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Drug Details

Armour Thyroid

Medically Reviewed by Dr. Harshi Dhingra, M.D.

Last Reviewed: Mar 29, 2023

Drug Details

Generic Name:

Desiccated thyroid

Common Brands:

Armour Thyroid, NP Thyroid, Nature-Throid, WP-Thyroid

Availability:

Prescription only

Therapeutic Class:

Thyroid hormone preparations

Forms:

Tablet

Administration:

By mouth

Therapeutic Uses:

Thyroid hormone replacement in people with hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid gland)

Thyroid suppression therapy in people with multinodular goiter, thyroid nodules, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and thyroid cancer

Controlled Status:

Not a controlled substance

Armour Thyroid Drug Class

Armour Thyroid (aa-muh-thai-royd) contains two thyroid hormones, triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4), that are naturally derived from pig (porcine) thyroid glands.

Armour Thyroid Age Range

Armour Thyroid is approved for use in adults and children.

Uses

Armour Thyroid Uses

Thyroid hormones exert an influence on many important functions in the body, such as metabolism, temperature regulation, and heart rate. Both low and high thyroid hormone levels can cause problems. Armour Thyroid is used to treat underactive thyroid gland (hypothyroidism). It replaces thyroid hormones in people who have low levels of these hormones.

Armour Thyroid is also used to suppress thyroid function in people with conditions such as multinodular goiter, thyroid nodules, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and thyroid cancer.

There may be other uses of Armour Thyroid. Your health care professional or pharmacist can give you further drug information.

Armour Thyroid Mechanism of Action

Armour Thyroid contains natural thyroid hormones obtained from animal thyroid glands, specifically pig (porcine) thyroid glands. It is used for maintenance thyroid replacement therapy in people who do not have enough thyroid hormone.

Armour Thyroid Doses

Armour Thyroid is available as tablets in doses of 15 mg, 30 mg, 60 mg, 90 mg, 120 mg, 180 mg, 240 mg, and 300 mg. Thyroid hormone dosage depends on the condition being treated. For hypothyroidism, the typical starting dose is 30 mg by mouth once a day. Your healthcare provider may increase the dose by 15 mg every 2-3 weeks, depending on clinical and laboratory evidence of response. Most people require maintenance doses of 60 mg to 120 mg a day to maintain normal serum T3 and T4 levels.

For thyroid suppression therapy, the dose is calculated based on body weight and treatment usually lasts for 7-10 days.

In some cases, for example, during radioisotope scanning procedures, liothyronine (T3) may be used instead of levothyroxine (T4).

Directions

How To Use Armour Thyroid

Armour Thyroid should be taken once a day before breakfast on an empty stomach. Try to take your medicine at around the same time every day. Read the prescription label carefully and ask your healthcare provider if you don’t understand how to take this medication.

Take Armour Thyroid exactly as prescribed. Do not take a higher or lower dose or take it more or less frequently than advised by your healthcare professional.

Your provider will start you on a lower dose of Armour Thyroid and gradually increase the dose based on clinical and laboratory evidence of thyroid function. It may take several weeks before you notice an improvement in your symptoms. You will need to take this medicine lifelong to control hypothyroidism. Continue taking Armour Thyroid even if you feel well. Do not stop taking the medicine without talking to your healthcare provider.

Missed dose: If you forget a dose of Armour Thyroid, use it as soon as you remember. However, if it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the next dose according to your regular dosing schedule. Do not take extra medicine to make up for a missed dose.

Storage: Store Armour Thyroid at room temperature (between 15-30° C or 59-86° F) away from moisture, heat, and direct light in a tightly closed container. Do not store medications in the bathroom, where they can be exposed to moisture and heat. Keep all medications safely out of reach of children and pets.

Unused medicine: Unused or expired Armour Thyroid should be disposed of in a way that children, other people, and pets cannot get to them. Do not throw Armour Thyroid in the trash or flush it down the toilet. The best way to properly discard expired or unneeded Armour Thyroid is through your local waste disposal company or a drug take-back program. Learn more about proper medication disposal.

NOTE: This medication guide is a summary and may not contain all possible drug information on Armour Thyroid. The information contained here may not be up-to-date. This sheet is for information purposes only. If you have questions about Armour Thyroid, talk to your health care professional for medical advice.

