Anyone prescribed Armour?

[cwoodcock]

I was diagnosed with a very under active thyroid in March 2010 I immediately started started taking Thyroxin and over the past 9 months my dose has continued to rise and I am now on 150mg a day. In November 2010 I started having allergic reactions to something and took the route of seeing a kinesiologist.

After tests, she concluded that I was reacting to the Thyroxin. I am due to see my doctor next week after more blood tests and wondered if anyone has successfully been prescribed Armour as I hear this is the most natural medication.

Thanks in advance

[Hidden]

Hi,

Armour (or more properly Natural Thyroid) is available on the NHS, though the doc has to take responsibility for it.... this scares some docs and they refuse to prescribe. Worth contacting your PCT if the doc refuses to prescribe.

You can also get liquid thyroxine which is hypoallergenic, I think it is made by martindales?

Nel

[SYork10 in reply to Hidden]

Hi - i use the liquid - i have had 2 brnads, one made by Almus and one called Evotrox. The have thyroxine and preservative in.

[cwoodcock in reply to Hidden]

Hi - do you know why it scares some doctors?

[carorueil]

I was wondering what your symptoms were - I just restarted on levothyrox in July at very low dose (got up too 25 ul 4 weeks ago) but realised that my blood pressure had drastically dropped and heartbeat gone up and definitely didn't feel any better. I live in France where you can't get Armour (hence I'm heading off to Brussels to see someone in February). Unfortunately there are only 2 options in France and the liquid version which contains castor oil triggered off my gastritis although endo insisted this was allergic reaction.... so just wondering what your reactions were....thanks

[cwoodcock in reply to carorueil]

Weight gain, very itchy scalp and face. Swollen fingers, memory loss (very frustrating) muscle ache and a general lack of energy, I have days where I feel just as bad as before I went on the thyroxin and have been told by people that this is not right.

[carorueil in reply to carorueil]

Thanks - well mine is the opposite weight loss 3.5kilos since July - yo-yoing energy can manage to go into work (currently only able to work 50%) productive for one day and then flat out... muscle aches especially back and chest done all tests possible and nothing physically found. I've just stopped levothyrox as I'd been on it for 2.5 years some years ago and suffered parathyroxic symptoms on 75ul... Had restarted in the summer very gradually on one 25ul per week and a month ago managed to arrive at 25ul every day but I actually felt worse than 3 years ago... which is why I've done the bp test and I think I've got low adrenal reserve as my bp goes down when I get up... also having increased the meds for 10 weeks my antibodies had gone up... which isn't logical and more importantly felt drastically worse on 25 ul every day - spent one whole day in bed... have stopped going to endo who doesn't listen but have new good gp who is trying to keep me going til I see the endo in Belgium. Going to do the 24 urine test but unfortunately have to wait for levothyrox to leave the system which by calculations i've seen is about 6-7 weeks. good luck - I agree the purpose of taking (any) medication is that you should feel better on it than not....

[shaws]

I asked my GP for Armour but he wouldn't prescribe whatsoever, even though I printed off the details of how it could be prescribed on the NHS.

He prescribes T3 now that the Endo has said I can have T3/T4. T3 changed my life but I would like the opportunity to try Armour as it has all of the hormones we are missing.

I am positive all my side effects were due to thyroxine.because of the improvement when T3 was added.

[waveylines]

Hi. I have just managed to get a GP practise to prescribe on a green prescription (means I don't pay! Alleluya) as Levthyroxine and tertroxin didn't work for me. I have been on Armour Thyroid for two years now but my last GP practise refused to prescribe, even though another practise in the same PCT did prescribe & they acknowledged that it was definately suited me much more.

It's basically at the descretion of your GP - well thats my understanding -they can prescribe but they don't have to. If your present practise won't prescribe then shop around in your area- that is what I did. It took me 4 months of negotiations with the new GP practise so be prepared to be very persistant! UKThyroid have a great pack to downloand which you can use as evidence to any GP practise you apply to.

You may have to do what I have done -pay for it privately for a while so you can prrove it works for you! Having said that a friend of mine in a different loaction went to her GP and asked as she had been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism and he prescribed it straight away..........hope that happens for you to. Fingers crossed.

[Margaret]

Yes I am on Armour which I find suits me much better but at the moment I am having to pay for it as my GP won't prescribe it on NHS I am trying to persuade him to change his mind.

[cwoodcock]

Thanks very much for this, quite scary as I looked at the side effects and can tick off quite a few. Am seeing my GP next week and she also suffers with thyroid problems so I am hoping she will help me

[Chippysue]

I take purified levothyroxine. It is made by Martindale's and is simply levothyroxine in calcium phosphate, so it doesn't contain any fillers. I have been taking 200mcgs of it for 18 months and have very slowly improved, I also take 1 grain of naturethroid which has made a big difference.

There are several people around the country who are prescribed natural desiccated thyroid, the health secretary wrote to my mp saying that it is down to individual GP's to take responsibility for prescribing it.