Save Natural Thyroid

Leslie here... Welcome Karen. There's lots to learn, so read through the posts, and also click on the Discussions, Boxes and Links for lots of information on how to cope with natural thyroid shortages.

If you want to discuss your thyroid issue in depth, visit the About.com thyroid forum:

http://forums.about.com/n/pfx/forum.aspx?nav=messages&webtag=ab-thyroid... See More

I wonder when this brochure was written-is it quite new?

http://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/CentersOffices/CDER/ucm184250.htm Podcst Public Hearing Part 15 Nov12-13,'09 Promotion of FDA Medical Products (and drugs) Over the Internet and Social Media..closed caption..transcript in 30 days..submit comments 'til Feb. 28, 2010..neat stuff ..('side wikis')..who knew?.. ha! nice speakers, too..

Bottom line: You can not legally purchase thyroid hormone replacement medications on the internet without a prescription.

If someone is purchasing a "glandular supplement" legally on the Internet, it is NOT a thyroid hormone replacement medication. (If it works for someone as a thyroid hormone replacement medication, that's fine for them, but that's not what the ATA is talking about.)

If someone is purchasing a prescription thyroid hormone replacement medication on the internet, without a prescription, then they are purchasing it illegally. ... See More

Prescription porcine desiccated thyroid (i.e Armour, Nature-Throid, Westhroid) include all the components T4, T3, T1, T2, cofactors, etc.) and are NOT available without a prescription.

Any porcine glandular sold in the U.S. without a prescription does NOT include T4/thyroxine in it. so these glandulars that are sold over-the-counter as "food supplements" can not, by law, include the full range of hormones most thyroid patients need for thyroid hormone replacement.

Since we are all different, it's certainly conceivable that someone might find a glandular that is working for them for thyroid hormone replacement, but it would need to be done with the direction of a trained practitioner.

And in the end, that doesn't have anything to the problemsin ATA's info, which includes:
* Armour (and other prescription natural desiccated thyroid drugs) IS porcine (pig) thyroid -- it is NOT "mainly obtained from pigs."
* Armour is NOT synonymous with "desiccated animal thyroid" -- Armour is ONLY porcine thyroid.
* People can NOT legally buy prescription porcine desiccated thyroid drugs over the Internet.
* Prescription porcine desiccated thyroid drugs are FDA-regulated medications, NOT food supplements.
* Prescription porcine desiccated thyroid drugs are NOT sold legally over the Internet as food supplements.
* Prescription porcine desiccated thyroid drugs CAN be legally sold as medicines on the internet, by approved pharmacies to patients with prescriptions.

Leslie here... to add to what Mary has said, if your body totally relies on thyroid medication (no functional gland), thyroid glandulars may not keep you healthy over the long haul because there's no way of telling whether or not there are thyroid hormones in the glandular. This causes the adrenals to overwork to compensate for the lack of thyroid hormones, contributing to adrenal exhaustion.

sad part was every pharmacist I talked to gave me a different story as to why it's not available.

In order for you to get the dose the pharmacy has, your Doctor has to write a new pres. that will address that dose. I ran into something like this with Armour. I am on one grain a day but all I could find for a bit was three grain pills..so my Dr had to call in a new prescription to them for the three grain pills.

I kept calling around and ... See Moreeventually found two pharmacies with one grain pills so now I have enough to last me a good eight months.

Do not give up in your search! Keep looking around!

God bless you too, Michelle. Wishing you and everyone the very best today!

God bless you Michelle - Grace & Peace & Healing to us all!

letters to senators, congressmen, assemblymen etc...we need to spread the word asap....

Wow - what a long 9-year battle this was. I never knew the FDA could use guns with their enforcement practices - much like what one would hear the FBI doing. All that hassel for an "unapproved drug". Think of all the tax dollars that went down the drain and again, disappointing many who just want to stay healthy.

It sounds like the description of straight T4 treatment to me without the addition of any T3 whatsoever.

Nikol, we actually realize that--you are correct. We have discussed, at length, the "rhetoric" of the petition and kind of wish the actual wording was a little different. However-it 'cuts to the chase'--as a Citizen's Petition--NOT as a personal petition of Mary Shomon's or of the SaveNaturalThyroidCoalition-Steering Committee--it is a chance for... See More ALL of us patients and concerned individuals (all over this nation AND world) to express our concerns and opinions to WHOMEVER it may end up mattering to--"PLEASE DON'T ALLOW THIS EFFECTIVE, SAFE, NOT YET FDA APPROVED HORMONAL MEDICATION-TREATMENT DISAPPEAR!!!" That-is the point. The replies of 'the people' can be read-with all of their different points heard and seen. But-even so-you are indeed correct-and there are many people who have chosen NOT to sign the petition because of it.

Nikol, the petition gives us all a combined VOICE! While it isnt banned yet, it could still happen if we do not make our voices heard loud and clear demanding it be kept on the market because it is saving the lives of thousands of us who can NOT take synthetic thyroid hormones.