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Side Effects

Armour Thyroid Side Effects

Possible side effects of Armour Thyroid are listed below. Tell your doctor if these side effects are severe or do not go away in a few days.

Weight loss
Shakiness
Headache
Gastrointestinal symptoms like stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea
Mood changes such as anxiety or irritability
Sleep problems
Hyperactivity
Flushing
Fever
Increased appetite
Muscle weakness
Changes in menstrual cycle
Temporary hair loss

Rare but serious effects of Armour Thyroid are listed below. Call your doctor immediately or seek emergency medical attention if you develop these unlikely but serious effects:

Skin rash
Chest pain
Irregular heartbeat
Difficulty breathing
Swelling of the hands, lower legs, ankles, or feet
Nervousness
Heat intolerance or excessive sweating
Seizures

The above list may not include all the possible side effects of Armour Thyroid. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects if they are unusual or severe or they do not get better over time. You can also report unusual side effects to the Food and Drug Administration at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Armour Thyroid Overdose: In case of an overdose, contact your doctor immediately. You can also call the national poison control center at 1-800-222-1222. If a person cannot be awakened, has trouble breathing, has collapsed, or has had a seizure, call 911.

Source: FDA

Warnings

Armour Thyroid Risks, Warnings, and Complications

Armour Thyroid can cause rare but serious effects in some people. Check with your doctor or pharmacist about other treatment options for underactive thyroid gland if you are at increased risk of these unlikely but serious effects from Armour Thyroid. Some of the risks of taking this medicine include:

NOT FOR WEIGHT LOSS: Armour Thyroid should not be used to speed up weight loss. This medication does not promote weight loss in people with a normal thyroid status. In fact, it can cause serious side effects if you have a normally functioning thyroid gland, especially if you are taking other medications for weight loss.
CONTRAINDICATIONS: Thyroid hormone preparations are contraindicated in people with certain concomitant endocrine diseases such as uncorrected adrenal insufficiency (decreased adrenal gland function), untreated thyrotoxicosis, as well as hypersensitivity (allergic reactions). In people who have uncorrected adrenal insufficiency (decreased adrenal gland function), receiving thyroid replacement therapy can lead to a further decrease in adrenal hormone levels. Your healthcare provider will check adrenal hormone levels before starting you on Armour Thyroid. Tell your doctor if you develop tiredness, muscle weakness, stomach pain, loss of appetite, or dizziness while on thyroid replacement.
INCREASED RISK OF CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE: Taking high doses of Armour Thyroid or prolonged thyroid therapy can lead to heart problems, especially in older individuals and those with pre-existing angina (chest pain), coronary artery disease, and other heart conditions. Call your doctor without delay or get immediate medical care if you develop chest pain, irregular or rapid heartbeat, or shortness of breath while on Armour Thyroid. Your doctor may need to lower your dose.
WORSENING BLOOD SUGAR CONTROL: Thyroid treated patients with diabetes can develop worsening blood sugar control. Your doctor may ask you to check your blood sugar levels more frequently and they may adjust the doses of your diabetes medications. Tell your provider if you notice higher blood sugar readings than usual.

Precautions Before Starting Armour Thyroid

Tell your doctor if you have ever had an allergic reaction to thyroid medication, any of the active or inactive ingredients in Armour Thyroid tablets, pork, or any other medications. Your pharmacy can give you a list of ingredients.

Give your doctor and pharmacist a complete list of your medications, including prescription drugs, non-prescription medicines, vitamins, supplements, and herbal products. This can help avoid possible drug interactions between Armour Thyroid and your other medications.

Give your doctor a complete medical history. Armour Thyroid may not be right for people with certain medical conditions such as diabetes, coronary artery disease, cardiovascular disease, heart attack, angina (chest pain), heart arrhythmias, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, pituitary gland or adrenal gland conditions, osteoporosis, malabsorptive disease (conditions that lead to poor intestinal absorption), kidney disease, or liver disease.

If you are an older adult over the age of 65 years, talk to your doctor about the benefits versus risks of taking Armour Thyroid.

