Alternative to armour

[Belleblue]

Hello lovely people,

I've just logged on to order more armour thyroid (forest) and up popped a message telling me that there are cheaper alternatives available as armour has doubled in price over the last year.

So my question is - should I change to one of these cheaper brands, and if so, which one would your recommend? Are they really as good?

They say NP armour (acella) is the generic equivalent but also offer Nature-Throid, Westhroid and WP Thyroid.

I've only ever used erfa or armour but naturally cost has to be considered as I also pick up the tab for my son and daughters armour tablets. If I can get the equivalent cheaper then it's worth a try .. So any advice to help me choose would be greatly appreciated as you're all so knowledgable 😊 Many thanks!

[Clutter]

Belleblue, I don't think many members will have had access to NP Acella but it seems well regarded in the USA. NatureThroid and WP (previously called Westhroid) are popular brands as they're supposed to be hypoallergenic and are less expensive than Armour.

[Belleblue in reply to Clutter]

Thanks clutter! I'm assuming that because they are promoting them as an alternative to armour that the amounts of t3/t4 will be similar? I take 2.5 grains of armour so would this be a straight swap do you think?

It's tempting to keep things as they are but the alternatives offer a substantial saving!

[RedApple in reply to Belleblue]

If you scroll down this page you will find a table showing the various T4 and T3 contents of different brands of desiccated thyroid.

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

I've tried several brands and much prefer Nature-Throid over any of the others, but everyone has their own preference, so the only way to find out what works for you is to try them out.

[faith63]

I heard NP was very good..less fillers than Armour, alot like Erfa too.

[Belleblue]

Thanks redapple & faith63. I'm going to bite the bullet and order some before my current supply runs out - that way I can always fall back on armour if the new ones don't suit!

It's a minefield - thanks for holding my hand and guiding me through it!!

[Hidden]

NP does not seem available in European pharmacies, at least not yet, which seems a bit strange to me as it has been around since 2009 or something like that?

And is Naturethroid available in any European pharmacies? I have been trying to find one, as I'd be interested in trying it out but, so far, to no avail.

[Clutter in reply to Hidden]

thecat, if you look at the link RedApple posted you'll see which UK pharmacies stock NatureThroid.

[Hidden]

I found this European pharmacy that carried NP Thyroid, and ordered from them. When I wanted to place a new order, I was told that they were no longer carrying it, but had switched to...Armour. The very product I was trying to avoid...

Sometimes, I am surprised that Armour is still being produced, given the number of unhappy patients who switched to other brands after the reformulation...and also given the competition from brands like Erfa, NP, WP, Naturethroid...!

[phoenix23002]

You have probably already ordered your new NDT. After the recent Erfa fiasco (change in mfg facilities and change in Erfa), I had to scramble to find an alternative. I tried all the brands you mentioned with the exception of plain Westhroid. I tried NP by Acella, Naturethroid and WP by RLC Labs. The Naturethroid was a little chalky and just didn't seem to cut it for me. The NP was fabulous but harder to come by so I settled on WP by RLC Labs. It has been a year now and the WP continues to work.

Oh.. I also tried Thiroyd and Thyroid-S. Those left me light-headed and dizzy after a few days. Don't know why.

NDT supplementation is a very personal thing and what suits one may not suit another. You are lucky if you have all these options. Good luck finding the right one that suits you.

ps. For twenty years now I have taken my natural thyroid meds sublingually (let them dissolve in the mouth).

[Belleblue]

Thank you Phoenix - it's nice to have another view on this! You're right I had already ordered thyroid S and it arrived yesterday. I'm slightly concerned about the colour after taking off white tablets for so many years - I wonder if it was the colourings that made you light headed? I still have a few armour tablets left and as i'm going away today for the weekend I won't try thyroid S until I'm home again!

I think it's going to be trial and error to find a replacement but reading everyone's stories is a big help x