Has anyone tried both? I know that everyone is individual and will react differently to medication - but just wondered what people's experiences were?
Erfa vs Thyroid S: Has anyone tried both? I know... - Thyroid UK
Erfa vs Thyroid S
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missrees
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I've taken ERFA and Thyroid-S, also Armour and Nature-Throid. The first three were as good as each other, until Armour and ERFA were reformulated. I didn't feel very good on Nature-Throid but it was at the time when they had a lot of problems with production. Thyroid-S is just as good as Armour and ERFA used to be and much cheaper and easier to obtain.
Yes I have tried both. I have been on Thyroid s for over seven years now it's slower acting than Erfa. I have no thyroid and no gut problems no Hashimotos.
The Erfa has less fillers for people that are allergic to things. Erfa is much more expensive too than thyroid s which is so much less expensive.
It depends on where you are living if in Canada Erfa requires a prescription, also in the UK too. Thyroid s can be bought easily without a prescription.
in reply to Brightness14
I don´t know if this is true, but one thyroid forum claims that the "-S" stands for "slow release". They claim eudragit (one of the fillers) causes the hormones in Thyroid-S to release more slowly.
Brightness14 in reply to
That's right I looked up the ingredients some years ago and that's why it suited me. Slow release your right on the ball. Armour never suited me and cost me around £1200, I don't know about Erfa but I have some here but have never tried it. I am at the point now of giving up on Thyroid meds. With no thyroid that would be difficult. I couldn't trust Thyroid s again after it went wrong for me after years of feeling well.
in reply to Brightness14
It´s a terrible problem, I agree. The fact that some pills look greenish seems to me to mean they contain a different dye, but would that really affect potency? And why are only some batches greenish and not others? I just don´t understand what happened to it. Armour was reformulated and worked less well for many (probably due to increased cellulose, but not sure if increase the dose sligthly would have made a difference). Naturethroid was reformulated much the same way a year or so later and also stopped working for many. That makes sense to me. Before that, Armour and Naturethroid worked great for millions of patients worldwide. They were always described as very potent and consistent. It´s a great shame they messed with the formulas. Armour is said to have been reformulated again around 2015 and now to contain less cellose, but I would never pay that much for something that may or may not work.
Then there are products like Erfa that stopped working as well although the manufacturer always denied any reformulation. That is more of a mystery. Even WP Thyroid, which only contained (I think it has been discontinued?) two inactive ingredients ended up not working for some. That´s even more of a mystery. God knows what would have happened to Thiroyd and TR had they stayed on the market.
The fact that both Armour and Naturethroid worked great as long as they did not increase cellulose makes me wonder why Sriprasit claims a natural thyroid product will invariably vary in potency. Old Armour and Naturethroid prove that is not the case. Thyroid-S itself worked great for me from 2014-18. I never had any potency or consistency problems until the summer of 2018 (so I noticed problems long before many others who say the bad batches appeared in 2022). My latest batch is from 2019, expired in 2022, and was also not as good as the ones until early 2018.
The price is now five times higher than it used to be. The explanation is that swine fever led to a raw material shortage which affected prices. That´s logical. But is there still a shortage of pigs? I doubt prices will decrease even if there is no longer a raw material shortage. Anyway, Thyroid-S is now just as expensive as Armour and Erfa☹️.
Brightness14 in reply to
It's certainly a problem. Before I had my thyroid removed back in 2015 I had a prefect blood test reading prior. I had never had any thyroid issues before then at aged 68, so very lucky. Most on here seem to have gut problems and Hashimotos spelling ? I don't but I haven't a thyroid. I was only on Levo for 6 months back in 2015/16 100 mcg. I knew nothing about it. I felt unwell and put on weight of 10 lbs. Then I joined this site and bought Thyroid s. In fact I never realised that I should have taken more Levo. I was perfect on the Thyroid s different batches varied only a little nothing major until 2022 when my FT3 of 6.20 went down to 2.76 in 44 days on the new shiny green batch 2022 something I started fall down and took a blood test. I don't trust it now. It's pretty disgusting that we all have to suffer. I am lucky I am older but what about the younger people with jobs, how on earth do they cope, not well I expect.
I live in France and get Levo and T3 prescribed for me free of change. The T3 Cynomel is only about 5 euros for 30. Why can't the NHS sort their source out?
Ironic but my father was a pig farmer and when I was about five I found out about people eating them. All my life I had never eaten Bacon, Pork or anything from a pig, now I expect them to keep me alive,
in reply to Brightness14
I know some users have contacted Sriprasit but they don´t admit to a reformulation. All they say is that natural thyroid products can vary in potency. But not sure what they mean by that. That the hormone content varies? It is not supposed to, not in NDT (glandulars are different). One rumour claims that it now contains mannitol but the manufacturer denies it. Some say it´s because they had to switch raw material suppliers due to swine fever, but pigs are the same everywhere, aren´t they?
