Here's a less-than-promising development for thyroid patients. Dr. Sidney Wolfe, editor of the WorstPills.org website, and co-founder -- along with Ralph Nader -- of Public Citizen's Health Research Group, has been appointed to a four-year term on the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee. The committee's role is to counsel the FDA regarding the safety of certain drugs.So why is this a problem for thyroid patients? Because if Sidney Wolfe has his way, he would like to see Armour Thyroid taken off the market. And even worse -- his opinions are based on misinformation and a lack of even a basic understanding about thyroid medications. The sad truth? Dr. Sidney Wolfe has absolutely no idea what he's talking about when it comes to Armour Thyroid.
Here, you can read about Wolfe's inaccurate and error-filled condemnation of Armour Thyroid, including his shocking assertion that Armour Thyroid is an "over-the-counter herbal preparation." (Which of course is ridiculous, as it's a prescription -- not over-the counter -- medication, and not herbal.)
I wrote many letters to Dr. Wolfe and Public Citizen regarding Armour Thyroid, which resulted in corrections of some of their misinformation. But ultimately, Wolfe maintained his opposition to Armour Thyroid.
Let's hope that Wolfe, in his new role on the FDA committee, has enough legitimate drug safety issues to keep him busy. The last thing we need is for the big drug companies making levothyroxine, in their continuing efforts to protect their profitable market for overpriced levothyroxine drugs -- to lobby Wolfe and his committee to eliminate Armour.
Dr. Wolfe -- please don't waste our taxpayer money trying to eliminate a safe, effective thyroid medication that you clearly don't understand at all.
Photo: Public Citizen
I have no thyroid gland any more and natural thyroid hormone is the only replacement I tolerate . What would Dr. Wolfe advice me to take in order to stay alive ?
I also do not have a thyroid gland., due to rai. Aftet 8 yrs. of misery with synthroid.Amory replacement was a life saver.
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It’s hard to believe someone in such a position would speak on a subject with such lack of knowledge about it. Dr wolfe please inform yourself before you speak out on our behalf!Armour thyroid has been the only thyroid med I have been able to tolerate and I wouldn’t go back to the alternative.
I don’t know what I’d do without Armour Thyroid. I hope people don’t allow this product to be taken off the market. It’s scary to think of the power the pharmceutical companies have in this country. It’s a proven fact that Armour Thyroid works better than Synthroid for many/most patients who take it.
My testing shows that my body doesnt convert T4 into T3. Without my Armout thyroid I could die. Is that what Dr. Wolfe is suggesting? I know that there are others out there just like me. The synthetic works fine for me husband but just made me get sicker as it is only T4. Dr. Wolfe is a hazard to my help and he is forgetting his oath to do no harm to his patients.
My family might as well start planning my funeral if Armour Thyroid is banned. I have tried all the other thyroid medications and they don’t work for me. How awful that someone like this so-called doctor could sentence me to death just because he’s stupid.
After RAI 15 yrs ago, I was on synthroid. I suffered from watery infected eyes, terrible periods, joint and muscle aches, tiredness for the entire 14 yrs. I finally learned about Armour. Had a terrible time finding a dr to prescribe it and finally did. One year this month on Armour and ALL, EVERY SINGLE issue I had before is gone. I feel so much better. We should write our congress people about this. No one should be able to take away our health for political reasons. This is just socialism in its infancy if they get away with this.
I was changed from Armour Thyroid to Synthroid by a new doctor when I moved to Florida, and within a year I had fibromyalgia and all that goes with it. I suffered for 14 years with it before reading on the web possible links to Synthroid. I changed doctors and got on Armour. I feel so much better, but the pharmacies are having trouble getting it in. Or at least that’s what they say. One pharmacy doesn’t have any trouble at all, and I am just wondering why some and not others. The one that I can get it from is privately owned. Is there a connection? My doctor says that everyone wants it now, but he’s skeptical it makes a difference. Why don’t doctors believe what we tell them????? We don’t dream this stuff up!!
Find out what state he is licensed to practice and file a complaint to the medical board. That will get his attention. Buy the domain name sidneywolfeiswrong.com and make factual rebuttals to his disinformation.
The more government gets involved the less rights and freedom you have in medicine. DO NOT FALL FOR SINGLE PAYER. It is a death trap. You will not have Armour then for sure.
Just posted on Obama’s site:
Dear Mr. President, Please don’t take Armour Thyroid off the Market!!
By Ms N. – Apr 3rd, 2009 at 4:15 am EDT
Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content
Please, please don’t let Dr. Wolfe take away Armour Thyroid!
People who’s bodies are ineffective at making T3 out of TSH need T3 supplementation in order to survive!
Armour Thyroid is the only such drug that delivers both T4 and T3. Levothyroxine only delivers T4.
Armour Thyroid is a “main street” drug. Money is not made from it. If big business gets its way, they will eradicate it. Please make sure that your new appointee will not be swayed by big business here…
The following Article is posted on About.com:
Dr. Sidney Wolfe, Who Wants to Take Away Your Armour Thyroid, Is Now on an FDA Committee for Drug Safety Sunday March 29, 2009 Here’s a less-than-promising development for thyroid patients. Dr. Sidney Wolfe, editor of the WorstPills.org website, and co-founder — along with Ralph Nader — of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group, has been appointed to a four-year term on the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee. The committee’s role is to counsel the FDA regarding the safety of certain drugs.
So why is this a problem for thyroid patients? Because if Sidney Wolfe has his way, he would like to see Armour Thyroid taken off the market. And even worse — his opinions are based on misinformation and a lack of even a basic understanding about thyroid medications. The sad truth? Dr. Sidney Wolfe has absolutely no idea what he’s talking about when it comes to Armour Thyroid.
Here, you can read about Wolfe’s inaccurate and error-filled condemnation of Armour Thyroid, including his shocking assertion that Armour Thyroid is an “over-the-counter herbal preparation.” (Which of course is ridiculous, as it’s a prescription — not over-the counter — medication, and not herbal.)
I wrote many letters to Dr. Wolfe and Public Citizen regarding Armour Thyroid, which resulted in corrections of some of their misinformation. But ultimately, Wolfe maintained his opposition to Armour Thyroid.
Let’s hope that Wolfe, in his new role on the FDA committee, has enough legitimate drug safety issues to keep him busy. The last thing we need is for the big drug companies making levothyroxine, in their continuing efforts to protect their profitable market for overpriced levothyroxine drugs — to lobby Wolfe and his committee to eliminate Armour.
Dr. Wolfe — please don’t waste our taxpayer money trying to eliminate a safe, effective thyroid medication that you clearly don’t understand at all.
The follicular neoplasum I have(cancerous-non-operable)grows twice as fast on Synthroid! What’s up doc? Lobbiests pay for your vote?
I agree with all the comments that Armour Thyroid should NOT be removed from the market. I take it and I do better on it than synthetic thyroid.
I DISAGREE with what Ann says about single payer health care coverage. Please don’t confuse that issue with this one. If that’s what you want to discuss, please do it in a more appropriate forum. These are two entirely separate issues, and it is not responsible to make the statement that single payer health care coverage would be a “death trap” and equate that with Armour Thyroid being removed from the market. You are misleading people, but more importantly, you are mixing up two issues that don’t have anything to do with each other.
