GP given me a private prescription for Armour, I have to pay for it myself as not licenced in the UK !

[kizziemaria]

Don't know where to start !!! Finally got a prescription and dnt know what to do with it, How many grains do i need ?? Rang the manufacturers and they were useless. DO I need to give my pharmacy a list of manufactureres or what . Fed up and feel depressed, its like trying to get blood out of a stone

[Mouse]

You don't have to have a private prescription. I get a prescription for Armour from my GP and take it to a normal pharmacy. It is free because people with thyroid condition are exempt from paying.

[Wynthedragon in reply to Mouse]

Hi I have just read your comments about Armour. I so want to change to Armour but my doc hasn't even heard about it. I live in Scotland and wonder where to go or what to do. I am freezing all the time and can hardly open my eyes in the morning - I could sleep all day and its such a struggle. Thanks, Wyn

[kizziemaria]

its all down to cost apparently and he said its not licensed in the uk. Not sure why but when I rang for the prescription it was done but not ready for me to take, the receptionist seems to think hes looking into it further. How are you doing on Armour , where you on levo prior to this

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

As Mouse wrote!

It is perfectly possible for unlicensed medicines to be prescribed on the NHS and it happens all the time. There could be arguments about Armour specifically on the basis of funding.

Full prescribing information from the manufacturer's web site:

frx.com/pi/armourthyroid_pi...

Although there is no way of predicting accurately how much anyone will need, it is fairly common to suggest that one grain (60 milligrams) is somewhere near 75 micrograms of levothyroxine. Some people put it as high as 100 micrograms but that might be due to being very cautious not to over-dose.

There is only one manufacturer of Armour.

It is the pharmacy's responsibility to source it. (If necessary you could whisper "Idis" who are often used as a specialist supplier of Armour.)

Rod

[Mouse]

Yes, I am definitely better on Armour than Levo. I am having problems taking more than 1/4 grain on alternate days but I now think that it may be due to low ferritin levels.

I have an appointment with Dr P on July 15th so I am hoping I will get to the bottom of it. In the meantime I am taking iron and already my hair isn't falling out as much as it was.

My GP says that she doesn't really know how to monitor the use of Armour so I hoping that Dr P will advise her.

[kizziemaria]

coincidentally i rang Idis but the refused to give me a price, if my gp wnt prescribe on NHS i need to find cheapest supplier

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to kizziemaria]

No you do not need to know the price. None of these companies will reveal their prices. They could sell at a different price to every pharmacy in the country! For example, they might offer an 8% discount to Boots, 7% to Lloyds, 12.5% to Asda, and 0.01% to an independent. Or the other way around entirely. I have no idea but these prices are very largely commercially confidential.

You cannot tell a pharmacy where to get their stock from. It is in their hands.

And, if you get the prescription in your hand, you can take it to any pharmacy in the country. Your doctor cannot tell you only to take it to the one he says.

Rod

[RedApple Administrator in reply to kizziemaria]

As Rod says, you can take your private prescription for Armour to any pharmacy. You might find the local independent pharmacies are more helpful than the larger chain pharmacies.

There is also a list of pharmacies on the main website that you could call and ask their prices.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/treatm...

.

[tingles]

out of interest, does anyone have an idea of what people roughly pay a month for armour?

T

[RedApple Administrator in reply to tingles]

That's going to depend on what the dose is, as well as where it's obtained from

[gordies]

Buy it direct from USA, a lot cheaper than a prescription in the UK.

[Hidden in reply to gordies]

I have never come across any legitimate US pharmacy that will honour a UK prescription, (presumably as they can't check it's legitimate) are you not thinking of various Internet suppliers who claim to be US based but aren't & don't take a prescription anyway?!

[JanePound in reply to Hidden]

medaus.com My GP writes a prescription and Medaus fill it.

[Hidden in reply to JanePound]

Well I am genuinely amazed, as this situation has come up time and time again on other forums I have been in!

Mind you, if the US FDA get their way, compounding pharmacies such as this one will be done away with... there is a lot of pressure on them at the moment!

[kizziemaria]

I have obtained Armour for £27 in uk and next day delivery

[Pepekins in reply to kizziemaria]

Are you still managing to get Armour at this price.

[MSC56]

Kizziemarie, I would love to hear how you got Armour for £27. delivered the next day?? I live in London and have had the worst time trying to get GP, Endo and to even look at Armour! Any NHS doctors who do prescribe this in London anyone know about? I am at wit's end! Thanks!

[amethyst22]

I buy mine from Canada with no prescription. It is an expensive outlay I guess to get a few months supply but the alternative is going back to Thyroxine only which is not an option for me, I'm soooo much better on NDT. And what price do you put on your health? It's worth it for me.

[kizziemaria]

Oh sorry to hear that MSC56, the pharmacy is on thyroid uk, i rang today and got the price, £6.95 is next day delivery so the Armour itself is £20. I had to get a private prescription, my Gp is brilliant and a rare catch lol. I told him it was my last option to try and regain thicker hair as it was making me depressed. I,m a district nurse so wondering if he is going with the flow of what i,m telling him.I feel very lucky to have him and he had heard of Armour. The pharmacy is in Essex, Springfield. .thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/treatm...

[marmaris in reply to kizziemaria]

When you say a private prescription do you mean your doctor gave you a prescription but you had to pay for it?

[ranya in reply to kizziemaria]

hello kizziemaria,

could you pls private gp details for armour thyroid. finding difficult to find gp for armour thyroid,pls help.

[kizziemaria in reply to ranya]

My regular Gp just wrote his reg number and what I wanted and signed it on an A4 peice of paper, yes I had to pay for it but it did not work for me, i felt horrendous, it raised my anti-bodies due to it being pig thyroxine, I also tried naturethroid with no luck either.

[kizziemaria]

Yes its basically a piece of white A4 paper with his reg number and name with surgery stamp and what i need

[MSC56]

Thanks Kizziemaria, I was a Nurse in America but this seems to carry no weight whatsoever! I have lost my eyebrows, so this is really a desperate plea to try it. So far been to 4 GP and 2 endos and no one will even listen about it. Any one know a name of a GP or ENdo in Northwest London, or Central London?? I can asked to be refered if I have a name of a Dr. who knows about ARMOUR...thanks!

[kizziemaria]

have a look on thyroid uk and email them, they will be the best source for you . I told mine i had done the research and feel okish but had suicidal thoughts over my hair and the Armour was my last hope so he had to act on that

[MSC56]

ok, Thanks! Hope Armour works well for you, too!

[kizziemaria]

I have a prescription free site if you would like it, 100 armour just cost me £38

[Pepekins in reply to kizziemaria]

Would love details if poss. Thanks

[rosetrees]

I "think" that NDT doesn't require a licence because its use pre-dated licensing. I won't post a link here, as it goes to a UK pharmacy site, but search around and you will find that your GP is legitimately able to prescribe it.

[EVESARAH]

Hello Armour is licensed in the UK. It was used before the introduction of T4. Eve

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to EVESARAH]

Armour most definitely is NOT licensed in the UK.

Up until sometime in the 1980s, Thyroid BP was listed in BNF and could be prescribed without difficulty if the prescriber believed it necessary.

Rod

[Hidden]

According to my pharmacist, the price of Armour has doubled in recent months, at least in Belgium where I get mine. At my current dosage, I would have to pay +/- 2000 € (roughly 1600 GBP) a year...Armour is not reimbursed by social insurance here, as it is a "non registered drug".