Armour Thyroid vs. Nature-Throid

See how Armour Thyroid and Nature-Throid compare on approved uses, dosing, side effects, and cost.

Key Takeaways

  • Armour Thyroid and Nature-Throid are both animal-derived desiccated thyroid extracts containing T4 and T3, unlike synthetic levothyroxine-only medications.

  • Both drugs start titration at 15 mg once daily, but Armour Thyroid includes an extra incremental step before reaching its maintenance dose.

  • Neither drug has gone through a formal FDA New Drug Application; both are grandfathered pre-1938 products that have faced recurring supply shortages.

Armour Thyroid vs. Nature-Throid Drug Summary

Armour Thyroid

Armour Thyroid is a natural desiccated thyroid hormone made from porcine thyroid gland, used as replacement therapy for hypothyroidism and to suppress pituitary TSH in certain thyroid conditions. It contains both T4 and T3, unlike synthetic levothyroxine, and is taken as a once-daily oral tablet with the dose raised gradually over several weeks.

Nature-Throid

Nature-Throid is also a natural desiccated thyroid hormone derived from porcine thyroid gland, prescribed for hypothyroidism of nearly any cause and for pituitary TSH suppression in thyroid nodules or goiter. Like Armour Thyroid, it delivers both T4 and T3 in a once-daily oral tablet, with dosing labeled in both milligrams and traditional grain units.

Armour Thyroid vs. Nature-Throid Side Effects

Armour Thyroid

Most common
Tremors
Tachycardia/palpitations
Headache
Insomnia/nervousness

Nature-Throid

Most common
Tremors
Tachycardia/palpitations
Weight loss
Insomnia

Armour Thyroid vs. Nature-Throid Dosage

Armour Thyroid

Dosage
Dosage Table
STAGE DOSE WHEN
Starting dose 15 mg once daily At the start
Maximum dose 60-120 mg once daily If needed
Dose changes 3 increases As tolerated

Nature-Throid

Dosage
Dosage Table
STAGE DOSE WHEN
Starting dose 15 mg (1/4 grain) daily At the start
Maximum dose 60-120 mg (1-2 grain) daily If needed
Dose changes 2 increases As tolerated

Armour Thyroid vs. Nature-Throid Indications

Armour Thyroid

Armour Thyroid is FDA-labeled for hypothyroidism caused by problems in the thyroid, pituitary, or hypothalamus, and for suppressing TSH in thyroid nodules, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, multinodular goiter, and thyroid cancer. It is not approved for weight loss or for infertility unrelated to low thyroid function.

  • Primary, secondary, or tertiary hypothyroidism

  • TSH suppression in thyroid nodules

  • Hashimoto's thyroiditis and multinodular goiter

  • Adjunct therapy in thyroid cancer management

Nature-Throid

Nature-Throid is FDA-labeled for hypothyroidism of any cause except transient hypothyroidism during recovery from subacute thyroiditis, and for TSH suppression in euthyroid goiters, nodules, and Hashimoto's thyroiditis. It also carries an added label as a diagnostic agent for thyroid suppression testing, a use Armour Thyroid does not have.

  • Hypothyroidism of any etiology (with exclusions)

  • TSH suppression in thyroid nodules and goiter

  • Hashimoto's thyroiditis and multinodular goiter

  • Diagnostic agent for thyroid suppression testing

Armour Thyroid vs. Nature-Throid Pros and Cons

Armour Thyroid

Armour Thyroid and Nature-Throid share nearly identical clinical profiles since both are desiccated porcine thyroid extracts with overlapping grandfathered FDA status. Armour Thyroid's titration schedule includes one more incremental step before maintenance, and its label does not carry the diagnostic-use indication or explicit contraindications found on Nature-Throid's label.

Pros

  • Extra titration step (+15 mg increments) allows more gradual dose increases

  • Label does not list thyrotoxicosis as an explicit contraindication

  • Dosing measured only in milligrams, without legacy grain conversions

Cons

  • No FDA-labeled diagnostic use for thyroid suppression testing

  • Still subject to periodic supply shortages typical of desiccated extracts

  • Broader hypothyroidism label lacks the exclusions Nature-Throid specifies

  • Warns of adrenal crisis risk if used before corticosteroid replacement

Nature-Throid

Nature-Throid offers an added FDA-labeled diagnostic use for thyroid suppression testing and dosing labeled in traditional grain units alongside milligrams. It has also experienced a specific 2020 recall for subpotent tablets that led to extended supply shortages, and its label carries stricter contraindications than Armour Thyroid's.

Pros

  • FDA-labeled as a diagnostic agent for thyroid suppression testing

  • Dosing labeled in traditional grain units alongside milligrams

  • Label details trace T1, T2, calcitonin, and iodine content

Cons

  • Experienced a 2020 recall for subpotent tablets causing prolonged shortages

  • Explicitly contraindicated in uncorrected adrenal insufficiency and thyrotoxicosis

  • Overdose symptoms may be delayed several days, complicating recognition

  • Excludes transient hypothyroidism from subacute thyroiditis recovery

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