Medco Thyroid Scandal: Thyroid Patients Demand Answers Regarding Misleading Thyroid Drug Shortage Notices
Major mail-order pharmacy Medco Health has recently been disseminating a misleading and highly suspicious notice to doctors, suggesting that no natural desiccated thyroid drugs are available, that the FDA intends to take these drugs off the market, and suggesting that doctors switch patients to levothyroxine. I have obtained a copy of the notice, and have written a letter to the heads of Medco, asking them to explain why they would be telling doctors that natural desiccated thyroid is not available -- when it is -- and why a pharmacy has taken it upon themselves so suggest to physicians what drugs the doctors should be prescribing to their patients. You can see the Medco notice (PDF), and read my letter now, and talk about it on the Thyroid Forum.
SENT BY FAX AUGUST 6, 2009
August 6, 2009
David Snow, Chairman and CEO
Kenneth Klepper, President and Chief Operating Officer
Medco Health
100 Parsons Pond Dr
Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417-2604
Fax: 201-269-1109
Dear Mr. Snow and Mr. Klepper:
It has come to my attention that you have recently sent out a notification to doctors (see attached), under the heading "Thyroid Products Shortage," suggesting that there is "a nationwide shortage of products including porcine-derived desiccated thyroid and liotrix." Your notice states: "These medications do not have U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, and we expect that the FDA will eventually require these products to be approved and may remove any remaining unapproved products form (sic) the market. Supplies of these products are now limited, because of this uncertainty."
Your notice then lists all known of natural desiccated thyroid, and indicated that all sizes are "unavailable."
You then go on to indicate, "When prescribing thyroid therapy consider using levothyroxine."
Frankly, patients around the United States -- and in particular, customers of Medco -- are asking themselves what motivation Medco has to provide incorrect and misleading information about thyroid medications. Because your notification is patently incorrect.
Let's look point by point at Medco's inaccuracies and misleading statements:
1. Medco states: "there is a nationwide shortage of products including porcine-derived desiccated thyroid and liotrix."
This is incorrect. There is a nationwide shortage of Armour Thyroid, one brand of porcine-derived desiccated thyroid produced by Forest Labs. And there is a nationwide shortage of Thyrolar, the brand name for liotrix (a synthetic combination thyroid drug), produced by Forest Labs. There is, however, NO nationwide shortage of RLC Laboratories' natural desiccated thyroid drug, Nature-Throid.
2. Medco states: "These medications do not have U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval." It's true that natural desiccated thyroid does not have FDA approval.
Medco's statement is misleading, however. Natural desiccated thyroid was in use long before the FDA was created, and was "grandfathered in." Natural desiccated thyroid is a legal, FDA-regulated prescription medication.
3. Medco states: "...we expect that the FDA will eventually require these products to be approved and may remove any remaining unapproved products form (sic) the market."
This is pure speculation. Medco has no basis on which to "expect" this. Millions of prescriptions each year are written for natural desiccated thyroid, and the FDA has not indicated any intent to remove natural desiccated thyroid from the market, especially given that it has been safely used for more than 100 years.
4. Medco states: "Supplies of these products are now limited, because of this uncertainty."
This is again speculation, with no basis in fact. Forest Laboratories recently reformulated Armour Thyroid, and has been on backorder since the reformulation. During this time, many patients using natural desiccated thyroid turned to Nature-Throid as a substitute, which created a short-term backorder of Nature-Throid with distributors, which is now being resolved.
5. Medco states, regarding natural desiccated thyroid, that all dosage sizes are "unavailable."
This is absolutely untrue, as Nature-Throid has availability of all but its 3 grain size. Instead of obtaining the readily available Nature-Throid, Medco is instead misleading doctors by suggesting that no natural desiccated thyroid drugs are available, and that patients should be switched to levothyroxine.
6. Medco states: " When prescribing thyroid therapy consider using levothyroxine."
Since when is it the business of a pharmacy to recommend to doctors one particular drug over another, as treatment for patients? If a doctor has prescribed natural desiccated thyroid to his or her patients, it is for a reason, and for those doctors, synthetic levothyroxine is not considered a substitute for therapy with natural desiccated thyroid. Is Medco presuming to know what will treat thyroid patients better than the doctors writing prescriptions?
Frankly, as a thyroid patient advocate, I find Medco's conduct entirely unacceptable. It raises the question as to whether Medco is financially benefiting from promoting levothyroxine over natural desiccated thyroid drugs. Given that natural desiccated thyroid is available, unless there is some financial motivation, what reason would Medco possibly have to mislead doctors by suggesting to them that natural desiccated thyroid is unavailable for patients, when that is categorically not the case?
It's clear that thyroid patients deserve answers to the following questions:
1. Why is Medco unable to obtain Nature-Throid, when other pharmacies are able to obtain it, and the company itself has indicated that supplies are available for immediate shipment to distributors?
2. Why is Medco disseminating incorrect information to doctors, suggesting that there is a nationwide shortage of natural desiccated thyroid drugs, when the shortage is only in one brand?
3. Why is Medco trying to mislead doctors, saying that natural desiccated thyroid does not have U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval, when the company should be well-aware that like many older drugs, natural desiccated thyroid does not require FDA approval, given its grandfathered status and 100 year history of safe use?
4. Why is Medco making predictions about FDA activities when the FDA itself has not discussed any intent to regulate natural desiccated thyroid drugs?
5. Why is Medco trying to link Forest Labs reformulation and backorder difficulties, with FDA plans for natural desiccated thyroid, when no such link is established?
6. Why is Medco saying that no natural desiccated thyroid is available, when Nature-Throid has availability of all but the 3 grain size, and is considered an equivalent to Armour Thyroid for patients taking natural desiccated thyroid?
7. Why is Medco recommending levothyroxine to doctors who have prescribed natural desiccated thyroid for their thyroid patients?
I look forward to Medco's prompt response to these concerns.
Sincerely,
Mary J. Shomon
Thyroid Patient Advocate
Talk about the Medco Thyroid Medication Scandal on the Thyroid Forum now!
Comments
Mary, Thank you for your attention to this matter and for your support of all thyroid patients. My insurance requires me to fill my RX’a through Medco and I have been having ongoing problems getting my dessicated Armour. 2 weeks ago my Armour RX had to be transferred to a Walgreens pharmacy down the street & they had the Armour???? They did however, repeat the info Medco is giving them about the drugs basically going off the market. Tonight I saw the above posting on Medco’s website and it made me panic. Levothyroxine & Synthroid are NOT options for me!! I will continue to monitor your site for updates and suggestions on how to handle future prescriptions. THanks for all you do!
This is just outrageous! Having the nerve to issue an untruth all under the guise of ‘warning physicians’ of this so-called shortage should outrage every dessicated-thyroid user/patient. The majority of thyroid patients had to go through hell & back just to get one or more doctors to listen and prescribe an alternative to the synthetics. I am so thankful we no longer deal with Medco as in 2008 I received several notices from them asking me to discuss a ‘certain’ synthetic thyroid medicine versus ARMOUR with my doctor. Our current insurance does not cover Nature-Throid and that’s okay with me. I found a pharmacy in our state (thanks to RLC Labs) that buys directly from RLC. It is a very small price to pay for something that affects my overall health and well being. Many, many thanks go to you Mary. I would have never learned as much about hypothyroidism and alternatives to take if it hadn’t been for finding your site in the middle of the night when I thought I was losing my mind (the hair & eyebrows had already departed!) I know everyone appreciates all that you do for their health.
