I live in uk and wish to know if folks are still able to get armour thyroxine through any NHS or primary care trust ?

[Debbienix]

I have been in it for 17 years and nhs prescription issued through my GP practice , endorsed by the local secondary care trust endocrinologist team - but they have just informed me that this is no more!

[SlowDragon Administrator]

who has informed you ….GP practice or endocrinologist?

You will need referral back to endocrinologist before dose can be changed

GP can NOT change prescription

There are a very small number of members who still get Armour on NHS

[Debbienix in reply to SlowDragon]

The GP called me to inform me the ICB ( old CCG) were on crack down with these unlicensed drugs and that I had to get the drug either prescribed through special funding request or via the secondary care prescription from the endo team at the hospital but the endocrinologist h that allowed me to stay on it has since left and the new ones say they will not deal with it !

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Debbienix]

Apart from anything else, it is unreasonable to suddenly refuse without warning, without the possibility of preparing something like a combined prescription for levothyroxine and liothyronine - or even obtaining privately.

I would complain on those grounds initially - if nothing else, to gain a breathing space.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Debbienix]

Then you need to see an NHS endocrinologist who does understand NDT

There are a few left

Roughly where in U.K. are you?

Which ICB area

Number of prescriptions in England in last year - 1,939

Searchable by ICB area

openprescribing.net/analyse...

Obviously it’s completely unacceptable and against guidelines to just stop Armour prescription

england.nhs.uk/long-read/li...

Reviewing liothyronine

Patients who have not had a review and are already established on liothyronine as monotherapy or in combination with levothyroxine should have a review by an NHS consultant endocrinologist.

The NHS consultant endocrinologist should:

review the patient and consider switching to levothyroxine monotherapy where clinically appropriate

not routinely withdraw liothyronine for patients who feel well on liothyronine with a serum thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) within the reference range (see BTA and SoC joint consensus statement)

consider, for people stable on combination therapy, trialling levothyroxine monotherapy to see whether the liothyronine is still benefiting them

advise primary care prescribers on reviewing or adjusting a patient’s treatment where this is the responsibility of the primary care prescriber.

Liothyronine prescriptions should continue until the NHS consultant endocrinologist review has taken place.

at very least you MUST be referred to endocrinologist to trial T3 alongside levothyroxine

Number prescriptions for T3 in last year

64,000 and rising

openprescribing.net/analyse...

[Debbienix in reply to SlowDragon]

I live in cumbria -thanks for reply

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Debbienix]

7 prescriptions in last year at a cost of £3k

So possibly you are only one prescribed?

openprescribing.net/analyse...