choosing NDT?!: I would just like to know what... - Thyroid UK

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choosing NDT?!

Cate6888 profile image
21 Replies

I would just like to know what users think of the different NDT options available...I have consulted with two so called Top (Hertoghe) doctors, and one recommend Armour (to be chewed up), while the other one recommended Erfa...

I know what works for one person does not necessarily work for another, so I guess it's all about trial and error...nevertheless, I'd really appreciate some input from other NDT users!

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Cate6888 profile image
Cate6888
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21 Replies
Clutter profile image
Clutter

Welcome to the forum, Cate6888.

Members use a variety of NDT brands but if you are in Belgium you are limited to Armour or Erfa. Belgian customs confiscated Thai NDT a member imported.

shaws profile image
shawsAdministrator

Unfotunately, it is trial and error I am afraid. My personal choice would be Nature-throid (hypoallergenic). I tried about 3 previously. I am now on T3 only and that also makes me feel well.

Jazzw profile image
Jazzw

Mileage varies considerably. What works brilliantly for one doesn't do too much for another. Armour is the one that gets spoken of most but that doesn't make it the best. Trial and error I'm afraid. I take Nature Throid.

Cate6888 profile image
Cate6888 in reply toJazzw

Interesting. Nature throid has been getting a lot of great reviews, too. But was not cellulose added to NT as well, shortly after Armour was reformulated...? I seem to remember reading something to that effect on STTM...

waveylines profile image
waveylines

I have been on both Armour & Erfa. I got on well with armour until they re formulated back in 2009 so switched to Erfa. Got on well with Erfa until they moved factories (& countries) but had a major relapse as the meds produced in their new factory did not work for me (I was not the only one -many complained) so I then switched to WP Thyroid (hypoallergenic) which works great for me -been on it for over a year now!

On top of this different NDTs seem to suit different people -no one really knows why this is. In my case I felt the fillers made a difference. The only way you can truly find out is to try them out until you find the one that suits you.

Cate6888 profile image
Cate6888 in reply towaveylines

Waveylines, can I ask if your get a prescription for WP Thyroid specifically, or if you are able to get WP with a prescription for another brand?

waveylines profile image
waveylines in reply toCate6888

Hi Cate. My prescription is for WP Thyroid. If I want to change brands I have to ask my GP. That's because the costing could change for them as its a specialist order done on a named patient basis. However most NDTs have the same ratio of t4/t3 in them so it might be another practise might be more flexible. Generally it works in my favour the brand being named as it means I don't get generics....ie brands that don't suit me as I'm affected by some fillers.

Cate6888 profile image
Cate6888

OK, thanks to you all!!! You have been very helpful! I realise in Belgium only Erfa and Armour are available. I will do some more research and see what I can dig up! It seems, though, that Armour has been problematic ever since the reformulation, and that Erfa is working less well for many since manufacturing switched from Belgium to Spain (this info from STTM).

Cate6888 profile image
Cate6888

One for more question, hope that is OK: is porcine thyroid believed to be superior to thyroid from other animals? I am asking because I have also been looking at Thyro Gold, which seems potent and has been getting great reviews...a big plus that it's OTC. I emailed Tammy L and she specified how much T4 and T3 are in each capsule, giving me a pretty good idea about NDT equivalents.

Most OTC adrenal support products contain bovine adrenal, not porcine, which is why I have been wondering if bovine thyroid could work just as well as porcine...?

Armour is terribly expensive in Belgium, and I was even told prices have almost doubled in recent months...incredible. I cannot believe how much I will be paying for NDT out of my own pocket (100%) compared to Euthyrox for which I paid about 1€ a month out of my own pocket...but I hope it's worth it:-) I just have to find the brand that works best for me.

Glynisrose profile image
Glynisrose

2I tried both then realised that there was maize strch in Erfa and went over to Armour. Personally I think you have to consider what fillers are used in each.

Cate6888 profile image
Cate6888 in reply toGlynisrose

I worry about the cellulose in Armour, though. It seems cellulose makes absorption more difficult and decreases effectiveness? Some say chewing the pills up before swallowing helps...?

Given the price of NDT in Belgium, I'd really have to think long and hard before ordering any brand that might not work...!

Cate6888 profile image
Cate6888

OK, so there is no maize starch in Armour, then? I read somewhere that Erfa contains talc, and I am not too crazy about that either...

MaxiFrustrated profile image
MaxiFrustrated

I take Thai Thiroyd and so far so good and wonderfully affordable. Has fewer additives than many. If you only order one bottle - 1,000 tabs of 60mcg - packaging is discreet and perhaps won't catch the notice of customs. Best of luck.

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toMaxiFrustrated

MaxiFrustrated,

I have never been quite sure what the ingredients actually are! All I have ever seen are second- and third-hand reports. Does your product actually list its ingredients?

MaxiFrustrated profile image
MaxiFrustrated in reply tohelvella

No it doesn't but I felt confident in taking it after reading STTM's info on it...

stopthethyroidmadness.com/a...

...and assorted other write-ups, including this one:

thyroid-s.com/what-is-the-d...

I've been to Thailand many times and have as much faith in their pharmaceutical oversight as I do in the FDA, which seems to approve pretty much everything and green light pesticides the EU bans.

Cate6888 profile image
Cate6888 in reply toMaxiFrustrated

Can I ask you which Thai brand you take? I understand there are three of them: Thyroid-S, Thiroyd, and TR man (which seems pretty new).

MaxiFrustrated profile image
MaxiFrustrated in reply toCate6888

I opted for Thiroyd, which doesn't contain aluminium and, by some accounts, is easier to digest.

Spent ages searching for reviews online. Most I found were positive.

Wish I'd saved some of the links so I could pass them on to you.

Cate6888 profile image
Cate6888 in reply toMaxiFrustrated

Thanks, but that's fine, I've found lots of them and am getting more and more convinced by the minute!

Cate6888 profile image
Cate6888

I actually already contacted one seller who sent me a photo of a bottle; it only says "thyroid 60 mg" on the bottle, nothing else...so it could work. I agree it's very affordable compared to NDT we get from pharmacies here, and most users seem happy with it.

MaxiFrustrated profile image
MaxiFrustrated in reply toCate6888

My packet came in a brown padded envelope and was labelled "health supplement".

waveylines profile image
waveylines

It is definately worth checking the fillers. I've noticed a big difference in brands though they have the same ratio of active ingredients. Am sure it's the fillers that affect the absorption -for me at least. Since being on WP which has all natural fillers -so no talc etc... my uptake has been much better and I was able to reduce my dose!! it's sold as hypoallergenic. the trouble is everyone is different and what works for one doesn't for someone else.

My pharmacist told me that how hard the tablet is compressed alongside the coating they put on the outside of the tablet can all affect uptake....fascinating. Am sure there's an interesting piece of research to be had in finding out why-any medical researcher out there fancy picking up the challenge?

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