Armour thyroid belongs to a class of drugs called Natural Desiccated Thyroid or NDT. They are made by drying up thyroid glands of animals (pigs, sheep, cows) until they turn to powder. The powder is then used to make pills.
Desiccated thyroid is identical to human thyroid. It has the same hormones, T3 and T4. It has precursors like T2 and T1. It has thyroglobulin, vitamins, minerals, proteins and other substances that thyroid needs for normal function. Plus, it has the benefit of being natural, not man-made.
Synthroid is a fake, unnatural version of T4. It is made in a laboratory. The name comes from combining two words – synthetic thyroid.
Chemical formula of real T4 looks like this - C₁₅H₁₁I₄NO₄. This means that there are 15 carbon atoms (C), 11 hydrogen atoms (H), 4 iodines (I), 1 nitrogen (N) and 4 oxygens (O).
The way to make Synthroid is to take T4, remove one atom of hydrogen and replace it with one atom of sodium.
This creates a new, unnatural substance, which provides two benefits. One benefit is for the pharmaceutical company. Since Synthroid is an unnatural substance which does not normally exist on earth, it can be patented and sold for more money than NDT. The second benefit is for patients with hypothyroidism. Because Synthroid is structurally similar to real T4, many patients with hypothyroidism can actually get some benefits.
This fake T4 can be turned by many people into fake T3, which chemically is almost like the real T3 and does the work of the thyroid hormone.
The point is that many people taking Synthroid feel better. About 7-8 out of 10, that’s 70-80%. But that means that 2-3 people out of 10 do not get better. They are taking “thyroid medication” and see no improvement in their symptoms.
Remember, T4 is not the active hormone. T3 is. T4 needs to be converted into T3 to become active. Synthroid is a fake T4, which in many people can turn into fake T3, which works like a real T3. That’s why Synthroid is so popular, one of the most prescribed drugs in the US.
But 2-3 people out of 10 don’t get any benefit from Synthroid. Either their body does not recognize this fake chemical, or it cannot turn it into T3, the end result is that it is ineffective. No matter how much Synthroid doctors prescribe.
My experience is mostly with people in whom Syntroid did not work. People who felt OK with Synthroid did not come to me. People who did not feel well on Synthroid did. Word got around that I use Armour Thyroid, which brought hundreds of patients who were treated with Synthroid but did not feel any better.
My rules of thumb are like this. Now and then I saw a patient who came to me because of high blood pressure or diabetes or arthritis or some other condition. He/she was also hypothyroid taking a certain amount of Synthroid. If that patient was doing well on Synthroid, I did not change it, I just left it as is.
But, most of my patients were either taking Synthroid and were not feeling better or they were not taking anything because their doctors told them that there is nothing wrong with them, because their blood tests were “normal”.
All these patients I switched to Armour Thyroid, usually with spectacular results. Not right away, sometimes it took months to find the right dose, but the result was always the same – a patient who feels good, which is what every doctor wants to accomplish.
So, leave Synthroid alone if it’s working and making the patient feel good. If not, get rid of it and start using Armour Thyroid or any other NDT.
I will have a blog about why most doctors don’t use Armour, why they are almost afraid of it and many myths about Armour.