Armour Thyroid

Armour thyroid (thyroid tablets, USP) is a product derived from porcine thyroid glands. Each grain contains 38 micrograms of levothyroxine (T4) and 9 micrograms of liothyronine (t3). Inactive ingredients are calcium stearate, dextrose, microcrystalline cellulose, sodium starch glycolate and opadry white. Armour Thryoid is a product of Forest Pharmaceuticals that is used as a naturally derived alternative to synthetic thyroid hormone replacement therapy using products such as levothyroxine.

Armour thyroid is made by taking a porcine thyroid and using the whole organ intact, it is ground up into powder form.

drugbox
IUPAC_name = 3,5,3',5'-Tetraiodo-L-thyronine
CAS_number = 51-48-9
ATC_prefix=H03
ATC_suffix=AA01
PubChem=
DrugBank=
C=15 | H=10 | I=4 | N=1 | Na=1 | O=4
molecular_weight = 798.86 (anhydrous)
bioavailability = 49-79%
metabolism = Liver, kidney, intestinal wall
elimination_half-life = 2-7 days
excretion = Through feces
pregnancy_category = A (FDA)
legal_status = RX
routes_of_administration = Oral

Additional Reading

* Abelove WA: A new form of thyroid therapy. J Fla Med Assoc 1970; 57:19.
* Anon: Kelp diets can produce myxedema in iodine sensitive individuals. JAMA 1975; 233:9-10.
* Auf'mkolk M, Kohrle J, Gumbinger H, et al: Antihormonal effects of plant extracts: iodothyronine deiodinase of rat liver is inhibited by extracts and secondary metabolites of plants. Horm Metabol Res 1984; 16(4):188-192.
* Barkai G, Zarfin Y, Ben-Harari M, et al: In utero thyroxine therapy for the induction of fetal lung maturity: long term effects. J Perinat Med 1988; 16(2):145-8.
* Batagol RBatagol R (Ed): Australian Drug Evaluation Committee: Medicines in Pregnancy-An Australian categorisation of risk of drug use in pregnancy, 3rd. Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, Australia, 1996.
* Bergeron GA, Goldsmith R, & Schiller NB: Myocardial infarction, severe reversible ischemia, and shock following excess thyroid administration in a woman with normal coronary arteries. Arch Intern Med 1988; 148:1450-1453.
* Cobb WE & Jackson IMD: Drug therapy reviews: management of hypothyroidism. Am J Hosp Pharm 1978; 35:51-58.
* Cooper DS: Treatment with thyroid hormone. JAMA 1989; 262:1774-1775.
* Costigan DC, Freedman MH, & Ehrlich RM: Potentiation of oral anticoagulant effect of L-thyroxine. Clin Pediatr 1984; 23:172-174.
* Gilman AG, Rall TW, Nies AS, et al (Eds): Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 8th. Pergamon Press, New York, NY, 1990a.
* Gilman AG, Rall TW, Nies AS, et alGilman AG, Rall TW, Nies AS, et al (Eds): Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 8th. Pergamon Press, New York, NY, 1990.
* Hansten PD: Oral anticoagulants and drugs which alter thyroid function. Drug Intell Clin Pharm 1980; 14:331-334.
* Heinonen OP, Slone D, & Shapiro SHeinonen OP, Slone D, & Shapiro S (Eds): Birth defects and drugs in pregnancy, Publishing Sciences Group, Littleton, MA, 1977, pp 397-398.
* Hoffman DA, McConahey WM, Brinton LA, et al: Breast cancer in hypothyroid women using thyroid supplements. JAMA 1984; 251:616-619.
* Holdredge JM: Congenital goiter. A case report. Grace Hosp Bull 1962; 40:18-20.
* Hurxthal LM, Dotter WE, Vose GP, et al: Effect of postoperative hypoparathyroidism on bone density. Texas Rep Biol Med 1976; 34:257-265.
* Huston G: Thyroxine-replacement therapy, aldosterone, and cardiac failure (letter). Lancet 1979; 1:387.
* Ishizuki Y, Yamauchi K, & Miura Y: Transient thyrotoxicosis induced by Japanese Kombu. Folia Endocrinol 1989; 65:91-98.
* Jackson IMD & Cobb WE: Why does anyone still use desiccated thyroid USP?. Am J Med 1978; 64:284-288.
* Kapdi CC & Wolfe JN: Breast cancer: relationship to thyroid supplements to hypothyroidism. JAMA 1976; 236:1124-1127.
* Kaplan MM: Monitoring thyroxine treatment during pregnancy. Thyroid 1992; 2:147-152.