Armour Thyroid has turned my life around. Thyroxine made me feel awful. Now I have energy and I can function .I have just taken it for a few weeks but it has made an enormous difference. I NEVER EVER want to go back to the way I was. Why is it such a constant battle for us Thyroid patients to get well and why are we treated with such disdain from the medical profession. PLEASE DON’T TAKE ARMOUR THROID OFF THE MARKET!!!!!!
I have not taken anything but Armour thyroid. Ater doing my research why in the world would I even try the others. Armour is cost effective and works great for loads of thyroid patients. Armour thyroid must be a fantastic medicine or why else would so many people try so hard to get a doctor that will prescribe it. The people that should have the voice are those that actually have experienced thyroid problems and have taken the meds to correct the problem. Why listen to someone that has no clue what he is talking about.
I STARTED THYROID DRUGS IN THE EARLY 90S. I STARTED ON SYNTHROID. I DID NOT FEEL GOOD..I HAVE BEEN ON ARMOUR THYROID SINCE 1996, AND THAT SEEMS TO BE THE BEST FOR ME. WHAT HAPPENED TO WE THE PEOPLE….WE THE PEOPLE WANT ARMOUR. IT SEEMS LIKE A SAFE REQUEST, CONSIDERING ALL THATS GOING ON.
We are headed down the same path that our brothers and sisters in Great Britain are already on. Physicians with the national health care plan are not allowed to write prescriptions for Armour, levothyroxine is the only approved medication for the treatment of hypothyroidism. In addition, their definitions for being hypothyroidism are shameful. When I was diagnosed last summer, my TSH was over 10. In England I’d still be panting for help. Folks, we are headed right up the same unholy path.
my daughter has been on armour since the 5th grade. she is 18. i did my research and would only let her take armour. why dont they look at the side effects of synthetics and ban them?
If Armour Thyroid is banned in the US, can we get it elsewhere? Canada, Mexico, anywhere?
When I was first diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease the doctor placed me on levothyroxine. Slowly, “some” of my symptom’s began to disappear, but I never felt truly well or whole.
I learned about Armour Thyroid from Mary Shomon’s blog and books. Being of the mind to use natural products I fought with two doctors to allow me to try Armour. I mean what was the big deal? If the Armour made me feel worst…I do have the brains to say, “Hey, this isn’t working for me!” Well, the third endro. I saw agreed to let me try it. (A younger doctor…was this the difference?)
I have been on Armour Thyroid for about six months now and the change in my health is remarkable! I no longer even think of myself as having a thyroid problem; only because I feel like I did before my thyroid crashed. To remove this product from the market would be a nightmare for all of us. As long as we are being monitored by our physicians and all is well – what’s the problem?? For me, levothyroxine was an ineffective patch for my ill health, while Armour Thyroid is my good health. Just tell me who to write to!
Maybe you can have his finances looked into in the public interest and find out who’s paying him.
Otherwise why, with all the really bad drugs on the market today, would he even know about one of the safest and best medicines much less have a problem with it?
Armour has been a God send to me. With this drug, I feel wonderful all the time!
I too have Hasimoto’s Disease and the ride I have taken has been like a roller coaster. Your up one day and going down the next. I have been to soo many doctors I am just about tired of it and want to be my own diagnostician…at least I will hear and listen to my story. 90% of Doctors in practice don’t know what effects that little gland can have on your body. It is the epi-center for your body. I don’t feel he should remove a drug that actually has no specific contraindications; no more than any other drugs on the shelf. Should he remove this drug, why place patients on synthetic medication of any kind. You know the old saying you can fool some of the people some of the time…well you cannot fool mother nature. And if it’s too good to be true it usually isn’t. That’s the bottom line here. Treatment for for Thyroid Disease has to be tried and true. It’s like other diseases that don’t get attention until you “Protest” for the good of all and those involved. I took Armour for a short period and I will have to admit I probably felt the best I ever felt in my life and my endo protested and told me I was on the road to a cardiac event. So now I am back on Synthroid. I am not a doctor, and I really don’t know what is right and who is wrong with regards to my condition but I ride the ride and hold tight each day. We need everyone to speak out and be consumer advocate’s on any matter of the subject that involves Thyroid Issues and Concerns. You don’t know til you’ve been there. Dr. Wolfe maybe needs to experience the ride….maybe he needs to understand that sometimes you let sleeping dogs lay. My feelings are this is bullying and maybe if the table was turned and something was taken from him that his life was reliant on he would feel differently. Nevertheless, when someone holds the ceptor they feel they can give and take.
It would be a shame if Armour goes off the market. But Mary, the article referenced about this guy’s total lack of knowledge is 6 years old. What’s his problem with Armour NOW? There will always be docs who don’t understand, and when they are in a postion of power, that makes them dangerous. But we can’t advocate our stance effectively if we are operating on info that isn’t current.
But I do love this site. It has helped me in many many ways. Thanks Mary.
At what address can we write Dr. wolfe?
Barbara is DEAD wrong (emphasis on the word DEAD) about single-payer health care IMHO. It is the first toll in the death knell for many treatments like Armour Thyroid.
Everyone, please read the proposals being offered on single-payer by the current administration. Single-payer WILL evolve into a completely government run institution where an all-powerful board composed of corruptable czars like Sidney Wolfe would determine which treatments are allowed (remember the adage about power corrupting).
Sure, you can still pick any doc under these proposals but they ALL will be pressured or forbidden to prescribe treatments not approved by the board. Anyone who reads this site KNOWS what just happened in England regarding Armour Thyroid. People should not be so arrogant as to believe it cannot and will not happen here!
what are we going to DO?!!!!!!! there has to be some plan of action!!!!
I had RIA three years ago and have been on Synthroid until January, with changes in dosages and just a general roller coaster ride. I begged my doctor to put me on Armour Thyroid. I would never have known about it if not for Mary’s web-site. I had no energy, heart palpitations, loss of hair, extreme itching, moodiness, cold all the time, tendonitis, weight gain, and just generally felt bad all the time. After about 3 weeks on Armour Thyroid, I felt like I did before all of this happened. PLEASE don’t let them take this drug off the market!!
Started out on Synthroid in 1997 after lobectomy due to papillary carcenoma. Was fine until I got pregnant. With no monitoring for hormonal changes I had a miscarriage & suffered for 3 years until I had a screaming fit in the endo’s office & he changed me to Thyrolar. I thought it was a miracle. Then several years ago Thyrolar was taken off the market for “quality check” & has not returned. Moved to Armour Thyroid then…was still alot of adjusting & with the advent of menopause complicated things all over again. Have finally got the right dosage & doing well. Really don’t know if I could live through that roller coaster ride again. With help of AboutThyroid monitoring the situation I think we should all prepare to make a stand.
I took Armour because my body was not converting T4 to T3, but my TRab antibodies shot through the roof. So I asked my doctor if Armour contains the natural antigens that actually stir up autoimmune disease — he said that was possible, but no studies have been done to look into that.