I have been on Armour Thyroid for years and most recently I have had to search for a pharmacy here in San Diego so I can get my medicine. I am constantly told they are out of all thyroid meds. Shortage?
Back ordered? These are the reasons.. Tonight I went to WalGreens to get my prescription filled and they told me they didn’t have them and only had four pills left and I could buy those. I two 60mg tabs twice daily.. So 4 pills is one days worth!
Sure they let me buy them at a cost of over $5.00 for the four pills.. OUTrageous!
They told me my alternative was to have my doctor call in for a script for lev, however it is spelled.
What is going on and why do I have to change. Help me please…
Marsha Purser
Mary, I am a thyroid patient who has had 1/2 of my thyroid removed. I work in the medical field and I see medical documents all the time,This letter is not proof enough for me. Anyone could of done this letter in pdf format. I hate to say that, but most insurance companies have their whole info on documents: address, fax numbers etc.
Mary, I am so glad to see you calling out on Medco. When I tried to renew my subscription on line, I was asked to go see my doctor for an alternative prescription like Levoxy. If you need us to vote electronically to voice our feelings, I would gladly voice my outrage.
Thank you so much for staying on top of this. I, too, am supposed to go through Medco for my thyroid medicine. I found out long ago that they would give me trouble over the Armour. However, since the “new” Armour formulation came out, I begged my doctor to switch me to Nature-throid or a compounded medicine. With the help of our local compounding pharmacist, I was given Nature-throid and am doing much better. I just pay a little more for my thryoid medicine because I don’t go through the whole Medco thing. After six years of being undiagnosed, finally getting Armour when I was diagnosed, I don’t want anyone telling me I can’t take the medicine I NEED to take! I’ll pay the difference. I can’t believe the audacity of this drug company! My pharmacist got Nature-Throid for me in about 4 to 5 days. I think it may have taken that long because they weren’t carrying it until I asked. Please, please keep us informed. That’s so scary!
Well this certainly raised my blood pressure this morning! Geez..what do we do to voice our protest against this in large and loud numbers? Perhaps use the fax number that is on that document?
The truth is…I know I’m a dead woman without desiccated thyroid extract (or might as well be). What don’t they get about that? Or is that the goal? Sometimes I think the campaign against thyroid extract is because we get healthy with it…and stop paying the thousands and thousands of dollars to physicians, etc. that we once did…no wonder docs don’t like it. And of course it’s cheap….so pharmacies don’t like it either?
I use Medco, and saw the same flaws as Mary with this letter, and another attempt to do away with Dessicated Thyroid. I can’t WAIT to see the reply! You would think we were asking for illicit street drugs to treat our condition!
We are required to use Medco for our “maintenance” prescriptions. For the past three years, I have been entirely on Cytomel (and thriving, I might add), no other thyroid med. My doc and I discussed going back to Armour in a couple of months. Thanks for the heads up on this matter. As an aside though, I did send my script for a testosterone prescription to Medco to be filled back in May. They called our home and said that they would not fill it. Three months ago! They did not return my script so that I could take it elsewhere.
This just happened to me this week. After being on synthroid for about 6 months, my doctor switched me to Armour Thyroid about 6 weeks ago. Now, after blood work saying I need to raise my dosage, my dr. informed me that Armour is going off the market. I checked with my pharmacist and he never heard this. He had to order the pills but I had them in 2 days. Who do we believe?
Clearly, given this memo, it’s hard to believe Medco. FDA-regulated natural desiccated thyroid IS available. Medco, apparently, just doesn’t want their customers to GET it, and would rather try to push doctors to prescribe a different medication. Again, the only rational reason that comes to mind is that levothyroxine manufacturers may be providing financial incentive for Medco to push levothyroxine drugs. It’s simply unconscionable and unacceptable.
If you use Medco by mail, when you log in to your account they have it popup also. WTF?
See below for what comes up:
Important information about liotrix and desiccated natural thyroid including Armour Thyroid® shortage
There is a nationwide shortage of porcine-derived desiccated thyroid and liotrix. Supplies of these products are now limited and we are uncertain about continued availability. Ask your doctor if a synthetic thyroid medication, such as levothyroxine is right for you. Remember, it is important not to stop taking your medication without first discussing it with your prescriber.
If you have any questions, please call the 800 number on your prescription label to speak to one of our pharmacists.
Click here to see the products affected.
I use MEDCO also. I’ve been through their run-around this past month & eventually got a prescription for Nature-Throid, which MEDCO filled. My complaint letter to MEDCO is going out today, with a copy also going to the benefits department of my husband’s employer. MEDCO is not the only prescription mail-order pharmacy available!
Yesterday a member of our Yahoo thyroid group was shocked to receive a “black box warning” notice along with her Nature-Throid refill. She was concerned it was an unsafe product. Checking online I found that Armour, Nature-Throid and Synthroid all carry black box warnings. I assume Cytomel and all other thyroid replacements also do. I looked up some non-thyroid medications I take and found some of those do as well. Obviously a black box warning does not indicate a product has suddenly been found unsafe, but thyroid patients are understandably upset by these notices being slipped in with their refills.
I’m from the UK. I can’t believe this, such a practice is outlawed here. Perhaps there is a government body that oversees phamacists that you can complain to? Certainly this is not a spoof, it’s on the Medco website “http://www.medcohealth.com/medco/consumer/ehealth/ehsarticle.jsp?accessLink=SHP_ANON_01&articleID=99074dt_liotrix_shortg&packageTemplate=PA+article+XML&displayTemplate=ProdAlerts+Article+Template&leftNavParam=News”.
If you can’t get government support to take action I guess you can at least boycott this company.
Can’t you report them to the FDA or someone? Surely this not legal in the States? (I’m in the UK, there’s no enforcement at all here for patient care).
I’ve been receiving my Armour Thyroid through Medco for the last year without a problem until this month.
My last 3 month prescription I received was changed from my 90mg dosage to a 30mg dosage (meaning I had to take 3 pills per day which wasn’t an issue for me). My last refill was sent July 28 and I received an automated message on Aug. 6 stating they were waiting for a reply from my physician regarding a new prescription. This morning after reading Mary’s newsletter logged onto my Medco account fearing my refill would be changed to lev., however found out they will be mailing Westroid on Aug. 13.
Everytime I see a new physician, I am questioned about taking natural thyroid and am always lectured” about switching to synthetic. They seem to roll their eyes when I explain how much better I feel taking the natural thyroid. One doctor said, “Do you know where they get that from?” I wanted to say, “Do you know where they got the ingredients for the last hotdog you ate?”
I’ll keep fighting for my right for better health and keeping informed.. Thanks Mary!!
Mary, are there FDA regulations regarding pharmacies to make recommendations? Has anyone alerted FDA to Medco’s letter?
Is this legal what they are doing? Should this be brought to attention of the FTC? Thank you for brining this to our attention.
I can see Medco’s side of this issue seeing as I use to work for them.
I also take Synthroid on a regular basis. Several years ago there was an issue with some medications including Synthroid needing to be reapproved by the FDA and it was “off the market” for short time because they didn’t get the paper work in on time. I believe they were just acting just in case – true they probably should have waited until something actually happened.
As far as suggesting Levothyroxine, yes a pharmacy can suggest a certain medication but the Doctor still has to write the script. Since a lot of Doctors just write a brand name down, Medco just was trying to get the generic name out there.
The reason they wrote nothing was available is because Medco doesn’t normally dispense Nature-thyroid or the other substitute but patients can also request a certain item from a certain manufacturer by having the doctor write it specifically on the script and putting a DAW on it and making sure they know not to approve any changes.
