Armour vs Erfa : Giving up on Armour , 2nd month... - Thyroid UK

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Armour vs Erfa

Tavus profile image
42 Replies

Giving up on Armour , 2nd month and very bad results. They changed porcine supplier again , i believe doing some shortcuts on cost , which is ridiculous since its already so expensive.

Can you share your experience on Erfa and I would be grateful if anyone could pass on (via PM), the ERFA supplier that ships without a prescription. so it would be much appreciated

thanks

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Tavus profile image
Tavus
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42 Replies
helvella profile image
helvellaAdministratorThyroid UK

Just wondering how you know that their desiccated thyroid supplier has changed?

Tavus profile image
Tavus in reply to helvella

Armour thyroid facebook page - one person did a deep research on the matter . All of them are having issues with Armour now + there is some reviews on drug.com as well. Since i had my last refill , filling awful , stopped two days ago and already much better .

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministratorThyroid UK in reply to Tavus

Afraid I don't visit facebook.

I looked at drugs.com but couldn't find anything relevant in the recent past (this year).

drugs.com/answers/support-g...

Tavus profile image
Tavus in reply to helvella

drugs.com/comments/thyroid-...

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministratorThyroid UK in reply to Tavus

Ah yes. Makes it sound like something changed.

Delgor profile image
Delgor in reply to Tavus

Thanks so much Tavus for the link - I've been on NDT for almost 30 years, firstly Armour, then Erfa and then Nature Thyroid until it went down the pan and felt well and active. Recently not at all well on Armour and wondered if this was the cause but hard to say when other issues have come to the fore so trying to eliminate things one by one but do thank you for posting and hope you will be well soonest.

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministratorThyroid UK in reply to Tavus

I was under the impression that in years past Armour and the RLC products (Nature-Thyroid & WP Thyroid) were both manufactured using the Thyroid USP produced by American Laboratories.

americanlaboratories.com/

However, American Laboratories then stopped supplying RLC - leading to the issues of RLC products disappearing. The suggestion being that this was a result of the financial interests of AbbVie (or previous owners of Armour) - though whether as a customer or an investor, or something else, I do not know.

Last time I looked, American Laboratories appeared to be supplying the rest of their products but Thyroid USP was not available. As if it was all ear-marked for AbbVie.

Sunflower64 profile image
Sunflower64 in reply to helvella

Thank you for this! It is so refreshing to have an alternative story to the conspiracy theories on the STTM…they were drivning me crazy. What you say makes a lot more sense.

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministratorThyroid UK in reply to Sunflower64

Sunflower64,

Thank you. It is not my favourite site. :-(

It is so VERY difficult to get a coherent story from the fragments I have picked up. Especially as so many are not easy to verify and reference and link up.

I try to keep on the straight and narrow but appreciate corrections or other contributions!

Tavus profile image
Tavus in reply to helvella

Helvella ,

Since armour / allergan wa sold to Abbvie they moved away from usual source as you mentioned above . Raw material is coming from Medisca now and being supplied by Chinese manufacturer. I can send all details if you are interested. Interesting part of it that Mediaca announced new extracting technique to make it more official , it is when change happened with armour . Medisca is only API supplier in us . For some reason I can’t post the link here . Here some parts of it

“ of Contrary to common practices, this API is extracted using an innovative technique that reduces the use of solvents that can, not only, pollute the environment but the product as well. This extraction process also allows for more consistent and smaller particle size relative to comparable products on the market, which is advantageous for achieving homogenous and uniform mixtures, as well as improved bioavailability.”

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministratorThyroid UK in reply to Tavus

But Medisca actually source (at least in part) from European sources. I guess Biofac and Bioiberica - though there could be others.

Tavus profile image
Tavus in reply to helvella

maybe , but so far they saying that API comes from Deebio ( China ) . So far it looks like new API starting from 2021 is source of all NTD even compounded in US .

Note sure about Adthyza and Erfa .

Tavus profile image
Tavus in reply to Tavus

medisca.com/press-releases/...

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministratorThyroid UK in reply to Tavus

However, since then the FDA has banned all compounding of desiccated thyroid. Meaning only proper manufacturing facilities can produced products. So, whatever their plans were in 2021, they must have changed.

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministratorThyroid UK in reply to Tavus

Is this company no longer supplying?

Specialty Process Labs

splabsglobal.com/

Tavus profile image
Tavus in reply to helvella

So far my compounded pharmacy only had Medisca last year . I can call them again tomorrow . I thought RLC labs stopped producing API . If not that’s a very good news !!! It looks raw material is coming from US . I am gonna get in to it !!