How you do you like Cynomel? I find synthetic T3 much faster-acting than NDT and would prefer NDT. It´s like my body just absorbs it and I feel fine, no ups and downs. With synthetic T3, it´s like a rush of energy about an hour after taking it and it lasts for a couple of hours. I never experienced that with NDT.
pennyannie in reply to
NDT is more slowly processed by the body as the hormones are attached to thyroglobulin and more slowly digested and broken down in the gut.
in reply to pennyannie
Yes, I can tell! There is definitely a difference.
But all manufactured goods vary! The issue is how narrow their tolerances - and whether they actually keep to them.
Hormone content of several batches of Thyroid S is shown in my blog.
If you take the various varieties of pig, how they are fed, climate, etc., I suspect that pigs do vary by location. If you go back to the early days of animal thyroid, it was the processes of blending and diluting that managed to keep potency within the tolerances of the day. Which underscores that individual pigs vary.
I suspect that the "standard" potency of Thyroid USP was defined due to it being the lowest potency they ever saw - maybe slightly lower to add an extra margin. Easy enough to use a diluent to reduce potency, of course. Though the testing available was based on protein bound iodine rather than actual thyroid hormone content.
Thyroid S Batches
A summary of known and suspected potency of Thyroid S batches.
helvella.blogspot.com/p/thy...
Last updated 2023/09/15
in reply to helvella
It makes sense, but I am surprised to see someone´s T3 levels drop so much (from over 6 to less than 3) in a little over a month, as described below. That must mean wild fluctuations between batches of Thyroid-S, or something in the greenish batches is affecting absorption. But not all new batches are greenish so it´s a mystery really...!
I suspect that rather than inherent thyroid hormone content issues, that sort of difference seems more likely due to absorption. For example, if the tablets do not disintegrate - or do so at a different point in the person's digestion.
Such things could very easily mean that two people end up with different experiences from the same tablets. Or one person from two different batches. Despite them having within a gnat's whisker the same thyroid hormone content.
Brightness14 in reply to
I have only used it since October 2022 and then not often it's much too fast acting for me, in fact pretty useless. Armour as well about the same very fast acting on me.
I have a drawerful of Cynomel but use very little of it. I did try to cut it into eighths but its a pain. I heard of one man crushing up his daily dose and added it to water and sipping it all day. I don't know how. I am now trying Levo plus T3 one last go before I give up.
Brightness, your restart on Thyroid S this year did not work in the end? I am so sorry to hear that.
I have been using just ERFA 2 grains daily for the past year and a half. I get it on prescription from private Endo costs me @£60 a month. I seem to be doing fairly well on it. Troublesome symptoms improved and also have a stable weight now. I lost a lot of weight when on Levo only.
in reply to SmPea
I lost a lot of weight when on Levo only.
Just curious: how did you manage to do that? Did it happen spontaneously or as the result of a particular diet?
SmPea in reply to
No special diet the weight just kept dropping although erratically at times - I could loose 5lbs in a couple of days but then would go up a bit but the main trajectory was down. Had loads of tests to check if cancer or some other condition. Nothing showed up so in desperation went private on to NDT. Weight stopped and now steady weight at a stone heavier. It was a bit scary as I reached almost underweight. All I can conclude is Levo is not for me!!
I am on Erfa and have used Thyroid S.
I felt pretty darn good on Thyroid S but had a TSH of 32 on three and a half grains. Which is weird to feel good, but I did. I also had a very rapid weight gain. And gas probably from the lactose. None of these issues would have made me stop, that is how much of an improvement Thyroid S was over Synthroid. It was a border issue that forced me off of Thyroid S.
My weight was fine - probably even a little weight loss on Synthroid - but I could not function through a day with all the issues of levothyroxine only (no thyroid in case that is relevant).
Just started Erfa about a month ago. Feel good. Believe I am still undermedicated at 155 mcg (125 + 30). But will not have the labs done until September, just before my next appointment. Bloating and gas are not perfect at all, but WAY better than Synthroid or Thyroid S.
Hesitant to change to three 60s as sometimes issues with batches might affect a certain dose individually as I have learned through reading Erfa's history. And since I am doing so well, I certainly don't want any surprises no matter how slim the chance.
(For those reading thinking about NDT, you have to give it time to know. Some issues that were there in the first two weeks- that would have made me think not for me! - have disappeared in week four/five.)
in reply to Litatamon
Do we know for sure that Thyroid-S contains lactose? I am asking because I have read about lactose-intolerant people who take it with no issues.
Litatamon in reply to
Yes, there is a content list that they gave to a doctor who requested it, with lactose as one of their ingredients.
Regardless, your post is wonderful news for those who want to give it a go.
in reply to Litatamon
According to the STTM, it also contains corn starch...which I think should not be in thyroid meds. Knowing what I know now, I don´t think I would have ever tried it. But it did work for a long time, despite all the fillers.
in reply to Litatamon
Hiya. Sorry about the late response, but I've just read this post. Does your ERFA contain iodine? My recently bought batch does at 0.2 %. This seems counterproductive as iodine supplementation is not recommended for hypothyroidism. I want to try it as Thyroid S hasn't been working for me lately, but I am reticent to do so now because of the iodine.
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