subject: A Walgreens Warning [print this page] Author: Bette Dowdell Author: Bette Dowdell
Bette Dowdell In a perfect world, we could trust people to do the right thing. Perhaps youve noticed, however, that imperfection rears its ugly head frequently in the real world. People being people, imperfection lives on.
Rather than mourn, we need to grab a boatload of knowledge so we can take whatever hill stands in our way.
To illustrate one example of imperfection, lets talk about the swamp hypothyroid patients are in. And not by choice.
For the last several months, the less-than-aboveboard FDA has, again, been badgering Armour thyroid. The Big Pharma poobahs grind their teeth at night just thinking about Armour. It works, to the benefit of hypothyroid patients everywhereand shows how ineffective Big Pharmas thyroid meds are.
Consequently, Big Pharma works tirelessly to get Armour thyroid outlawed, killed, buried, whatever it takes to get it gone. They have med schools and doctors marching to their beat. While theyve made a lot of headway with the FDA, Armours not dead yet.
But heres whats going on: Despite more than 150 years of successfully treating hypothyroid patients, the FDA decreed that since Armour modified its formula, it now has to jump through all the hoops of a brand-new medicine. Armour will make it through this very unusual requirement, but the FDA hoops take time to navigate.
For the interim, then, the FDAs shenanigans have made Armour unavailable. So are hypothyroid patients switching to Synthroid or other Big Pharma offerings as hoped? Not on a bet! Once a patient experiences the benefits of a natural, bio-available thyroid medication like Armour, theyre not going anywhere.
Instead, many are substituting compounded thyroid for Armour. The compounded version is put together by pharmacies and, if done right, works just like Armour.
The tricky part is if done right. Some playerswhy am I not surprised?are in it for the money, not patient well-being. They want to sell into the compounded market, but their products are cheap knock-offs, not at all comparable to the real thing.
For instance, Walgreens sells a compounded thyroid medication thats guaranteed not to workalthough somehow that detail never gets mentioned.
Why doesnt Walgreens compound thyroid work? Their formula is thyroid hormone plus lactose in a gelatin capsule. Simple enough, but the lactose in the capsule prevents your body from absorbing the thyroid hormone thats in the same capsule. Its a self-defeating medicine! You can take it all day long, but very little makes its way into your cells to do the necessary heavy lifting.
You may get the side effects of raised blood pressure and elevated pulse, but benefits? No.
So all compounded thyroid meds are not born equaland they certainly dont work equally.
What can you do? First off, find a compounding pharmacy. Most cities have at least one. If you cant find one where you live, go online. Or let me tell you about a compounding pharmacy I found: Aberdeen Prescription Shoppe in North Carolina, 910-944-1313. They ship throughout the U.S. (As is my custom, I have no financial arrangement with Aberdeen to motivate me, but Trey Walters, the pharmacist, has a great attitudeand the answers to my questions.)
Once you find a compounding pharmacist, ask a lot of questions. Good pharmacists welcome questions. And theyre happy to give you the answers. They actually think their job is to help you. Imagine that!
But avoid Walgreens. Their compounded thyroid doesnt work. Theyre hoping you wont find out.About the Author:
So, there you are, dragging your patooty through life while your doctor keeps insisting youre fine. Whats that about? You know for a fact that youre not fine, but what to do? Bette Dowdell writes and talks about just what youre going through. 50% of us have a whacked out endocrine system (thyroid, adrenals, etc.). Most go undiagnosed, and the rest usually get inadequate treatment. We have to understand our situation and become our own advocates. And thats what Bette talks about. She talks about how things workor dont. She tells you about all the health enemies in our world todayand youll be amazed. She explains what you need to do to help yourselfwhich isnt complicated once somebody explains it. Subscribe to Bettes free, weekly health e-zine at http://TooPoopedToParticipate.com and get the information you need. Why drag through life when you dont have to? Bettes 30+ years of research got her out of the pits; now let her help you
