Dr. Gott: Compounding pharmacy can make thyroid capsules

DEAR DR. GOTT: Recently, your column addressed the difficulty of obtaining Armour Thyroid.

I would like to tell your readers that they can still get porcine thyroid capsules. Have them made up by a compounding pharmacy. Unfortunately, the cost is about three times higher (about $1 a day), but for those of us who choose a more natural way, it is worth it.

DEAR READER: You bring up a point I neglected to mention in my original article. Becoming more and more popular, compounding is a method by which physicians can prescribe and pharmacists can produce tried-and-true medications. I congratulate you for thinking outside the box on this matter.

As a point of information, Armour Thyroid in 1 grain (60 mg) and 1/2 grain (30 mg) doses has been manufactured and shipped since February, according to the manufacturer. They apparently selected these two doses because up to 70 percent of all people take the medication in one dose or the other, or through a combination of both.

As I previously indicated, Armour Thyroid underwent reformulation. There was a decrease in the amount of dextrose and an increase in the amount of cellulose, and cornstarch was added. As you might imagine, some users have reported problems with the new formula. Because the tablets are taken by many people sublingually, they don’t appear to dissolve as easily (perhaps because of the cornstarch), and they aren’t as sweet as before, making them unpleasant to taste. Other users report palpitations, fatigue, weight gain, hair loss and more.

Readers experiencing any unusual side effects not present prior to the reformulation should speak with their physicians to determine whether compounding or conversion to an alternative is the correct way to proceed.

To provide related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Thyroid Disorders.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 check or money order to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092-0167. Be sure to mention the title or print an order form off my website at www.AskDrGottMD.com.

DEAR DR. GOTT: I have a friend who has MS. She has a new problem that the many tests she has taken have shed no light on for the cause or remedy. Everything she eats tastes salty, and she has a salty taste in her mouth all the time. Needless to say, this has affected her appetite and is causing her much anxiety. She only takes medication for high blood pressure, as well as a monthly vitamin B12 shot and a recently added weekly vitamin D shot. Do you have any idea what would cause the new symptom? What can she do to get rid of it?

DEAR READER: Multiple sclerosis is generally considered to be an autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system. From your brief note, it is my guess that your friend has had the condition for some time. Therefore, I must interpret her symptoms are related to one of the following: dehydration with inadequate daily fluid intake; antithyroid medications; neurological disorders; or sinusitis and postnasal drip. Saving the most likely cause for last, I feel she is, in a sense of the word, “overdosing” on B12, because many supplements contain a recommended daily value of 200 percent.