Very little thyroid hormone passes the placental barrier or into human milk. Therefore, Armour Thyroid is generally safe to take by pregnant women and nursing mothers. However, tell your doctor if you are pregnant, could be pregnant, planning a pregnancy, or breast feeding before starting this medicine.

Precautions During Use of Armour Thyroid

Keep all your medical and lab appointments while on Armour Thyroid. Your doctor may want to order certain lab tests and monitor you for adverse reactions such as thyroid hormone toxicity.

If you are on cholesterol-lowering medications such as colestipol (Colestid) or cholestyramine (Questran), make sure you take them at least 4 hours before your Armour Thyroid dose. If you are on iron supplements, iron-containing drugs, antacids, sucralfate (Carafate), or simethicone, take these at least 4 hours away from your thyroid medication.

Tell your health care professional if you become pregnant while on Armour Thyroid.

Armour Thyroid Drug Interactions

It may not be safe to administer thyroid hormones with certain other medicines. Possible drug interactions between Armour Thyroid and other medicines can increase your risk of serious adverse reactions. Your doctor may change the dose of your medications and/or monitor you carefully for side effects if there are known interactions between Armour Thyroid and your other medicines. The following medications may have interactions with thyroid hormone therapy

Amphetamines such as benzphetamine (Didrex), dextroamphetamine (Dexedrine, in Adderall), and methamphetamine (Desoxyn)
Oral anticoagulant therapy with warfarin (Jantoven, Coumadin)
Hormones like danazol or testosterone
Human growth hormone (Genotropin)
Antidepressants
Antiemetic agents like aprepitant (Emend)
Anticonvulsants like carbamazepine (Tegretol, Epitol, Carbatrol), phenobarbital (Luminal, Solfoton), phenytoin (Dilantin, Phenytek)
Insulin and oral diabetes medications
Heart medications like digoxin (Lanoxin)
HIV medications such as efavirenz (Sustiva), nevirapine (Viramune), and ritonavir (Norvir, in Kaletra)
Estrogen containing oral contraceptives and hormone replacement therapy
Antifungals like griseofulvin (Grifulvin, Fulvicin, Gris-PEG)
Cholesterol-lowering drugs like lovastatin (Mevacor, Altocor)
Oral steroids such as prednisone (Deltasone), methylprednisolone (Medrol), and dexamethasone (Decadron, Dexone, Dexpak)
Antimycobacterials like rifampin (Rifadin, Rimactane, in Rifamate) and rifabutin (Mycobutin)
Asthma medications such as theophylline (Elixophyllin, Theo-24, Theolair, Quibron, others)
Pain relievers such as aspirin and aspirin-containing products, choline salicylate (Arthropan), choline magnesium trisalicylate, magnesium salicylate (Doan's, others), salsalate (Salgesic, Argesic, Disalcid) and diflunisal (Dolobid)
Potassium iodide (in Elixophyllin-Kl, KIE, Pediacof)
Strong iodine solution (Lugol's Solution)

Give your doctor or pharmacist a complete list of your medications, including prescription drugs, non-prescription medicines, dietary supplements, and herbal remedies. Also, tell your healthcare provider if you smoke, drink alcohol, or use recreational drugs because some of these substances can cause serious health complications when used with prescription medicines.

Pros & Cons

Armour Thyroid Pros and Cons

pros header.svg

Armour Thyroid is natural thyroid hormone derived from animal thyroid glands.
You only need to take this thyroid replacement treatment once a day.
Pregnant women and nursing mothers with thyroid deficiency can take it safely.

cons header.svg

The amount of active medication in an Armour Thyroid preparation bearing different batch numbers can vary, leading to fluctuations in thyroid hormone levels.
This medicine needs to be taken away from food and other medications.
Close monitoring of thyroid hormone activity is required in people with heart disease receiving thyroid replacement therapy.

