RE FORMULATED ARMOUR/CIPRO/VARIOUS SYMPTOMS

I DEVELOPED PNEUMONIA IN MARCH, ABOUT THE TIME THAT I SWITCHED FROM NATURE -THROID TO ARMOUR. CEPHALEXIN DIDN'T WORK,  CIPRO  WAS NEXT FOR THE USUAL COURSE. DIDN'T WORK SO ZITHROMAX WAS THE LAST AND WAS MORE EFFECTIVE.

ABOUT THE SAME TIME MY ARRYTHMIAS( PVCS AND PACS) BECAME MORE PROMINENT AND AT TIMES MY HEART RATE WAS AS LOW AS 33.

( WITH LIGHTHEADEDNESS AND EXHAUSTION, MUCH LOUDER  HEART SOUND EFFECTS ETC.)

LATER I READ THAT PATIENTS ON SYNTHROID HAD SHOWN PROBLEMS ABSORBING THEIR THYROID MEDS WHEN TAKING CIPRO.( BIG JUMPS IN TSH, INCREASED HYPOTHYROID SYMPTOMS ETC.)

I HAVE ALSO BEEN READING THAT MANY ARMOUR PATIENTS HAVE BEEN HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE NEW  REFORMULATED ARMOUR.

AM NOW ON MY  5TH MONTH OF THE REFORMUATED ARMOUR, IN ADDITION TO THE ABOVE I HAVE BEEN LOSING MORE HAIR THAN USUAL AND ITCHING ALL OVER MY BODY. ALSO INCREASED MUSCLE AND TENDON PAIN. DIFFICULTY  REGULATING BODY TEMP.

QUESTIONS:

1.COULD THE ARRYTHMIAS/ BRADYCARDIA BE RELATED TO THE REFORMULATED ARMOUR?

2. WOULD CIPRO OR THE OTHER ANTIBIOTICS HAVE INTERFERED WITH ARMOUR ABSORPTION?

3. ARE THERE ANY OTHER DRUG INTERACTIONS THAT COULD BE A FACTOR IN ALL THIS?

[Sandra Y, RPh]

1. Thyroid agents are cardiostimulatory and should be used with great caution in patients with preexisting cardiac disease, including uncontrolled hypertension and  cardiac arrhythmias.

2. The antibiotics you listed do not interact with Armour Thyroid

3. Armour Thyroid has a narrow therapeutic index, and the dosage must be individualized. Chromium could potentially decrease the oral absorption of thyroid hormones. The hair loss may be due to taking Chromium since it's interfering with the Armour Thyroid.

[ISTHATAONE]

DO YOU HAVE ANY  STUDIES TO READ ABOUT CHROMIUM/ THYROID INTERACTIONS?

I TOOK CHROMIUM FOR MANY YEARS , BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER STARTING DESSICATED THYROID IN VARIOUS FORMS ( ARMOUR, NATURE-THROID, GENERIC).

THIS WAS TO HELP WITH ADVERSE EFFECTS OF EATING, ( IF TIRED,  OR UNDER STRESS I FEEL HORRIBLE AFTER EATING)

AFTER STARTING DESSICATED THYROID MY HAIR STARTED TO FILL IN NOTICEABLY.... THIS WAS WHILE TAKING THE CHROMIUM PIC.

THEN RECENTLY I RAN OUT OF IT FOR A WHILE, SO DID NOT TAKE IT ALONG WITH THE  NEW ARMOUR THYROID  FORMULATION FOR A PERIOD.

HAIR FELL OUT AFTER THE NEW ARMOUR, WHETHER I TOOK CHROMIUM OR NOT!

THE MANY PVCS DITTO.

ALSO, I GOOGLED FOR REFERENCES TO CHROMIUM CAUSING ARRYTHMIAS. THE ONLY ONES I COULD FIND REFERRED TO RAPID HEART BEATS, NOT SLOW.

DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER FOR ME TO READ?

[Sandra Y, RPh]

The source for the chromium interaction can be found at:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17725434