Re: Can my GP prescribe Armour and some blood results

[Guest guest]

Bump

>

> Hi I got some blood results back but not all I asked for. I was due to see

my specialist but I have postponed. It seems the lab have only done TSH now

2.22 was 2.16 when specialist asked for the test 2 weeks ago range 0.27-4.7 not

the full panel. He is trying again for the panel.

>

> I started off by telling the doc that I knew hed listen to me and thanked him.

> My FSH of 66 making me post menopause a few months ago amazingly has gone down

to 14 making me just going into menopause. I spoke to doc he says its because

of the HRT . When I told him I didnt even pick up the prescription because my

sister has breast cancer he was baffled.

>

> I then told him about my liver specialist and that my alt has gone back up to

165 range 0-35 and that I have been told on this site that this could be due to

hypothyroidism.

> I had in my hand various letters about how useless the TSH test is and one

asking Gps to treat on symptoms not on blood results. I also compiled a list as

to what could have triggered Hypothroid and another with my list of major

symptoms which I asked him to file. All advice from this forum

>

>

> I think I had him totally bamboozled because he has prescribed me

Levothyroxine 25 MCG (What do you think about this dosage) I asked about Armour

and he couldnt find it. Am I correct in thinking that Gps can prescribe and

that Boots can dispense. I thought I saw a letter on this site to take to the

GPs but I cant find it. If so I have told him I will e-mail the details.

>

> I need to go for the blood panel again tommorow. I really am fed up with

pricks (I mean the needles not the doctors LOL) What is the best time of day to

have them done.

>

>

> Thankyou all again for your support.

>

> Debbie

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Debbie, Well that's a good start. T4 should be retested and increased after 6 weeks as that is only a starter dose- your probably won't feel much different- most full replacement doses are around 125 to 150mcg daily. Armour isn't in the BNF book so your NHS doc isn't covered by his insurance if he prescribes this for you- which is why most docs won't- private docs have a different policy which does cover them for it. your doc is however able to prescribe T3- loithyronine which is in the BNF if you find that T4 does not clear all your symptoms. thyrid tests should be done earliest in the morning, beofre you take that days thyroid meds-especially if you are taking T3. > thyroid treatment > From: debbieharrison177@...> Date: Thu, 10 Mar 2011 12:51:46 +0000> Subject: Re: Can my GP prescribe Armour and some blood results> > Bump> > > >> > Hi I got some blood results back but not all I asked for. I was due to see my specialist but I have postponed. It seems the lab have only done TSH now 2.22 was 2.16 when specialist asked for the test 2 weeks ago range 0.27-4.7 not the full panel. He is trying again for the panel.> > > > I had in my hand various letters about how useless the TSH test is and one asking Gps to treat on symptoms not on blood results. I also compiled a list as to what could have triggered Hypothroid and another with my list of major symptoms which I asked him to file. All advice from this forum> > > > > > I need to go for the blood panel again tommorow. I really am fed up with pricks (I mean the needles not the doctors LOL) What is the best time of day to have them done.> > > > > > Thankyou all again for your support.> > > > Debbie> >> > > > > ------------------------------------> > TPA is not medically qualified. Consult with a qualified medical practitioner before changing medication.> >

[Guest guest]

Hi Debbie, good for you in going well prepared. These doctors

are beginning to realise that some of their patients actually DO know more

about their thyroid disease than they do - but as they are taught very badly re

anything endocrine when going through medical school, this is to be expected.

A TSH of 2.22 needs watching, but again, it is absolutely no

good whatsoever on its own. The TSH is secreted by the pituitary gland when it

recognises there is insufficient thyroid hormone circulating in the body, so it

rises as the gland secretes more to tell the thyroid to secrete more thyroid

hormone. Your GP must insist that the laboratory tests your free T4 and free T3

and also that they test to see whether you have thyroid antibodies. Thyroid

antibodies see your thyroid gland as public enemy number one and set about its

gradual destruction. The more the gland becomes destroyed the less thyroid

hormone it is able to secrete and this is why you need thyroid hormone

replacement for the rest of your life.

Most

GP's start their patients off on a dose of levothyroxine 25mcgs only as a

precaution i.e. in case they have a heart problem. This should be increased by

25mcgs every 6 to 8 weeks until your symptoms disappear. Hopefully, you are one

of the majority of sufferers who will be able to convert the thyroxine (T4),

which is mainly an inactive hormone to the active thyroid hormone

Triiodothyronine (T3).

Natural

Thyroid Extract is not licensed in the UK. It is not licensed simply because it

has never required a license, unlike levothyroxine which has had many potency

problems in the past and had to go through the New Drugs Licensing procedure.

Natural thyroid extract was 'grandfathered' in because it has been used safely

and effectively for over 115 years and it was the ONLY medication for all

suffering symptoms of hypothyroidism for over 50 years, but fell out of favour

when synthetic levothyroxine was brought in.

To

stop doctors from prescribing NDT and to encourage them to start using

synthetic T4, many rumours were put about by the drug companies that NDT had

potency problems in the past, that the T4 and T3 could not be standardised in

every batch and that it was dangerous. All a load of cods-wallop! They did this

because any natural product cannot be patented, so no money can be made, unlike

synthetic products that can be patented and like levothyroxine, makes the drug

companies millions of pounds.

However,

having said all that, the MHRA have written to me to say that doctors CAN

prescribe Armour Thyroid, Nature Throid, Westhroid and Erfa 'Thyroid' so long

as they take full responsibility for doing so, because their medical insurance

would not cover them should anything go wrong. See attached copy letter and

emails from MHRA which you can show to your doctor.

Should

your doctor decide to prescribe one of these products, he must first write to

your local Primary Care Trust to ask whether they would fund it and write that

the reason why he needs to prescribe this for you is that you cannot regain

your normal health on the synthetic levothyroxine. He then writes the exact

brand on the prescription, say Erfa 'Thyroid' 60mgs and write at the side of

this " for the treatment of hypothyroidism " . He also needs to send a

short letter (he does this only once) to your local pharmacist (don't use

Boots, they have a bad reputation when it comes to natural thyroid extract) to

say the reason why he is prescribing Armour for you. The pharmacist will then

contact either IDIS World Medicines or Pharmarama who will source NDT for you

and you should have it in a couple of weeks.

Have

a look in the FILES section of this forum to get all the information you need

about natural thyroid extract.

Hope

this all helps.

Luv

- Sheila

I think I had him totally bamboozled because he has prescribed me Levothyroxine

25 MCG (What do you think about this dosage) I asked about Armour and he couldn't

find it. Am I correct in thinking that Gps can prescribe and that Boots can

dispense. I thought I saw a letter on this site to take to the GPs but I cant

find it. If so I have told him I will e-mail the details.