Armour

[Margaret]

My gp asked me today if you can still get armour and also what the cost of it is. Can anybody help me to give him the answer and also if it is possible to get it on the NHS.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Yes - it is possible to get Armour Thyroid. Yes - it is possible to get it prescribed on the NHS.

It is now considerably more expensive than other products such as Nature-Throid and Erfa and WP Thyroid.

The costs of NHS medicines in England are available here:

nhsbsa.nhs.uk/PrescriptionS...

(You will need a spreadsheet program installed to open that - e.g. Excel.)

Lines 5105 to 5117.

Similar figures may or may not be available for the other three countries.

The actual scale of prescribing is tiny.

[Kc02]

My doctor has just agreed to give me a prescription and he said that it cost £130 for 2 grains

Picking this up on Friday so can tell you how many tablets that includes

[shaws Administrator in reply to Kc02]

I believe it is 30 tablets.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Kc02]

Can't be certain but most Armour seems to come in packs of 100. Nature-Throid is in 30s.

[shaws Administrator]

This is some information and it is good if your GP will prescribe. There is quite a few NDTs and as Armour is more expensive, maybe Nature-Throid will suit. This one is hypoallergenic too.

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

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

I wish you success and hope you feel better very soon.

[Hidden]

Hi there,

The price you have quoted for Armour would be for 100x 2 grains,

Though that seemed a little bit high.However,most have to send abroad so would have to add on postage etc.so that would have to be considered.

So good that it is going to be prescribed for you........wish you well.

[Hidden]

Does anyone know why Armour has all of a sudden become so much more expensive...? In Belgium, one pharmacy even offers capsules instead, made with crushed 5 grain pills mixed to various strengths, to keep cost down...

[bee68]

I am presently on Armour (since July '15)

I checked with my local chemist if they were able to obtain it and luckily they could order it. It costs a little over £300 for 109 tablets being 2 gram tablet - 76mg of Levo and 18 mg of liothyronine

[Hidden]

Depends on which County you are in. I cannot get it in Worcestershire, the Medicines Commissioning Team do not allow it even when recommended by an endocrinologist. Very frustrating. It is cheaper to buy on line if your GP won't prescribe it, as recommended by my endo, I can PM you if you cannot get it on NHS or privately.

[Margaret in reply to Hidden]

Can you please advise me where you get your Armour

[Bridgette68 in reply to Hidden]

Hi are you still active here as I’m now interested in the details of where you get armour please

[Bodil333]

You can get it on the NHS, but it is more expensive than getting it through international websites. You have a very rare GP. Most are not interested!

[Glynisrose]

It is very expensive but the gp can prescribe it if they want to on a 'named patient' basis. The cost went up when Forest were bought out by another pharmaceutical company. Good luck!

[wiserlady6]

A doctor should know all of this already! Most cannot get it on nhs, and there are lots of other natural thyroid tablets you can take other than armour, some of them are just as goodbut much cheaper.

[Flatfred]

I've tried Thyroid-s and WP Throid and just can't get on with them compared to Armour so having to bite the bullet and pay. Will try Nature Throid next as this is advertised as a generic Armour.<removed comment that breaks guidelines> Lol

[Clutter in reply to Flatfred]

Flatfred, NatureThroid and WP are hypoallergenic brands manufactured by RLC Labs. They're nothing to do with Armour and aren't generic.

[Flatfred in reply to Clutter]

It's the overseas pharmacy I get the Armour from that referred to WP. Throid as the generic version of Armour. I was just quoting what's on the website. They were saying this in relation to the cost of Armour increasing so much and use the generic term to suggest a cheaper alternative.

[Clutter in reply to Flatfred]

Flatfred, They'd better hope RLC Labs don't see it A lot of members are very happy with NatureThroid as an alternative to Armour.

[Flatfred in reply to Clutter]

Hi Clutter. I know others get on well with it and I was really hopeful but...... I can't even explain properly what the difference is as it's subtle but my wife can see it the difference too. Thyroid -s gave me shocking headaches. WP will be the next one I try as the cost of Armour is now stupid!!!

[Clutter in reply to Flatfred]

Flatfred, oh I know the difference a brand change can make. Mercury Pharma Levothyroxine was the pits for me and I did better on Actavis. Hope your next trial is successful.

NP Acella is described as a generic. Seen some good reviews but I don't know whether it is distributed outside of America.

[Flatfred in reply to Clutter]

It was Mercury Pharma that nearly killed me...really! Toxic!

The pharmacy I get the Armour from is in America so maybe they'll stock the NP.

Cheers

[Hidden in reply to Flatfred]

So, are you saying Armour is better for you...? Interesting if that is the case, as so many are complaining about Armour since the reformulation...I have been considering trying it out myself, so it's very interesting that someone actually seems to find it quite effective!

[Flatfred in reply to Hidden]

Well it's the only one that I feel really well on. I wish I could get on with the cheaper brands...but I don't!

[molliemdz]

So, what happens if you do get an NHS 'scrip? Do you have to pay the difference between the drug cost and the £6 NHS prescription cost?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to molliemdz]

No.

Like all English NHS prescriptions, any charge would be the standard prescription rate.

But on the basis that everyone who might be prescribed Armour would already have been diagnosed hypothyroid (i.e. with "myxoedema (that is, hypothyroidism which needs thyroid hormone replacement"), anyone in England would be entitled to a Medical Exemption Certificate and so would pay nothing.

PS Current English prescription charge seems to be £8.20.

[LindaC]

You can go in and ask a chemist or ring the national ones who trade internationally and ASK how much they will be charging for x, y, z. In 2010 when I was first prescribed Armour privately I used to use one of the 'down south' chemists dealing internationally and they were OK [e.g. £120 - 130 for 100 1/2 Grain - I used to cut them into 1/4]. I then used to source them myself - sent to relatives in the USA for me but I once got a 'bad batch'?? Still using private prescriptions my husband then went around local chemists to find a difference of one charging £430 and another - for exactly the same grain strength and amount of tabs - charging £140. Maybe this is why the NHS gets drained by rip-off merchants. My GP then started prescribing for me and when you are hypothyroid there are no prescription charges... unless the government has removed that concession too?

Shop around

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

That may indeed be usual, but I checked one place and saw that 30 tablets can be obtained - sometimes.