Save Natural Thyroid
Like most of our patients, the biggest question we have is “Where in the world is all the thyroid?” Generally speaking, Doctor is not enthusiastic about putting patients on synthetic anything. Common sense…well…common sense coupled with a bit of science knowledge makes the use of natural thyroid the most attractive option. Synthetic thyroid medication only mimics the actual structure of the thyroid hormones and therefore cannot fit into their intended receptors perfectly. This not-so-snug fit leads to unwanted side effects. Unlike its synthetic counterparts, “natural” thyroid medications (like Armour Thyroid, desiccated thyroid, Nature-Throid and Westhroid) are closest to the actual hormone(s) your body makes and therefore results in fewer side effects.
The Shortage:
Here is what we know –the two companies that produce natural thyroid medication Forest (Armour) and RLC Labs (Westhroid and Nature-Throid) are all in severe back order. Some of the rumors flying around include the discontinuation of Armour and the intervening of the FDA with another new drug application, which…unfortunately… will take these drugs off the market for a while. For the most part Forest has kept a tight lid on any news about Armour, blaming their shortage on ‘a process change’…what that really means…I have no idea. RLC Labs have given the public a bit more insight into the production problems. Their main hindrance is a shortage of quality Thyroid USP, natural desiccated thyroid powder (usually of the porcine flavor), used to produce the pills. There are numerous unnamed suppliers that have provided RLC with the required raw materials. However, the availability of the shipments is inconsistent and the quality of the thyroid is not up to par with their standards. RLC has projected the shipment of 1 grain Nature-Throid by the end of this week, though the statement does seem a little familiar…like something our office manager heard in October and November…we can only keep our fingers crossed.
So where does that leave us? Realistically most ‘experts’ are advising people not to expect natural thyroid until February 2010. If you want the most up to date information on the thyroid crisis or even want to join the coalition to keep natural thyroid medication available to patients go to this website. You can even join theSave Natural Thyroid group on Facebook and Yahoo Groups. We, The Office Staff, are doing are best to get our supply of Nature-Throid in as quickly a possible. Stay tuned for more updates on the thyroid backorder. And, if you feel like you are the only patient suffering from the lack of natural thyroid, just check out the Facebook group Save Natural Thyroid (seriously, they have over 5,000 members who can commiserate with you).
