Are you tired and sluggish? Is your weight a constant struggle? Do you have problems with dry skin, cold hands and feet, depression, or constipation? Then you may well have hypothyroidism. Low thyroid function affects one in 10 Americans and up to one in five older women. Yet this very common condition often goes undiagnosed.
When it is diagnosed, most doctors write a prescription for Synthroid (levothyroxin). This, in my opinion, is bad medicine. Although the thyroid produces a number of hormones, Synthroid is a synthetic version of just one of them (T4). At Whitaker Wellness, we use only natural hormone replacement, and that includes natural thyroid, which contains the full spectrum of thyroid hormones. Although some people do well on Synthroid, most of my patients note dramatic improvements after switching to natural hormone replacement.
If you’re already using natural thyroid, I’m sure you’re aware that availability has been spotty for some time now. Prescriptions for popular brands such as Armour Thyroid, Nature-Throid, and Westhroid have been on backorder for months. Raw materials shortages may be part of the issue, but other factors are also involved. The FDA has declared that natural thyroid is an unapproved drug and, to distribute it, pharmaceutical companies must go through a lengthy and expensive new drug approval process.
This has nothing to do with the safety or efficacy of natural thyroid, which has been included in the U.S. Pharmacopeia—the official authority for prescription and over-the-counter drugs manufactured or sold in the United States—for more than a century. It’s simply another of the FDA’s attempts to put the kibosh on all forms of natural hormone replacement.
It appears that the shortage of natural thyroid is finally beginning to ease up and limited quantities are being released. If Armour, Nature-Throid, or Westhroid are not available in your pharmacy, contact a compounding pharmacy to see if they can formulate a similar product.