I then swtiched from Armour to combination of synthetic T4 and synthetic T3 and my autoimmune disease went WAY WAY down.
What I’m really surprised with is that nobody else is looking to see whether their TRab antibodies are getting worse while on Armour.
There is a new “slow release” type of T3 coming out soon. It will release T3 in a more natural way than Armour or the current T3 meds do. It will release the T3 hormones into the system more like a real thyroid would. I’m much looking forward to that, since both Armour and T3 give me jitters and anxiety until after about 4 hours after taking it. Then I quickly feel hypO again. This new stuff may erase all that.
As far as single payer health care — I already pay $2000 per month for my health insurance and I don’t know how long I can keep this up. If the government offers a basic plan, then I’ll still have PLENTY of money left over to pay to run my own labs/order my own medicines, etc, too.
That’s what my friends in England do – they have private health insurance as well as National free care. If they don’t like what the free care doctor says, they then go private. But their premiums are only a fraction of what I pay because the cost of health care has never gone outrageous like it has in the US. Wake up — what we have here is HORRIBLE!
I have no thyroid and have been on Armour for 8 years. I HATED snythroid and feel like a normal human being on Armour. I am VERY upset that there is talk of taking it off of the market. What can those of us who NEED Armour to LIVE do about this?
If Mary will organize an online way to email Pres. Obama and our Representatives, I’m sure we could send a very loud message. Possible, Mary?
Okay, let’s take these guys on.. Let’s rally.. Let’s find out their skeletons in the closet and let them out!!
What type of vested interest do they have in the pharmaceutical companies? Do they own stock, I bet some do.. if not all of them.
We need to gather info on these guys, protest for media coverage and expose them!!
Just for those who don’t know…
There already is are several T3 hormone (synthetic) available on the market today, so you do have options other than Armour.
Armour is not synthetic, it’s all natural – but keep in mind that autoimmune disease is the attack on natural thyroid parts. Since Armour is the whole gland and not just hormones, it likely contains those very antigens that trigger the disease. But does that harm us? Who knows. I’m sure everyone responds differently to Armour. But I saw my Graves antibodies rise while taking it, so I decided to stop taking it on my own. My antibodies came back down after I did.
sueb(#22),
while mary’s correspondence w/ dr. wolfe and
his associates is six years old, here is what you will still find today at worstpills.org:
* thyroid tablets USP (ARMOUR THYROID)
We list this drug as a Do Not Use drug because it is not adequately guaranteed to provide appropriate blood levels of thyroid hormone and reliable alternatives are available.
also prominently featured is a refence to a “Worst Pills, Best Pills Newsletter” article:
Do Not Use! Natural or Desiccated Thyroid (ARMOUR THYROID) For Thyroid Hormone Replacement Therapy (May 2003)
We wrote in the first edition of Worst Pills, Best Pills, published in 1988, that natural or desiccated (dried) thyroid extract products, such as ARMOUR THYROID, should not be used except by those who have successfully taken it for years to control their symptoms of low thyroid hormone production (hypothyroidism).
http://www.worstpills.org/results.cfm?drug_id=624&x=42&y=13
if dr. wolfe and his organization have changed their opinion of armour since 2003, the website certainly doesn’t reflect that.
I switched from Synthroid to Armour several years ago and since then my TSH level has been great and I feel SO MUCH better! They’d better not take it off the market… and it’s scary to think they could! What gives them the right?
I struggled through years of extreme fatigue, irritability, and pain because doctors insisted that I use Synthroid and other synthetic drugs to treat my hypothyroidism. Only after a new doctor prescribed Armour Thyroid did I begin to experience energy, good mental health, and painless life again. The Synthroid made my condition worse and I will not subject myself to that misery again. I would rather go untreated and suffer the longterm consequences. This man is a danger, not a help!
I am having a panic attack. One of the most severe side effects I had on synthetic throid meds was being SUICIDAL. The same day I stareted taking Armor, it stoped.
I don’t know what to do. Please do something Mary ! My life will be over.
I started on synthroid and felt aweful. After reading this site, I changed doctors and she switched me to Armour. I started to feel a difference in 2 days! My new doctor retested all my levels after 3 months of being on Armour and my autoantibodies were down by almost half! A good idea mentioned in another posting – Please Mary Shomon, organize all of us who visit your site to be heard in force!
Norma,
Don’t panic.
He has not done anything yet — I’m just alerting people to the fact that a doctor who has crusaded against Armour is now on a drug safety committee at FDA.
Just stay tuned, and if he starts to try to do anything, then help out as we mobilize against such a development.
Meanwhile, if you are having a real panic attack, or feeling suicidal, then it is very important that you talk to someone immediately and let them know you are feeling this way – someone who can talk to you right now. If you see a psychiatrist or a counselor, he or she is the person to call. A family member or friend is also a good choice.
If these options are not available to you, please call a suicide crisis hotline. In the United States, you can call 1-800-784-2433 or 1-800-273-8255. Here is a web site that lists other hotline numbers in the U.S. and around the world:
http://hopeline.com/ries.asp
I am so sorry you are hurting right now. It is so difficult to know how to help you. I can’t see you or talk to you; I can only let you know that you are not alone, and that there are people in your life and available on hotlines who care about you and who can help you to work through this. Please reach out to them.
Mary
The doctor I’ve been seeing for many years had me on Armour. When I changed to a new doctor, he took me off Armour and put me on Synthroid. He said that because it comes from a pig, it potentially may contain antibiotics, and also the amount of hormone in a single tablet cannot be exact, and may vary.
When I read what happened in the UK, I really worried about that happening in the US. Now, it seems it could become a reality. I had RAI for Graves and then went hypo. Endo put me on Syn-crap, and I suffered for two years (nearly bald, depressed, weight gain, the entire sorry list) before I found a doctor who switched me to Armour and dosed by my basal temperature. Within days, I felt like a new person, and for the last two years I have felt great. I will NOT take Synthroid ever, ever again, even if I have to break the law to get Armour! (Can you imagine?? Patients getting Armour to be well and becoming criminalized?) I will be active – just point me in the right direction!
Eight years ago, my new doctor changed my prescription from Armour to Synthroid, saying Armour wasn’t quality consistent. During that trial month on Synthroid, I experienced extreme fatigue, deep depression, dry skin, wispy hair, and skipping heartbeats. I demanded to go back to Armour, and have been feeling great since.
I am entirely shocked by the claims of this man. I was taking synthetic thyroid meds for over 7 years and can’t say that I ever felt good on it. I was always in very good health until being diagnosed with hypothyroidism, so I clearly remember what “good health” felt like & how terrible I felt while on levothyroxin/synthroid. Some days were nearly unbearable. I was placed on Armour a few months ago, & I am feeling good again, like the person I remember years ago. I find it hard to believe that this doctor is even qualified or credible, or that he can be allowed to make these false claims, possibly affecting millions of lives for the worse. This entire topic has “big pharmaceuticals” and “money” written all over it. Is this responsible government or this poor judgement by an uninformed individual who has obviously not taken the time for good research or the time to listen to the people who’ve had their lives changed by a viable medication. Shame on him and anyone who believes him.