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministratorThyroid UK in reply to Tavus

I'm not saying there are making anything! It is so difficult to tell anything - web sites can remain long after the information they contain is not longer valid.

Tavus profile image
Tavus in reply to helvella

Right ! Thank you helvella it was nice talking to you !

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministratorThyroid UK in reply to Tavus

And you.

Feel free to send further information over.

And do let me know if anything is wrong here:

helvella - World Desiccated Thyroid

Contains details of all known desiccated thyroid products.

dropbox.com/scl/fi/gx6dmz5i...

Jazzw profile image
Jazzw

This is your first post, so first of all, welcome. How much NDT do you take? Where in the world are you? How long have you been hypothyroid?

What are your most recent blood test results looking like?

Very often, it’s not the tablet or the source of porcine desiccated thyroid, it’s the overall health of the person taking the tablet. Before jumping ship, you need to know what your FT3 and FT4 levels are doing , what’s going on with your Vit B12 levels, folate, Vit D, ferritin.

I’ve seen so so many posts over the years saying such and such a brand of NDT is no longer any good. Usually, you’ll also see a pile of posts saying that they’ve noticed no difference.

Here in the UK it’s far from easy to get any brand of NDT, a nightmare in fact. I’m celebrating a small win today in that my latest order of Armour has made it to my front door without getting stuck at Customs and I didn’t have to pay the fees (thanks postal strike).

FancyPants54 profile image
FancyPants54 in reply to Jazzw

I'm really hoping the OP isn't right, or is affected specifically rather than it being a generalised problem because I have just switched to Armour and I could do with a darn break. 9 years of struggling is long enough.

Delgor profile image
Delgor in reply to Jazzw

@FancyPants54 - Well I'm also hoping you are right Jazzw as I've been on Armour, Erfa and Nature Thyroid (before it went down the pan) and kept well and active for years but latterly not so good on Armour again although there have been other issues that have come to the fore. Latest thyroid results courtesy of medichecks TSH 0.04 (0.27-4.2); FT3 5.7 (3.1-6.8)

FT4 14.5 (12-22) no biotin for 5 days before but stupidly didn't split the NDT for 8-12 hours before as I always take it in one go so obviously a falsely low result😓

Jazzw profile image
Jazzw in reply to Delgor

I’ll be honest, I’ve never been quite as good on Armour as I was on Nature Throid (undermining my original point slightly, I admit!) but my blood test results are actually slightly better on Armour. Definitely a 🤷🏽‍♀️ moment.

That said, I’ve been under loads of stress ever since I started Armour so it’s not really a fair comparison.

Delgor profile image
Delgor in reply to Jazzw

Thanks so much for replying - this is the first time ever that I've never felt good on NDT but have other issues going on admittedly so it's not easy to know what is causing what. Could I possibly ask you to look at my last thyroid results as using the calculator I'm thinking that my T3 is 70.27% through the range and my T4 is only 25% and maybe I might be needing more T4? I really don't know enough that's for sure but thanks to the lovely people on this forum I'm getting to grips with things. So sorry you've been stressed and hope things get easier for you sooner rather than later!

Jazzw profile image
Jazzw in reply to Delgor

Hi Delgor. That FT4 level is pretty much what mine does on NDT (and it’s better on Armour than it ever was on Nature Throid, when I couldn’t get it to go higher than 12, and often no more than 11!).

I’ll admit I don’t fully understand how it works but it’s common to see fairly low in range FT4 when taking NDT—and it doesn’t necessarily mean you need to take more. My working theory is that as the body senses it’s getting sufficient T3, it doesn’t hold on to as much T4.

I tried adding a tiny amount of levothyroxine to my dosage but it just gave me headaches and I felt better without it.

You could experiment with taking a tiny bit more NDT if you wanted to, say another quarter grain perhaps, as you’ve got some wiggle room there? Or you may even find that adding a bit of levothyroxine works for you (we’re all different). Obviously don’t try both things at the same time. :)

What are the other things like—ferritin, folate, B12, Vit D etc?

Delgor profile image
Delgor in reply to Jazzw

Cheers Jazzw - it's good to get someone else's opinion on things. I don't think I have got any wiggle room unfortunately as I forgot to split the medication the day before the test so I know it was a falsely low result. I can't remember exactly now but I seem to remember someone saying in a past post that you need to add roughly 20%. I will be doing another test at the end of this month as my yearly check-up at the surgery is due so will make sure I do everything right for that one. Last vitamin test showed Vit D, B12, and ferritin ok but folate still low so working on that. I suppose like most people I'm trying to eliminate things in an attempt to get myself well again. Thanks so much again - I really appreciate your input. ~Take Care ~ Christmas Hugs😁

Sunflower64 profile image
Sunflower64 in reply to Jazzw

It is a bit strange, isn’t it, that all brands of NDT, both US and Thai, have all gone bad…?!