Pharmacist Tips

Armour Thyroid Tips from Pharmacists

Take your Armour Thyroid first thing in the morning before breakfast on an empty stomach. Food can affect how much thyroid hormone you absorb.
Keep all your medical and lab appointments during thyroid hormone treatment. Your healthcare provider will adjust your dose based on your thyroid hormone (T3 and T4) levels.
Taking thyroid hormones requires timing the medication carefully because food and other drugs can interfere with its absorption. If you are on other medications, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about when to take them.
Keep an eye on your blood sugar readings if you have diabetes. Tell your doctor if you notice higher than usual numbers. Your doctor may need to adjust your diabetes medications.
Tell your doctor immediately if you develop signs and symptoms of thyroid hormone toxicity (increased thyroid hormones), such as fast heartbeat and shakiness. Your dose of Armour Thyroid may be too high, resulting in more thyroid hormone than you need. Your doctor may lower your dose if your lab tests show that your thyroid hormone levels are high.

Rx Savings Tips

Armour Thyroid Rx Savings Tips

Brand name and generic medicines contain the same medicine and are equally effective and safe. Generics can be significantly cheaper than brand name versions. With most medications, the generic medicines offer better value. However, Armour Thyroid is a brand name product and is not available as a generic medication. A BuzzRx Armour Thyroid coupon can result in big savings on the brand name drug. You could end up paying a fraction of the retail cost of Armour Thyroid with your BuzzRx discount coupon. Brand name Armour Thyroid may be under $17.05 for 30 tablets at participating pharmacies in our network such as Walgreens, CVS, Rite Aid, and others, with BuzzRx Armour Thyroid discount coupons.

Lowest Price for Armour Thyroid

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$13.86

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Common Questions

Common Questions about Armour Thyroid

What is the difference between levothyroxine and Armour Thyroid?

Levothyroxine sodium (brand name Synthroid) is a synthetic (lab-made) compound that is identical to the T4 thyroid hormone made by the human thyroid gland. Armour Thyroid is a natural thyroid hormone derived from animal thyroid glands.

Is Armour Thyroid better than levothyroxine?

Doctors usually recommend taking synthetic thyroid tablets such as levothyroxine (Synthroid) as the first line of treatment for underactive thyroid because they contain stable levels of thyroid hormones. In other words, it can be difficult to maintain thyroid hormone levels with natural thyroid hormones like Armour Thyroid because they can contain varying amounts of hormones in different batches. Also, natural thyroid hormones are not completely natural (they contain certain chemicals to bind the tablets together). Additionally, there is a risk of contamination with animal products. If you wish to take a natural hormone to treat underactive thyroid, discuss the pros and cons with your healthcare provider.

Can Armour Thyroid make you lose weight?

Armour Thyroid should not be used to speed up weight loss. Taking thyroid hormones does not make people with normal thyroid function lose weight. Also, excessive doses of thyroid hormones in people with a normally functioning thyroid gland can lead to serious symptoms and medical complications.

How quickly does Armour Thyroid work?

It takes 2-3 weeks for Armour Thyroid to work. Your doctor may increase your dose every 2-3 weeks until your thyroid hormone levels are in the normal range. You will need to take thyroid replacement therapy lifelong. Do not stop your thyroid replacement treatment without talking to your provider even if you feel well.

Does Armour Thyroid cause hair loss?

Armour Thyroid may cause partial hair loss, especially in children, during the first few months of thyroid hormone replacement therapy, but this is temporary.

What is the price of Armour Thyroid without insurance?

Without insurance, Armour Thyroid can be as high as $30.87, but with a free BuzzRx prescription discount coupon, you could pay as low as $17.05 for the most common version of this medication. Use the BuzzRx drug price look-up tool to find the lowest discounted price, and be sure to enter the correct dosage, form, and quantity for the most accurate pricing. While generics tend to have the best savings, you can also use your BuzzRx card and coupons to purchase brand-name versions. It never hurts to ask your pharmacist to try BuzzRx when filling or refilling any of your prescription drugs—whether you have insurance or not.

What is the price of Armour Thyroid with insurance?

Copay amounts vary depending on the type of insurance plan you have and if there is a deductible to reach before prescription drug coverage begins.

You could save up to 80% on your prescription medication with a free BuzzRx discount coupon for Armour Thyroid. When using the BuzzRx lookup tool to find the price of your medicine, be sure to enter the correct dosage, form, and quantity to receive the most accurate discounted pricing. It never hurts to ask your pharmacist to try BuzzRx when filling or refilling any of your prescriptions—whether you have insurance or not.