What are the brands of desiccated natural thyroid? The brand name “Armour” is the most well known of the Natural Desiccated Porcine Thyroid meds and oldest on the market–since early in the 20th century. There are also brands called 
Westhroid, Naturethroid and prescription generic Thyroid such as by Time Cap Labs or called Qualitest, etc. (Generics are found to be weaker than the other brand names by patients.) Additionally, many patients are using a natural thyroid called Thyroid-S from Thailand with excellent results. All come from pig thyroids, and all use thyroid desiccated powder which meets the stringent guidelines of the US Pharmacopeia. Armour is grandfathered in by the FDA, since it was around before 1938 when the FDA was created. To see ingredients of all, go here, but remember to come back to this page.
What are the units of measure per tablet/capsule?. With the main brands, such as Armour, Naturethroid and Westhroid, each tablet/capsule is measured in milligrams (mg.). The typical tablet is 60 mg, which is called one grain. So, a 1/2 grain tablet is 30 mg. A 2 grain tablet is 120 mg. A 3 grain tablet is 180 mgs. A 4 grain tablet is 240 mg. A 5 grain tablet is 300 mg. Some generic brands will label their main tablet as 65 mg rather than 60.
What’s in desiccated natural thyroid? Natural Desiccated Porcine Thyroid, also just called Natural Thyroid or Desiccated Thyroid, contains the same hormones that your own thyroid would produce–T4, T3, T2, T1 and calcitonin, and that’s why patients have found it to work so well. T4 is the storage hormone; T3 is the active, energy-giving hormone, and both are found in a 80/20 ratio in each 60 mg of desiccated thyroid. The T2, T1 and calcitonin is not measured, but it’s there, according to Forest Labs, the makers of Armour. Since porcine thyroid tends to have more T3 proportionately than human thyroids (80/20 as compared to the human 93/7), some patients add a small amount of T4, but only after they find their optimal dose of dessicated thyroid–the dose which removes all symptoms and gets the free T3 towards the upper part of the range. Many do fine on porcine thyroid alone, though.
Are there any non-prescription desiccated thyroid products? One more well-known over-the-counter (OTC) natural thyroid is called Nutri-meds which is available in either porcine or bovine desiccated thyroid. You may find other fine OTC products on the shelf of your local health food store. But…these products are not regulated, and the potency appears to be much less than Armour and other FDA approved brands, so you may have to take much more for the same effect…and hope that the consistency will be similar from bottle to bottle.
How do patients dose with natural desiccated thyroid? Thyroid patients and their doctors have found it wise to start on a smaller dose of desiccated thyroid than they will ultimately need, such as 1 grain (60 mg.). Why? Because the body may need to adjust to getting direct T3 again, and there may be other issues which can crop up, such as sluggish adrenals or low Ferritin. Those who start on Armour/natural desiccated thyroid have discovered that it can be wise to RAISE within a few weeks, or even less, to prevent hypothyroid symptoms from returning due to the internal feedback loop in your body, which can happen if you stay on a low dose too long before raising.
Do I simply swallow it? The most biologically effective and direct way to take natural desiccated thyroid is sublingually or orally. i.e. you place the tablet under your tongue, or between your gums and inner cheek. Granted, Forest Labs did not make Armour to be sublingual, but it works! Either way, it is absorbed by the millions of capillaries that line your inner mouth – taking the hormones straight to your blood, bypassing the stomach and liver processing. Armour has a touch of sucrose in it, making it more palatable. Desiccated thyroid meds CAN be swallowed, of course, and because those like NatureThroid and others do not have the suitable taste like Armour does, it can be necessary. But it will be important to avoid iron, estrogen and calcium supplements at the same time, since both bind the thyroid hormones to some degree. Swallowing also brings stomach acid into contact with the Calcitonin in Armour, and you may lose on some of it’s benefits to your bones. But it’s OK if you have to swallow your meds! You’ll get great benefits!
Do I take it once a day? To the contrary, most patients have found it beneficial to divide their dose to at least twice a day, if not more, in order to spread the energy-giving affect of T3. Desiccated thyroid contains direct T3, which is short-lived, and which peaks about 2 hours after you take it. An example is taking 2/3 in the morning, and the other 1/3 in the early afternoon. Or, for example, if you were on 3 1/2 grains, you might do 2 grains in the morning, one grain around noon, and the half grain by 2-3 pm. Some folks dose 4-5 times a day, especially in the presence of low cortisol. A few even do it once in the morning, and find that to be very effective. But the latter puts great stress on your adrenals, and can result in fatigue later in the day. And remember: your own thyroid gives you what you need throughout the day instead of one dump; thus, multi-dosing is a way to replicate that.
