Compounding pharmacies aid Armour Thyroid users

DEAR DR. GOTT: Recently, your column addressed the difficulty of obtaining Armour Thyroid.

I would like to tell your readers that they can still get porcine thyroid capsules. Have them made up by a compounding pharmacy. Unfortunately, the cost is about three times higher (about $1 a day), but for those of us who choose a more natural way, it is worth it.

DEAR READER: You bring up a point I neglected to mention in my original article. Becoming more and more popular, compounding is a method by which physicians can prescribe and pharmacists can produce tried-and-true medications. I congratulate you for thinking outside the box on this matter.
[Read more...]

Medication back order leads to difficulty

DEAR DR. GOTT: I have been on Armour Thyroid for many years, but all of a sudden, I cannot get it. Of course, I have Synthroid as an alternative. Well, I have tried it and just can’t handle it. Why, all of a sudden, is Armour Thyroid on back order no matter where I check? Are the drug companies not making enough money on it? It’s a low-cost drug. No one I have talked to seems to know the answer. I was hoping you might be able to answer this because I would imagine a lot of patients use it.
DEAR READER: According to Forest Laboratories, the manufacturer of Armour Thyroid, there is a critical back-order situation. The company is unaware, at the time of this writing, of when the product will be available. And, as would be expected, it recommends that patients contact their physician for substitute treatment until restocking occurs. You can check on the status of the drug by calling (866) 927-3260. [Read more...]