The approved method for taking Armour Thyroid and other dessicated thyroid hormone pills is to swallow them along with a glass of water. I suppose the idea behind chewing the medicine originates with the thought that you need to release the hormone from the binder. Extensive studies by the manufacturer show that swallowing the tablet whole results in good hormone absorption. That has been my observation with hundreds of patients. Some people prefer to split the dose in two because the T3 portion can be expected to be metabolized (used up) within a matter of a few hours after taking the medication. Whether it is worth the inconvenience of having to take a medicine two times daily vs. only once is an individual matter.

Does that answer the question?

Thanks for your post.
Dr. P

Do you recommend that your patients take NTH once daily or multi-dose? My doctor (who’s on Armour herself) said that NTH can safely be taken once a day in the morning as it is more stable than synthetic combo drugs, but it seeems that most people multi-dose. Of course it’s easier to take once a day, especially if you swallow your pills like I do and then have to wait for at least half an hour before eating. But many claim that that puts too much stress on the adrenals and the heart, especially if you take large doses (I take 4 grains daily during the cold season).

I would really like to know what you recommend?

Dr. P.

Do you know WHY Armour was reformulated in 2009? I have read so many strange explanations – that the FDA forced Forest and RLC Labs to reformulate their products so that people would stop using them and switch to Synthroid, that the manufacturer of Synthroid was behind the reformulation for the same reason, that this is only the first step to banning NTH altogether…apparently, the amount of cellulose was increased and the amount of lactose/dextrose was decreased. Can you find a rational explanation for that, as it is often said that cellulose binds thyroid hormone, hence making the drugs less effective?

Dr. P.

When it comes to people’s preferences for medication I never say “never”. It is amazing how one person is totally happy with a certain medication and another person absolutely hates the way the same medication makes them feel. This applies frequently to thyroid medications. Recent research has shown how genetic differences can cause some hypothyroid people to require more T3 replacement than “normal” to achieve a good thyroid balance. When it comes to dessicated or “natural” thyroid hormone replacement some people claim the new formulation of Armour reacts differently than other formulations and brands. This has not been the experience of my patient’s. For the hundreds of people who I have treated with Armour I can think of only one or two who prefer one of the other formulations of dessicated thyroid. I have a whole chapter in my book Metabolism.com which addresses the Armour issues.

I would be interested to know if you find the reformulated Armour to be as effective as the old one? Do you still prescribe Armour instead of Nature-Throid, Erfa etc? As far as I’ve understood the posts I’ve read, thyroid advocates such as Mary Shomon and Janie Bowthorpe have switced to other brands of desiccated thyroid, after years on Armour. But would you say that Armour is still as effective (that’s how I interpret your answer to Hannah?) Is it, like some claim, only a question of how you take that; that is, chewing it up vs taking it sublingually? But what about the increased amount of cellulose in Armour; could that not cause malabsorption and hence reduce the amount of thyroid hormone available to the body?

I would appreciate a reply from you as I am currently hesitating between Armour and Erfa. My doctor is herself on Armour and has been for years, and she claims she never noticed any difference whatsoever after the reformulation. Armour is also more easily available than Erfa. But I’ve read hundreds of posts about how the new Armour destroyed people’s lives, made their hypo symptoms return with a vengeance, etc.

But it would be interesting to know if there is some truth to the rumors that Armour was reformulated a second time in 2011?