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Want to change from Levothyroxine to Armour??
by hopeful 1, Mar 19, 2007 12:00AM
As I mentioned in another post I have been on synthroid for couple of years and and the past 2 years on levothyroxine at 125mg.
Over these years I have had no good results from them as far as eliminating ANY of the problems associated with my thyroid. My TSH on 3/05/07 was 8.27. Doc said my T4 & T3 levels were within normal Range and to come back in 3 months. It is very hard for me to funcition and I asked my Doctor to perscribe Armour Thyroid in place of the above which after years has not helped. He said he did not wish to do so.He said Armour has had so many problems in its consistancy.I told him I do want to try it as I have nothing to lose and maybe get my life back. He is going to call me tomarrow and discuss it again. Question-can my doctor refuse my request for no reason except his feelings and teachings? I have read so many articles where Armour has helped where the other did not. From constant weight gain, fatigue, memory problems, pain,swelling in legs, mood swings ect. life for me is at a stand still as far as enjoying it as I used to.
Thanks much-hope to hear from you Folks on the above.
Over these years I have had no good results from them as far as eliminating ANY of the problems associated with my thyroid. My TSH on 3/05/07 was 8.27. Doc said my T4 & T3 levels were within normal Range and to come back in 3 months. It is very hard for me to funcition and I asked my Doctor to perscribe Armour Thyroid in place of the above which after years has not helped. He said he did not wish to do so.He said Armour has had so many problems in its consistancy.I told him I do want to try it as I have nothing to lose and maybe get my life back. He is going to call me tomarrow and discuss it again. Question-can my doctor refuse my request for no reason except his feelings and teachings? I have read so many articles where Armour has helped where the other did not. From constant weight gain, fatigue, memory problems, pain,swelling in legs, mood swings ect. life for me is at a stand still as far as enjoying it as I used to.
Thanks much-hope to hear from you Folks on the above.
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I agree with thyroidman - RUN - find another doctor quick!!!
It seems to me that your med. dose needs to be raised. Our thyroids do not remain the same year after year, aftyer year! It tends to slowly die off to where med. dose adjustments are needed through out life until thyroid is totally nonfunctioning.
Patients with subclinical hypothyroidism sometimes may have mild abnormalities of serum lipoproteins and cardiac function. This might be the reason why doctor will not prescribe you Armour. Levothyroxine, is the preferred therapy in this situation. If doctor feels that Armour is not right for you he has all the right to refuse you the Armour. After all, he is the one who knows your health better than anyone.
Armour is harder to regulate in some patients and contains a much higher T3/T4 ratio than most humans need.
T3/T4 ratio of armour (pig) favors T3 much more than the normal human thyroid ratio and T3 can cause palpitations and tremors." Physicians also are concerned that a tablet of T3 causes higher than normal blood levels of this hormone, posing a risk for dangerous cardiac arythmias and heart attacks.
So Armour Thyroid tablets should be used with caution in patients with cardiovascular disease and it may increase the symptoms of diabetes, mellitus, diabetes inspidus or adrenal insufficiency".
You might take this into consideration. 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 probelm. Not only does Hyper/Graves' get TED but Hypo/Hashi as well.
Not everyone is alike and may not have the same positive experience with Armour as others.
GL,
1990 - Hyper/Graves'
1997 - Dia/RAI
1997 - MVP - Mitral Valve Prolapse
1999 - TED - slight Thyroid Eye Disease
1999 - Visible Nodule (suspect Marine-Lenhart-Syndrom/hyperfunctioning nodule)
2002 - IED - Intermittent Explosive Disorder (Graves' Range)
It is my opinion that your dr. is ignoring your symtpoms and you need a dr. that will treat based on symptoms & numbers.
Are you on a generic form of synthroid? Sometimes the generics do NOT have enough of the active ingredients and The fillers can be changed when manufactured by different companies. Please check your pill bottle & don't hesitate to call your pharmacist and check to see if they changed manufacturers.
Good Luck- please keep us posted as to your progress.
In that my TSH was 8.27 and my T4 and T3 levels were within normal range according to my doctor on 3/5/07.He said to come back in 3 months but as a results of the responses from ALL of you and the way I feel- like I am dying with all the thyroid symptoms I did ask my doctor to consider increaseing this med. of levothyroxine 125mg that I have been on since Sept. 2004.
He did today increase it to 150 mg and I shall see him in one month to be tested again.
Over the past 5 years my TSH has been as high as 139.98 when I was tested in July 2004. I was on I think 100mg at that time. It was increased to 125mg and my TSH test in Nov. 2004 was 0.83.
It is hard to understand how my TSH went from 139.98 to 0.88 in 4 months???
Maybe error in test???
Every time my TSH is tested it it is never even close to the previous one-is it me, the meds or errors in their testing lab???
Again-THANKS TO ALL!!!
Still - Hopeful 1
The one who knows my health better than anyone is me, because I live in my own body and feel it and listen to it every day. It's because of people like you who think doctors are unquestionable authority that we, thyroid patients, find it so hard to get them to take our complaints about our health seriously and prescribe natural dessicated hormone (which has been around for so much longer than Synthroid and works wonders. Synthroid is being prescribed by pull-pushers who were bought by the big Pharma companies).
Also, if the synthetic route still doesn't work, then you can go to the Armour website, and they provide a list of doctors in your area who are willing to prescribe it.
Or
Try another drug like Nature Thyroid. Many Armour patients switched to Nature Thyroid after Armour changed their formula. Nature Thyroid is still having shortages right now, but people are getting their prescriptions filled at compounding pharmacies.
The point is that you do have options. Don't let a doctor decide what's best for you if you feel in your heart that it isn't working. I am now on my fourth and final endo because I deserve one who will listen and treat my symptoms, not just my numbers.
:) Tamra