About Thyroid Disease: Thyroid Misinformation Overload, Nature-Throid

[Guest guest]

About.com: Thyroid Disease

from Mary Shomon

 

Dear Readers, I swear, we're in the midst of thyroid misinformation

overload these days. What a mess -- and the end result is that thyroid patients

continue to get the short end of the stick. On my end, I'm doing my best to

find out what you need to know. Starting with our friends at Forest Labs.

Sorry thyroid patients, but FOREST IS JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU! That's the

only conclusion I can come to, after several years of shortages of both Armour

Thyroid and Thyrolar, and obvious misinformation -- alternating with total

stonewalling -- from Forest's distinctly unhelpful and uncommunicative

" communications " staff. In the latest chapter of the sad saga of Forest's

campaign to alienate and drive away every last thyroid drug customer, the US

Pharmacopeia, aka USP, has released information that shows that Forest is

STILL not telling patients the truth about Thyrolar and why we can't get it.

I've got the story in this issue. Also, while patients were expecting to

start seeing RLC's natural thyroid drug Nature-Throid showing up in pharmacies,

it's not happening. I had a chat with RLC re: Nature-Throid, when it's due

to ship, and what the delay is all about, and I have an update for you.

Note: Since Armour is not likely to ship anytime soon -- if ever (except for

a few tiny shipments of 1 grain here and there)-- I also have some advice

about how to survive the next few months, so if you're taking natural

thyroid, you'll want to read this article. And lest you wonder why it seems

like

everywhere you turn, there's misinformation about natural desiccated

thyroid, here's evidence that it starts at the top. Yes, the American Thyroid

Association itself, supposed to be a bastion of reliable information, has a

patient brochure up at their website that is so cram-jammed full of errors

and misinformation that it's painful to read. But then, this organization

also gets money -- to the tune of more than $700,000 last year -- from the

drug company that competes with natural desiccated thyroid for business. So, I

guess that's why this so-called patient brochure reads like an brochure

advertising Synthroid. Can't you just hear all those endos singing " Money

makes the world go round, the world go round, the world go round... " Live well

-- Mary P.S. If you're scheduled for any test, treatment or procedure

involving radioactive iodine (I-131) you'll want to call ahead and reconfirm

with your doctor/hospital, because there's a nationwide shortage. See my blog

post for more info.

 

 

 

_Am. Thyroid Assn Spreading Misinformation Re Natural Thyroid_

(http://glclk.about.com/?zi=8/8KoV)

_http://thyroid.about.com/b/2009/11/27/american-thyroid-association-misinfor

mation-natural-thyroid.htm_

(http://thyroid.about.com/b/2009/11/27/american-thyroid-association-misinformati\

on-natural-thyroid.htm)

 

(http://glclk.about.com/?zi=8/8KoV & zu=http://thyroid.about.com/b/a/258464.htm)

We all know that many doctors, pharmacists and drug distributors are

misinformed about natural desiccated thyroid drugs like Armour Thyroid,

Nature-Throid and Westhroid. But did you know that the American Thyroid

Association -- the medical association that is supposed to be a source of valid

information for doctors and patients -- is putting out -- perhaps

deliberately -- error-filled misinformation about natural thyroid?

 

 

_Forest Labs: Losing More Credibility as Thyrolar Disappears_

(http://glclk.about.com/?zi=8/8KoW)

_http://thyroid.about.com/b/2009/12/02/forest-labs-thyrolar-armour-usp-credi

blity.htm_

(http://thyroid.about.com/b/2009/12/02/forest-labs-thyrolar-armour-usp-crediblit\

y.htm)

 

(http://glclk.about.com/?zi=8/8KoW & zu=http://thyroid.about.com/b/a/258479.htm)

USP contacted me recently to let me know that they have issued a

statement at their website, titled " Q & A on USP's Levothyroxine Sodium

Standard, "

to help clarify their position regarding levothyroxine. This new statement

addresses the continued misinformation coming out of Forest Laboratories,

which has claimed that the unavailability of their medication Thyrolar is

due to " new specifications " from USP. If you take ANY product from Forest

-- and in particular, if in the past you were taking their now unavailable

thyroid drugs Thyrolar or Armour -- you'll want to find out about how Forest

is not being straight with its customers.

 

 

_Nature-Throid: A New Update on Production Status_

(http://glclk.about.com/?zi=8/8KoX)

_http://thyroid.about.com/b/2009/12/02/nature-throid-natural-thyroid.htm_

(http://thyroid.about.com/b/2009/12/02/nature-throid-natural-thyroid.htm)

 

(http://glclk.about.com/?zi=8/8KoX & zu=http://thyroid.about.com/b/a/258474.htm) I

had an opportunity to speak with Dai Jinn, the Chief Science Officer

and Chief Pharmacist at RLC Labs, maker of Nature-Throid and Westhroid.

