My recent clinical experiences suggest that I should share with my colleagues and patients what I have observed with thyroid preparations.  As those who have looked at this web site in the past will remember, I have found, as did Mary Shomon and others, that Armour thyroid was superior in action to Synthroid.

To the consternation of its users, Armour thyroid became relatively unavailable several years ago.  It recently reappeared with a different formulation.

My patients, as well as many others who have reported on the Internet, have found that the present Armour thyroid is now not well tolerated and does not seem to have its former potency.

Because of this, I have had formulated by a compounding pharmacy in Milwaukee USP porcine thyroid in powder form, in 1-grain capsules.  There is also a similar compounding pharmacy in Madison Wisconsin who does this compounding. 

Since there has been some question regarding the “filler” causing trouble in the “new” Armour thyroid, the Milwaukee pharmacy has been using acidophilus as its filler and this has worked out well.  This preparation seems more potent than Synthroid and Armour thyroid, so I have patients titrate themselves using 1-grain capsules until they get a desired clinical result.  Interestingly, patients on the new USP thyroid seem to arrive at an effective dose very consistently.

In addition, I continue to see patients who have not been studied for Hashimoto’s thyroiditis by getting levels determined of their antithyroid antibodies.  The patients with these high titers need more than usual doses of thyroid preparation.  Therefore, I think that the thyroid panel should include T3, T4, TSH, and antithyroid antibody levels.

As always, this web site is purely informational, mostly for my colleagues, many of whom I know will not agree with me.  Patients in whom this strikes a chord should only use it with their physician’s acquiescence.

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Dr. Waisbren

The Waisbren Clinic
3077 North Mayfair Road
Suite 100
Milwaukee, WI 53222

414.771.5900

waisbrenclinic@ameritech.net