The memo could have been written better but I have never known an insurance company to write documents for the benefit of the patient
Thank you for pursuing this attempt by Medco to manipulate patient care. Please keep us posted and advise who we should contact to support you in this effort.
Anyone who knows anything about thyroid has heard of Mary Shomon. I bet the take your well-written letter seriously!
Good for you and thank you for taking the time to advocate for us all.
Where is the FDA in all of this?
Go Mary!
Thank you for all you do on our behalf. Melrose Pharmacy, a boutique neighborhood full-service pharmacy in downtown Phoenix, continues to provide the highest level of customer service, an uninterrupted source for Armour Thyroid. Stick with the Mom & Pops, they’re real people, with real conditions like yours & mine…
My entire thyroid was removed in July of 2008. I have been in the struggle of getting my Synthroid to the right level. I am now up to 175 and still do not feel right. A friend switched to Armour and feels great. I made an appointment with her doctor and can not get in until 9/2. After seeing the notices I called all the pharmacies in my town and no one has the natural thyroid. Is this all about profits? Are there other mail order places to get the natural thyroid? HELP, I was looking forward after a year to finally feel better.
I just ordered Armour online with no problrms.
This is frightening in the respect that anyone, not only a Medco employee or executive could have written something like this letter and disseminated same, but with today’s technology, this could have been done by ANYONE! Just look at the misspelled words in that letter. I agree with you Mary. What business is it of a pharmaceutical co. WHAT thyroid medication my doctor prescribes for my best health?
Having been associated with training materials for pharmaceutical companies in the past, I can say with almost 100% certainty, that this was created by an individual, most likely a Sales Rep selling Synthroid, or another levothyroxine only product, in order to make physicians think (even for a short time) that if they wrote a prescription for any dessicated thyroid product, the patient would not be able to get it filled – thus they should prescribe a T4 only product. There are honest and caring sales reps out there, who realize there are options and choices in medications, and they only want their particular product to be considered when the physician is making a drug choice. And there are dishonest sales reps who will do just about anything to try to get the physician to prescribe their product, whether it is right for the patient or not. They usually do not have their job for long, and when they identify who is leaving this ‘fake notice’ they will be gone, I assure you, and the company will have to let physicians know and correct the lies.
Hey Mary:
Thank you for this!
I am on Armour Thyroid 30mg and am also required to go through Medco. After reading this, I called my local pharmacy and they’re refilling my prescription and got a 90 day prescription. It went through easily.
Don’t know if you can answer this but when I’m required to go through Medco for 90 day prescriptions, how come I got so lucky that they let me fill this through my local pharmacy?
Secondly, I want to know who regulates the pharmacies and these types of letters? THEY need to kknow about this letter from Medco so that they can look into it.
It’s awesome that you brought this to our attention. Thank you.
NOW, since we’re all raving fans of your work, WHAT can we do to bring this to the attention of those who can DO something about it?
Please let us know. Thanks again for your excellent work.
I am a Medco patron and am disturbed about their letter to physicians regarding Armour Thyroid.
As a Hashimoto’s / Hypothyroid patient, I was on Syntrhoid for 5 years and continued to be exhausted. Since March, I have been taking Armour thyroid and feel so much better. It is frightening to me to think I may not have access to this lifesaver.
Medco is constantly on the phone with us, trying to get us to change medications to “save us money” when in reality, they are interfering with our doctors’ prescriptions to save Medco money.
January 1 we will no longer be with Medco and I am relieved.
Didn’t the makers of Synthroid have a class action lawsuit filed against them several years ago? Perhaps they are using some other tactics to increase their bottom line. This is very concerning to me because I too have been successfully treated with Armour 6 months ago after years of feeeling funky on Synthroid.
Thanks for all you do. This dessicated thryroid notice hits especially close to home. I was switched to Armour Thyroid after more than a decade on Synthroid which was NOT working. I changed health care providers, and the switch was made. IOW, I was not seeking a new drug, I was seeking an answer to my symptoms. Armour provided relief…finally. I haven’t felt this good since my teens. My last mail order prescription has been unfilled due to the “shortage.” Furthermore, I own MEDCO stock shares as a result of their spin-off from Merck. I will be divesting myself of this stock as soon as possilbe.
Could someone please answer the following important questions:
Is desiccated thyroid (from pigs) tested (laboratory/name of test) for BSE contamination?
Is desiccated thyroid (from pigs) tested (laboratory/name of test) for viral contamination at a cellular level?
Are pigs raised and slaughtered for the sole purpose of producing desiccated thyroid for humans?
Thanks Mary! I worked in a medical office for years, and saw many things that the drug companies tried to pull. Fortunately the Dr. I worked for would have none of it. His patients came first.
For those of you that depend on Armour (I happen to be allergic to it – figures!!) I pray that you can get your meds no problem.
Thanks for letting us know about medco and for your ongoing advocating efforts, Mary! I’m having a hard time getting my armour where I live. I left my locally-owned pharmacy (& switched to a chain pharmacy) after they told my doc that armour was being discontinued. I ended up calling the main office of one of the drug suppliers that the pharmacies use. She told me that armour wasn’t being discontinued but that when the generic desiccated thyroid meds were no longer being produced, more people started taking armour and they’ve not been able to keep up with demand. I imagine that the reformulation has only added to the problem. As someone who had tried all the thyroid meds available and who had much success with armour, I am very frustrated. The reformulation of armour and the shortages are really quite unnecessary. All of this could have been avoided. Our healthcare system is a mess.
I am a pharmacist who practices in an independent retail pharmacy. We deal with multiple distributors, all of which do not have any Armour Thyroid available. They also do not have any Nature-Throid in stock.
Our store had some of each strength of Armour, but now we have run out of almost all of it. In an effort to continue therapy, we are advising patients to call their prescribers to discuss switching to an alternative (Synthroid, Levoxyl, levothyroxine, etc.) This is not financially motivated–it is out of concern for our patients. We simply cannot procure the medication.
Mind you, it has been my previous experience that Medco has acted in many ways to cut costs (sometimes to the detriment of their patients), but in this case I do not believe that to be true.
I hope it becomes available again soon, for our patients’ sake.
Thank you for informing us about this misconduct on the part of Medco. This is an unethical act; if I used them to fill any prescriptions I would be switching immediatly to a more ethical source and I would let they know why I was switching. I have taken both Levothyroxine & Synthroid and found they did not work for me. I had to switch to a naturpath in order to get a natural medication. I had been on Armour for 2 years and finally was feeling good, until the reformulation, now I am experiencing heart palpatations and lower energy. I will be speaking with my doctor about changing me to Nature-Throid. This is just another example of the pharmacitial industry going unchecked. How do we say healthcare reform?
Michelle the pharmacist,
You are doing patients who take natural dessicated thyroid a great disservice by recommending that they switch to an “alternative” levothyroxine med. I empathize with your difficulties in obtaining supplies from your distributors. However, patients on a thyroid forum report that their pharmacies have been able to obtain drop shipments from RLC Labs, the maker of Naturethroid and Westhroid. I suggest you explore this option – or advise your patients to contact Women’s International or another online pharmacy to fill their prescriptions.
I predict that most of your customers who take your advice to switch from Armour to levoxyl will become ex-customers; that advice is frankly an abuse of their trust in you as a professional. Levothyroxine is NOT an accaptable substitute for natural dessicated thyroid. If you don’t understand that, I recommend perusing Mary’s site until you do.
