information for your doctor

 

 How to find a sympathetic Doctor

If you need a second opinion, or a complete change - you can ring or email Compound Labs & ask them to give you the names of sympathetic doctors in your area - https://compoundlabs.co.nz/pages/contact-form  - 09 442 1727
They are only too happy to oblige.
Also, you could ask at pharmacies in your area - they will know doctors who prescribe whatever medication you are after - be it Whole Thyroid or an alternative T4.

Remember - we pay our doctors to help us stay healthy - they work for us and if they don't come up to scratch, we can fire them & go elsewhere!
 
If you have a great doctor and would like to share him or her with others in your area, please message our Facebook group and add them to the Doctors' Database available in the members' section.

 

Information for You and Your Doctor
We have found that many doctors still believe there are NO alternatives to GSK Eltroxin. They tell you there is nothing else, so you will just have to put up with whatever side-effects you are experiencing. We know this is just not true and this page contains links to files that will help you prove this to your Medical Professional.
  • We now have 2 alternative Levothyroxine brands that are funded - Goldshield and Synthroid.
    There are also some unfunded options (Actavis/Almus, Teva and original formulation Eltroxin are examples) that may be imported for you by your pharmacist - or you can import yourself.
    You can now tell your doctor which brand you want to be prescribed. Doctors can prescribe any of these medications simply by writing "Generic Substitution Allowed". You will have to pay for any variety that is not funded.
    Check with the pharmacist BEFORE handing over your script. Let your fingers do the walking & find a pharmacy that will dispense another version.
    You can also import your own, 3 months supply is perfectly legal. If it is stopped at customs, a prescription must be produced to release it.
    Levothyroxine brands available from www.internationalpharmacy.com are Synthroid (Abbott), Levoxyl (Jones), Levothroid (Forest), Unithroid (Lannet). They also stock Liothyronine - Cytomel brand (King), Armour Thyroid (Forest) and Liotrix, a T4/T3 synthetic combination - Thyrolar brand (Forest).
    • Another reputable online pharmacy is Canada Drugs - www.canadadrugs.com
  • CompoundLabs is a New Zealand pharmacy that supplies Whole Thyroid Extract as a prescription medicine, either from compounding Desiccated Whole Thyroid Powder (capsule form) or distribution of tablet form. These medications are not funded by PHARMAC, but can be prescribed by your Doctor.
  • Thyrovanz is a product made in the USA using thyroid glandular tissue from New Zealand or Argentinian cows. The Argentinian product is less potent than the NZ one. This can be purchased without prescription direct from the manufacturer (www.thyrovanz.com) although we recommend that you have a prescription on hand in case it is stopped at customs. This has happened on occasion.

  • With the current COVID-19 global situation, we recommend shipping with Fed-Ex. It is expensive, but worth it for the peace of mind!

  • A new study shows that the addition of T3 is superior to Levothyroxine/T4-Only Thyroid treatment for Hypothyroidism. Read the Editorial or purchase a copy online for $25 at the European Journal of Endocrinology website.

    • The following links are to pdf files from TPA-UK who have given us permission to reproduce them:

  • The Thyroid Patient Advocacy –UK (TPA-UK) response to the British Thyroid Association’s (BTA) Statement on the Use of Combination Thyroxine/Triiodothyronine (Liothyronine) Therapy 11 pages
  • The Thyroid Patient Advocacy-UK (TPA-UK) Response to: “A Statement from the British Thyroid Association Executive Committee on Armour® Thyroid” 14 pages
  • BTF response to the research papers 8 pages
    Also from TPA-UK - information on natural desiccated porcine thyroid extract for patients and doctors Here
  • New research shows that it may be safe for patients taking thyroxine replacement to have low but not suppressed thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels. The research, presented at the Society for Endocrinology BES meeting in Manchester, shows for the first time that it may be safe for patients to take slightly higher doses of thyroxine than are currently recommended. www.endocrinology.org/press/pressreleases/2010-03-16_Thyroxine.pdf
    • Also check out this study on low TSH, normal FT4 in pregnancy, where NO DIFFERENCE was found between these women and “normal” pregnant women: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16449121