How much is Armour Thyroid without insurance?

In this article:

• What is Armour Thyroid?
• What is Armour Thyroid?
• How much does Armour Thyroid cost without insurance?
• Alternatives to Armour Thyroid

In this article

• What is Armour Thyroid?
• What is Armour Thyroid?
• How much does Armour Thyroid cost without insurance?
• Alternatives to Armour Thyroid

Armour Thyroid and other thyroid medications are available to help treat thyroid problems, and these drugs can vary in price and insurance coverage. Armour Thyroid can be an expensive medication, whether you pay an insurance copay or the full cash price. Learn more about the price of Armour Thyroid, the recommended dosages, and alternative thyroid medications.

RELATED: Amour Thyroid coupon | Armour Thyroid details

What is Armour Thyroid?

Armour Thyroid is a brand-name prescription thyroid medication. It replaces low thyroid hormone levels in people with underactive thyroid, a medical condition known as hypothyroidism. Other possible uses include suppressing the growth of thyroid nodules, goiters, and thyroid cancer. Hypothyroidism is a condition that must be diagnosed definitively by blood tests evaluating thyroid hormone levels and may be present in the absence of warnings, but some of the common presenting symptoms include unintentional weight gain, fatigue, and hair loss. Armour Thyroid is a member of a class of thyroid hormone replacement medications known as natural desiccated thyroid drugs. 

The active ingredient of Armour Thyroid is dried extract from pig thyroid glands (porcine thyroid). The tablets are taken to treat hypothyroidism in doses ranging from 60 to 120 mg per day. The exact amount of thyroid hormone in an Armour Thyroid tablet can vary depending on the strength of the tablet. For example, a 60 mg or 1-grain tablet contains 38 micrograms of thyroxine (T4) hormone and 9 micrograms of liothyronine (T3) hormone. 

Thyroid medications like Armour Thyroid are not prescribed in people with high levels of thyroid hormones or uncontrolled adrenal gland problems. It also should be avoided in patients with heart disease, like coronary artery disease. When initiated, the patient’s thyroid hormone levels will need to be monitored until the ideal dose is identified. Side effects of excessive replacement can include high blood pressure, weight loss, excessive sweating, mood changes, irregular heartbeat, and chest pain. Patients should discuss with their doctor for a complete list of possible side effects, and should always provide a thorough medical history prior to initiation. 

Is Armour Thyroid covered by insurance?

Health insurance plans may or may not cover Armour Thyroid and other porcine thyroid drugs. Instead, health insurance plans often cover synthetic thyroid hormone drugs like levothyroxine. Some Medicare plans may help cover the cost of Armour Thyroid, while others may require an approval process known as a prior authorization, in which a healthcare provider needs to provide information to an insurance plan regarding their rationale for its use over alternatives. 

How much does Armour Thyroid cost without insurance?

Without insurance, the cash price of Armour Thyroid averages $55 for 30, 60 mg tablets. However, the out-of-pocket expense will depend on your plan’s formulary, the determined copay, whether you’ve met the deductible, and the dosage prescribed.

There are no generic versions of Armour Thyroid. If you don’t have insurance coverage for Armour Thyroid, you may be able to switch to a different natural product porcine thyroid tablet, such as NP Thyroid and Westhroid. Check with your healthcare provider before doing so. 

Are there alternatives to Armour Thyroid?

The standard prescription drug for hypothyroidism and thyroid suppression is levothyroxine, also known by the brand name Synthroid. Levothyroxine contains a synthetic version of T4, and it is usually covered by health insurance. 

Armour Thyroid alternatives typically include other desiccated thyroid extracts, which are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In addition, one or more of them may not be available at your local pharmacy. Instead of a local chain or grocery-store pharmacy, you may be able to purchase porcine thyroid tablets from a compounding pharmacy.

There are alternatives to Armour Thyroid, so you may need to check your plan’s drug formulary to see whether your thyroid medication is covered.

Some over-the-counter medications and supplements may help relieve the symptoms of underactive thyroid, but none of them are approved to replace low levels of thyroid hormones or help suppress thyroid growths, such as goiters, nodules, and thyroid cancer.

Prescription drug prices often change. These are the most accurate medication prices at the time of publishing. The listed price without insurance references the price of brand-name drugs. The listed SingleCare price references the price of generic drugs if available. Click the link under “Savings options” to see updated drug prices.

How to get Armour Thyroid without insurance

Armour Thyroid can be an expensive prescription drug for many people, and monthly refills can be hard to afford over time. In addition, people without commercial health insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid may have to pay full retail price for Armour Thyroid or similar medications. 

AbbVie (which has acquired Allergan) is the pharmaceutical company that manufactures Armour Thyroid. They currently offer a patient assistance program that may help cover the cost of treatment. Check their website for exact eligibility requirements. If you don’t meet the requirements to save through the manufacturer, there are other ways to save money.

1. Use an Armour Thyroid coupon from SingleCare

A SingleCare discount card may help reduce the cost of Armour Thyroid from an average cost of $55 to less than $30. Choose a free coupon based on the lowest price or the most convenient local pharmacy. 

2. Ask the prescriber about levothyroxine

Desiccated porcine thyroid extract is not prescribed as often as levothyroxine. Instead, healthcare professionals are likely to prescribe levothyroxine for hypothyroidism. Not only is levothyroxine safer, more reliable, and less hazardous for most people than Armour Thyroid, but it is also usually less expensive. Ask your prescribing healthcare provider for medical advice about levothyroxine if you have trouble paying for Armour Thyroid. Recently, the FDA decided to designate natural desiccated thyroid drugs as biologics, and long term, they may no longer be available if manufacturers do not go through a formal approval process known as Biologics License Applications. 

3. Compare pharmacy prices

The same Armour Thyroid prescription could cost $54 at one pharmacy and $35 at another, so a savvy consumer could save $20 a month—$240 a year—simply by looking around for a good price.

4. Use a compounding pharmacy

At this time, it can be difficult to find porcine thyroid tablet brands in pharmacies due to shortages and recalls. Instead of using another porcine tablet brand, you may be able to get an alternative thyroid medication at a compounding pharmacy, a type of pharmacy that can mix and prepare prescription medications onsite. They may have porcine thyroid powder, which they can use to make a compounded thyroid medication that contains the same amounts of thyroid hormone found in Armour Thyroid. The compounded alternative may also come at a lower price than Armour Thyroid. Search the internet to look up compounding pharmacies in your area.