Armour Thyroid (Desiccated Thyroid Extract)
Natural desiccated thyroid extract (DTE) from porcine thyroid glands, providing a fixed combination of T4 and T3 at an approximate 4.2:1 ratio (1 grain = 60 mg approx 38 mcg T4 + 9 mcg T3). Used for hypothyroidism as an alternative to levothyroxine, especially by patients reporting incomplete symptom relief on T4 monotherapy. Common dosing: 1-3 grains (60-180 mg) daily. PK is dominated by the long T4 half-life (~7.5 days), but the T3 component produces sharper postdose T3 peaks. Controversial in endocrine guidelines but enduring in integrative practice.
Projected serum levels — 60 mg, once daily
Maintenance schedule: 60 mg once daily (oral).
Modeled steady state after ~1 days: peak ≈ 6.9 mg, trough ≈ 0.000 mg body load. Population-based estimate over 15 days for a 60 mg dose at a 70 kg reference body mass — the interactive app scales curves to your doses, timing, and body mass.
Key facts
- Category
- Thyroid Hormone
- Route modeled
- Oral
- Model confidence
- inferred
- Half-life
- 19 min
- Common dose
- 60 mg
- Suggested maximum
- 180 mg/day
- Reference dose range
- 30–180 mg (single dose)
- Suggested cadence
- once daily
Documented interactions
-
danger
Levothyroxine (Synthroid) + Armour Thyroid (Desiccated Thyroid Extract)
Armour Thyroid (Desiccated Thyroid Extract) may displace Levothyroxine (Synthroid) from plasma protein binding sites, transiently raising free drug concentration. This drug has a narrow therapeutic…
-
warning
Apigenin + Armour Thyroid (Desiccated Thyroid Extract)
Apigenin may displace Armour Thyroid (Desiccated Thyroid Extract) from plasma protein binding sites, transiently raising free drug concentration.
-
warning
Aripiprazole (Abilify) + Armour Thyroid (Desiccated Thyroid Extract)
Aripiprazole (Abilify) may displace Armour Thyroid (Desiccated Thyroid Extract) from plasma protein binding sites, transiently raising free drug concentration.
-
warning
Astaxanthin + Armour Thyroid (Desiccated Thyroid Extract)
Astaxanthin may displace Armour Thyroid (Desiccated Thyroid Extract) from plasma protein binding sites, transiently raising free drug concentration.
-
warning
Atomoxetine (Strattera) + Armour Thyroid (Desiccated Thyroid Extract)
Atomoxetine (Strattera) may displace Armour Thyroid (Desiccated Thyroid Extract) from plasma protein binding sites, transiently raising free drug concentration.
-
warning
Atorvastatin (Lipitor) + Armour Thyroid (Desiccated Thyroid Extract)
Atorvastatin (Lipitor) may displace Armour Thyroid (Desiccated Thyroid Extract) from plasma protein binding sites, transiently raising free drug concentration.
Serum checks 157 modeled interaction pairings for armour thyroid (desiccated thyroid extract) across your whole stack — absorption conflicts, enzyme inhibition, and nutrient depletion included.
Research behind this entry
-
Desiccated thyroid extract compared with levothyroxine in the treatment of hypothyroidism: a randomized, double-blind, crossover study
RCT crossover study of 70 hypothyroid patients found DTE did not improve quality-of-life vs levothyroxine by standard measures, but ~49% of patients preferred DTE and lost more weight on it.
-
Guidelines for the treatment of hypothyroidism: prepared by the American Thyroid Association task force on thyroid hormone replacement
Comprehensive ATA clinical guideline on hypothyroidism treatment; does not recommend DTE as first-line therapy but acknowledges its use in selected patients with persistent symptoms on levothyroxine.
-
Comparison of desiccated thyroid and levothyroxine on body weight, metabolic parameters, and quality of life in hypothyroidism
Comparative study of DTE vs levothyroxine showing modest weight loss and patient preference with DTE despite comparable thyroid biomarker normalization in both groups.
3 published studies referenced in the app, each with a plain-language summary.