Why does a Dr. have a nurse do his research and write his emails?
Forgot to add – is he getting a kick back from all the companies that make the synthetic thyroid pills? Someone should investigate that…
I wish this doctor to suffer as we all have and only be able to take synthroid.
To defend Armour, I don’t think we need to trash Synthroid. Like any health condition, different drugs work better for different people. I know several people who take Synthroid and it works very well for them. I, however, got side effects from it. My doctor switched me to Armour, which has worked great for me.
I do not agree with pulling a drug off the market unless there is clear evidence of serious risks that outweigh the benefits. There are potential risks with *every* drug on the market (even birth control pills, which millions of women are prescribed every day). Even if Synthroid is the best drug for treating thyroid issues in most people, it will not be the best choice for all people. My father cannot take the most common blood pressure medication because of other health factors. A girlfriend with fibromyalgia continues to take a pain drug with a proven link to increased risk of heart damage because *she has decided* that the quality of life she gains from the medication offsets the increased risk to her heart. It’s all about playing the odds.
The fact is that those of us on Armour do not know whether there is an increased risk of autoimmune issues or cardiac damage because the studies have not been done. Knowing this, I have made an informed choice to take Armour, which has greatly improved my quality of life.
I would be very upset if Armour were pulled off the market because such a move does not respect a patient’s right to choose reasonable alternatives to the most common treatment protocol and to decide to take informed, reasonable risks. (Isn’t that why warning labels exist in the first place?)
OMG this scares me. I was just diagnosed with Hypothyroid and Levo. made me feel like I was on speed! I’ve just switched to Armour and I feel so much better. It’s obvious to me that Levo. is not a one size fits all solution to underactive thyroid and it’s not fair to patients to take away their choice.
…..”He said that because it comes from a pig, it potentially may contain antibiotics,…..”
Gee I guess we shouldn’t EAT pork or any meats either then, eh??? Because we know what he is saying is true in meat; i.e., proven that MRSA in prevalent in many meat products raised for consumption.
Heaven, help this world…and all the political BS that is affecting us.
I will fight for my Armour…(and bio-identical hormones!!!)
you are “RIGHT ON’
How can we help fight this? I will do anything to keep armour on the market b/c it saved my life! Wehn I was diagnosed with Hypo, they automatically started me on Synthroid which defiantely did not agree with me. After my Dr. tried different dosages usuccessfully he sent me to an Endo and he refused to prescribe anything besides Synthroid. So I did my own research and found an Edno who would prresibe Armour and I can now say I have been fine for over 8 years now!
Hi EveryOne,
Go to:
https://www.worstpills.org/contactus.cfm
Let them know how you feel…you might better be writing your comments there….
To Your Health!
Bev
Let me know where to sign up to protest!!!! Armour thyroid is the only medication that has given me my life back. These Doctors do not think of the patients and I am tired of it!!
Hmmm…let’s see Mr. Wolfe get fat, ache all the time, be constipated, fall asleep at the drop of a hat, freeze and never get warm, have heart palpitations, chest pain, feet pain, depression, anxiety, hair loss, flaky skin, etc. and not have anything else work. What then?
If they take Thyroid Armour away I might as well plan my funeral. I dont have a Thyroid gland anymore because of Hashimotos and I did not do good at all on Synthroid. I never had any energy hurt all the time and gained alot of weight. When my Dr. put me on Armour it was like I didnt have a problem. I lost weight and felt better and had lots of energy within days of starting Thyroid Armour. Some one needs to do something about this guy.
Martha
Dear Dr.Shoman,
Please send out an email blast to all of us telling us on whom and how to put political pressure to remove or at least squelch this arrogant, ignorant totalitarian. (Congress, for example). When an issue is this important, there should be an online petition set up for us to access by clicking on a link. The petition could then be presented,by someone with clout, to politicians who care about being reelected. I am sure there would be many signatures, and that those concerned would get all their friends and email lists to sign also. Unless, of course we are too exhausted to lift a finger because our Armour is taken away.
This is the same clown who wants to ban the only pain med that works for a lot of people with chronic pain. Somebody needs to put a muzzle on this jerk!
I’m trying to post that this clown is also way out of line and power hungry because he’s also trying to ban a certain pain med that, for some people, is the only one that is effective with no side effects. He and his outfit, Public Citizen, are suing the FDA! Why is my post being booted?
When I try to post a critism about this Wolfe guy, I get this:
Fatal error: Unable to publish files via replicon in /mnt/www/vdir/cgi-bin/apps/wordpress/wp-content/plugins/static.php on line 195
WHY?
I was on Synthroid for 9 years and felt terrible. I did not have high blood pressure until I had been on synthroid for a year. The last ER visit my blood pressure was 206/106.
I have been on Armour for almost three weeks and I can feel the difference. I am still trying to level out my blood pressure but I am having more and more days where it is at 114/72 instead of 146/83. My daughter is going to talk to her Dr. about putting her on it.
Mary,
Thanks for reporting this to us! I am ready and willing to help spread the word, if it comes down to any wrongful lobbying of the removal Armour from the market.
Armour has turned my life around for the better! I am certainly not going to let anyone take it any from me and the countless other people it has helped without a fight. I am so tired of people who don’t have their facts straight trying to govern everyone under a one size fits all approach. Everyday, our constitutional rights seem to be plucked away, little by little. This needs to stop. We should have the right to take medications that have proven benefits. We have the right to life.
Just say the word and I’ll be ready to help out.
-Hattie Coche
Mr Wolfe is the AMA’s wetdream of anti-alternative health advocate! And to any Green supporters out there-I am one and voted for Nader, well I was stunned to find out that Mr Nader is pals with Mr Wolfe and they are hell bent on eliminating BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONES & ALL VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTS. That is why they fight the FDA all the time, and yet at least as MR Nader is concerned-he fights big RX at the end of the day for some legitimate causes such as phenfen etc, but overall Both are trying to be able to create more legal loopholes so trial lawyers can sue people more easily.
Now I like Obama however he is indifferent to the natural health and organic movements. Its amazing that the more liberal and progressive the candidate the more strict and controlling they are about natural health and alternative methods of health treatments. These are serious choice issues that are personal, I can’t imagine the Right helping people protect their bodily rights either. WE need grassroots activism (see Health Freedom.net) to keep our medical treatment choices open. WE do not need big gov’t NOR Big Pharma controlling our choices. GET ACTIVE WITH YOUR CONGRESS PEOPLE TO PROTECT YOUR ACCESS TO VITAMINS, HORMONES, and in this case ARMOUR THYROID, I myself have taken it for 5 years and its fantastic.
MR WOLFE can go SUCK IT!
I would hope that an endocrinologist or other professional versed in armour thyroid would have some imput, and it wouldn’t be left to someone so obviously opposed to a medication he is not a professional at administering. How do we stop this man from having the last say, bombard the FDA with the facts and true statistics to those who HAVE to have armour to LIVE? It’s frightening that such a bafoon is allowed to voice his “opinion” and it is actually being considered as “gospel”.
