Here it comes again -- that rumor that Armour Thyroid is going off the market has resurfaced. So I went directly to the company to ask. And as of January 23, 2008 I have an answer for you: not true!

It seems that the behind-the-scenes hijinks never end -- someone out there definitely wants to eliminate your choices in thyroid medications. Which is why, apparently, the rumor is spreading -- just in the past two weeks, I've had a number of thyroid patients write in saying that their pharmacists are telling them that they can't get a refill of Armour because "it's going off the market."

The truth is that, because of a manufacturing recall, a number of the dosage sizes of Armour are currently on back order. Shipments of these dosage sizes are, according to spokesperson Chris Bryant, from Forest Labs' customer service division, currently in production.

Here's the status:

• Armour ½ grain and 1 grain dosage sizes are available
• Armour ¼ grain, 2 grain, 3 grain, 4 grain and 5 grain sizes are on back order. They are shipping to wholesalers at the end of January, 2008, and are expected to reach pharmacies by the early part of February.

If your pharmacist says Armour is going off the market, it's time to get a a new, better-informed pharmacist! And if you can't get your Armour prescription filled, then ask your doctor to rewrite it so you can use the ½ or 1 grain dosage size as an interim measure.

Read More About Armour...

• Armour Thyroid and the Campaign to Make Us Think It's Discontinued
• Is Armour Thyroid Being Discontinued?

_{Photo: istockphoto}