Why is armour thyroid not fda approved

However, overall the study measured no significant differences in general health, or in neuropsychological testing, during treatment with DTE vs. Furthermore, a meta-analysis of 11 randomized trials with a total of patients, in which treatment with T4 was compared to combination treatment with T4 and T3 found no improvement in body pain, depression, anxiety, quality of life, or body weight with combination treatment.

While some individuals may indeed feel better with combination treatment, treatment with T4 alone appears to be entirely sufficient for the great majority of people with hypothyroidism. There are some possible drawbacks to choosing DTE as your treatment too. Sometimes there are shortages of DTE, as there was in to DTE is vulnerable to the market conditions affecting pork. For instance, in to , an epidemic of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus wiped out an estimated 8 million pigs in the United States.

The virus killed as many as 10 percent of the country's pig population, driving up prices for pork products, including DTE.

There are slightly varying amounts of T4 and T3 in DTE, making them a less precise treatment option and potentially creating more difficulty in finding the correct dosage. As an example, Armour Thyroid states that the active ingredients in their medication are "similar" from tablet to tablet.

Animals have different balances of hormones than humans. DTE contains a ratio of T4 to T3; humans have a ratio of This can translate into high T3 levels in people taking DTE. Thyrotoxicosis is a condition that occurs when you have too much thyroid hormone in your body.

The fetus through the first 18 weeks of gestation depends on T4 for normal neurological development, and higher-than-normal levels of T3 have been associated with impaired neurological development. Because the ratio of T4:T3 are much lower with desiccated thyroid in pigs vs in humans , desiccated thyroid generally should not be used in women of childbearing age.

As with any medication, there are some potential risks when you take DTE. Whether synthetic or natural, thyroid hormones shouldn't be used to treat obesity or to help with weight loss. Taking a thyroid hormone won't help someone with normal thyroid function lose weight.

Another concern is that taking too much thyroid hormone or using it along with other weight loss drugs can result in serious and potentially life-threatening complications. You shouldn't use DTE if you're allergic to any of the ingredients it contains, such as pork, or if you have an overactive thyroid or untreated adrenal issues. You also should not take DTE if you are a woman of childbearing age.

Other Serious Health Conditions. If you have other medical conditions like diabetes, heart disease, adrenal problems, or issues with your pituitary gland, your medications for these may need to be adjusted when you're taking DTE. Be sure to tell your healthcare provider about all prescription or over-the-counter medications, vitamins, supplements, and herbal products you're taking, as DTE can have interactions with many of these.

If you're pregnant, nursing, or plan to become pregnant, talk to your healthcare provider about taking DTE. Let your healthcare provider know if you become pregnant while you're taking DTE as well. Over-the-counter glandular thyroid support supplements are neither the same as prescription DTE, nor a substitute for prescription thyroid hormone replacement medication. It can also be dangerous to your health to buy DTE from another country without a prescription and without your healthcare provider's approval and supervision.

As noted, the standard treatment for hypothyroidism is levothyroxine T4 alone. Once experts realized that T4 naturally converts to T3, there was a great deal of excitement about how modern levothyroxine was compared to DTE, which was considered old-fashioned. At that time, many healthcare providers switched patients over to the synthetic medication and never looked back.

Still, some of these patients complained after being switched to levothyroxine that their symptoms had worsened or couldn't be resolved. This led to a number of the healthcare providers who had previously prescribed DTE for their patients putting some of them back on it.

DTE is prescribed far less often than levothyroxine. But frustrated patients who don't feel well who are doing their research and talking to other people. The first versions of thyroid hormone medicines were made from the thyroid glands of pigs or cows and are not approved by the U. Food and Drug Administration. Today, there are modern, synthetic laboratory-made medications approved by the FDA. Most patients with hypothyroidism use these modern thyroid replacement drugs.

Some people still use unapproved products made from animal sources. Unapproved medicines pose risks because the FDA has not reviewed them for safety, effectiveness, or quality before they are sold to patients.

The thyroid is a small gland in the front of your neck that controls your metabolism. The thyroid produces thyroid hormones, which control many activities in your body, including how fast you burn calories. Thyroid diseases cause this gland to make too much or too little of the hormone. Trying Out Armour for Hypothyroidism: Q. Learn More: Most people do well on medications such as Levoxyl or Synthroid with levothyroxine alone. Rate this article star-full star-empty star-full star-empty star-full star-empty star-full star-empty star-full star-empty star-full star-empty star-full star-empty star-full star-empty star-full star-empty star-full star-empty.

Terry taught in the Duke University School of Nursing and was an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology. She is a Fellow of the Society of Applied Anthropology. Terry is one of the country's leading authorities on the science behind folk remedies. Read Terry's Full Bio. DOI: Join over , Subscribers at The People's Pharmacy We're empowering you to make wise decisions about your own health, by providing you with essential health information about both medical and alternative treatment options.

The takeaway. Read this next. The Effects of Hypothyroidism on the Body. Medically reviewed by Jason C. Baker, MD. Medically reviewed by Kelly Wood, MD. Recognizing the Symptoms of Myxedema. Medically reviewed by Marina Basina, M. Medically reviewed by Deborah Weatherspoon, Ph. What Is Subclinical Hypothyroidism? Stimming: Causes and Management.