What I don’t understand is how a person such as Dr Wolfe got past Congress to get into the position with the FDA. I will certainly be taking this problem to those who can do the most good to try to stop this atrosity!
I’m also going to have my say about the monopoly of Big Pharma and the extreme greed and craziness they indulge in! They certainly need to be regulated if anybody does! I am furious at this doctor’s audacity! Anybody who is interested in natural products and organic farming needs to check ouT Congressional bill HR 875 which was introduced by Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro whose husband Stanley Greenburg works for Monsanto, the chemical company who introduced genetiaclly engineered plants.
This bill gives Monsanto extremely broad powers over everything having to do with seeds and farming including dairy in such a way that it would have global implications for our food supply. IN short, a Monsanto monopoly!!! The bill is very scary. Please write to your Representatives and ask them to kill this bill completely. Thank you!
Google this guy and find out what he’s really all about. I thought Public Citizen was an ADVOCATE for the people, not Public Enemy:
http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2009/01/09/sidney-wolfe-outsider-becomes-fda-insider/
Sidney Wolfe: Outsider Becomes FDA Insider
January 9, 2009
‘Wolfe’s critics say he’s prone to overestimating drugs’ risks, and underestimating their benefits — a tendency that could keep useful medicines of [sic] the market. ‘Is there any drug Sid Wolfe likes?’ one anesthesiologist asked when he opposed painkiller lollipops for kids with cancer.
- – - – - –
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123145489435265929.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
A Wolfe in Regulator’s Clothing: Drug Industry Critic Joins the FDA
January 9, 2009
“The pharmaceutical industry has a recurring nightmare: Drug-safety crusader Sidney Wolfe becomes a player at the Food and Drug Administration. Dr. Wolfe also has a nightmare: One of his children goes to work for a drug maker. Of the two, the doctor is sleeping more soundly.
“Over three decades, Dr. Wolfe, head of the health group at advocacy organization Public Citizen that Ralph Nader founded, has helped push 16 drugs off the market and slap restrictions on several multibillion-dollar products. He has been so hostile to the FDA under President George W. Bush that he decried its 100th-anniversary celebration in 2006 as a “propaganda campaign” to hide its ‘unprecedented assault on the American public.’”
- – - – - – -
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123326421629330211.html
Panel Urges Darvon Ban
January 31, 2009
“Darvon has been on the market since 1957, and Saturday marks the 30th anniversary of the first congressional hearing on its safety. Nonethless, it still enjoys wide use in treating mild to moderate pain. More than 20 million prescriptions were written in 2007 for products containing propoxyphene, the active ingredient in Darvon, according to the FDA.
“The panel voted 14-to-12 that the drug’s benefits didn’t outweigh its risks, and called for removal from the U.S. market. The final decision is up to the FDA, which usually adopts panel recommendations but not always, especially when the vote is so close.
Darvon’s defenders argue it is safe and effective when used as directed. The label warns against taking it in combination with alcohol or certain other drugs.”
Complain to the FDA about how Armour gives you a better quality of life. I’m thinking he’ll try to ban anti-thyroid drugs next.
http://www.fda.gov/cder/comment.htm
It is good to see you Americans have the same
idiots with a piece of paper indicating,’Doctor’. If, I was C.E.O. of Forest or other producer I would sue the jackasses – you are getting stuck with socialist petty fogging meddlers, as we in the UK are stuck with – if from California they are kooks of the first order.
Real American ’self help’ is not politically based.
Here are some links about this Wolfe character. I tried posting some excerpts but they haven’t shown up yet. If my previous post does show up, all the better, but you can look up this info for yourself.
I strongly suggest you do research this guy. He’s dangerous! Public Citizen is a joke, and hiring him into the FDA just shows poor judgment:
http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2009/01/09/sidney-wolfe-outsider-becomes-fda-insider/
Sidney Wolfe: Outsider Becomes FDA Insider
January 9, 2009
- – - – -
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123145489435265929.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
A Wolfe in Regulator’s Clothing: Drug Industry Critic Joins the FDA
January 9, 2009
- – - – - -
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123326421629330211.html
Panel Urges Darvon Ban
January 31, 2009
I have been taking Armour Thyroid for years now and it is the ONLY thyroid supplement that works for me!! Because of Armour Thyroid, I can now live a more normal life. I have much of my energy back and am slowly losing weight. The quality of my life and others with thyroid disease would be adversely effected by taking Armour Thyroid off the market.
These so-called doctors need to LISTEN to real people who have thyroid disease and who are taking Armour Thyroid!! We are living proof of how great this medication is!!
Please Mary, tell us what we can do?? Is there any way to start an email that would reach President Obama? I don’t think we should just wait to see what happens. Please keep us posted and let us know what we can do about this.
I cannot live without Armour Thyroid.. and this may sound a bit extreme, but it’s how I feel! I am finally feeling like myself again, thanks to Armour Thyroid. I cannot go back to living like I did before. Synthroid is awful!! Had nothing but side-effects with that.
What did world renowned endocrinologist Dr. Jacques Hertogue, M.D. think about Armour Thyroid?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7OJ-rTFBVw
First of all, I am hoping Dr Wolfe will have bigger “fish to fry” with his new found power at the FDA.
Second of all, given that Armour thyroid does not have a long list of negative side effects, it seems unlikely that there would be adequate motivation to remove it from the market.
Thirdly, if it really is true that most of the negative perspective on Armour is due to clever marketing and payouts by Synthroid, it begs the question: Why is Armour still so popular? Is there something to the T3, (and T1 and T2) that is in Armour? Instead of wasting time and money bashing Armour, perhaps Synthroid’s manufacturer’s money would be better spent in replicating what works with Armour. The millions of unhappy people who need the T3 aren’t going to go away even if Armour does.
Well, all I can say is that I’m sorry I voted for Ralph Nader now. Also, I wanted to read some of the information on the worstpills website and was SHOCKED to find that I have to spend money to do so. If this information is so critical to my health and the health of others, why do I have to pay to access it?
I hope he doesn’t have a personal crusade to end Armour because it’s the only thyroid medication I will ever take– because it’s the only one that ever alleviated my myriad symptoms and allows me to lead a normalish life.
READ DR. DOUGLASS II “DAILY DOSE” 4/08/09 FOR MORE DETAILS!
Thank you for the info, Richard Keene. I found this, but can’t seem to locate the “study” Dr. Douglass mentions. Do you know which one it is and where to find it?
http://www.douglassreport.com/deardrd_index.html
Quote: There was a study that specifically compared the synthetic thyroid treatment (Synthroid) to the natural thyroid treatment (Armour). The results showed that the patients scored better after receiving the natural thyroid Armour on 6 of 17 measures of mood and cognition than those on the synthetic drug Synthroid. Results of mood and physical status tests were better in 10 of 15 instances. There was also biochemical evidence that thyroid hormone action was greater after treatment with natural thyroid rather than the synthetic. End Quote.
I am another who is horrified every time a medical personnel want to take away my Armour thryroid. I have always had to fight for Armour Thyroid because most allopathic doctors did not care about my welfare. I can’t understand their interest in promoting pharma drugs that don’t agree with Armour Thyroid patients. I think we need integrative medicine philosophy, not managed care.
