Re: Back Ordered Thyroid Medication...

tsavorite · ‎03-09-2010

@Nightowlz wrote:
@tsavorite wrote:
@gabstoomuch wrote:
@tsavoriteAnother thing you could try is asking your doc to write up a script with the exact amounts of T4-T3 and bring it to a compounding pharmacy. A lot of people love getting their meds through a compounding pharmacy because they get the exact amount of each T they need.

Naturthroid or NP have leeway with their amounts, which is why sometimes it works well and sometimes it feels like it is not working. Having a % leeway up or down in an ingredient can affect fussy thyroids and symptoms arise.

Compounding pharmacies mix it right there and put it in capsules.

You could try that if you can't find enough for what you need.

I have heard about some people doing this BUT I have no idea of the cost comparision this would be for me.

Thanks for the suggestion.
@tsavorite @gabstoomuch

I have always wondered about the price of using a compounding pharmacy for my thyroid medication. I used to get bioidentical progesterone cream compounded at the pharmacy. I think it was about twice as much as the OTC Emerita brand I switched to.
I can only imagine what the doctor would say if I told her I wanted to start having it made at the pharmacy. All the doctors I have seen don't like me using dessicated thyroid medication. I have had doctors tell me to find a new doctor because I would not go back on levothyroxine.
The doctor I have now is new since mine went out on his own not excepting Ins. I have only seen her once & she mentioned I might find another doctor or go to a Naturopath so she may give me the boot too. I'm sick of dealing with doctors just to get my medication. Totally ridiculous IMO. I should have the choice which medication I want to use & the doctors just need to deal with it & not make such a big deal about it. Not my fault most doctors don't know how to test or treat patients using dessicated thyroid medication. They only want to test your TSH. I have to ask for other tests to be run which they also don't like.
@tsavorite
I hope you get your meds. Is your refill you are waiting on for the NP Thyroid? Hope you like it. I hope they don't start having issues because I don't want to switch.
NP knows what's going on with the other manufacturers so they just need to up production.

@Nightowlz Yes this is so true! Many doctors don't like dessicated thyroid hormone and think everyone should just be on T4 only meds! They don't even like to prescribe T3 for their patients. Been there done that LOL! It is hard to find doctors that actually don't go by TSH when adjusting medication.

This is a new doctor for me....I didn't ask her to test anything just waited to see what she had ordered for my annual physical plus thyroid disease management. IF I have to tell them what to do then I already know it's going to be a fight to get the proper dosage of meds forever with them and a waste of my time and money. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw on the order...Free T3 & T4 test! I about fell out on the floor checking out! I thought maybe this doctor will be up to speed on thyroid disease.

My TSH was checked also which came in low which for me is normal as my medication suppress it. My other levels were just a touch in the range...so I hoped she wouldn't be a TSH dunce and reduce my medication making me ill. She didn't...so this place has got there act together on treating thyroid disease just like my old doctor. Very hard to find...and she is only a PA...for some reason the MD only sees a few choice patients and farms all new ones to the PA's. I don't care as long as they are good I'll go to them.

Anyway I am waiting on the order from Pharmacy....like I said nobody has either med's and Armour is the ONLY game in town for this refill. I hope NP and Nature Thyroid get it together and meet the demand by my next refill in 90days. That's all I can do for now.

cherry · ‎03-09-2010

@Nightowlz my Dr always takes my labs 2x a year. If she adjusts my dosage it is more often, until she is sure I am taking what I need

Nightowlz · ‎03-11-2010

@cherry wrote:
@Nightowlz my Dr always takes my labs 2x a year. If she adjusts my dosage it is more often, until she is sure I am taking what I need

@cherry

I have been on the same dosage for a long time so I don't see any reason to have labs twice per year. When it was off in the past during the Armour reformulation I had to have labs done until my levels were where they need to be.

cherry · ‎03-09-2010

I am more cautious than you, and so is my Dr. Thyroid problems can turn into a nightmare, and I will always err on the side of caution. I have been on this stuff for years also

Sparky3333 · ‎03-09-2010

@Laura14 wrote:
@Nightowlz I have no idea what their specific issue is. I do know that natural thyroid medication is from animals which is a harder supply and production chain than synthetic which is just mix it, press it, and ship it. That's all I was commenting on.

You are probably right.....I have been waiting for several months for ancestral gallbladder supplement get in....The raw material from bovine comes from new zealand and from what the company says this happens alot and to order 2 or more bottles when they come in..

Sparky3333 · ‎03-09-2010

@tsavorite hope it all works out for you.

halfpint1 · ‎03-10-2010

Can you tell me what is the matter with the thyroid on you mentioned--levo-- ? I guesswhen you are on medicare that is what you get.

gabstoomuch · ‎03-16-2010

@halfpint If you do some research, levothroxine (sp?) is just the generic for Synthroid (which is only T4, the inactive thyroid hormone). There was a large study finished recently that indicated that taking ONLY T4 without T3 raises our risk of lung cancer by XXX% (I dont have the article in front of me). Adding T3 (Cytomel) reduces the percentage but still puts one in a risk category.

I am not surprised there is problems getting all the different dessicated thyroid meds. Guess who doesn't make BIG $$$$ when people are on natural thyroid meds. YEP, BIG PHARMA. They are doing anything and everything to prevent Drs from prescribing and MFG from being able to make it.

Why? Because the FDA cannot control or regulate (meaning make big money) because they can't control it because it is a natural hormone, made from an animal. Not a chemical they produce. They hate that. You would be surprised how much the CDC is behind medicine. The profit margin is incredible.

Why are people so sick? Why are some diseases that have had studies done on it for over 20-30 years not had a cure found? They don't WANT a cure to be found! The more sick people the more money they make.

It is pretty sad the billions and billions of dollars Big Pharma makes, at the expense of human beings.