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Armour Thyroid - available in Ireland?

  • 10-08-2008 10:54am
    #1
    cltt97
    Registered Users Posts: 735 ✭✭✭


    I was just wondering if anyone knows if Armour Thyroid (dessicated thyroid pig gland) is available in Ireland, I know it's in the UK.


Comments

  • #2
    lynnsback
    Registered Users Posts: 174 ✭✭lynnsback


    I have been researching this myself. According to irishhealth.com it is. However you will need to find a good doctor whho looks at your free T3 and free T4. Have you got a good doctor?


  • #3
    DrIndy
    Registered Users Posts: 3,461 ✭✭✭DrIndy


    Taking pig gland is madness - pure and simple!!!

    If you're thyroid is low - you should see a doctor to have it diagnosed and them given treatment - which by the way - the drug prescribed is identical to that your thyroid naturally releases.

    Taking animal products like this is insane - would you eat cow brain extract during the BSE epidemic?


  • #4
    cltt97
    Registered Users Posts: 735 ✭✭✭cltt97


    Armour Thyroid is approved by the FDA in the United States and in the UK the medical council or whatever it is called over there approves the prescription of same. it's not some weird gland preparation that one buys of the internet but a standardised product that requires a prescription. It is just very hard to get hold of over here as synthetic T4 treatment is the golden standard over here. Prior to availability of synthetic T4 (like cow insulin was used before it could be produced synthetically) it was the standard treatment and has been around for a very long time, and besides T4 also contains certain physiological amounts ot T3, T2 and T1. As such it brings great benefits to certain thyroid sufferers for whom T4 supplementation alone does not work.

    My T4 and TSH are in good range, but my T3 is at the bottom of the range, despite very good T4 levels and i'm just looking into alternatives and I'm not remotely mad.


  • #5
    lynnsback
    Registered Users Posts: 174 ✭✭lynnsback


    Dr. Indy

    Are you a doctor? Armour thyroid is not some dangerous substance. There are millions of people all over the world that are being treated with thyroxine and deal with lingering symptoms every single day. A raised dosage does not help and they soon find themselves having to add others meds to control their high cholesterol for example since a low functioning thyroid is a major cause of high cholesterol. Or meds for their depression since an inadequately treated thyroid leaves sufferers with depression like symptoms. Thus the drug companies get to make even more money and everybody is happy. Except the cold, sluggish, fat patient who is permanently on a diet but never loses weight. Or develops the well documented side effect of osteoporosis from the thyroxine.

    I am assuming you are a doctor so I will ask do you test free T3, free T4, antibodies, ferritin, B12 and cortisol levels in your possibly hypothyroid patients? Do you strengthen their adrenals so their treatment will actually work since the adrenals and the thyroids are intimately linked? In fact the leaflet that comes with the thyroxine package actually STATES that physicians should test cortisol levels BEFORE treating the thyroid. If you do not do these things you are doing your patients a huge disservice. I'm sure you went into medicine because you wanted to help people. If you do I am sure you will want to inform yourself of what its like to optimally treat the very common thyroid problems that people have. Have you read anything by Barry Durrant-Peatfield, Mary Shamon, Broda Barnes, Mark Starr? Before you dismiss any of these why would you think a waking temperature of 40 degrees accompanied by symptoms of illness is something to worry about but a waking temperature of 34 accompanied by symptoms of illness is not??? Think about it.

    You really need to take the time to read the following two articles to see that what you have been taught during your training is just plain wrong:
    http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/thyroid.shtml
    http://www.doctorsaredangerous.com/articles/TSH.htm

    I am seeing a great doctor who believed me, listened to my symptoms and tested me thoroughly. Well, my TSH is 'normal' but my free T3 and free T4 are both in the basement, as is my cortisol.

    I would sincerely love it if you could inform yourself and read about this condition you probably see every day, yet it just passes you by. This is a case of missing the forest for the tress. http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com has plenty of information for you.

    I hope that we will learn more accurate information on the thyroid when I start my medical training. If not I am not afraid to speak up.

    I do not want others to SUFFER like I have when there is so much that can be done.

    I love this quote by Dr. Perry regarding the value of a TSH level:

    "The consensus of thyroidologists decided in 1973 that the TSH (lab) was the blood test they had been looking for all through the years. This was about two years after I started practice. Having been taught how to diagnose hypothyroid conditions clinically, I was in a position to watch to see what the relation of the TSH was to the onset of hypothyroidism. What I found was many people would develop classic signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism but the TSH was ever so slow to become abnormal, rise and confirm the clinical diagnosis. Sometimes it never did. Finally I began treating patients with hypothyroid in the normal manner I was taught. I could not see why I had to wait for the TSH to rise for me to be able to treat them.”


  • #6
    Pinyo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 19 ✭Pinyo


    Hi, I have got 2 consecutive bad results in TSH (a little high) and my doctor in Spain recommended to visit an endocrinologist doctor in Dublin (as it has to be visited quite a lot of times to set the medication). I tried through my GP, but he couldn't understand my blood test results (TSH is the same in all languages!!!) I had the feeling he had no idea of what we were talking about, he made me new blood test, and he said everything was fine, and that I should go back to his surgery (to pay 50€ more for no information??:().
    I would really appreciate if somebody can inform on how I can visit an endocrinologist in Ireland without going through GP, I expect I will need to pay for the visits. :confused:


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  • #7
    RentDayBlues
    Registered Users Posts: 2,131 ✭✭✭RentDayBlues


    I havent come across a good endocrinologist in Dublin - most doctors are ok but have limited knowledge. There is one in South Dublin who is quite good but he is very expensive


  • #8
    Pinyo
    Closed Accounts Posts: 19 ✭Pinyo


    RentDayBlues wrote: »
    I havent come across a good endocrinologist in Dublin - most doctors are ok but have limited knowledge. There is one in South Dublin who is quite good but he is very expensive

    Thanks RentDayBlues. I already realized about the limited knowledge :(
    can you give me any further detail on this doctor in South Dublin?? I might try to contact him!


  • #9
    Vorsprung
    Registered Users Posts: 2,814 ✭✭✭Vorsprung


    Hate to burst your bubble lads, there was a recent decision made on this forum not to allow tips for good health professionals.

    Most, if not all, services will require a referral letter from another doctor or your GP before seeing you.


This discussion has been closed.
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