Armour Thyroid Question

[wdmcc]

My wife has been on Armour for a number of months now. She was originally on it at the beginning of the year, but due to levels her doctor removed her from it. It seemed to work well then, and seemed fine at first. But now, my wife is highly irritated, angry, and stressed out. It seemed to come about 2 months into taking the Armour. Her levels checked out fine, so her doc didn't need to see her for a while. But I suspect something might be up with the Armour.

She's been on a few different drugs trying to find the right one and dosage over the last 3-4 years. It gets very tough to be around her when she's in these irritable modes. Screaming outbursts, accusations, and overwhelming stress seem to be the most prominent symptoms. I am trying to coax her into talking to her doctor about this, as she now realizes she has a problem in these areas. But as of present, she hasn't done anything.

Does this sound like possible Armour side-effects? Has anyone experienced this before? And has anyone had any success with synthetic T4/T3 therapy? Thanks in advance.

D

[blackfaerie11]

It took me a long time to get used to thyroid medication. I have to take it, because I have hasimoto's disease. It made me grit my teeth, clench my fists, my heart felt like it was beating out of my chest sometimes. Worse with coffee. I needed (and still need) Ambien to get a good night's rest. It made me really mean-I have some friends that still won't talk to me- but this was with ANY thyroid med, and eventually (it seriously took 9 months) I got used to it and felt a lot better. I like Armour the best, personally- it had less of those side-effects. It would kill me when I would finally be plateauing, and then they would tell me my levels weren't low enough and I had to take more. I seriously didn't know how I was going to take this stuff for the rest of my life. I now feel I need it, it keeps my weight down. I'm not going to lie- I am an ex-pothead, and I quit for many months, and when they woudl increase my dose, marijuana was the only thing that made me calm down. I don't need it anymore though. There was no exercise, no healthy thing I could do to not feel mean and uptight. I feel bad for you, I really do- but if you tough it out, eventually (i think) her thyroid is going to get used to the meds and she is going to even out with regards to the negative side effects. It's playing with hormones, and her whole body has gotten used to her state of low thyroid, so this is something she is very much not used to. If she is oevrweight, which I am guessing she might be with hypothyroidism, her mood might improve if she starts to lose weight from the medication. That was the only thing that got me through and helped me keep taking it. Good luck!

[stella5349]

There was a product change with Armour since the beginning of the year. She may be having some issues with the filler component, not relieving her of the symptoms properly.

Anxiety and irration can be both to much or not enough hormones.

How was she when she first started Armour therapy prior to now?

[wdmcc]

Thanks Tamra. She was last tested 2 months ago and checked out fine. If/When she goes back again, they'll do a full workup.

D

[TamraW]

Armour isn't the only natural thyroid med. I have, too, heard that Armour levels can be unreliable, but only from endos, and not from actual Armour patients. I haven't heard anything negative about Armour on this forum, except that they recently changed their formula and some people were reacting to the fillers.

Compounding pharmacies can mix the amount you need, so if she's getting too much of one or the other, she can adjust.

She will need her FT4/FT3 tests to see if either level is too high or low.

:) Tamra

[wdmcc]

I have read that some people don't synthesize the proper amount of T3. My wife seems to respond better to T3/T4, compared to just straight T4, which wasn't pretty.

D

[wdmcc]

It is set, but I've often heard that the dosage is unreliable, hence many docs not being keen on natural thyroid meds.

She's taking 60 mg a day. I'm unsure of her levels at the moment. I know she told me years back that she was hyper, but with the last diagnosis, about 2 years ago, they said she was hypothyroid.

Thanks,
D

[TamraW]

Sometimes too much thyroid hormone can cause anxiety/irritation. Please post her current FT4, FT3 and TSH levels along with her dosage.

I don't use Armour, but I've heard that the T3/T4 combo is set, and you can't adjust. Some have switched to compounding pharmacies, where they can get decreased amounts of T3, which can sometimes cause these symptoms if too much is taken.

:) Tamra