Armour Thyroid and Acid Reflux Issues

Diagnosed about 2 months ago with hypothyroid, I agreed to go on a "natural" medication reluctantly. My doctor started me on 15 mg. I have been taking it with no issues for 3 weeks. Then she wanted to double the dosage and for the last week I have been experiencing acid reflux tendencies (mostly feeling discomfort all day long with a lump in my throat). I cured myself of GERD years ago and refused to go on "the purple pill" so I changed my diet radically --- eat no junk foods, no carbonated, and stay on a alkaline diet with minimal processed foods. It worked!  Now that I increased my Armour dosage to 30 mg, I am feeling the same ailments.  If anyone reading this has had a similar experience with acid reflux and Armour, please share. Tomorrow I call the Doctor --- but I am going to attempt to cut the pill in half and take it twice a day. I've read in other posts that people find this is a better way to introduce into the body. If this doesn't stop the acid reflux feeling, I'm going back to 15 mg. It may not be enough to help my thyroid completely, but I can't continue living with this constant discomfort.  I've found through the years, that we must listen to our bodies, despite what doctors do and say.  Thank goodness my doctor listens...and works with me!  I welcome your comments. Thank you!

[gimel]

Please post your thyroid related test results and reference ranges.  Also, when you were diagnosed as hypothyroid, was the cause determined?   Since the most common cause for diagnosed hypothyroidism is Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, the diagnostic tests would have been TPO ab and TG ab.  Also, do you have  other symptoms besides the acid reflux?

I ask all this because to me it does not follow that you should have experienced the acid reflux from a small increase in Armour.  Although acid reflux can have other causes, it is a known symptom of hypothyroidism.  I have had acid reflux very badly when I got back into being hypo, during the time when Armour Thyroid became unavailable.  As soon as available again, I went back on Armour and in just a couple of days, the acid reflux was gone.  

[FleeceOnEarth]

I would be careful if you are newly taking Armour Thyroid.  I was told by an endocrinologist that the potency varies from batch to batch and its not a reliable source of thyroid replacement.  People that have been on it for years swear by it, and if it works for them, then keep doing what's working for you.  But if you are newly diagnosed, I would start with a more commonly prescribed drug, especially if you initially had reservations about it.  You can determine if the thyroid medication had anything to do with the acid reflux once your thyroid meds change.  

[gimel]

That kind of info about Armour is nothing more than an attempt to promote T4 meds by discrediting NDT types of thyroid med.  There is no published scientific evidence of significant variation, and Armour is a very commonly prescribed drug as well.

GlobetrekArtist, please post your thyroid related test results and reference ranges shown on your lab report.  Also, have you been diagnosed for cause of your hypothyroidism?  The most common cause of diagnosed hypothyroidism is Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.  The tests for that are TPO ab and TG ab.  

[FleeceOnEarth]

My information is in no way being used to promote T4 meds and to discredit NDTs.  My information is based on my experience having hypothyroidism since I was 14.  In my opinion, biased information is coming from both proponents of synthetic vs natural thyroid meds, and I am not stating any fact on which is better.  I am giving advice based on my personal experience, since I am not a medical professional.  If you are a medical professional and have first hand knowledge of these drugs and have read the peer-reviewed literature indicating no variations in potency of this drug, which would prove this endocrinologist wrong, then I would be interested in reading them.

[gimel]

I had no intention of implying that you had some ulterior motive for promoting T4 meds.  I'm not surprised that the source of the info was an Endo.  My point was that we frequently hear similar things from doctors, yet they do not offer any supporting scientific data.  I would suggest that what they say is only their biased opinions, or at best based on anecdotal info from patients, who in reality may be having unrelated problems. However, when such info is posted on this Forum, we have to respond or else people reading these threads might conclude the wrong thing.  If you will have a look at this link, you'll see some of the underlying reasons for such misinformation coming from doctors.

http://thyroid.about.com/b/2009/01/27/the-desiccated-thyroid-controversy-why-endocrinologists-dont-like-armour-thyroid.htm

[gimel]

Sorry, had to make two posts, first was too long, I guess to be accepted by MH.



Further, have a look at this statement from the site of the manufacturer of Armour Thyroid, Forest Laboratories, Inc.

" Armour Thyroid is a natural, porcine-derived thyroid hormone replacement containing both T4and T3.

Note that the amount of thyroid hormone in the thyroid gland may vary from animal to animal. To ensure that Armour Thyroid tablets are the same from tablet to tablet and lot to lot, the amount of T4 and T3 is measured in both the raw material and in the actual tablets"

Sure you can still doubt the information, because your Endo told you something different.  But just keep in mind all the possible reasons for a biased opinion.  Also, realize that the leading thyroid professional organizations that publish guidelines for diagnosis and treatment of hypothyroidism, the AACE and the ATA, are totally committed to TSH as the "Gold Standard" of thyroid testing, in spite of being unable to support that position with scientific data.  As well, they promote the use of the Reference Ranges as pass/fail, when we all know that doesn't work well either.  These are the reasons why there are so many inadequately tested and treated hypothyroid patients out there that are still suffering with hypo symptoms.  

A good thyroid doctor will treat a hypo patient clinically by testing and adjusting Free T3 and Free T4 as necessary to relieve symptoms, without being constrained by resultant TSH levels.  Symptom relief should be all important, not just test results, and especially not just TSH results.