horrible, unstable, and nervous all the time. Lowering the dose didn’t seem to help. I switched to Synthroid and finally felt calm again, but was still overmedicated (stupid doctors!). After reading here about how wonderful Armour is, I tried it again at a lower dose and felt like I was going to die. I went to the emergency room and my blood pressure was up and my heartrate was all over the place. Cytomel isn’t good for me either. I’m back on Levothroid at a lower dose and I’m feeling so much better. I think patients definitely need to have a choice among Armour, synthetic T4, and T3 meds, but Armour isn’t the magic bullet for everyone (because the ratio of T3 to T4 is too high for some).
I just went to my doctor and asked about being switched to amour thryoid. All I got was the talk on how you can’t get the right dosage and it doesn’t work as well.
I have to say I suffered for many years before I could find a doctor to admit that I had a thryoid problem. When I finally found a doctor who did listen, the next battle I thought I would have was asking for Armour Thryoid as I had done my research on side effects etc.. Since being on the Armour Thryoid my life has transformed completely. My energy levels have come back, the bloating gone, the hair loss stopped, dry skin was alleviated - to me it’s the best drug out there!
My endo (Jack Birnbaum, listed as a Thyoid “Top Doc”) put me on a combo of T4 and Armour. Took awhile to get it “dialed in”, the the change was T4 only was REMARKABLE.
Armour is the ONLY good one in my seasoned opinion. Agree with other, will never go back to synthetic…..
i was originally on thyroxine when i was first diagnosed with low thyroid function. this was marvellous for me & then it was replaced by eltroxin without my being informed. i started to have anxiety & headaches as well as weight gain. my Dr then switched me to levothyroxine & it is no better. i am still gainig weight, my hair is thinning & seems dead & i am really down most of the time. the headaches are ridiculous & to make matters i run a womens health & fitness centre, i workout everyday & i look like i eat pies & junk food. not a happy life for me. im now frightened of what to do next. will i continue to blow up & have bowel problems. i am miserable.
I was on Synthroid for 9 years, I did not have high blood pressure till I started taking it. I have rarely had a good day in the 9 years. It is important to know that if anyone has high blood pressure and takes a thiazide diuretic, the thiazide will affect a thyroid test showing that it is low. It does not affect the level of thyroid in the body, just the lab test. The Dr. kept raising my Synthroid until I had what is called a thyroid storm. My bp was 236/116. I am no longer taking Synthroid I am on Armour for 8 days now…we’ll see how it goes.
I have tried T4/T3 (cytomel) combo, I’ve tried Armour and I’ve tried Synthroid (or whatever generic levothyroxine is being substituted) over the last 5+ years. The best option for me is the synthetic. The T4/T3 combo and the Armour both gave me palpitations and, at one point, sent me to a cardiologist due to an abnormality showing up in my EKG. Once the doctor determined it was the Armour, he switched me back to the synthetic and my heart problems went away. I was 37 at the time and I take good care of myself and have never had heart problems.
The point I’m trying to make is you have to figure out what’s best for you and your health. Don’t be pressured into taking something that can damage your heart or your body because others say it’s the best. Do the research, experiment if your doctor is willing to try, and stay with what works best for you!
Dear Mary and Dr Lowe
THANK YOU so much for airing these issues regarding desiccated thryoid use in the UK. I too would had a lousely life on synthetic T4 and an even worse time when very hypothryoid; I need Armour, it has given me my life back.
Furthermore I meet, without looking, people suffering terrible hypothyroid symptoms most or all of whom have been refused tests from their GP doctors!! I am becoming something of a safety net to catch these people and help them in their attempts to get tested…come on guys (doctors) hypothyroid symptoms are not rocket science…you need to do better…such unnecessary suffering is not permissable.
Thank you and hugs from England xxx
I was on just Synthroid and still feeling bad and changed doctors. He put me on a combination of Synthroid and Armour Thyroid together. Has anyone else been on both at the same time. I have been on this combination at least a couple of years. I do feel much better.
The most interesting part for me, was how important it seems to be, to have the right ratio between the t4 & t3 medications. Dr Lowe wrote at length abt this too. (I’m a vegetarian, and thus I want to avoid the natural hormone substitutes, if I can.) I’m now on a 5:1 ratio between Levaxin & Liothyronine, and hoping that will help me feel better.
I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s two years ago. I tried levothyroxine but then my doctor changed me to 200mcg Synthroid daily because I still felt terrible. I still get severe muscle and joint pain on Synthroid and my doctor tells me my body needs to get use to the medicine…… after 8 months on ‘brand’, how much longer will it take my body to get use to this medicine? Anyone with the same experience of muscle and joint pain? It really hurts to stand and walk!
Very intresting1 I have had a total thyroidectomy, due to cancer 2 yers ago. i take synthroid and have been wanting to switch to Armoour. Has anyone had joint pain or stifness? I never had it and I work out w/ a trainer, and do and teach yoga. I was wondering if that has something to do w/ the synthroid?
I’ve been on Armour for 9 years and have no problems. Over the years it’s been increased. This year, my t3 is high, so we’re reducing my Amour & adding the supplement-L-Tyrosine to see it it’ll help.
Nothing is better or worse. It depends on the individual. Some people thrive on T4 alone; others need Armour or a synthetic T3 to feel their best. We are all unique and have unique medication needs.
I have been on both, Armour and Synthroid, same symptoms, over medicated on both. Is this as good as its going to get? I have an excellent doctor, but i think he thinks i am a hypochondriac. Hairs falling out, legs swelling and alot over weight. What is this T4?
I will never go back to Synthroid. My Dr. put me on Armour Thyroid a year ago and I lost weight and started to feel better with more energy. When I was on Synthroid I never had any energy and I gained weight. Armour Thyroid is the best medicine for me.
I was on Levothyroxine only for over 10 years. When I first started on it, I thought it was a miracle because I had been so fatiqued and gained so much weight. But I never felt right (the way I did before), I couldn’t lose weight and every year my medicine would get readjusted to a higher level. I finally asked my doctor to switch me to Armour or add cytomel. The answer was no! So I got a different doctor (DO). I have been on levothyroxine and cytomel for 2 years and I feel like my old self again. I made a move at work that I would never have made had I not started to feel better. Losing the weight is still a battle because I am Insulin Resistant (caused by less than optimal thyroid treatment??).
I have been on thyroid meds (levothyroxine) for almost a year. My dose was just doubled 3 weeks ago and I have been getting stiff and having achy joints. My back,knees, wrists,thumbs,hips all seem to ache. My doctor said to take a tylenol, that is was not the thyroid meds…..wonder about that……
The thyroid medication is causing the joint stiffness. Too much causes skin to dry out, wrinkles to reappear and too little does the same thing. It is a matter of getting it dialed in. If you follow the optimal labs on www.drrind.com it should be able to help you find your spot. Especially if Armour isn’t doing it for you. I know I feel ampy in the brain and tired in the body on Armour.