How do I know when I’m on enough? Before labs were developed, doctors treated patients by symptoms….and successfully. Patients have found this an ideal way to treat—by symptoms. One important symptom is your temperature. Temps reflect metabolism, and metabolism is controlled by your thyroid. Find a MERCURY THERMOMETER, which is more accurate than most digitals. Generally, you want your morning temp (before rising) to be 97.8 to 98.2, and your afternoon temp to be around 98.6. Unfortunately, doctors are trained to put a HUGE reliance on labs over symptoms. But labs only tell PART of the story. Patients have discovered that the free T3 can be the most informative. But you have to figure out where it is great for you, based on symptoms. When patients get their free T3 at the top, (or when all symptoms are eliminated) , they will often have a TSH far BELOW range, i.e. below one, and that does NOT necessarily mean you are hyper. Patients have found the TSH is less important once treatment is started, and just because one’s TSH can get lower than 1 while getting the free T3 up there, does NOT mean hyper has set in. Many doctors are uninformed about this, so be prepared, and pass along to your doctor what we have learned.
Why is desiccated thyroid a better treatment? Armour et. al is bar-none superior to T4-only meds treatment (Synthroid, Levoxyl, etc) because it is natural (your body accepts ALL of it, unless you have an allergy to porcine), it contains both T4 (as the storage hormone) and T3 (the most active hormone and necessary for every cell in your body), as well as T2, T1 and calcitonin. T2 has an important role in metabolism. Calcitonin is the hormone which keeps the calcium in your bones, and certain doctors have noticed improvement in bone density with patients on natural thyroid.
How do I find a doctor who understands desiccated thyroid? Patients regrettably find that most doctors are very ignorant about the efficacy and safety of natural desiccated thyroid. Be prepared. If you click on the highlighted “doctors” above, you’ll find recommendations on how to find a good doc. But be careful! You will STILL need to CALL and make sure this doc prescribes Armour REGULARLY, checks the FREE’s, and pays attention to SYMPTOMS. If the doctor can’t do the latter, move on! Another option is to visit a large pharmacy in your area and ask the pharmacist if anyone prescribes Armour. And note that it is not uncommon to drive great distances to find a knowledgeable doctor.
How high do I raise desiccated thyroid? It is not uncommon for patients and their doctors to discover that you need more natural desiccated thyroid than you or your doctor realize. An amount that gives you excellent energy may not be quite enough to stop chronic low grade depression, for example. Or vice versa. Before the TSH lab came into existence (and played a huge part in ruining good thyroid care), most folks were on 3 grains and more. This is not to say that you will need that much, but it does speak to the reality that you may need more than you realize, or more than lab-obsessed doctors will allow. Most hypothyroid patients are on 3-5 grains at the minimum, and some higher, when they find their optimal dose.
Are there other issues I need to correct? Often, there are other areas that need assistance when you are being treated with Armour or other desiccated thyroid products. For one, many folks need to optimize their Ferritin level (storage iron), which is low in many thyroid patients. Low Ferritin can cause very similar symptoms as being hypothyroid, OR can cause you to have hyper-like symptoms when you try to raise the Armour.
If upon starting Armour, you have very strange symptoms, including anxiety, insomnia, shakiness, it’s a strong sign that you may need adrenal support. Cortisol is needed to distribute thyroid hormones to your cells, and if you are not making enough cortisol from sluggish adrenals, your blood will be high in thyroid hormones, producing the above symptoms. Adrenal support is used to give back to your body what your adrenals are not, which in turn allows the thyroid hormones to get to your cells. Adrenal support is not meant to be for life for most, but to allow your adrenals to rest and recover.
It is strongly recommended that you do a 24 hour adrenal saliva test–there are labs you can do them with here. 24 hour saliva tests give you far better information than the one time blood test that doctors will tend to recommend. You don’t need a STIM test, by the way, unless there is strong suspicion of Addisons or a pituitary problem.
Are there any beneficial supplements that I can take with desiccated thyroid? Take a Selenium tablet with your thyroid, which assists the T4 to T3 conversion. L-Tyrosine helps, too. Zinc and Vit. C may play a role. Your need for B-vitamins will increase as you improve your energy levels. Some patients benefit from iodine supplementation.
Any other tips? Armour tablets will have an obvious “A” on each tablet. Check for that, because it’s not uncommon for the pharmacy to give you generics, which patients have found to be less potent. Also, find a way to have an emergency backup of desiccated natural thyroid just for that–emergencies! Desiccated thyroid has a long shelf life, but you can also wrap it securely and place it in the freezer.
Hang in there!! Natural Desiccated Thyroid works!! 
*Read Things We Have Learned about first hand knowledge in how to use desiccated thyroid.
*Read Mistakes Patients Make to avoid them.
*To talk to others about desiccated thyroid, go to our Talk to Others page.
*For even more information on natural desiccated thyroid and its history, see the STTM book below.
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