When I read the e mail today it wasn’t news to me. About a year ago Walmart was having trouble getting Armour for me. Then my Dr. tried me on a synthetic and I was not happy with it. When I was in to the ND I got a new script for Armour and then told my Dr. that is what I wanted to do. She agreed with reservations. Now I am using Costco and it is another battle getting it. They keep telling me to talk to my Dr. and I just keep telling them to keep trying and they seem to get it. Even my Dr. keeps bringing up switching on every appointment. It is all getting very irritating. The only thing that keeps me level on blood work in the last 40 years is Armour. Why is our society so against any thing natural?
Could this be a political plot, taking Armour thyroid out of circulation? Some people have religious problems with pigs.
Thank you, Mary!!!!
While I am on synthroid (and cytomel) I am trying my hardest to find a Dr. to prescribe nature-throid and that letter from Medco was OUTRAGEOUS!
I firmly believe that there is a conspiracy of sorts to keep patients on synthroid (which in my case has terrible side effects). I have been trying for several years to get a Dr. that will prescribe the alternative (natural) drugs to no avail – and this letter is just one more roadblock put up for patients like myself.
Thank you SO much for your response to that letter and your support!
In my last refill, Medco, without prior notification to me or my physician, switched my Cytomel to a generic. I immediately called and had to pay much more to have the brand Cytomel sent to me. It took me many years to have what seems to be my best medication levels and symptom relief and I am not willing to have my meds changed without a discussion with my doctor.
I find all of this quite interesting as I received a letter yesterday from my insurance co. telling me of my lower-cost option of purchasing Armour thyroid by mail order from none other than MEDCO! Two Medco prescription forms were included.
After ten years on Synthroid or Levoxyl and feeling lousy, I switched to Armour in January and have felt the best I’ve felt in at least 13 years. I have had no problem getting Armour thyroid locally–thank goodness–although other local pharmacies say it’s backordered! My insurance co. allows me to purchase locally or with Medco.
I just called Medco to check availability of Armour in 30 mg and 15 mg. and both are back ordered! I was told to keep getting my Armour from my local pharmacy if I can. I, too, am questioning the authenticity of the letter in question from Medco.
Since having thyroid nodules treated with I 131 sixteen years ago, I’ve tried every type and combination of thyroid replacement. Having several, lifelong autoimmune conditions, my body is highly sensitive to any medication. Finally, through my own research, experimentation, and the help of a naturopath, I’m tolerating small amounts of Armour taken with liquid trace minerals. As a health care professional, Medco’s letter doesn’t surprise me. They are acting on a philosophy that is deeply entrenched in the medical model under which doctors are trained. It is “prescriptioning,” which means what is good for one person is good for everybody. Imagine what it could be like if treatments are dictated by the federal government! Unfortunately, philosophy and politics often run health care as much as solid science. Thank you, Mary, for alerting us to this problem. We can all weigh in on this by voicing our protest to the company, our legislators, and health care providers. Ultimately, our strongest vote is our dollars; don’t buy any of their products.
I am so upset that my options keep narrowing. I absolutely cannot go back to levothyroxine or synthroid. I’m still trying to find a solution to the instense leg muscle pains as well as other side effects of Hashimoto’s. With the reformulation of Armour, I find the exhaustion returning, hair loss, etc etc. I’m on my 7th doctor to try to find one who will listen to me. It’s incredible that the medical field will take financial kickbacks over patient health. The compassion has disappeared in our society. I applaud all of you seeking your good health and thank you to all of you advocates that are speaking loudly for us who are struggling to create a normal energy filled day. It’s incredulous that this has been made to be so difficult and yet here comes Medco who clearly is for profit only at all costs. Each and everyone of those executive/managers should be ashamed. I actually spoke to an oncologist who said his wife has hypothyroidism and is trying to find the right dose. And he conveyed utter unconcern on how slow her progress has been. My regular pharmacist which is in a large northern CA/NV grocery store chain states his wholesaler will not distribute Nature-throid and I should look for a compounding pharmacy. Living in a small town has it’s challenges for sure when it comes to medicine and forward thinking ’so called professionals’. I am quite angry about this whole mess. I too have received the letter from Medco ’suggesting’ I switch to Synthroid. Obviously, either they are not trained in the differences and each person responds differently or they have a financial stake in pushing the pharmeceutcal. I fear it’s the latter. Thank you Mary and you can count on my vote and name to forward a protest.
I had Thyroid Cancer and must take replacement meds.
I do not get the same good TSH numbers with any of the synthetic thyroid replacements. Only when I take the “natural hormone” from bovines.
I had heard the hub-bub from Medco, too. So I also contacted Armour and was told they are upgrading the
machinery in the plant and would soon have all the strengths of the suppliment back into production again.
Could someone please answer the following important questions:
Is desiccated thyroid (from pigs) tested (laboratory/name of test) for BSE contamination?
Is desiccated thyroid (from pigs) tested (laboratory/name of test) for viral contamination at a cellular level?
Are pigs raised and slaughtered for the sole purpose of producing desiccated thyroid for humans?
The answer to the last question is no the pigs arent killed only for their thyroid glands for natural thyroid medicine, they are pigs that are used in the food supply and they take their thyroids after they are killed to be used as medicine. The rest of the questions I am wondering about too and thats why I wont take natural thyroid even though when I did try it I felt so much better. I dont know if its safe and I am vegan so I cant get myself to take natural thyroid as my treatment, I take Thyrolar now and it works but I still dont feel right.
Hello Mary
I too am a thyroid patient advocant and an ambassador of another thyroid forum. I have been through the Armour reformula situation and now on Nature-throid myself. I have no thyroid due to Grave disease RAI ablation. I depend on natural desiccated thyroid medicine to keep me alive. I failed miserably on Synthroid and was left in horrble illness until I researched Armour thyroid and fought to even try T3/T4 combo medication. I feel there’s more power in numbers and would like to team up with you on finding out these answers you ask.God knows I tried to call Forest Phamacutical for answers and got no where too. Many people here at about.com need this information and so does other forums that provide alternative information to Synthroid and generic Levo. Please contact the email I provided with this post. We’ve got to fight to keep this type of treatment available.
I am in Minnesota. I got the same response when my mail order Pharmacy Wellpoint Next RX got my new annual RX. They advised I transfer the RX to a local drugstore that has the RX. SO I did so with my usual WAlgreen’s. They then called to say they had only 5 days worth and had this on back order for a long time now. I was told to call my doctor to see what plan or substitute he would want. My DR told me to demand Armour and no substitute. We were not even considering that a synthetic would have to be considered.
I have no idea what to do. Does anyone know what Forrest Labs is doing about this? I seems it would be helpful to get this information we need from the source – Forrest and or FDA.
I’ve been contacted by Medco for several other medications for my family, even anti-epileptic drugs trying to get me to go to cheaper versions.
Somebody needs to do something about this. No doctor should be told how to practice medicine by insurance companies, and no patient should be told by the pharmacies what drugs they should take.
I have been taking Nature Throid since April 2008 and have never felt better. I was on Synthroid since 1987 when I was first diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. My last prescription was filled on July 23, 2009 for 2 grain tablets of Nature Throid. It is interesting that this notice from Medco just came out because I get my Nature Throid from Medco. I pay only $7.95 for a 90 day supply. My next refill is scheduled for Sept. 27, 2009. I wonder if I will have any trouble getting Nature Throid at that time. I have had no trouble getting Nature Throid since I first asked my doctor to let me try it. He was against it but I persisted and he allowed me to try it and I told him that if it did not work for me that I would go back to Synthroid. My TSH went up during the first eight weeks I was on Nature Throid and he increased my dosage to 2 1/2 grains for eight more weeks and my TSH was still too high. He increase my dosage to 3 grains for the next eights weeks and my TSH went to 0. He has since reduced my dosage to 2 grains and I feel great. In fact I feel better now than I ever did during the 21 years I was on Synthroid. During that 21 years I guess I didn’t realize how I was supposed to feel. I just trusted my doctor that Synthroid was right for me. Through Mary Shomons web site and my own research I have changed my diet and avoid certain foods and additives in food that can be harmful to the throid. The combination of educating myself and eating more correctly for the throid has had a great impact on my health and well being. I feel great. Thank you Mary for the research you have done for all thyroid patients.