I couldn’t walk or live without Armour. I had been sick and cold all of my life, but was finally diagnosed as hypothyroid in 1995 at age 34. Prescription: Levoxyl/Synthroid. After starting on each of the T4 drugs, I remained freezing cold, with low basal body temperature around 95. My TSH was at 1.0, so my doctors thought that I was okay, but I wasn’t okay. After a few years on Levoxyl, I became gradually weaker, with serious upper back, shoulder and leg pains. Many days I couldn’t walk. Then I developed heart palpitations. My once sharp memory started to go. After seeing countless doctors and endless lab tests at a huge cost to both me and my health insurance, I finally was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and was told there was no cure. The doctors put me on every kind of antidepressant which only gave me headaches. The Levoxyl was killing me. Frustrated by my worsening health, I stopped taking my 75ug daily Levoxyl, and all of the other drugs. Shortly thereafter, the heart palpitations went away, and I could once again walk up and down stairs. I was still in a lot of pain, but at least I could manage life better at work and home.
No doctor ever equated my hypothyroid condition with either my cold body temp or my fibromyalgia symptoms. Searching the internet for answers, I landed on this website, and was certain that Armour was the answer. After trying to convince several doctors that Levoxyl didn’t work for me, I finally found a doctor listed on Armour’s website who agreed, after much coaxing, to start the Armour prescription. We ran all thryoid tests and found that I have Hashimotos. My thyroid antibodies were both sky high above 1000, and TSH was above 30. The antibodies are also probably what caused my eyesight to degrade significantly, as the antibodies can cross-react with eye muscles. After almost a year of being on Armour, thankfully, my TSH is now at 0, which is perfect for me. I need total T3 replacement, and am now up to 180mg (3 grains) Armour per day. My temperature has improved to average 96.5 degrees. That’s 1.5 degrees higher than where I started. I’m able to hike 5 miles, climb stairs and carry boxes. I’m still not 100% there yet, but I wouldn’t be anywhere without Armour.
Armour is terrific! After having tried the synthetics with little to know improvement I was switched to Armour and I feel great! I feel like I got my life back! I vote to keep Armour.
Just goes to show that in many cases,it’s the money that talks.Too bad that the zest for the welfare of human health is going by the wayside for the greed of money.
I recognize that it is not all physicians who look at the money but it’s obvious that many are willing to sell their “birthright” as it were for “a pot of porridge.”
Thanks Mr. Wolfe for your shallow attempt to really care about the health of humanity. In my estimation, you no longer deserve the term Dr. You’re soul is obviously synthetic!
Maybe we should tell this idiot doctor that we need to take Viagra off the market and see what he says.. mention that erectile dysfunction is all in his head and he doesn’t need any drug…. Doctors and their arrogance…geez
The following is the response Dr. Wolfe sent to me today, April 13, 2009, regarding my concerns about the removal of Armour Thyroid from the market.
FROM DR. SIDNEY WOLFE:
Thank you for your correspondence.
I want to assure you that I have neither the inclination nor the ability to use my position on the FDA’s Drug Safety and Risk Management Committee to remove Armour Thyroid from the market. First, I have no role in setting the agenda of the committee. Second, the committee considers only safety issues, but we have never raised questions about the safety of Armour Thyroid tablets, only the content.
Please forward this to others, some of you have listed as being concerned, but whose e-mail addresses I do not have.
Yours sincerely,
Sidney M. Wolfe MD
Acting President, Public Citizen
Director, Health Research Group at Public Citizen
1600 20th St. NW
Washington, DC 20009
Phone: 202 588-7735
FAX 7796
e-mail: Swolfe@citizen.org
Web sites: worstpills.org
& citizen.org/hrg
Thanks Jeannie -
I sent a personal letter to Dr. Wolfe yesterday, and while I’m waiting for the “open letter” copy to post here (guess it’s been stuck in the “filter” since I submitted it yesterday morning), thought I’d point out a couple of things about the doublespeak in the above response from Wolfe that has piqued my curiosity.
He’s on the FDA’s Drug Safety
and Risk Management Advisory Committee. Wolfe states he does not have the ability to remove Armour from the market. Yet in a combined hearing of that committee (just about the same time Wolfe hired into the FDA last January) and the Anesthetic and Life Support Drugs Advisory Committee, the vote was 14 to 12 to ban a different drug (one that had been on the market since 1957). This was hearing reported by the Wall Street Journal.
And if his committee “considers only safety issues” yet he states they never raised any questions about the safety of Armour. Then why did the matter even go to this panel?
He says nothing to assure all of you that Armour will not be banned. He says nothing about his anti-Armour campaign while wearing his Public Citizen badge, even though he signed the letter with all of THOSE credentials. He says nothing of substance.
Not sure what happened to my open letter to Wolfe about a different med he’s been campaigning against, but apparently it never even made it to the “filter.” So, I am resubmitting it below.
Granted, this is concerning a pain drug, but many rely on this as you do on Armour. You have the option of synthroid/levo and cytomel, but Armour is the ticket to a good quality of life for many who need thyroid replacement. By the same token, there are a lot of pain drugs, but when someone with chronic pain finds one that not only works with no side effects, but has a good track record since the mid 20th century, it’s pathetic that one person such as Sidney Wolfe has the power to destroy your quality of life, as he’s trying to do with Armour.
I haven’t yet received a reply to this letter I sent to Wolfe personally, but I’m sure he’s a busy man now that he’s working from TWO fronts attempting to turn the lives of many patients upside down.
After seeing his empty reply to Jeannie about Armour where he really says nothing, I guess I can expect something similar. He claims he’s concerned about Armour’s “content” not its “safety.” Well, what’s the difference? If he’s so concerned about content, they why doesn’t he investigate the inferior generics that are flooding the market, parading around as true copies of the original drugs, yet loaded with excess fillers and having inconsistent effectiveness?
You can’t afford to be complacent about this matter. You must fight for your Armour as I’m fighting for my pain med, Darvon. Use that CDER link I’ve posted above and file a complaint! Write to Wolfe at the email he’s provided in Jeannie’s post. Stand up to this assault on your quality of life by some crackpot who hasn’t a clue and is obviously just trying to make a name for himself.
I plan to contact other sources to gather strength in countering this “doctor” and his penchant for the ridiculous. Here is the letter I sent to Dr. Wolfe earlier this week:
Dear Dr. Wolfe:
On my last visit to my family doctor, he informed me that the pain medication I use is going to be banned and we will need to find a substitute. I came home and scoured the internet for details on this ridiculous proposal.
A large section of my left leg is riddled with clots, the soft tissue has collapsed onto the shin bone, is rock hard, and it is a source of throbbing, stinging pain 24 hours a day. I wear expensive thigh high surgical stockings on it, and have to support the ankle with an ace wrap (all these supplies are paid out of pocket). I also have a bulging disk in my lower back.
