I haven't been on here for quite a while but hope someone can help.
My dear old mum in Glasgow is unwell and I need to move there to look after her. I'm on Armour (don't do well on synthetic T4 or T3) and will need to find someone willing to prescribe it in Glasgow area.
I live in South of England at the moment and buy Armour on a private prescription from NHS endocrinologist. Can anyone recommend a doc for when I move?
I'm worried sick that I'll set myself back as I flare horribly with stress when meds are off and I'll need to be on top form to care for mum.
Written by
CathyT
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I moved to england from Glasgow as it just wasnt possible to get armour on prescription there. Not that I get it here either, but I was informed that they were not allowed to prescribe it even inf they wanted to as its on the double red list with the health board.
Things may have changed though. I have heard of a couple of people getting it on a private script from a doctor over on the east coast, sorry dont know who though.
No idea how much private scripts cost, but if you are happy and stable on armour would buying it yourself be an issue for you ? I'm sure there cant be much difference between a private script and importing yourself, though like I say I have no idea how much private scripts are.
Thanks Susymac, that sounds like Im gonna be in for a struggle Sorry to hear you had the problem too.
I'm not stable on Armour yet as Endo keeps changing dose (won't accept suppressed TSH!) but I'm hoping to either win that battle before I move or the right doc in Scotland will continue to work with me to get stable.
What do you mean by double red list?
Although it's a private prescription, the NHS Endo doesn't charge for prescribing. He does so because my GP won't prescribe it, even at his request as the consultant they referred me to. Crazy, eh? I think it comes down to cost but GP won't admit that.
Last resort would be to attempt to go without a prescription and just self medicate, which would mean finding an online supplier and import but I reeeeally don't want to take those risks. This condition is enough of a nightmare as it is.
I buy it from Pharmarama at the moment and could continue to do so if I can find someone to write a prescription, hence needing new doc! All terribly complicated!!
All health board have lists of what drugs they are willing to fund and what they are not, anything with a double red listing they wont fund and gps and consultants are not allowed to prescribe.
Here is the link to GGHB prescribing policies, its very long winded but if you have a look through, you can see the hoops that the consultants have to just through to provide an unlicensed medicine, and it (armour) is seldom approved. it has to be officially applied for for each patient. Gp's are not permitted to prescribe it at all.
You will most likely have to find a private endo and pay for a private script. It is unlikely that an nhs endo will give you a private script for it as because as they are not allowed to prescribe it they actually have little or no knowledge of its use.
This is very true as I have just asked my Endo and she refused saying that they do not know enough of this product (which they won't because you cannot get it in England), and are only willing to give medications that they have some knowledge about ie T4 Levo and T3 Liothyronine. Lucky she did give me the T3. So we are all up against a brick wall. I even tried the 'named patient basis', but that did not get me anywhere either. That is the reality of it all I am afraid, I would love to try Armour.....
The more I'm hearing of others' experiences the more worried I'm getting.
The right dose of Armour gets me back to about 70% health and I can work part-time but T4 and T3 did very little and life was hell. It's been a rough 3 yrs of trial and error with meds so far.
Without Armour there's no way I'll be able to be my mum's carer. It's a terminal condition and just the stress of worrying about her makes me hugely unwell when my meds aren't right. My autoimmune stuff flares horribly with stress.
I wonder whether I might be able to get a doctor to agree to monitor me (blood tests etc) if I have no option but to buy the meds overseas. That way they'd have no responsibility for prescribing or expense. Long shot, eh?
Thats what mine does here, or did do until I stopped going, They were happy enough for me to buy my own and happy enough to do blood tests, but our local lab doesnt do FT3 only TT3, then they started trying to interfere with the dosage, so I stopped going at all. They coulodnt test the FT3 anyway, so I thought it was pointless
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