Should I switch my medication?

[jnbergdoll]

I was diagnosed with hypo thyroid in 2002.  Started on synthroid soon after.  Every time I go to my doctor, my dosage gets increased.  I am currently taking 175mcg of synthroid and still do not feel like it is helping at all.  Should I look into changing my meds?

[GravesLady]

The increases in your med. dosages is probably due to your thyroid slowly dying off, which is normal process for hypothyroidism.  Changing meds. depends on which meds. you are wanting to change to. Unless you are having allergic reaction, Synthroid should suffice and you probably won't get any better performances from other brands.


GL,

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[chigirl29]

I tend to disagree on synthroid being the one size fits all brand. You could ask your doctor for an alternative to synthroid.  

[caregiver222]

I agree with Chigirl. There are several alternatives, including the armour natural product. The armour product got a bad rap because of concern about prion contamination. I think the danger was over-stated. Just an unsubstantiated opinion. Synthroid has an uneven manufacturing history and the manufacturing process and composition have been changed several times. This does not necessarily mean it is a "bad" medication But the Synthroid you got in 2006 was not necessarily the same substance you got under the same brand in 2008. I posted in another area regading suggestions as to what to mix synthroid with. The literature suggests it binds with many food products. For this reason some physicians recommend (to insure a precisely measured dose)  taking the synthroid before going to bed, at least four hours after eating. A hard schedule. Some people are sensitive to synthroid and it inhibits their gag reflex and swallowing. This represents a hard call because advanced thyroid disease often has the same effect. The differential diagnosis of the problem requires careful observation.

[caregiver222]

I might add that you have to avoid "Chasing TSH". The TSH value does not reflect the status of the medication protocol immediately. The literature suggests there is a lag and it may take as long as six weeks for the values to stabilize. This means that you need to have whatever thyroid med being taken on a precise schedule for the preceding six weeks for the number to have value. So getting a TSH every week is a waste of a good vein.  Of course it has some value, but you know what I mean.

[GravesLady]

I never declared that one size its all. However, I do declare that the size should fit thyroid levels and if symptoms are those of the brand of medication.
There is no right answer to Armour or T-3 vs levothroid and it varies from person to person.

T-3, unless there is a conversion problem, which is rare and in most cases only last a couple weeks without intervention.
T3 is no "magic" pill that will necessarily make you feel better. It might and it also might not. I have heard of persons having to go off of it after a period of time because it was creating heart issues. Plus ending up with the same symptom as the reason for going on T-3.

Normal healthy thyroids daily production of T4 is 100 mcg.
Normal healthy thyroids daily production of  T3 is 30 mcg.

Grain fed and contented Pig thyroid glands produces:
T4 -  38 mcg  
T3  - 9 mcg per grain (60 mg)

Armour Thyroid should not be taken unless both  T3 and T4 are equally low. Very, very few people have such a condition. Any naturopath who offers  Armour Thyroid unless BOTH your T3 and T4 are equally (please notice the word "equally") low. This will cause excessive levels of the hormone you are not as deficient in.
Armour is harder to regulate  and contains a much higher T3/T4 ratio, as you can see from above, than most humans need.  Armour favors T3 much more than the normal human thyroid ratio after all its from pigs and they are different then humans.
Also, due to Armour Thyroid variations in potency and can cause palpitations and tremors, because of the large amounts of T3.

Plus, some people develop TED when they take animal-based extracts such as Armour, because the immune system  react to foreign proteins found in glandular extracts. Synthetic meds. doesn't cause this problem.

Overall there has been little to no evidence that a combination
of T3 added to thyroxin provided therapeutic benefit.
Additional randomized control trials of L-thyroxine alone vs. thyroxine
plus T3 did not show any clinical benefit of T3 supplementation.

Several 2005 studies suggested that although some patients may prefer combination therapy, T3 and T4 together do not work better than T4 alone. Patients might like the combined drugs because they cause more weight loss, or a placebo effect may be involved. It does not appear that combination products offer any advantage for normalizing TSH levels.Dr. Koop
"Today, many patients with complaints of chronic malaise or fatigue approach their physician seeking T3 therapy, but the fact is that none of the handful of well-designed randomized controlled trials done since then has been able to confirm the initial report of superior outcomes ... There is reason for concern that supraphysiologic doses of T3 in this setting could interfere with protein and fat metabolism and interact synergistically with catecholamines to increase myocardial oxygen demand, with resultant increased arrhythmia, MI, heart failure, and death" Clinical Psychiatry News, 2/05

However, According to the New England Journal, The jury is still out on the best treatment for hypothyroidism.