I too have had this problem. I’ve even shopped around all the pharmacies in my area and no one has Armour. What am I supposed to do without my Armour? I’m glad you’ve brought attention to this matter. But, how do I get my Armour?
My armour thyroid prescription had to be renewed and I went to the doctor today. I showed him Mary’s letter and he just shook his head and was pretty disgusted. He wrote out a script for Nature-throid and hopefully Medco will fill it. We’ll see what happens. This is just crazy. I too was on Synthroid for years and felt lousy…even at 175. I have felt so much better on the armour thyroid this last year. It’s been amazing. Thank you Mary for going to bat for us!!
I want to know why these “lies” are allowed and go unpunished. Where is our government? Of course, they’re so busy lying themselves, they don’t have time for “little” stuff!!!
Why did you have to take up this issue? Where’s the FDA. If MEDCO outright lied just to get more business, this should be a criminal offense.
I thank you for taking them to task, but this should go further than just asking them to explain!
Thank you, Mary, for always going to bat for us and keeping us informed. I suspect those of you theorizing that the ‘Medco memo’ was in fact authored by a Synthroid rep. I was amazed how many of these 52 comments mirrored my own experience….Difficulty getting diagnosed in the first place; suffering for years on the synthetic hormone, to no concern of my doctors; finally finding someone to prescribe Armour, and –(Thank you, God) — getting my life back! Heaven help us all if we end up with ‘national health care.’ After my Synthroid experience, I began to stockpile my Armour (by refilling each time as early as my insurance allows) and now have a six-month-plus supply. To the guy concerned about the testing: see the RLC labs site re: Westhroid/Nature-throid; they go into some detail regarding their safety procedures. Good luck to all who are running into problems getting refills currently…….Have Faith!
I spoke with 3 different people at Forrest Labs today. I was told that the pharmacies will not receive the backorders until end of September! The supply is so short here that I won’t be able to get armour so I’m going to see my doc and prepare for the battle to get naturethroid. Argh!
Forrest was extremely interested in hearing about my concerns with the reformulation. Please contact them if you are having any problems since being on the reformulated pills.
This is infuriating! 3 days ago Walgreens told me that nature-throid wasn’t being made anymore when I tried to fill my daughter’s Rx. I had my daughters medicine switched from Armour due to their reformulation. Two days later, my girlfriend picked up her Nature-throid from a different pharmacy – Aurora Pharmacies in WI. Amazing!!
Mary, thank you so very much for advocating for us. I am so glad I saw this “memo” today. I too will make a copy and take it to my Walgreens.
I get my Nature-throid at Wegman’s and they were super nice about ordering for me.
If you can’t get what you need from Medco or other send away place, consider paying for it yourself at a drugstore.
Thank you Mary. I wrote on your blog how Medco said there wasn’t any Natural Thyroid meds available a few days ago. This information is very helpful. I was able to take a precription to CVS and had it filled. I am through with Medco, it is hard enough to get a doctor to give me Natural Thyroid meds and now this will most likely make it harder. Thanks again, your blog is most helpful and I don’t know how I could manage without it.
Hi, I have been on levothyroxine 88 mcg for the past two years because I had my left thyroid removed and it ended up being cancerous. In the beginning I was alot more better than without it?, But recently I had a baby and my med. dosage went up to 175 mcg. I am still on that dosage until I see my MD next week. Recently I’m going through hell. I am at 208 pounds and still gaining, I am totally exhausted by the time it is 12 noon, and I actually slept for 12 hours yesterday. Coffee makes me even more tired, I also found out that I should’nt be eating anything with fiber like bread or anything with vitamins like fruits within four hours of taking my meds. What the hell am I going to eat for breakfast. Do I have to wait until noon for breakfast? I also heard that Armour thyroid is from pigs. Religiously I don’t eat anything from a pig, but I am going to try it if my doctor prescribes it for the sake of my health. Otherwise I’ll end up with diabetes since my stomach is the biggest part of my body and I only recently turned 30. If only there was somrthing else to help instead of all this medication. P.S. I found Mary’s website 2 days ago and their is so much stuff I never knew. Thanks Mary!!
Medco’s letter looks like outright premeditated FRAUD to me. Since its existence has been confirmed by multiple witnesses that the message is online, being disseminated through email and through doctors and pharmacists, it seems there are ample grounds for a class action lawsuit. I DO hope those who have been hurt by this overt and outrageous fraud organize and take direct action. I’m generally not an advocate of lawsuits, but in this case it seems the only way to stop this fraud and compensate those who have been denied their medicine or shunted off to less-effective medicines.
I won’t be a party to the suit, because I gave up on Armour after learning from this site about the reformulation. I had been suffering from recurrence of low-T symptoms and had noticed the new Armour formulation doesn’t dissolve properly but rather erodes slowly under my tongue, leaving a chalky mess. So I switched to Nature-Throid, with the help of good information from this great site.
I will note that I did have to struggle to get switched. My doctor’s electronic system indicated there was no such thing as 1/4-grain Nature-Throid (and there is); Long’s Drugs are a local chain which was recently taken over by CVS, yet they bluntly denied they carry Nature-Throid and told me it would be impossible to get it; Walgreens and a few other chain stores were no help at all.
I Googled Nature-Throid and got the pharmacy-ordering numbers (NDC numbers, given below) for all types and faxed that to my doctor. Then, armed with a paper prescription for Nature-Throid, I shopped around until I found TWO local independent pharmacies who initially knew nothing about Nature-Throid, but when given the NDC numbers, were both able to quote me prices and delivery times. I chose the pharmacy with the best attitude and ordered a year’s supply.
I paid cash rather than going through Medco. When you order sealed bottles in larger quantities, you get a bulk discount and are certain the count is correct! A year’s supply cost me just over $100. For a year I don’t have to worry about shortages or price increases. I’m set until my next round of blood tests and annual doctor’s visit. The natural dessicated thyroid is inexpensive, so it’s well worth paying cash and bypassing the insurance cartel!
