Thyroid Medication

A guide to thyroid medication & alpha-gal syndrome (AGS)

Thyroid medication

Thyroid hormones: Supplementation or replacement of endogenous thyroid hormone with ‘natural’ products (e.g., Armour thyroid) may be less ideal in patients with AGS since these products are derived from porcine thyroid glands. However, if patients feel strongly regarding this choice, we often supervise initial dosing in the clinic and only cease if symptoms develop (which we have seen happen both acutely as well as after several weeks of dosing). Of note, this issue – as well as that of pancreatic enzyme replacement and heart valves (see below) – may be solved by using alpha-gal deficient pigs as a source of material.18

Commins SP. Diagnosis & management of alpha-gal syndrome: lessons from 2,500 patients. Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2020;16(7):667-677.

Some medications used to treat hypothyroidism contain porcine thyroid extracts — for example, Armour Thyroid (57,103).18 Products containing synthetic levothyroxine may be a suitable alternative for some patients.

If other mammal-derived ingredients, like gelatin (or potentially mammal-derived ingredients, like magnesium stearate), are a concern, alternatives include:

Note: manufacturers can change ingredients at any time. We cannot verify that these products are free of mammal-derived ingredients or other sources of alpha-gal. Contact the manufacturer or VeganMed for more information. 

More information from Pill Clarity

Read Pill Clarity’s article on vegan medications for hypothyroidism. 
https://www.pillclarity.org/post/vegan-medications-for-hypothyroidism 

Select publications on thyroid medication and alpha-gal syndrome: