How to Help Your Patients Find Westhroid in Stock: A Provider's Guide

Author

Peter Daggett

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Understanding the Current Westhroid Situation
Strategy 1: Help Patients Search for Westhroid Stock
Strategy 2: Recommend an NDT Alternative
Strategy 3: Compounded Desiccated Thyroid
Strategy 4: Synthetic T4 + T3 Combination
Monitoring After Transition
Reducing Callbacks From Patients Who Can't Fill Their Prescription

Westhroid is nearly impossible to find at most pharmacies in 2026. Here's a practical guide for providers to help patients locate this medication or transition smoothly.

Patients on Westhroid have faced a challenging situation since August 2020, when its manufacturer RLC Labs recalled all lots of its desiccated thyroid products. As a provider, you play a critical role in helping these patients maintain continuity of thyroid hormone therapy. This guide covers practical strategies—from pharmacy search resources to clinical transition support—to help your Westhroid patients get the care they need.

Understanding the Current Westhroid Situation

Westhroid is a natural desiccated thyroid (NDT) product containing both T3 (liothyronine, 9 mcg/grain) and T4 (levothyroxine, 38 mcg/grain) derived from porcine thyroid glands. It is made by RLC Labs, which recalled all lots of Nature-Throid and WP Thyroid in August 2020 due to sub-potency. As of 2026, RLC Labs has not resumed distribution of any of its NDT products.

For most of your patients on Westhroid, the realistic options are: (1) finding a pharmacy that has residual or recently sourced stock, (2) transitioning to another NDT brand, or (3) transitioning to synthetic therapy. This guide covers all three paths.

Strategy 1: Help Patients Search for Westhroid Stock

For patients who are stable on Westhroid and strongly prefer to stay on it, your office can:

Recommend medfinder — a service that calls pharmacies on the patient's behalf to find available stock. Patients provide their medication, dose, and location, and receive pharmacy results by text.

Direct patients to independent pharmacies — these pharmacies often have more flexible sourcing options than chain pharmacies

Contact your pharmaceutical wholesaler rep — they can confirm current Westhroid availability and provide guidance on sourcing

For most patients who can't find Westhroid, transitioning to another NDT brand is the most clinical appropriate path. The two main options:

Available at virtually all major pharmacy chains. Same USP hormone content per grain as Westhroid. Wide range of strengths (15 mg to 300 mg). Approximate 1:1 grain-to-grain conversion from Westhroid; monitor TSH, free T4, and free T3 at 4–6 weeks.

Also widely available. Tends to cost less than Armour Thyroid. Simpler inactive ingredient profile, which some patients tolerate better. Same 4:1 T4:T3 ratio per USP standards.

Strategy 3: Compounded Desiccated Thyroid

When commercial NDT brands are not tolerated due to inactive ingredients, compounded desiccated thyroid from a PCAB-accredited compounding pharmacy is an appropriate option. When prescribing compounded NDT:

Specify: Thyroid USP (compounded desiccated thyroid), dose in milligrams, capsule or tablet form

Include any specific inactive ingredient exclusions if relevant

Counsel patients that compounded NDT is typically not covered by insurance

Strategy 4: Synthetic T4 + T3 Combination

For patients who cannot access any NDT product, synthetic combination therapy provides both T3 and T4. One grain of Westhroid equates to approximately 38 mcg levothyroxine + 9 mcg liothyronine. In practice, the liothyronine component should be adjusted carefully since synthetic T3 has a more pronounced effect than the T3 in NDT; starting at a lower liothyronine dose and titrating is advisable.

Monitoring After Transition

Regardless of which alternative you choose:

Obtain baseline labs (TSH, free T4, free T3) before transition if possible

Recheck at 4–6 weeks after starting the new medication

Titrate as needed based on labs and symptom assessment

Remind patients that adaptation to a new brand can take several weeks — encourage them to report symptom changes

Reducing Callbacks From Patients Who Can't Fill Their Prescription

One of the biggest workflow burdens created by drug shortages is the cascade of patient callbacks: "I called three pharmacies and no one has it." medfinder for providers is designed specifically to reduce this burden. Patients use medfinder to find a pharmacy that can fill their prescription—without having to call your office. This keeps your front desk available for true clinical issues and reduces patient frustration.

Also see: Westhroid shortage: what providers need to know in 2026 for a deeper clinical review.

Frequently Asked Questions

Recommend medfinder to your patient. medfinder calls pharmacies near them to check which ones have the medication in stock, and sends results by text. This offloads the pharmacy search from your staff entirely and gets patients faster answers than calling on their own.

Do not let a hypothyroid patient go without thyroid medication. If Westhroid is unavailable, prescribe an equivalent NDT alternative (Armour Thyroid or NP Thyroid) at the same grain dose as a bridge. Order labs 4–6 weeks after the switch to confirm adequate dosing.

RLC Labs does not currently have an active patient assistance program for Westhroid, and the medication is not covered by most insurance plans or Medicare Part D. GoodRx and pharmacy discount cards are the primary savings tools. See our savings guide for more options.

Westhroid is not listed on the FDA's active drug shortage database as a standalone entry. However, desiccated thyroid preparations from RLC Labs have been effectively unavailable since the August 2020 recall. The ASHP drug shortage database notes that WP Thyroid is no longer available, and related RLC Labs products have had prolonged availability issues.

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