For quick reference of others:
Nature-Throid manufacturer can be reached by pharmacies RLC toll-free at 1-877-797-7997
HOW SUPPLIED
Nature-Throid™ (Thyroid USP) Tablets are supplied as follows:
16.25 mg. (1/4 gr.) in bottles of 100 Count (NDC 64727-3298-1), 990 Count Polybags (NDC 64727-3298-3), 1,000 Count (NDC 64727-3298-2), 1,008 Count Polybags (NDC 64727-3298-8)
32.5 mg (1/2 gr.) in bottles of 100 Count (NDC 64727-3299-1), 990 Count Polybags (NDC 64727-3299-3), 1,000 Count (NDC 64727-3299-2), 1,008 Count Polybags (NDC 64727-3299-8)
65 mg (1 gr.) in bottles of 100 Count (NDC 64727-3300-1), 990 Count Polybags (NDC 64727-3300-3), 1,000 Count (NDC 64727-3300-2), 1,008 Count Polybags (NDC 64727-3300-8)
130 mg (2 gr.) in bottles of 100 Count (NDC 64727-3308-1), 990 Count Polybags (NDC 64727-3308-3), 1,000 Count (NDC 64727-3308-2), 1,008 Count Polybags (NDC 64727-3308-8)
195 mg (3 gr.) in bottles of 100 Count (NDC 64727-3312-1), 990 Count Polybags (NDC 64727-3312-3), 1,000 Count (NDC 64727-3312-2), 1,008 Count Polybags (NDC 64727-3312-8)
I am also a Pharmacist. I lost my thyroid 6 years ago to thyroid cancer. In response to Michelle the Pharmacist, you are entirely mistaken in your claim that you cannot get Nature-Throid. It certainly does not show you in a good light. The Pharmacy I use is an independent, and when I asked for Nature-Throid, the owner immediately said he knows it, and could get it. You should learn more about these medications before you claim they are not available, as this is a serious disservice to the patients who depend on you. It’s not hard to find the manufacturer, simply google Nature-Throid, and you will find the link, and all the information you need to contact them and get a drop-shipment if your suppliers will not carry it.
As for the patients who must use Medco, it’s possible that you might be able to file a complaint with your State Board of Pharmacy if you feel their actions are harming you. Google “board of pharmacy” and whichever state you live in. They may or may not be able to help, but you could at least visit the website, and ask what kind of recourse you might have. As an example, the Colorado Board of Pharmacy gives detailed directions about filing complaints. I’m sure the process for other states is similar.
A couple days ago, I couldn’t get Armour, and my pharmacy also checked on Nature-throid and they emailed me that it was also on backorder.
What’s going on with dessicated thryoid?
They suggested perhaps generic, but now I don’t even know if they had that in stock.
To the vegan and the other person who asked questions about the safety of dessicated thyroid; I suspect that those who eat animals have no reason to fear as the thyroid as they are already eating the rest.
But I also am a vegan and take Eltroxin (doing fine on it, I think….) because I try to avoid animal products if at all possible. I tend to believe that, if we are what we eat, how do we extricate the cruelty, pain and suffering from these products?
I realize that many people feel better on dessicated thyroid– but I sure wish that the drug companies would try to find a synthetic drug that is chemically identical to it. There will come a time when the huge environmental damage that raising animals for food causes, will not only catch up with us (as it has) but will force the closing of these factory farms. Of course, there is also the pandemic that the largest swine factory farm in the world has caused. And for what? There needs to be a better alterntive.
Thankfully, I just switched from Armour to Nature-throid after finding out the formulation of Armour had changed — it was yucky and clearly wasn’t working as well. I got my Nature-throid filled by MedCo and received it two days before the notice popped up on MedCo Online. I will be filing a complaint, with MedCo, our State Pharm Board, our Company Benefits reps, both Forest and RCL. Seems like RCL would want to explore legal action against Medco, given the out & out lies!
I have received prescriptions from Medco for 9 years and they have provided excellent service. I love them. The only time I had a problem was when I did not receive a new prescription. They contacted the doctor for a new prescription and sent it to me next-day delivery. I received the first prescription about 1-2 weeks later, so I think the problem was probably with the postal service. The price you pay for a prescription depends on the deal that Medco negotiates with your employer or insurance company, so don’t blame Medco if you think they’re too expensive. I pay $3 for 90 days worth of any prescription medication on my plans’s formulary, which is quite extensive.
Let’s look at this problem from Medco’s point of view. They don’t manufacture drugs, they only buy them. If a manufacturer can’t supply them with a drug, what is Medco supposed to do? Naturally they want to get customers off their back, so it’s no surprise that they suggest something that most doctors would think is a reasonable alternative, even a preferred alternative. And then they create a little song and dance (Armour not FDA approved, FDA possibly stopping sale of dessicated thyroid, etc.), which might persuade some that levothyroxine is inevitable anyway and an acceptable alternative. If they can persuade enough people to go the levothyroxine route, then there are that many fewer backordered Rxs for dessicated thyroid.
Most of us know that Forest Lab hasn’t been providing suffficient Armour for the demand. And the generic companies can’t provide dessicated thyroid either. I corresponded with Time-Cap Lab (TCL) last year (they make generic Armour), and they weren’t able to provide dessicated thyroid for part of the year because of shortages in raw materials. Medco used to always send me TCL thyroid, then last year I got a few Armour shipments, and then in May I got another TCL thyroid shipment. But when I inquired today of Medco if they could fill my renewed Thyroid Tabs 1/2 gr prescription, they said it would be on backorder. They suggested I try to find thyroid at local pharmacies.
Naturethroid and Westhroid are not on my Medco formulary and I suspect they are not stocked by Medco. Perhaps Medco would have to pay a lot more for those brands and that’s why they are not available through Medco. Up until now Medco could fill orders for Thyroid Tablets through other sources (Armour, Time-Cap Lab, maybe others). It will be interesting to see how Medco responds to continued non-availability from their normal sources.
So I don’t think Medco is necessarily a villain here. They’re a business just trying to save there own skin. I don’t support their attempt to make levothyroxine look like a good substitute for dessicated thyroid, but hey, if a doctors falls for it, all the better for Medco. I don’t believe they like to have orders backordered.
I do wonder what is behind the shortage of the raw material needed to make dessicated thyroid. I never heard of a shortage until last year. I think that is where we ought to direct our attention and outrage to.
Both my husband and I take thyroid, and I am totally dependent on thyroid supplementation. I thought not being able to get dessicated thyroid from Medicare Part D was bad enough, but these supply outages are even scarier. Can Naturethroid provide enough to make up for what Forest Labs and the generic companies used to produce?
Good for you Mary! Give’em hell!
The only thyroid med any doc will prescribe me is levothroxine.nothing has helped me feel better or lose weight. Last time I spoke up he upped my med from .5 to 10. Its made no difference I really need help any suggestions the weight keeps piling on
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and pigs? The clue is in “bovine”. In any event the pigs used for Armour are grain-fed. BSE is carried in the brain and spinal cord.
As regards viral contamination I’ve never heard of this. I’ve no specialist knowledge, but I suspect you’re OK provided the pig doesn’t sneeze on you. Many nations have recipes including raw meat and I’ve been consuming cows milk, butter and cheese for over 50 years!
Melissa,
Don’t give up. I started out at 25 mcg, incrementing by 5 – 15 mcg at time. The Doctor and I were working to gether on this and it took 3 years to find the something that worked. Each increase helped but did not eliminate all of the symptoms. We went through all of the synthroid dosages, cytamel, and finally went to Armour.
The old Armour worked. When it went on indefinite backorder, I was forced to switch to Thyrolar. Thyrolar worked, but I feel that the old Armour was better. Now that certain strengths of Thyrolar arfe being recalled by the FDA, most dosages are on backorder and my pharmacy can not get them.
Nature Thyroid & Westhroid were on back order as well. For this month, I am back on Armour. It is the only desicated thyroid product that my pharmacy can get their hands on.
I am unlucky enough to run out of Armour before realizing they don’t have it available. My symptoms got worse lately so I am switching to something besides Armour or synthetic. Thanks.
Not only are they sending a letter about the unavailability of Armour, they are sending a letter to patients suggesting that Unithroid is the generic equivalent of Cytomel. NOT!! I have filed a complaint with the Texas State Board of Pharmacy.
I’m a Canadian and we have a public heath care plan and I have never, ever, experienced the kinds of problems that I hear from my American friends and on the Internet. My Dr’s have been very open to bioidentical hormones and if they are personally not familiar with them they will call a pharmacy that specializes in them. Pharmacists have also been very helpful and recommended Dr.’s who are educated in bio’s and know how to prescribe them, these are pharmacists in regular chain drug stores.