* Kaplan MM: Thyroid hormone therapy: what, when, and how much. Postgrad Med 1993; 93:249-262.
* Keller K, Hansel R, & Chandler RFKeller K, Hansel R, & Chandler RF (Eds): Adverse Effects of Herbal Drugs, 1, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, Germany, 1993.
* Kemper F: Experimental basis for the therapeutic use of Lithospermum officinale for blocking of anterior pituitary hormone. Arzneim Forsch 1959; 4:411-419.
* Kohrle J, Auf'mkolk M, Winterhoff H, et al: Iodothyronine deiodinases: inhibition by plant extracts. Acta Endocrinol 1981; Suppl 240:15-16.
* Lamberg BA: Endemic goiter-iodine deficiency disorders. Ann Med 1991; 23:367-72.
* Larsen PR: Thyroid-pituitary interaction: feedback regulation of thyrotropin secretion by thyroid hormones. N Engl J Med 1982; 306:23-32.
* Lev-Ran A: Part-of-the-day hypertriiodothyroninemia caused by desiccated thyroid. JAMA 1983; 250:2790-2791.
* Liu X-Q, Rahman A, Bagdade JD, et al: Effect of thyroid hormone on plasma apolipoproteins and apoA- and apoB-containing lipoprotein particles. Eur J Clin Invest 1998; 28:266-270.
* Low LC, Ratcliffe W, & and Alexander W: Intrauterine hypothyroidism due to antithyroid-drug therapy for thyrotoxicosis during pregnancy. Lancet 1978; 2:370-371.
* MacGillivray MH: Thyroid dysfunction in the neonatal period. Clin Perinatol 1975; 2:15-21.
* Man EB & Serunian SA: Thyroid function in human pregnancy. IX. Development or retardation of 7-year-old progeny of hypothyroxinemic women. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1976; 125(7):949.
* Man EB, Jones WS, Holden RH, et al: Thyroid function in human pregnancy. 8. Retardation of progeny aged 7 years; relationships to maternal age and maternal thyroid function. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1971; 111(7):905-16.
* Man EB: Studies of children born to women with thyroid disease. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1958; 75:728-741.
* Marks P, Anderson J, & Vincent R: Aldosterone in myxoedema. Lancet 1978; 2:1277-1278.
* Matsuura K, Mizumoto J, Matsui K, et al: Pregnancy following combined therapy with thyroid hormone and bromocriptine in a patient with amenorrhea-galactorrhea due to primary hypothyroidism. Int J Fertil 1982; 27:181-183.
* Mustacchi P & Greenspan F: Thyroid supplementation for hypothyroidism. An latrogenic cause of breast cancer?. JAMA 1977; 237:1446-1447.
* Norman JA, Pickford CJ, Sanders TW, et al: Human intake of arsenic and iodine from seaweed-based food supplements and health foods available in the UK. Food Add Contamin 1987; 5:103-109.
* Okamura K, Inoue K, & Omae T: A case of Hashimoto's thyroiditis with thyroid immunological abnormality manifested after habitual ingestion of seaweed. Acta Endocrinol 1978; 88:703-712.
* Olgaard K & Borup K: Aldosterone in myxoedema (letter). Lancet 1979; 1:218.
* Olin B (Ed): Facts and Comparisons, JB Lippincott Co, St Louis, MO, 1990a.
* Oppenheimer JH: Thyroid hormone action at the nuclear level. Ann Intern Med 1985; 102:374-384.
* Pandya AG, Beaudoing DL, & Tharp MD: Chronic urticaria associated with exogenous thyroid use (letter). Arch Dermatol 1990; 126:1238-1239.
* Penny R & Frasier SD: Elevated serum concentrations of triiodothyronine in hypothyroid patients. Values for patients receiving VSP thyroid. Am J Dis Child 1980; 134:16-28.
* Piggott TA, Pato MT, & L'Heureux F: A controlled comparison of adjuvant lithium carbonate or thyroid hormone in clomipramine-treated patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. J Clin Psychopharmacol 1991; 11:242-248.
* Potter JD: Hypothyroidism and reproductive failure. Surg Gynecol Obstet 1980; 150:251-255.
* Product Information: ARMOUR(R) THYROID oral tablets, thyroid oral tablets. Forest Laboratories,Inc, St. Louis, MO, 2002.
* Rayburn WF: Chronic medical disorders during pregnancy. Guidelines for prescribing drugs. J Reprod Med 1997; 42(1):1-24.
