Question: Are there any problems associated with taking Armour Thyroid pills? How about Synthroid? Do any of these thyroid drugs have issues with long-term use?
Dr. Hibberd's answer:
The experts recommend fine tuning treatments with synthetic thyroid hormone — T4 from Synthroid (levothyroxine) that is stable from batch to batch. If T4 treatment is insufficient, then Cytomel T3 can be added as a fine-tuning agent for some patients.
Armour Thyroid is an older formulation that used to be the only treatment available until the advent of synthetic thyroid preparations. Unfortunately, the hormone content in Armour Thyroid extract varies from batch to batch, but it does have T3 as well as T4. But because of that variation, it may be more challenging to fine tune your treatment with Armour Thyroid. Most endocrinologists prefer to use precise thyroid dosing with T4 and sometimes added T3 preparations that are stable from batch to batch.
As a result, Armour Thyroid is not usually the preferred initial agent for most endocrinologists.
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