My provincial health care plan (and private employer one) has never questioned my switch to bio’s including compounded versions or pharmaceutical versions.
So it is not public medicine that will cause a problem, it will be big business meddling in the plan.
Dear Mary,
Once again you are right on in your observations and comments. I have been able to order Naturethroid direct from the manufacturer and the 32.5mg size from my wholesaler. For those who do not want Naturethroid, I have the ability to compound ANY strength in my compounding pharmacy Murray Avenue Apothecary with USP dessicated powder.
Anyone can contact me at 412-421-4996 for more information.
Thanks so much for your continued care and support,
Susan Merenstein
Pharmacist,Owner
Murray Avenue Apothecary
Mary,
Thank you so much for your support and taking a stand. I also was on Synthroid but was not getting better. I have recently switched doctors and my new doctor prescribed Armour Thyroid (my previous doctor had a fit when I requested it). I am finally starting to get some relief, my energy is coming back and I feel I’m finally going to get my life back. My weight has also stopped going up. Thank you Mary for being a voice for our health.
Since when is it a pharmacy’s position to select medication for thyroid patients? WE just don’t get much respect as patients, and we deserve to have a say in the medication that helps us feel the best. I ordered medication from Medco a few months ago (Levothyroxine and Cytomel) and I can tell you their price for Levothyroxine was a bit high. I didn’t save anything going through them and since used another pharmacist to refill that medication. I’m so sick of these drug companies wanting to profit without any regard for the patient — kudos to you Mary for speaking out!
Mary: I just had a Medco pharmisist call me on another one of my prescriptions so I asked him about this. He assurred me that if Medco put this out there that they had to have had some communication from the FDA. he was aware of a shortage of some thyroid drugs but also advised that Armour is one of the more popular drugs and as long as it is prescribed they will continue to fill it.
I just got back from trying to pick up my Armour prescription at Walgreen’s and was told that it had been discontinued and I should ask my doctor for Synthroid. I don’t think so. I’m so mad I could scream. I had horrible side effects with the synthetics and have done wonderfully on Armour. I just talked to someone at Forest Pharmaceutical who manufactures Armour. They say that only 120mg, 240mg, and 300mg Armour is available; everything else is on backorder and will be available the end of September. In the meantime, I will haunt every pharmacy in town to make sure I don’t get left without my Armour!
I am on 120/90 alternating and have gone back and forth with my doctor for a week. Since the 90 is not available, she is now telling me that the pharmaceys are recommending the synthetic. I don’t care what they recommend. I want natural. She is not “familiar” with Naturethroid so she won’t prescribe. I am finding someone else who will work with me. Now Forest is saying September? I thought it was August! Argh!
I called the pharmacist back at Walgreen’s and told him that they were giving bad information by saying that Armour was being discontinued. He was a little nasty with me, at first, then calmed down and apologized. He agreed that his employees should not be saying ‘discontinued’ but he also said that they are fed up with being told that the product is ‘backordered’. He said they’ve been told on and off for well over a year that the product is backordered. He said that it puts them in a bad position and their customers are rightly upset. Something smells rotten in Denmark here. I feel like we’re all being lied to by everyone involved.
Have taken Armour for several years & had excellent results with it. I have now switched to Nature-Throid & expect good results with this, also. I have a wonderful Internal Medicine doctor who listens to me about my thyroid. He had no problem switching my RX. I am with Medco & got the same letter you posted, but ordered my Nature-Throid & received it with no problems by mail order. I don’t agree with Medco’s trying to get people to switch to Synthroid, etc. They should discontinue this practice. I rely on what my body is telling me & act accordingly.
This is so terrifying to me, honestly. I am currently on a combination of Synthroid/Cytomel and have been for over a year. Prior to this, I struggled on Synthroid for almost 6 years before beginning to do my own research and finding newer options that may be better for me. I am frustrated consistently with Doctors who give you 30 seconds of their time and make general decisions. What works for MY body may not work for the next persons body. I feel like Im “allergic” to synthroid. Cytomel seemed to help for a time, now I feel lost again. If Im “allergic” to another medicine — they dont prescribe it — so WHY prescribe a medicine that makes me feel worse?
I have been wanting to try a natural thyroid treatment — I hear sometimes those who dont do well on synthroid (Im STILL losing my hair?! Still tired!) do much better on a natural treatment…but this scares me, I know it will frustrate me even more to be told I “cant” get something I NEED. Does anyone know if it is easier to get these medications through privately owned pharmacies versus the bigger name brand chain pharmacies? Thanks & good luck to you all in finding whatever it is that works BEST for YOU!!
MEDCO called my doctor and got her to switch me to levoxyl and then called to inform me. I told them that I make the decisions about my medications and I would not switch. If they could not supply me with Armour Thyroid, I would get it elsewhere. After a brief discussion, they sent me my medication.
Thank you Cathy from Ca for all that great information. I tried unsuccessfully to obtain Nature-Throid through my pharmacy. Target’s supplier- McKesson- insisted they were not able to obtain 1/2 grain Nature-Throid and could not request it! Yet when I spoke to RCL Labs they said they spoke with McKesson reps quite often and that they were obviously dropping the ball getting that info to their customers, the pharmacies. I was finally able to obtain it through my insurance company’s mail order pharmacy service. I’d prefer to get all my prescriptions from one place so I’m going to take the info you provided to my pharmacy to see if it will help them obtain the Nature-Throid.
A question for the pharmacists here. After speaking at length with my pharmacy I was told they have one supplier- McKesson. Other pharmacies may have a different supplier. They told me they could not contact any labs directly- they had to go through their supplier. Do pharmacies sign contracts with these suppliers which does not allow them to contact a lab directly for medications? After doing more research I found that these suppliers also buy and repackage medications for resale to pharmacies. Am I off in thinking this is a major part of the reason that medications are so expensive?
I depend on Armour Thyroid! Synthetic brands and me do not relate well. I am sick every other week on Synthetic. On Armour, I am rarely ill, and then recovery is fast. I hope restructuring Armour does not mean removing Calcitonin and other undiscovered ingredients. I am concerned about what they are doing.
This is to Marsha Purser in San Diego:
Try University Compounding Pharmacy in San Diego (Banker’s Hill area between Balboa Park, Downtown, and the airport). I fill my Nature-throid Rx there. The staff are very helpful and knowledgeable, too.
I’ve given up on corporate chain drugstores. I also use a small locally owned independent pharmacy. Their service is excellent and prompt. I prefer to support local businesses instead of corporations that drain dollars out of the local economy.
My insurance company has been calling and writing me with requests to fill my Rx with a mail-order pharmacy, but I have resisted. Now my resolve is even stronger. I prefer to give my business to small locally owned pharmacies, even if I can’t get the savings of a co-pay.
I have not been following my thyroid much, I just assumed the Dr prescribes what is best for me, I know how trusting, right. So, all this is news to me. I have been on levethyroide for years (125mg-I think this is my daily dose); I didn’t even know there was other option, or a better one at that. Can someone forward me link to read about Dessicated Thyroid, what exactly are these other option. Is the Nature-Thyroid working for everyone.
