Is anyone on Armour?

[tiredpuppy]

Is anyone in our group on Armour and if so are you good with it? What are pro's and con's of say Armour and or Synthoid etc.
I go to Endo on monday so I want to be intelligent about this...thanks
Lisa

PS got my stiches out today and my scar line is absolutely flawless... it will heal up great inspite of blowing the first stich set. Doc says my site looks good inspite of added trauma...

[gimel]

When trying to assess thyroid status, the most important indicator is symptoms, as well as levels of the biologically active thyroid hormones, Free T4 and Free T3.  When taking thyroid med, TSH becomes irrelevant because it is so often suppressed when taking med adequate to relieve symptoms.   So a good thyroid doctor will treat a hypothyroid patient clinically by testing and adjusting Free T4 and free T3 levels as needed to relieve symptoms, without being influenced by resultant TSH levels.  Symptom relief should be all important, not test results and especially not TSH results.  

So please tell us your Armour dosage, and post your thyroid related test results and reference ranges shown on the lab report.   Also please list all your current symptoms.

[Wonderwomannurse]

I have been on Armour since the beginning of the summer. My last period was July 4th. My periods were debilitating to say the least. Missed work, would always bleed through, sometimes vomit. So skipping them has been great for my career. Twice I've noticed a little pink blood, but to me this is spotting not a period. I've had a large weight gain since starting Armpur, my appetite is massive about an hour after I take my Armour. There are pros though. Severe headaches I had on Synthroid are gone, I sleep better than I have since I was a kid, and I have less brain fog. But I miss my think attractive figure so I am stuck in the middle. That bloating women get before her period, I can't get rid of. Mt doc has kept me on it because my TSH was .83 so maybe someday I will level out. None of this is as bad as my symptoms were when I got diagnosed for sure. Night sweats, severe bradycardia and emotional outburst are in the past now. Very concerned over periods though, I am still in my 30's.  

[gimel]

Please post your thyroid related test results and reference ranges shown on the lab report and let us give you our opinion about your status.  Also, please tell us about your symptoms.

[edweena]

I was just wondering if the thyrostim helped you? I am desperate and there has been much debate between my endo saying my thyroid is fine and my nutritionist saying it is not. My T3 is low and I suffer from all the symptoms with no other reasons found by doctors as to why. I am desperate to lead a normal active life but I am scared to take thyrostim in the event I don't have a full blown low thyroid problem. I don't want to make it worse. Any information would be so appreciated.

[pattylou796]

Have you had your adrenal glands checked? Sounds like Cushings disease/syndrome. I had and adrenal tumor and had these same symptoms. Had it removed and lost 50 lbs. immediately........

[hopefullsky]

I switched from acella 90mg NP thyroid.to armour 120 which was too high.anyway my breasts grew 2 inches while taking it anyway I'm trying half to 60mg now of armour  to see how that goes.I have a lot of anger issues anyone else have these symptoms

[HAEEFGH]

IT TOOK ME YEARS, TO GET ARMOUR THYROID AGAIN. BUT, I AM DOING BETTER NOW THAT I GOT BACK ON IT. GONE IS THE "FOG", AND THE TIREDNESS FEELING I HAD, MY SKIN IS CHANGINE FRO DRY TO NORMAL. AND MY FEET AREN'T COLD ANY MORE. I FEEL LIKE A HUMAN AGAIN! THAT WAS IN 2 WEEKS,  I'M SO AMASED!!

[DawgzTraining]

Most helpful!  I have the exact same problem - low thyroid & acid reflex.  Recently started Armour, yet troubling my tummy & making me feel worse (yet better in some ways).  Gonna try your method of dividing doses and putting under tongue - great expectations!

[Barb135]

This thread is so old, it's unlikely you will get a response on it.  It would be much better if you start a new thread of your own, with your location as part of  the title.  

You can start a new thread, by clicking on the orange "Post a Question" button at the top of this page, type in your question, then click the green "Post a Comment" button at the bottom. When you post a new thread, be sure to include actual thyroid hormone levels, along with reference ranges.  Hopefully, you are getting FT3 and FT4, along with your TSH.  Do you know if you have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis?

I've never heard of a "starting dose" of 125 mcg of T3 medication.

[kiznkitten]

I need a good endocrinologist that takes Medicare/Medicaid if there is such a thing.  I have "Peripheral Tissue Thyroid Hormone Resistance" it may be partial, I don't know.  The Scary part is I had to figure it out for myself in order to save my life.  Now I need someone who can help me manage it.  I did well for 4 years, but had a sudden turn for the worse after a stay in a Nursing Home for a broken hip. I am currently on the starting dose (125mcg) of Liothyronine (T3) for this disorder and I need to go up. I live in Western WA.

[kiznkitten]

From FDA files-read all of it, here is an excerpt:
It is evident from this more recent data that there is a trend of potency loss in levothyroxine sodium products, with some formulations showing potency amounts approaching 90 percent of labeled potency by the established expiration date.  Although all approved levothyroxine sodium products meet the current potency specifications, the stability data provided to the Agency revealed that the potency of several of these products declines rapidly over the labeled shelf life, representing variable stability patterns and resulting in varied shelf lives.  This variability is reflected in expiration dating periods that establish shelf life that vary between these products—from a minimum of 8 months to a maximum of 24 months.   http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/ucm161266.htm

[goolarra]

PM gimel about a doctor in your area.  He keeps a list of doctors recommended by thyroid patients.

