The Best Desiccated Thyroid Supplements on The Market

Desiccated thyroid supplements are super popular among thyroid patients, and for good reason:

They contain actual thyroid hormones, including T4, T3, and T2.

And what makes them even more incredible is the fact that you can get these over the counter, and they synergize with all thyroid medications.

So if you are a thyroid patient struggling to feel better even while taking your thyroid medication each day, they may be the solution you’re looking for.

But here’s what can get confusing:

Some desiccated thyroid supplements are available over the counter, and others require a prescription, and each has different pros and cons.

So today, we are going to break down the difference and discuss several of your options as a thyroid patient, starting with the over-the-counter options because these are the most popular:

#1. Thyroid Glandular+ by Dr. Westin Childs

This thyroid support supplement contains 150 mg of thyroid gland powder (bovine sourced) in each serving.

By the way, when we are talking about desiccated thyroid supplements, remember that they may go by different names.

The terms thyroid gland powder, thyroid glandulars, desiccated thyroid, and raw thyroid are all names used to describe the same ingredient:

Animal-derived thyroid gland tissue that contains real thyroid hormones and prohormones.

This is something to be aware of, but don’t let it confuse you.

Thyroid Glandular+ contains 150 mg of thyroid gland powder per serving (with 120 total servings per container) to allow for easy titration.

Standard dosing for Thyroid Glandular+ is anywhere between 1-4 capsules per day, with the average falling at 2 capsules per day.

On top of the thyroid gland powder, each serving also provides you with adrenal gland, anterior pituitary, spleen, thymus gland, selenium, L-tyrosine, and natural sources of iodine.

These additional ingredients provide comprehensive support to your thyroid gland to allow for even better thyroid hormone production.

I created this formula specifically to provide thyroid patients with an alternative to thyroid medications which are difficult to obtain and difficult to manage.

#2. Evolved Elements Raw Grass-Fed Desiccated Bovine Thyroid

This thyroid support supplement contains 200 mg of freeze-dried thyroid (bovine).

The most notable difference between this and Thyroid Glandular+ is the exclusion of other ingredients such as iodine, l-tyrosine, and selenium.

But if you are looking to just get desiccated thyroid glandular, without any additional ingredients, then this may be the best option for you.

You’ll get better benefits by taking more than just glandulars, but there are situations in which you may only want to take them (usually because you are getting them from other sources).

The biggest downside to this supplement is that the dose of glandulars is relatively high at 200 mg.

This means that if you are on the sensitive side of things, a single serving may be too much for you.

#3. Raw Desiccated Thyroid by Forefront Health

Third on the list is the thyroid glandular supplement from Forefront Health.

This thyroid support supplement contains 130 mg of thyroid glandulars as raw thyroid (sourced from bovine).

Raw Desiccated Thyroid is very similar to the Raw Elements product we just discussed with the main difference being the dose.

So all things being equal, if you don’t need any additional ingredients, then you can compare these products based on price and total dosage per container.

How to Determine Which Option Is Best for You

Determining which product you should use will come down to the following:

• Brand reputation: You want to make sure you purchase from a brand that you know will be around for a while and has a long track record of consistency. Because many thyroid patients use glandulars in place of their thyroid medication, you need to make sure that whatever product you use will be around for a long time.
• Product quality: This is a supplement that you will be reliant on for a long time, so you want to make sure whatever you are taking is high quality. To determine product quality, look for brands that third-party test their products and provide you with a certificate of analysis (sometimes abbreviated as COA). A brand that is willing to share its testing data with you is a brand that you can trust. If you are unable to get this information from any company that sells supplements, look elsewhere because they are likely hiding something (which is easier to do than you might expect).
• Ingredients and serving size: If you’re really interested in fixing your thyroid, then you’re going to need to take more than just desiccated thyroid. Yes, those hormones will certainly help, but they aren’t going to help you with the root cause of your condition. For that, you’re going to need additional ingredients and nutrients such as iodine, selenium, l-tyrosine, and more. These additional ingredients help your thyroid gland produce its own thyroid hormone instead of being reliant on just one supplement for everything that you need (which is not advisable). Whether you get all of these ingredients in one supplement is up to you, but they will be required if you want long-term healing.

Prescription Desiccated Thyroid Supplements (Natural Desiccated Thyroid)

In addition to supplement options, you can always opt to get your desiccated thyroid supplement directly from your doctor.

The biggest benefit to these prescriptions is that they come with standardized amounts of thyroid hormones, meaning that they are more consistent than their OTC counterparts.

