Erfa/Armour total confusion?!??!

I am curious about one thing: if you look for reviews on Armour Thyroid, you will find both 5* and 1* reviews. How is it possible that one individual feels the best ever on it, while someone else barely feels alive...?!??! I know we are all different, but still...

I have been on Erfa for the past months (125 mg), feeling OK but not great, so I have been considering switching to another brand (or possibly switching to 30 and 60 mg pills, as some seem to think they work better). Only Armour and Erfa are available where I live (Belgium), and I would hate to try to find a pharmacy elsewhere that might or might not be willing to deliver any other brand...

Erfa is often said to be the purest brand of NDT, so it should work, right...?

[galathea]

Didn't work for me, not at all. Later found out that the way its manufactured and the fillers used are designed to give it a longer shelf life. Thyrod S also didnT really work for the same reasons. However have been absolutely fine on thiroyd and naturethroid for the past few years.

Never tried armour so cannot comment.

Good luck!

G. X

[Clutter]

thecat69, reviews are subjective so it's entirely reasonable that one individual will feel so well they rate it highly while another rates it lower because it did nothing for them. What matters is how well Armour or any other brand suits you.

Why would Erfa be the purest form of NDT? It has fillers like every other brand. NatureThroid and WP are supposed to be hypoallergenic.

[Hidden in reply to Clutter]

The only thing I read is that Erfa does not contain cellulose, which many thyroid docs seem to think is a good thing...although microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) is said to be a common filler in many drugs...so pretty confusing???

[Jodypody in reply to Hidden]

I've been on armour since feb. I too read the reviews and pondered. Needn't have bothered. It's been fine for me, I have my moments but I wouldn't swap it. People that have reviewed may not be on optimum dose etc. you can always switch if you're not keen.

[Hidden in reply to Jodypody]

I have read some disturbing posts lately (not in this forum) that Armour went downhill when taken over by Actavis some months ago...and that even people who did fine on it uptil then started having problems. I find it very hard to believe that Actavis would reformulate it a second time, especially given the protests after the first reformulation a few years back...?

I'd be interested to find out if anyone has taken Armour made by Actavis, and how you feel on it compared to Armour by Forest?

[Hypopotamus]

And who says that our only problem is with the thyroid? If we have another problem, then we may not be able to tell if the thyroid medication is working or not if we still feel ill.

[Hidden]

I have been diagnosed with both hypothyroidism (Hashimoto's) and adrenal fatigue. I was on thyroxine only for the years; never did much for me. On as much as 200 mcg daily, my FT4 levels were never more than mid-range, and my FT3 levels were at the very bottom of the range.

I have been on Medrol (4 mg daily) for adrenal fatigue, but I am not sure that is working optimally for me. I have recently started taking a product called Drenamin and, so far so good. I hope I'll be able to wean off Medrol completely.

Curing adrenal fatigue seems more complicated than I originally thought. I have been thinking about adding holy basil and ashwagandha as well.

Some say you should avoid supplements containing adrenal extract, and only take adrenal cortex. There used to be a very good product called Isocort, but it has been discontinued. I am not sure if there is any product as good as Isocort, but I chose Drenamin as it has been getting great reviews. I have only been on it for a couple of weeks, so I think it's too early to tell, my I think I feel slightly more energetic.

[millefleur40 in reply to Hidden]

Try Nutri Adrenal Plus. Ive got v poor adrenals and levo not converting to T3. Just put on it by Dr P along with Nutri Thyroid.

[humanbean in reply to Hidden]

You mention adrenal fatigue. Are your cortisol levels low? If they are then I would avoid taking holy basil. It lowers cortisol.

[Hidden in reply to humanbean]

Yes, I have been diagnosed with adrenal fatigue by a doctor trained by T. Hertoghe. I have been on Medrol for a couple of years, but cannot say it has done much for me. But, of course, I don't know how I'd feel without it...but I have gone from 6 to 4 mg daily without feeling any difference.

And thanks for telling me about holy basil!

[LouiseRoberts]

The problem is also that the person giving one star may not be on enough yet or may not understand how to dose properly.

In my opinion, reviewing medication is just daft. Paracetamol of any kind does absolutely nothing for me and yet huge swathes of people would swear by it for pain relief!

L

x

[Katelou]

I was told by a chemist that Efra is weaker than Armour, not so powerful.

[Hidden in reply to Katelou]

Interesting! It's true that Erfa contains slightly less T4 and T3 per grain, but maybe it is also absorbed differently by the body...?

[helvella Administrator in reply to Hidden]

Not sure I'd believe a chemist.

I'd guess (from what we have seen posted here and elsewhere) that quite a lot of Armour takers chew or otherwise distress the tablets. And quite a few Erfa takers "sub-lingual" it. Where does that leave any assessment of fundamental powerfulness? The techniques could have as much or more impact as the actual hormone content.