Heart palps are a very common symptom of hypO.  

You have attached your comment to this thread that is very old and very long (slow loading).  It would be best if you went to the top of the page, hit the "Post a Question" button and started your own new thread.  That way, we can address your individual concerns.

[teri34]

NORTH ALABAMA looking for a doctor who will treat with armour thyroid. can anyone help me please! I am having mild PVC's (heart palpitations). Taking synthroid 75 mcg & cytomel 2.5 mcg. please help. i am hypothyroid. My tsh is 1.5 dont know the others. i am hypo not hyper...So why heart palpitations!! have had stress test showed my heart was good so IDK

[teri34]

i live in North Alabama. can anyone help me find a doctor who will prescribe Armour? I have mild heart palpitations & wish they would go away. I am on 75mcg Synthroid & take 2.5 mcg cytomel in morning. please help me

[teri34]

Where is your doctor? I live in north Alabama. I need a doctor who will prescribe armour and adjust if need be.

[gimel]

I'd say that your doctor is either not well informed about Armour, or she has bought into the "T4 only" position of the AACE and ATA and others.   You mentioned that the Levo is working for you.  Is that based on how you feel (no symptoms) or on the TSH test?  Were other thyroid related tests done for you, like Free T3 and Free T4?  If so, would you please post those results and their reference ranges shown on the lab report so that we can see what levels are working for you.

If you haven't been tested for Free T3 and Free T4 (not the same as Total T3 and Total T4), then you should request that the Frees be done each time you go in for testing.  Those tests are much more reliable and reveal much more about thyroid status than TSH.

[Socrmom11]

I am not on Armour but my brother is. His endocrinologist decided to change him to it from synthroid b/c it makes the T4. So, when I was diagnosed I asked my doctor about the Armour and she wasn't really thrilled about it. When I asked why she said, "B/c it's not FDA regulated and is considered an herbal. " She didn't feel there had been enough testing done on it. IDK, but I do know that the Levothyroxine is working for me. 75 mcg. and my numbers are 1.75.

[gimel]

Armour is no longer in short supply.  There are other alternatives for a combo T4/T3 NDT med.  Those are Nature-Throid and Erfa, which comes from Canada.  I think the issue of inconsistency is propaganda put out by the Pharmaceutical companies that sell T4 meds.  I have never noticed anything I could relate to inconsistency.  

[jenniferM310]

I liked armour the only issue is that they are in short supply alot as well as the doses can change from mmonth to month as it's more natural. My doc switched me to levothroxine I hate it I feel like im going crazy more tiered and just feel like im off going to have to find something different. any ideas

[LazyMoose]

"Armour can elevate your adrenaline."

- Hu??  Not really.

Armour has T3 in it, like any brand of natural thyroid replacement medicine. T3 has a much more noticeable effect on energy than T4 and can take months (not three weeks) for the body to adjust to this difference. If to high a starting dose is administered, a temporary medicine induced hypErthyroid state may occur, not elevated adrenaline from the adrenal glands. This confuses people even though they are two different energy hormones.

If anything, adrenal gland fatigue is thought to be more easily noticed when natural thyroid meds are used due to the increased stress on the adrenals. Thyroid and adrenals work in tandem in stressful situations, if one is weak the other may follow. With adrenal fatigue, one can have extreme difficulty in stressful situations. With this condition, the fatigued adrenals need to be addressed and are usually treated in a holistic manner.

[AJWS6]

Very informative thread :)  

[Belka01]

My doc decided to put me on Armour for low thyroid but after about 3 weeks I noticed something very wrong was going on with me. I was getting upset easly and was always angry. Everyday I cryed and felt hopeless and sooooo depresed it was so horrible because I would get into arguments with my teenage son and my husband and everyone around me, at some point i felt so disconected from my body I wanted to die. So I went to my doctor and we decided to stop the medication he told me that this was the cause of my sympthoms. I got home and started searching diffrent websites and found out that Armour can elevate your adrenaline. I think mine was up high. I want to start taking iodine potasium it used to workfor me. Good luck!

[Applesan]

I'm not sure if it was Synthroid or not, but since my bout with RAI therapy in 2008 with the subsequent trial and error of thryoid meds, which included Synthroid, a CT scan found a mass on my left kidney and I had to have cryosurgery.  There are also other spots in my kidneys that have the potential of growing as well.  I was on and off Synthroid in 2010 and finally stopped it due to side effects.

[trish5746]

I was on Synthroid for almost 3 years, and constantly told my doctor that I felt like total crap, and the anxiety was also disturbing. The dr also tried adding cytomel and that gave me EXTREME HEADACHES!. After I could not stand the way I felt anymore, and knowing I had to be on something as I lost my thyroid to cancer, I wanted to try the natural alternative--ARMOUR..and I can tell you...that within 2 days....2 DAYS!!! I felt totally different. The sad part is I do believe that the synthroid killed my kidneys to a point that they are now operating at 50 percent. I am going through testing right now and all the journals tell you that synthroid ends up in your kidneys. Does anyone out there know of anyone else who has had issues with kidneys and synthroid??