While their hormone content stays the same, they do differ in their inactive ingredient profile, which is why some people do better on one versus the other.

Here’s the list of these options:

• Armour Thyroid – Armour Thyroid is one of the oldest natural desiccated thyroid medications on the market (1) and has been used by thousands of thyroid patients over the last several decades.
• NP Thyroid – NP Thyroid is sometimes considered the generic version of Armour Thyroid but it is a slightly different formula (2). It’s often used as a second option when Armour doesn’t work.
• Adthyza – Adthyza is relatively new to the market and claims to have fewer inactive ingredients (3) compared to the other medications listed. Based on user experience, it’s a solid alternative to Armour Thyroid and NP Thyroid but doesn’t have any real notable features or improvements that make it stand out above the rest.  

In the past, other options were available as WP Thyroid and Nature-throid, but these options have been taken off the market and may never come back.

Over The Counter vs Prescription: Which Should You Use?

You might think that the medication option is always preferred because shouldn’t something that comes from your doctor beat something that is available over the counter?

You’d think so, but these medications have some serious cons that are enough to push many thyroid patients away.

Let’s go over the pros and cons of each so you can determine which option is best for you:

Pros of OTC Desiccated Thyroid Supplements:

• You can purchase these over the counter, without the need for a prescription.
• You can self-titrate your dose. If you feel you need more, you can just increase your dose without the need to go to your doctor and ask for a new prescription.
• They are cheaper than NDT formulations like Armour Thyroid (120 servings of Thyroid Glandular+ is $46.75 compared to a 30-day supply of Armour Thyroid at ~$100).
• They can be used to complement thyroid medications.

Cons of OTC Desiccated Thyroid Supplements:

• By far the biggest con is that their hormone content is variable from batch to batch. Because there’s no standardization process for thyroid gland powder, you may get significantly more or less hormone from batch to batch. This makes figuring out how much you need difficult and will require that you use your symptoms as a guide.
• You need to use trial and error. This may not be ideal for people who like to set it and forget it.
• Lab tests are less helpful when you use OTC supplements compared to thyroid medications.

Pros of Prescription NDT:

• The biggest pro is that each serving is standardized to contain a known amount of thyroid hormones (4) (38 mcg of T4 and 9 mcg of T3 in each grain).

Cons of Prescription NDT:

• While better regulated than OTC supplements, there have been several recalls over the years for either excessive (5) or insufficient dosing (6).
• You must get a prescription from your doctor. And because doctors generally prefer to prescribe levothyroxine, this is much harder than you might imagine.
• You can’t self-titrate. You must use whatever dose your doctor prescribes, even if it isn’t enough to manage your symptoms.
• They are expensive. NDT medications are getting more expensive over time with a current 30-day prescription of Armour Thyroid costing around $100. At this price, the over-the-counter desiccated supplements are a cheaper option.
• You have to deal with inactive ingredients. Believe it or not, OTC supplements are cleaner than pharmaceuticals because thyroid experts know how important fillers can be to thyroid patients.

When you put all of this together, it’s easy to see why some patients veer toward medications and others toward supplements.

The reality is that both options work great and which one you choose is more a matter of preference.

When selecting a desiccated thyroid supplement, ask yourself these questions:

• Do you prefer to use prescription medications over supplements? If you prefer medications, go with Armour (or another alternative). If you prefer supplements, go with Thyroid Glandular+ (or another alternative).
• Do you care if your dose changes from month to month? If you want a more stable dose, go with Armour. If you don’t care, go with OTC glandulars.
• Is cost a big factor in your decision? If money isn’t an issue, go with Armour. If you are on a budget, go with Thyroid Glandular+.
• Do you mind trial and error and self-titration? If you want your doctor to be in control of your dose, go with Armour. If you want more control, go with thyroid glandulars.
• Do you prefer the more natural route or the more medical route? If you like the natural route, go with thyroid glandulars. If you like frequent visits to the doctors and all that entails, go with Armour.
• Do you have any allergies or sensitivities? If you are sensitive, go with thyroid glandulars. If you aren’t, go with Armour.

Final Thoughts

These desiccated thyroid supplements offer a natural alternative to the synthetic medications that the majority of thyroid patients take.

And when you consider that you have both OTC and prescription options available to you, there will always be something that you can find that works for you.

Remember:

Your goal should be 100% complete symptom control and you can get there with the right treatment.

By the way, if you’re someone who doesn’t like the idea of staying on thyroid medication for the rest of your life then check out this article next.

It walks you through other powerful thyroid support supplements that can help you get off your meds.