* Reynolds JEF (Ed): Martindale: The Extra Pharmacopoeia, (electronic version). Micromedex, Inc. Denver, CO. 1990.
* Rice AJ, McIntosh TJ, Fouts JR, et al: Decreased sensitivity to warfarin in patients with myxedema. Am J Med Sci 1971; 262:211-215.
* Riley ED & and Sclare G: Thyroid disorders in the newborn. Br Med J 1957; 1:979-980.
* Schoen HC, Lund MH, & Catz B: Clinical and laboratory response to different thyroid substitution medications. Am J Med Sci 1970; 260:299-307.
* Self T, Weisburst M, Wooten E, et al: Warfarin-induced hypoprothrombinemia. Potentiation by hyperthyroidism. JAMA 1975; 231:1165-1166.
* Self TH, Straughn AB, & Weisburst MR: Effect of hyperthyroidism on hypoprothrombinemic response to warfarin. Am J Hosp Pharm 1976; 33:387-389.
* Shapiro S, Slone D, Kaufman DW, et al: Use of thyroid supplements in relation to the risk of breast cancer. JAMA 1980; 244:1685-1687.
* Shilo S & Hirsch HJ: Iodine-induced hyperthyroidism in a patient with a normal thyroid gland. Postgrad Med J 1986; 62(729):661-662.
* Smith SR: Desiccated thyroid preparations: obsolete therapy. Arch Intern Med 1984; 144:926-927.
* Sourgens H, Winterhoff H, Gumbinger HG, et al: Antihormonal effects of plant extracts on hypophyseal hormones in the rat. Acta Endocrinol 1980b; 234(suppl):49.
* Sourgens H, Winterhoff H, Gumbinger HG, et al: Antihormonal effects of plant extracts. TSH- and prolactin-suppressing properties of Lithospermum officinale and other plants. Planta Medica 1982; 45(2):78-86.
* Sourgens H: Further investigations on the mechanism of action of freeze dried extracts of Lithospermum officinale L. (abstract). Naun Schmied Arch Pharmacol 1979; 307(suppl):201.
* Stephens MA, Self TH, Lancaster D, et al: Hypothyroidism: effect on warfarin anticoagulation. South Med J 1989; 82:1585-1586.
* Tajiri J, Higashi K, Morita M, et al: Studies of hypothyroidism in patients with high iodine intake. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1986; 63:412-417.
* Tanis BC, Westendorp RGJ, & Smelt HM: Effect of thyroid substitution on hypercholesterolaemia in patients with subclinical hypothyroidism: a reanalysis of intervention studies. Clin Endocrinol 1996; 44:643-649.
* Taylor S, Kapur M, & Adie R: Combined thyroxine and triiodothyronine for thyroid replacement therapy. Br Med J 1970; 2:270.
* Thompson JA & Riley ID: Neonatal thyrotoxicosis associated with maternal hypothyroidism. Lancet 1966; 1:635-636.
* Trence D: Thyroid replacement therapy: guidelines for use in therapy and diagnosis. Postgrad Med 1983; 73:367.
* Uzzan B, Campos J, & Cucherat M etal: Effects on bone mass of long term treatment with thyroid hormones: a meta-analysis. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1996; 81:4278-4289.
* Vagenakis AG, Cote R, Miller ME, et al: Enhancement of warfarin-induced hypoprothrombinemia by thyrotoxicosis. Johns Hopkins Med J 1972; 131:69-73.
* Wagner VH, Horhammer L, & Frank U: Lithospermic acid, the antihormonally active principle of Lycopus europaes L. and Symphytum officinale L. Arzneimittelforschung 1970; 20(5):705-712.
* Weider DJ & Parker W: Lingual thyroid: review, case reports, and therapeutic guidelines. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 1977; 86:841-848.
* Winterhoff H, Gumbinger HG, & Sourgens H: On the antigonadotropic activity of Lithospermum and Lycopus species and some of their phenolic constituents. Planta Medica 1988; 54:101-106.
* Winterhoff H, Sourgens H, & Kemper FH: Pharmacodynamic effects of Lithospermum officinale on the thyroid gland of rats; comparison with the effects of iodide. Horm Metabol Res 1983; 15(10):503-507.
* Yamaguchi K, Fukushima H, Uzawa H, et al: A case of iodide myxedema observed for three years under a low iodide diet-especially on the restoration of the escape mechanism from the Wolff-Chaikoff Effect. Folia Endocrinol 1984; 60:79-88.