When I'd spoken with RLC back on November 23, I'd reported that RLC was

planning to begin shipping 1 grain Nature-Throid this week. But that didn't

happen. Find out what is causing the holdup at RLC, when you can expect to

find Nature-Throid in your pharmacies, and what you can do to protect yourself

as a thyroid patient.

 

 

 

More Topics

 

* _Shortage of Radioactive Iodine 131 Affects Thyroid Treatment_

(http://glclk.about.com/?zi=8/8KoY)

Tests, scans and treatments affected

* _Top 10 Signs You Might Have a Thyroid Problem_

(http://glclk.about.com/?zi=8/8KoZ)

Millions are undiagnosed - are you too?

* _How to Take Your Thyroid Drugs_

(http://glclk.about.com/?zi=8/8Ko[)

Timing, interactions with foods and drug

* _Thyroid Diet Info Center_ (http://glclk.about.com/?zi=8/8Ko])

After all, 'tis the season!

* _How Can I Find Relief From Holiday Stress?_

(http://glclk.about.com/?zi=8/8Koa)

Advice from our stress management guide

* _Help! My TSH is Normal, But I Still Have Symptoms!_

(http://glclk.about.com/?zi=8/8Kob)

What should you do next?

* _Do You Need an Endocrinologist?_

(http://glclk.about.com/?zi=8/8Koc)

Is a thyroid specialist really needed?

 

 

Top Picks

 

 

Leslie Blumenberg does an outstanding job as a moderator of the Thyroid

Forum, helping greet new members, and keeping the flow of conversation going

with new and veteran members alike. I thought I would highlight some of

Leslie's popular posts, so you can see some of the many topics that are being

discussed every day at the forum. In addition to Leslie, there are also

many " mavens " -- that's what we sometimes call the veteran members who have

wonderful advice -- who have also made it their mission to be thyroid

advocates, and help answer questions and direct people to sources of more

information. And of course, there's the compassion, and the fact that sometimes

it

helps to know that someone else is going through the same thing you are.

If you haven't visited the Thyroid Forum, please join us!

 

1) _Is Your Pituitary on the Fritz? _ (http://glclk.about.com/?zi=8/8Koe)

 

(http://glclk.about.com/?zi=8/8Koe & zu=http://forums.about.com/ab-thyroid/message\

s) Leslie has delved into studying the hypothalamus and pituitary

hormone deficiencies. Based on her own research, she's put together this

amazing post. If you suspect you have pituitary/hypothalamus problems, this is

the place to start educating yourself. Even if you don't have pituitary

problems, understanding how the endocrine system works helps you understand

how your body works.

2) _Leslie's Experiment: Thyroid Meds at Night_

(http://glclk.about.com/?zi=8/8Kof)

Leslie decided to experiment with taking her thyroid medication at night,

even though she was leery of taking the meds at night (she had difficulty

sleeping, felt too wired late at night, was pushing past bedtime, and had

fractured sleep.) Find out how her experiment went, whether it helped or hurt

her sleep, and see what others had to say about how and when they take

their thyroid medication.

3) _T-Tapping for Thyroid Weight/Inch Loss and Fitness_

(http://glclk.about.com/?zi=8/8Kog)

Leslie started T-Tapping (that's the exercise program created by

physiologist Teresa Tapp) back in the summer, and she's been sharing her

results all

along at the Thyroid Forum. (FYI, I'm a veteran T-Tapper too, and I LOVE

this exercise program and think it's a great fit for thyroid patients!) Read

about Leslie's success with T-Tapp, and see what other thyroid patients

have experienced after starting to T-Tapp.

 

 

 

 

The Armour Thyroid and Nature-Throid Shortage of 2009

_Follow the Entire Story in Articles Here at About.com_

(http://glclk.about.com/?zi=8/8Koj)

 

(http://glclk.about.com/?zi=8/8Koj & zu=http://thyroid.about.com/od/thyroiddrugstr\

eatments/tp/desiccated-thyroid-2009.htm) Since early 2009, when Armour

Thyroid was mysteriously reformulated, patients taking natural thyroid

have been on a roller coaster. With adverse reactions to reformulated Armour

Thyroid, shutdowns of some natural thyroid manufacturers, continued

shortages of Armour, Nature-Throid and Westhroid, and misinformation coming at

us

from all directions, thyroid patients taking natural thyroid have battled

backorders, shortages, unavailability, ignorant doctors, misinformed

pharmacists, and so much more all year long. I've covered the issue throughout

the

year, in blog posts and articles, and even launched the Save Natural

Thyroid Coalition. You can follow the entire story all from one place.