I have been on Armour for at least 10 years. Last week I had difficulty getting it at CVS. I tried several other pharmacies and finally found it at a Rite-Aid. I do have MEDCO but since my Dr. has been changing dosages of my Armour, I’ve continued using the pharmacy. I called MEDCO 2 days ago and they told me that Armour was no longer available. I asked about Nature-Throid and they said it was available through them. I just took a blood test last week and when my Dr. returns from vacation next week, he said he would order the Nature-Throid for me with the amount based on the results of my blood test. I can’t wait to get it. Despite what Armour says about the minimal change it has made, I do notice a difference. Thank you Mary for your persistence in this matter. This should get out into the media. MEDCO and the other pharmacies should be put out to the public and exposed.
I am just off the phone with Forest Labs. They confirm that the powder from the manufacturer, whose name they will not give me because it is ‘proprietory information’, has a problem in supply and they can cnofirm any date for when this supply with become available and the supply of Armour Thyroid by Forest re-stocked. This lady would not or could not give me any background on why the production of the powder had been interrupted. She would not react to any of the subpositions I asked about. I was told that the supply of 2,4,5 grain tablets is not affected. There seems to be no remedy for those of us who need 15mg tablets and use dosages not of these higher amounts but to seem alternative medication from our doctors.
The availability line for Forest is: 866-927-3260.
We still do not know the reason the supply of the powder has been stopped. If anyone knows please post. I am looking for facts and not guess work. My next search for information will be to the FDA and maybe to a couple of meat packing operations that I suspect may provide the raw material.
This scares me to think that I must navigate a mine field of othre medications that so many people have had trouble with — that lead them to use Armour Thyroid with success. I was lucky to have started with this medication.
My pharmacist at Walgreens called RLC Labs this morning. Nature-Throid and Westhroid are on backorder. They do hope to fill orders that were recently placed.
For anyone who doubts that Medco DID send that letter, the proof is on Medco’s website. There, in living color, is a link they placed that leads you to the false claim that natural desiccated thyroid is in dangerously low supply. I have contacted Medco asking them why they’re lying. Can’t wait to see if I get a response and what that might be. I also contacted my husband’s HR department to see if there’s anything they can do to investigate this latest attempt by Medco to defraud/lie to its prescribers and patients.
Go to their site and you will find this: http://www.medcohealth.com/medco/consumer/ehealth/ehsarticle.jsp?accessLink=SHP_ANON_01&articleID=99074dt_liotrix_shortg&packageTemplate=PA+article+XML&displayTemplate=ProdAlerts+Article+Template&leftNavParam=News
Important information about liotrix and desiccated natural thyroid including Armour Thyroid® shortage
There is a nationwide shortage of porcine-derived desiccated thyroid and liotrix. Supplies of these products are now limited and we are uncertain about continued availability. Ask your doctor if a synthetic thyroid medication, such as levothyroxine is right for you. Remember, it is important not to stop taking your medication without first discussing it with your prescriber.
If you have any questions, please call the 800 number on your prescription label to speak to one of our pharmacists.
The following products are affected:
Desiccate Thyroid
1/4 GR
BIOTHROID CAPS 1/4GR
NATURE THROID TABS 1/4GR
THYROID TABS 1/4GR 15MG
THYROID TAB ARMOUR 1/4GR 15MG
1/2 GR
BIOTHROID CAPS 1/2GR
NATURE THROID TABS 1/2 GR
THYROID TAB ARMOUR 1/2GR 30MG
THYROID TABS 1/2GR 30MG
WESTHROID TABS 1/2GR
1 GR
BIOTHROID CAPS 1GR
NATURE THROID TABS 1GR
THYROID TAB ARMOUR 1GR 60MG
THYROID TABS 1GR 65MG
There are more but to save space I just copied some. This is wrong.
Well, I have an appointment tomorrow w/my doctor to discuss my results. I have been on Armour for several years, and up until the reformulation, I felt pretty good. With the reformulation, I have not been well-night sweats, hair falling out, tired, etc. I am going to talk to my Doctor about a switch to Nature and see what she says. I am lucky that she knows that I advocate for myself. I have a nasty allergy to Synthroid and she knows this. But I will take the notice and the letter in to her just so she can have a good laugh. I will try to let you all know what comes of this.
I am thankful that Mary is staying on top of this situation and i am upset as you all are that our supply may run out.
I just tried to buy Nature last week and was told he only had 60 tabs of 2 grain left, I was given the entire 60, but what about next time? The parmacist stated that the company is on bake order.
Who are we to believe? I am new at this and am frieghtened that they will pull these products from us.
Hey, everybody, relax! There is more medication out there to treat thyroid problems successfully than what Medco claims so don’t lose hope.
I just had to mention on here that when I finally found a doctor who didn’t have his head up his butt, he actually showed me this website: http://www.wilsonssyndrome.com and prescribed Liothyronine SR (T3 put into 12-hour sustained release capsules) without ANY sort of T4 in it. We have been following the protocol that Dr. Wilson recommends in his books/manuels and probably somewhere out on his site as well.
The pharmacy in Alabama called Medaus Pharmacy that makes my meds now. The pharmacy’s website has some great info on it regarding how to take Liothyronine according to Dr. Wilson in case you feel you need some clarification. Plus they take insurance (yes, Medco even has that pharmacy listed-for us it is a $25 co-pay for a month’s worth of my Liothyronine). If you live far away, they will send you your meds via UPS.
After 16 years of undiagnosed hypothyroidism/Hashimotos’ Thyroiditis/adrenal insufficiency/God knows what else, I will say that the road to recovery has been full of ups and downs, particularly in the beginning, but I am amazed at how much better I am feeling now. One thing that blew me away also was how much the herbal supplement Thyrocare helped my temperatures to actually stablilize instead of jumping all over the place. No this is NOT a plug, just truth from my heart and soul. Incredible things have happened since I started on the Liothyronine March 9, 2009.
I think more people ought to be aware the T3 alone in a SR form can make a HUGE difference and is not very expensive, either. I am amazed (and disappointed) at how many pharmacists appear puzzled when I ask if they have ever heard of it because it is a very good thing to be aware of. So I share the info whenever I have the opportunity. Take care and I will be praying for all of you!
Medco is our insurance and they will be hearing from me. Good grief! As if there are no other options out there and no other people in the world who can figure out how to treat hypothyroidism correctly. They have been treating it successfully for hundreds of years; in fact, it is only recently that many medications like Synthroid were even invented!
It was ALSO only recently in medicine that the TSH blood test was used as the sole means in diagnosing hypothyroidism in so many cases. Really pathetic because some meds and certainly the TSH level test are worse than useless in so many patients’ cases (not all of course, but many of them). Yet they are put up on a huge, misleading pedestal that causes millions to suffer needlessly.
P.S. if anybody is serious about finding a doc that takes them seriously, mine is fantastic and you just have to visit him every 6 months in person and he will do the rest by phone. Dr. Donald Michael in Mishiwaka, IN and his email address is DMichaelmd@aol.com. He wrote me back right away the first time I emailed him. After seeing him I now know what to look for if I ever need to find a doctor that lives closer to me since Dr. Michael is 6 hours away from where I live.
What is the reason for the shortage in the first place? Wonder if the employees of the companies that make the thyroid stuff are hiring and/or if they have a good employee discount???
Anyone involved in pharmacy would suggest levothyroxine as a replacement. It is up to the MD to prescribe. Letting the MD know that levothyroxine, Synthroid, etc., are all still available and unaffected is just a courtesy, not the company making any sort of determination of care. I’ve sent dozens of faxes to physicians over the past few months regarding this, who almost always prescribe levothyroxine, or for those needing it, levothyroxine and Cytomel (T3). You cry scandal, I say deal with it and realize that Medco has no reason to “determine” substandard care which would cost it more money in the long run as you all go back repeatedly to endocrine specialists.