Be aware: There seems to be an effort afoot to eliminate the most effective form of thyroid replacement, Armour Thyroid. It has become increasingly difficult to get in any dosage strength, and many patients are having to switch to more expensive alternatives.
When I started my practice, Wellness Works, back in 1994, I had a string of patients who all reinforced the same idea. They were all older ladies who came in on the synthetic alternative form of thyroid replacement, Synthroid. This drug is a form of T4, a “prohormone” that must be converted by the body to the active form, T3. Many people have a hard time making this conversion, due to genetic abnormalities, nutritional deficiencies or missing enzymes in their system. All these ladies were asking (almost begging) me to put them back on Armour thyroid, which is made from dessicated pig thyroids and contains both T4 and T3 as well as other components of the whole gland. They simply stated they felt better when they were on Armour. Since their new (young) doctor had switched them, they had less energy, their hair fell out more, they couldn’t sleep at night and they had gained weight.