I am 60 years old and it has taken me a long time to find a pain medication that actually works in reducing the pain somewhat, even though a recent Wall Street Journal article quotes you as follows:
Quote: In an interview about Darvon before Friday’s meeting, Dr. Wolfe said, “Claims of its efficacy have been seriously undercut by the FDA’s own analysis.” He noted that the agency said Darvon “possesses weak analgesic effects.” End quote.
This excerpt can be found here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123326421629330211.html
Panel Urges Darvon Ban
January 31, 2009
Considering I am deathly allergic to ibuprofen (I used Motrin until I suffered an anaphylactic reaction several years ago), and cannot tolerate codeine. Vicodin and Norco make me lightheaded and nauseous. Tylenol does nothing, and straight aspirin does nothing. All other pain meds I’ve tried give me undesirable side effects and/or do not work. Granted Darvon is not very strong, but it takes the edge off which helps with my quality of life…….. it gets me through the day with my faculties in tact. A few years ago Darvon Compound was discontinued (did you have anything to do with that perchance?) but if I add aspirin and caffeine to straight propoxyphene, it is a reasonable substitute for “Darvon Compound.”
I do not abuse it; wouldn’t you think my own doctor would be the first to notice that? Since you felt Armour was an OTC med, I’ll inform you that Darvon is not. Therefore, the decision to prescribe Darvon to me is in my doctor’s hands. What gives you the right to campaign to have it outright banned just because some people who abused the drug ended up overdosing on it? Hell, you can overdose on aspirin, so should we ban that also? I follow my doctor’s directions in using Darvon and am not some irresponsible moron who takes chances combining it with alcohol and whatever. Many times I just “bite the bullet” and go without because this drug now costs over a buck a pill!
If you succeed in banning this drug, what am I supposed to do? What are others who depend on the relief they DO get from it because other pain meds are unsatisfactory expected to do if your decades-long campaign against this drug is successful?
After reading the article in WSJ (link to this article is listed above) earlier this year, I find your reasoning for eliminating access to this drug sounds like you are really scraping the barrel to back your play. Here is an excerpt to refresh your memory:
Quote:
A Food and Drug Administration panel recommended banning the painkiller Darvon and a related drug, following a decades-long effort by critics who charged that the drugs’ users often intentionally or unintentionally overdose on them.
Darvon has been on the market since 1957, and Saturday marks the 30th anniversary of the first congressional hearing on its safety. Nonethless [sic], it still enjoys wide use in treating mild to moderate pain. More than 20 million prescriptions were written in 2007 for products containing propoxyphene, the active ingredient in Darvon, according to the FDA.
The panel voted 14-to-12 that the drug’s benefits didn’t outweigh its risks, and called for removal from the U.S. market. The final decision is up to the FDA, which usually adopts panel recommendations but not always, especially when the vote is so close.
Darvon’s defenders argue it is safe and effective when used as directed. The label warns against taking it in combination with alcohol or certain other drugs. End Quote.
I’ve already contacted the FDA and received a courteous reply explaining that Darvon is not banned…….. yet. Since the Darvon ban was approved in a 14 to 12 vote, I would like a listing of the 14 obviously clueless pencil pushers who attended the “joint meeting” of the two “committees” listed in the quote below and decided this drug should be banned. I want to contact each one personally, as none of the links in the FDA/CDER’s response refers me to this information.
Quote: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held a joint meeting of the
Anesthetic and Life Support Drugs Advisory Committee and the Drug Safety
and Risk Management Advisory Committee on January 30, 2009. The agenda
was to hear and discuss the available safety and efficacy data for all
propoxyphene-containing products (including hydrochloric acid (HC1),
napsylate salts, and combination drugs) and whether any regulatory
action is appropriate.
The advisory committee voted 14-12 in favor of withdrawing propoxyphene
containing products. However they also recommended requesting more
safety and efficacy data from the sponsor, as well as possible labeling
changes. End Quote.
Please do us all a favor and use your influence to effect useful campaigns against drugs that actually ARE dangerous, and quit taking aim at long-established drugs because they are easy targets. Have some compassion for those who have a better quality of life thanks to certain drugs, and let their DOCTORS decide what should or should not be prescribed to their patients. If you really ARE a doctor, you will not only lend us some credibility and try to understand our viewpoints, but you will address EACH of my concerns as presented to you in this letter, and not try to blow me off with some snow job reply.
Hoping to hear from you soon, I remain
Very truly yours
In case anyone wonders what I’m doing on a thyroid forum, I’ve taken the anti-thyroid drug (ATD) Tapazole/methimazole since May 1979, when I was diagnosed with Graves’ disease. I’ve watched the original Tapazole, on which I was stablized and doing quite well, become substituted with the generic methimazole which causes my levels to be all over the charts.
Dr. Sidney,
Wake up!
Listen to these comments by people- REAL PEOPLE- who know that THEIR bodies & lives are better off because they can use Armour thyroid!
This includes me.
I would just die w/o my Armour medication.
NOTHING else works for me.
I truly can’t imagine how I could live my life if my hypothyroid symptoms returned or increased again.
Please be informed before you thoughtlessly & carelessly issue a death sentence to so many people.
I’ve never met a person who’s been on Armour thyroid med who thinks that Synthroid is better- NEVER.
Get over the TSH data and listen to what the PATIENTS are saying!
I tried Synthroid a few years ago when I was first diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I had a headache for 3 months until I was switched to Armour thyroid. I clearly cannot tolerate Synthroid so what do I take if Armour is discontinued?
My thyroid doesn’t work at all. I was on Synthroid for a yr. & had no energy or clear thinking, also have Fibromyalgia. When I joined a yahoo group I found the Amour Thyroid & boy did it change my life. I can think clearly & have energy of when I was younger.
Pardon this pun,’Someone needs to assassinate his ass! All us sufferers could do so & claim emotional distress.
I have been on Armour Thyroid since 1983. My life before diagnosis was a blur because I was sleeping 20 hours a day, rising only to get my kids off to school and my husband off to work. That was all I could summon energy for. After my doctor prescribed Armour Thyroid (because we did not have medical insurance and he knew I would be paying for it out of pocket) my life turned around! I began doing housework (I found out I LOVE cooking and doing dishes!), playing softball with hubby & kids, taking walks, and LIVING again. In fact, I felt so good, after the kids left home I actually got a FULL-TIME JOB! I have been working for 20 years now. I have always looked forward to working well past my retirement age of 66, because I love my job as a medical transcriptionist.
However, about six months ago my pharmacy quit being able to obtain Armour Thyroid, and I have been forced to take levothyroxine. My health is slowly declining. I now have fibromyalgia. My energy level is waning to the point that I am looking forward to early retirement despite the reduced benefits. My joints hurt all the time. I succumb to the slightest infection going around. My blood pressure is rising. I know it is the inferior synthetic drug that is causing this, but without anything I could be dead inside six weeks.
So how could we get Mr. Wolfe’s attention? (Yes, I did say “Mister” because a man who would take a life-preserving medication off the market for ANY reason does not deserve the honorable title of “Doctor.”)
As an illustration, what if someone were to slip him an I-131 pill in his drink sometime & see how fast he begins to plead for what we’ve been needing all along. If our symptoms are all in our heads, and we don’t need Armour Thyroid to cope with them, and even if we DO have an authentic symptom now and then it’s certainly not life-threatening, then no harm would be done, right?