[AR-10]

I am having weekly blood draws right now and I find it very usefull.
I am chasing my TSH for a purpose. I don't want to go Hyper. My TSH dropped from 47.35 to 6.70 to 1.70 in three weeks. I think my dose is a little high right now. I'm waiting on a call from my Endo to see if I should cut it in half.

I understand what you're saying, though. Normally you should wait six weeks after a dosage change to get retested.

When I first started thyroid meds, my GP made me get bloodwork every three months. That was smart, because he could keep on top of my levels and I had about three dosage changes in the first year and a half.

The easiest way to take Synthroid is in the morning on an empty stomach and then wait an hour to eat anything. Some people have trouble taking it at bedtime because it keeps them awake.

As to the initial question, I agree with GravesLady. If you've been taking it for five years with no bad effects, I'd stick with it.

The question is, what are your levels, and how often are they checked? If your doctor doesn't have you at the right place with your hormones, you're going to feel bad. The brand of medicine won't change that.

If you're getting a med change every time you go to your doc, you're not going often enough. :)

If you're feeling bad all of the time, your TSH is not where it needs to be. Or maybe you're having trouble with you Free T3.

[chigirl29]

Grave's Lady

I don't believe I was saying that YOU said this:
"I never declared that one size its all. However, I do declare that the size should fit thyroid levels and if symptoms are those of the brand of medication."


I believe I have said this because a lot of people believe synthroid is the only good med out there--this I have learned from reading this board.

[chigirl29]

BTW, I tend to think that you should refrain from going on and on when someone makes a comment that is opposite of your own.  You could have included the pig info prior to my comment.  In any case, there is no true substitute for the human thyroid hormones; however, each person is different--and different brands can help with feeling better.  It is possible to feel better.

Otherwise, I appreciate your posts.

[stella5349]

I think proper information and finding the appropriate med that works for you is the issue.

First off ---I really am tired of defending this issue - I totally respect Synthroid and the product to help thyroid patients achieve optimal health. What I am tired of is that some endo or whom ever in the medical field of balancing the thyroid DO not even test a FULL PANEL of all the T's and have been trained the examine ONLY TSH. and the New England Journal is a journal within a journal that only supports synthetic homes supplement - so of coarse they are not very happy on Armour.

When a thyroid patient is having sub clinical thyroid symptoms and the TSH is WITH IN range - most doctors will NOT move forward on alternatives to help the patient WIth THEIR SYMPTOMS and contimue using Synthroid as the drug choice.

I almost died with the continuing Synthroid b/c for over 4 YEARS I could and still CAN NOT convert the T4 into T3. I do not see that changing why would it - my gland was dead and had been for years. It WILL NOT START UP AGAIN as you are drilling in -

I know that Synthroid is looked at as the Holier than thou medication - but You need to open your mind to proper blood levels and understand your body and try things that may or may not work.

Armour and other natural hormones for this are under a huge amount of political contorversy and that IS WHY these drugs may be getting better monitored - even more so the the synthetic man made products.

Synthroid is produced with extremely large drug companies that have enormous power in politics, financial and other areas that WILL BE protected if a problem occurs WITH their product. Armour just has Armour. PERIOD.

Please stop beating up the patient who says they don't feel good after a LONG period of time and has tried to understand that a change may be good for them. Let them try - if needed. They can always return back if they find out it is not for them. I you are confident and have the educational knowledge to back your medication advise up - I apologize - but if not you are not this patient and can not feel her pain.

The fear I read by some of the Synthroid advocants here totally offends me and hurts me b/c you wouln't of been at my funeral if I continued Synthroid - my family would of and that is not your place to discourage these scared and  inquiring people to try and fight for their health and possibly their lives.

To the poster of the thread - make sure you find all the information possible on both these meds - seek out your symptoms and find out the best solution for you for the best health ever.

And for heaven's sake - stop arguing on an innocent post from someone who just wants answers - you look like children.

God Bless you chee - chee. thank you

[AR-10]

The important point here is no one can advise her unless she can quote blookwork from several draws in a row.

She hasn't said what her levels are, or if she is having trouble converting T4 to T3, or if she even knows what that is.

Simply that she hasn't felt well in a longtime.
Could be several reasons for that.

Makes it hard to say anything inteligent to her.
I am hoping she can provide a little more info.
Not trying to argue, just saying...

[stella5349]

Great point -- thank you AR