Doctor

[Hills]

Hi all,

Not sure if I should be celebrating a minor success or angry at a big no.

Finally had a long conversation about Levo versus Armour and the levo making me sick with my Doctor. She was surprisingly supportive in the fact that she agreed I could not continue feeling ill and that if the Armour made me normal that was good. She admitted my last bloods taken in March were good. Agreed that it was fine for me to carry on taking it and that she was happy to support and monitor me on it. Yay finally.

Now the bad bit, she cannot prescribe it for me. She told me she would loose her job, that the only way I can get it is off the internet, that is now three Doctors in the surgery that have told me the same thing.

She also told that there a a few of the surgeries patients who are doing the same thing as me.

All a little odd, if she knows Armour works, that her patients are fit and well on it, bloods etc where they shouldbe then why is this drug not being taken seriously and more to the point why are we all having to pay hundreds of dollars for it.

My latest order was just under £400 and I am lucky that it does not come through UK customs or it would be more £.

Surely we need to bombard the health minister individually with letters being explicit in our symptoms, would this do something or has it been tried?

Why is Armour not allowed in the UK when I spoke to the company they were based in Sark, why are we living I this madness?

Arghhh rant over, feel much better now. Hopefully even more once Iam back on the Armour, as have not taken anything for two weeks and it shows.

Hills.

[BexyLS]

Hi Hills,

Are you in the UK? I recently saw my UK Doc and he gave me a prescription for Armour without flinching. I took it to the pharmacy based in the Docs and the Pharmacist recognised it and filled the prescription. I got it for free as I have a life long illness cert, so all my meds are free. Also Thyroid UK say Armour is available on a named patient basis. At my Docs he typed in the name Armour and it came up on the system. Im wondering if they are having you on?

[Hills in reply to BexyLS]

Hi

I wonder if it is down to individual surgery costs or is it a post code lottery.

Would love it if some one could give me a definitive answer.

It is pretty expensive to buy and I have to time my trips to collect it and make sure I have back up supplies.

I have a medical certificate.

Maybe I need to contact my PCT.

Can I ask where you are in the country? I am in Wiltshire. I found it odd that she said others at the surgery did the same, & told me to get off the internet.

Thanks

Hills.

[BexyLS in reply to Hills]

It is odd. I'm in Cornwall. Im lucky with my GP. I ask and he helps out whether meds or specialists. Maybe one of the admins knows more about this. HAve you thought of changing to nature throid or west throid? there is also a new one from Thailand. These are more affordable but Ive never tried them but others here are taking them. If you go to STTM there is a section on different NDT meds:

stopthethyroidmadness.com/a...

Some of these are more than half the price of Armour

[emma0808 in reply to BexyLS]

Hi what doctors in Cornwall my doctor won't put me on nature so stuck on thyroxine

[Pinkpeony in reply to Hills]

Hi Hills,I am pretty sure I saw this on a very large website which is the name of a river lol. Unless of course it has been withdrawn.

Cheers Pp

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Pinkpeony]

It's also on a famous auction site - looking like advertising postcards.

[Hills]

Thanks.

Just emailed my local NHS,

Lets see how that goes.

Ready to fight for it now.

Hills

[claudiasmum]

I had Armour on NHS prescription with no problems for six years before the GP stopped it this year after being asked to stop by the CCG. So looks like they are cracking down on the few (in their eyes) "rogue" GPs who are still prescribing it.

It's not just on cost grounds either because the replacement T3, which they can't refuse because it's on the NICE approved list, is more expensive.

[traceytired]

I have no thyroid due to TT. Based in Kent. GP said he would lose his job if he prescribed T3 alongside T4, and nearly had a fit when I asked for NDT. I buy the one that looks like thyroid spelt incorrectly from Thailand through a famous auction site. The cost is just £50 for 1000 x 60 mcg tabs, and my life has been transformed!

[shaws]

This is a link and NDT can be prescribed (theoretically) but most are afraid of losing their jobs because the British Thyroid Association have made false statements about it. They will not retract the paragraph on their website even though received a scientific Rebuttal about their views. The surgery may be looking at costs.

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

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

thyroidscience.com/Criticis...

Also some doctors who have prescribed have appeared before the GMC and I doubt it was the patients who have pursued them. The BTA said that NDT is inconsistent despite the fact that for one NDT, Naturethroid, have never been inconsistent in 75 years in T4 and T3 content.

[Hidden]

I found out which doctors prescribed Armour from chatting to my pharmacist! Sadly I didn't know until I was just about to move house.

I've been buying Armour online for 3 years now. I wonder where you're getting yours from, as it seems really expensive.

[debjs]

My GP prescribes me Armour. I believe she had to approach the CCG to discuss reasons before prescribing but so far it has not been a problem just takes the pharmacist a couple of weeks to get it sometimes.

[Hidden]

My GP would not prescribe Armour either as it is not licenced in the UK and he said he didn't know enough about it. I had been in agony with swellings in lymph nodes in the clavicular area and groin for over a year and managed to stop it after seeing Dr P and taking Nutri Thyroid with my T4. My GP retired a year ago and my new GP stopped me taking NutriThyroid as my bloods were too high in his opinion. All the pain and swellings I had suffered before came back within a couple of weeks. After 2 months of agony I decided to pay to see an endo where I saw an advertisement that he had prescribed Armour for someone else. He still wouldn't prescribe it for me but gave me T3 with T4 and I had numerous tests and then finally he said Armour may work for me as he couldn't get rid of the pain or swellings with T3/T4. The endo wrote to my GP to ask him to prescribe it and he wouldn't, back to square one!! Finally a month ago after my GP wrote to the endo the endo has prescribed it so we shall see. I am having to pay £150 per visit to endo plus the costs of the medication first lot £90, whereas before all my prescriptions were free. So far so good, but it is so difficult to find someone who will prescribe it in the UK now. I would buy it off the internet from <online source> seems much cheaper, as long as your GP is monitoring your bloods. It is so frustrating join the club ..................

[Hidden]

Also look at Government e petitions and search on thyroid there are 3 on there. Someone has obviously considered this before, sign if you agree, I am not sure they will get enough signatures unfortunately.

[Hills]

Signed & passed on to my friends to sign. Thank you.

[Apricot]

There are 150 or so CCG (Clinical Commissioning groups) in the UK, the local body that overseees the goods/medicines etc that are allowed locally.

An item may be fully approved by the NICE/ACBS....(the national controls over medicines)), but if the local body, doesnt agree,..then no go...and yes the local CCG may well penalise GPs who go against guidelines.

It applies to many items...strips for diabetic testing, gluten free items etc.

How and why the CCG decides what is ok and what isnt...no idea...

J