I agree on the dangers of Sidney Wolfe (and don’t forget Ralph Nader). But does everyone always have to bash the pharma industry? I USED to work in pharma and spent most of my career trying to help get free cancer medicines to people all over the world (including the US). There are a lot of very very good people working in the pharma industry from inventing new drugs to making sure they get approved and on the market and to paople. Who do you think made the originals from which ANY generic is copied? Pharma. In an article on Sidney Wolfe (who pharma is not thrilled with), why is it necessary to bash the organizations that have helped save lives? I just don’t get it.
I don’t know what I will do if Armour Thyroid goes off the market entirely. I took Levoxyl for awhile a few years back and discovered that I am allergic to it (I broke out in hives). This whole situation has me very concerned.
Wolfe is right that the manufacturing of dessicated thyroid meds is not consistently providing the stated dose. That has been my recent experience and I do feel that Armour, etc work better for me than the synthetics which I was on for years.
But this manufacturing/dosage problem needs to be fixed!
This is a prime example of what COULD happen if the single payer healthcare system is passed. It IS what happens in the rest of the world with single payor systems. An arbitrary group decides what medication will be available, and that is what you will take, period. No compromises or alternatives to pay for it yourself. Why do you think that other countries have allowed private healthcare into their so-called single payer markets? Because they don’t work and people were dying. I am very worried about my access to my thyroid medication but even more worried about my access to quality healthcare that I need.
Welcome to the world of one size fits all cook book practice of medicing to be dictated by Obamacare.
I have not read all the comments here but I have read enough to know that most people generally favor keeping Armour thyroid on the market. I agree. Synthroid damned near killed me and I will never take it again. I was injured in a radiation accident in the military and my thyroid has been destroyed. The fight to get a prescription for Armour thyroid was nothing short of WWIII and the VA still won’t stock it or pay for it (even though it’s part of my disability). I have found a source in Canada that can supply this life-saving medication. I wonder if any of the commentators here find it ironic that an American veteran, on disability, has to go to Canada to get a simple medication that is made here in the US. I’ve already written to my senator about this.
Wow, I cant survive without this medicine. I have tried them all. My husband is in a panic b/c he knows how I am if I dont have it and how much better my life has improved since taking it. I NEED this to survive!!!!!! I will literally die w/o it!!
The people here bashing healthcare reform are not getting it: this isn’t something that COULD happen to us under some hypothetical fascist system, this is something that IS happening to us in our CURRENT system. And it’s only relevant to those of us who could afford the drug in the first place — a lot of people can’t afford the drugs they need even when the FDA DOES approve!
I have been an observer of The Gerson Clinic protocol in Mexico that uses Armour in it’s program, and also at some of the leading health institutes in this country. I have witnessed the reversal of amost all diseases out there, some of which were refractory to allopathic medical treatment and labeled as terminal, many times these programs will prescribe Armour or Westhroid. I am convinced that THIS IS THE REASON THE FDA is seeking to ban these products. For all the people on Armour, or Westroid who are no longer sick, how will the drug companies make money on them?
The ONLY MED I can take for my thyroid is Armour Thyroid. A doctor once switched me to Synthroid and my emotions took a big tumble. It was then that I searched out a specialist. My specialist told me that when a patient starts on Armour Thyroid (which I had been started on 50 years ago,) that a patient cant’ make the switch from natural to synthetic. So please convince the doctor who hasn’t been through thyroid problems to change his position on that. Many of us NEED Armour Thyroid for our bodies. The thyroid is our most important gland.
I just finished emailing this letter to the FDA, President Obama and all my Senators & Representative. Feel free to do the same…
10/31/09
To My Governmental Representative,
I am furious! The FDA, in it’s stupidity, has effectively stopped all production of natural thyroid medication in this country. These medications have been manufactured for over 100 years. That means there is over 100 years of medical history of the wonderful effectiveness of these drugs.
I have been on thyroid medication for hypothyroidism for nearly 30 years. When I was first diagnosed, my doctor put me on Armour Thyroid. My symptoms disappeared! My prescription level stayed the same for years. Then, in 1989, my doctor retired. My new doctor put me on Synthroid. In the years since, my dosage level has had to be increased steadily. I was up to 200mg and still having symptoms.
Last fall I went to my doctor feeling horrible. My scalp itched, I kept getting little pimples on my scalp. My hair was falling out. My skin was dry and very itchy all over my body. I was very depressed. I felt like I was in a cloud, my mind was foggy. I had no energy, yet I couldn’t sleep at night. I felt awful! I started doing some research online and discovered it may be the synthetic thyroid! I asked my doctor to put me back on Armour Thyroid and within 3 weeks I felt like a new woman. And on a lower dose than the synthetic that was not working! ALL my symptoms disappeared! It was a miracle!!
Now, my government, via the FDA is trying to force me to go back to the horrible way I felt on synthetic thyroid! I am furious! The FDA has shut down all production of natural thyroid because it never went through drug trials?!? You’ve got to be kidding me!! Millions of people have depended on this class of medication for over 100 years! It has thoroughly proven to be safe, effective and cheap! I cannot go back to that person who found no joy in life! Please tell the FDA to stop preventing the production of natural thyroid. The millions of us who depend on natural thyroid are begging you to help us get the medication we so desperately need to live our lives!!
Thank You,
After 24 years on Synthroid, the Armour product was the only thing that work’s for me. Please keep it alive.
My question is this, what can we do to stop this? I signed a petition, but I am willing to go to Washington and picket if necessary. Is there anyone else out there willing to go? I cannot go back on Synthroid again. I would rather die. I will either look to Canada or try Mexico for Natural Thyroid. Please let’s unite against the FDA, it’s our right as US citizens.
I have been taking Armour thyroid for 15 years. Initially the Dr’s prescribed the synthetics which nearly killed me, namely Synthroid.
Later I joined in a class action law suit http://thyroid.about.com/cs/synthroid1/a/lawsuitapproved.htm
I never received my share of the $91 million but that is another issue.
The point is that so many of us cannot tolerate synthetic hormones and without the natural alternatives, we will get sick and DIE.
The FDA approves all sorts of experimental drugs that have adverse effects, medicines that cause cancer, psychosis, suicide and numerous fatalities. But the FDA wants to ban a hormone that has been used safely for decades?
My personal take on this issue is that the pharmaceutical companies are not selling enough of their product and have begun to undermine our right to choose a more natural medication.
My endocrinologist told me, as a physician he was pressed to prescribe synthetics and only desiccated thyroid if all synthetics failed the patient. He said he was paid to do this. By whom?
That being said, I must ask how a government could willfully victimize and kill it’s own people?
Herbal remedy? How I wish, then we would not have to deal with the ignorance of people like this Wolf!
I hope Karma takes effect on you DR. and you feel like crap and cant get armour thyroid then you will do the right thing. If you want us to pay more money then fine just bring it back so we can feel better. it is ridiculas when we have to go to a differnt country to get what we need.
Why no link to WorstPills.org?