How long for thyroid supplement to leave system

[Katcal]

Hi Everyone,
I am new to this forum- an otherwise healthy and active 35 year old women.  I was on 2 grains Armour thyroid for about 20 years with no problems, then they stopped making it.  I got a supposedly identical dessicated thyroid from a Canadian pharmacy about 3 months ago.  I took it for months with no problem, then about 1 month ago started having classic hyper symptoms- increasing HR, BP, PVCs, jittery, wired etc.  These would get better when I decreased my dosage.  With dosage cut in 1/2 TSH shot from .67 to 3.88 in about 5 days, then when I was still feeling really badly (now with shooting nerve pain down my arms and legs) my doctor took me off completely worried that I was having a bad reaction to the meds.  In less than 1 week my TSH has shot up to over 11.  My Free T4, which was below normal even a year ago, has actually crept incrimentally up to almost normal range .78.  My general practitioner thinks that these radical swings are perplexing.

It has now been a week since I stopped the meds.  I do feel better- the PVC are coming less frequently,BP is down and HR is closer to my normal 60 beats per minute. I dont feel so wired, and the shooting pains have gone. Although I am in the "hypo" range I dont really feel tired or sluggish- I still feel somewhat sped up and my system cannot handle any stimulants like caffine or sugar.  I have been taking a low dose of Xanex to keep my HR/BP down and this helps a lot.  Any idea how long it is going to take to feel OK?  The other problem now is that I cant get into an endochronologist for another 9 days so effectively my hypo is going untreated...Any advice?  Anyone else heard of problems with the Canadian brand?

Kat

[LazyMoose]

Note: you were on Armour for twenty years. Most people needed their dose adjusted with the new formulation of Armour depending on when you actually got the new formulation. Many went hypo on their same dose, and reported strange symptoms. This is an important bit of info, since if you did not increase the dose you may have been slowly going hypo for months on the 'new' Armour with out suspecting it as the cause. Now you change to a different brand that may be as potent as the original Armour or even more, so going hyper is possible.

So, you really have two questions:

1) Experiences with prescription ERFA thyroid ?   (I think you need to re-title a new post on Canadian ERFA Thyroid for these members to answer).

2) How long for med induced hyperness to leave the body?

I have used three different manufactured prescription brands of dessicated because of the shortage and Armour's reformulation this spring. In my experience and others here they are not the same 'potentcy' per grain as they usually suggest on their charts. They all have the same T3 and T4 amount per grain but have different fillers ect and ERFA would not get the same dessicated powder from a US supplier like the dessicated manufactures in the states. I have some ERFA in the freezer, have not had to open that 'stash' yet - so you experience interests me.

If ERFA thyroid is just stronger for you than the reformulated Armour that you, with no doubt, were on till it was not available, then medicine induced hyperness can happen. I cannot give you a timeline as to how long it will take to leave the system. It's gradual and you are already feeling it.

My opinion: I dont think the brand of dessicated is the cause of your symptoms as much as just being over medicated to begin with. Several active members here use Canadian ERFA with success. But, that's only several I know of. On other sites I have only read positive results with it. When changing brands close monitoring with how you feel and labs are important.

And of course there is a lag time between symptoms and actual thyroid lab levels to make it more confusing.

[Barb135]

I'm not really sure about the dessicated thyroid hormones.  I know there are several people here who use them, so hopefully one of them will chime in with an answer.  

[Katcal]

Oh, also all extensive lab blood work was steller, including totally normal Thyroperoxidase antibody, iron, D, B12, Glucose etc.  Had cardiac work up and all normal there too.