I read somewhere that Thyroid-S stopped working because they had to use raw material from China when they could no longer get it from the US. I think that pigs are the same everywhere, so not sure why that would be a problem. Also, the person selling Vietnamese NDT claims they use ’pure porcine powder’, but that is of course impossible to verify. So it is all very confusing and making things worse for patients😡.

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministratorThyroid UK in reply to Sunflower64

I find everything to do with the Vietnamese story very questionable. Or downright unbelievable.

Sunflower64 profile image
Sunflower64 in reply to helvella

Yes, it does sound too good to be true…why would they be able to source raw material that is unavailable to everyone else…?!

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministratorThyroid UK in reply to Sunflower64

And how come the capsules are intense blue and no colouring agent is mentioned?

Sunflower64 profile image
Sunflower64 in reply to helvella

It is all very strange. This product has been available for a couple of years but I cannot find any independent reviews. If it really worked great, I think we would have heard about it by now. After all, it is not like thyroid patients who need NDT have that many options…

Hello Tavus, I've been taking ERFA for the last six months, but it is my only experience with NDT so I've nothing to compare it with. Some things have got better, but not everything (I suppose that is normal). I've not been able to find a way of shipping it without a prescription. This is unfortunate as my (private) doctor had me on an absurdly low dose. I've completely lost faith in him, as when I went to see him he wasn't interested in my symptoms at all, and has never asked me a single question about how I feel (!!!). He was only interested in my test results, and clearly misinterpreted them; my FT4 was below normal even on NDT, but he thought this was satisfactory. Honestly, you pay a lot of money to these people and they are so slapdash it is unreal. I unilaterally upped my dose from the 2 grains he had prescribed to 3, and felt a lot better as a result. I recently tried to get my prescription increased, but faced quite a lot of resistance, so I'm looking to experiment with other NDTs that I can source myself. [redacted by admin]I have ordered some of the Vitalithy NDT that she discusses in the article - it is very reasonably priced, and the ingredients look encouraging. They also ship for free worldwide.

Brightness14 profile image
Brightness14 in reply to

Hi I just tried to order Vitality and it's priced at 154.99 US Dollars a bottle. How many are in the bottle I don't know. I depends on the number to find out if it's a good idea or not. Thyroid s was always reliable and cheap but it doesn't work for me now.

Sunflower64 profile image
Sunflower64 in reply to Brightness14

I know this post is a year old but am curious to know if you ordered VitaliThy? It is sold in bottles of 250 capsules so not really cheap.

Brightness14 profile image
Brightness14 in reply to Sunflower64

I never ordered them because it didn't state how many I was buying.I am now back on the Thyroid s.

Sunflower64 profile image
Sunflower64 in reply to Brightness14

Is Thyroid-S now working for you? Isn’t it pretty expensive these days?

Brightness14 profile image
Brightness14 in reply to Sunflower64

I can't remember the exact amount I ordered it back in 2023. 1000 Grains. I did pay over 700 dollars for Armour which never worked after covid also bought Erfa.

These two work usually on people with Gut problems I don't have them. Also Thyroid s contains something which makes them last in the system.

Tavus profile image
Tavus in reply to Brightness14

Brightness , thank you ! So thyroid s is working for you , I have batch from last year I got but was holding on them and also what symptoms you had in Armour ? It worked great for me for a while , but now it is very fast acting and I go hyper and hypo during the day . Also my Jetta rate jumped to 90 after every dose .

Brightness14 profile image
Brightness14 in reply to Tavus

Yes it is working now.

Sunflower64 profile image
Sunflower64 in reply to Brightness14

But is Thyroid-S now working for you? I am asking because you have written several posts about it not working, having to throw away batches and looking for alternatives (I remember you mentioned Metavive at some point).

Brightness14 profile image
Brightness14 in reply to Sunflower64

Yes you are right I had been trying to get well after Covid when the Thyroid s changed.

Before I was well for over seven years on it. Now I chew them before taking them with water and they work OK. It really depends on the person. Most people on here have some type of gut problem or Hasimotos so completely different from me. I did try metavive but couldn't find the correct dose either. I have no thyroid so I have to be careful.

Crumble812 profile image
Crumble812

I've was on levothyroxine for two years and just changed to erfa. In two weeks my skin is not dry, my cracked heels have gone, my hair is not dry and the stiff legs have improved. This is just 2 weeks I get a blood test in October so I'll get more information but I ferl better

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