Initial Side Effects from Armour Thyroid? Pregnant and seeking answer!!

[sugr]

I am 25 weeks pregnant and started on dessicated thyroid 9 days ago.  I had a hyperthyroid period for a few months, after which my thyroid, specifically my t4, has been too low.  I am also on Celexa.  My question is:  Can dessicated hormone cause initial side effects, or can it lower thyroid function somehow?  Since I started, I feel extremely tired after taking the dose (1 grain).  I sleep like a log, which is ok since i did not sleep great before, but I have felt even more weak and tired.  Also my concentration level has been terrible and I feel very foggy.  I have noticed some positive changes, such as feeling my metabolism speed up and better bowel movements, but not to the point of feeling "hyper".  Also, I often feel faint and headachy.  Is this normal when starting the dessicated thyroid, and does this type of side effect pass after time?  Any information would be helpful since my naturopath says he doesn't know what this could be from.

[mymirela]

A related discussion, very dry skin lately - skin seems to have aged in a few weeks from Hashimoto's or from Armour? was started.

[Mark Lupo, M.D.]

I am not clear on what your thyroid function is at this point - an isolated low T4 in pregnancy may not necessarily mean hypothyroidism - it really depends on the trend of TSH/T3/T4 during the pregnancy -- if you were very hyper early in pregnancy then the TSH may remain falsely low and the T4 would be important to follow.

People respond differently to thyroid meds -- the key is to take enough but not too much as there are TWO patients in this scenario -- you and your child.  Also, would split the armour into twice daily dosing.  Follow the labs closely - most likely (based on what you describe) your symptoms will improve but if not -- re-evaluate early.

[Chocobabe]

Your post caught my eye. My doctor intially started me on around 1 grain of Armour, but she left me on it too long, and thus, my hypo came back with a vengeance--I also started feeling tired like you with the exact other symptoms you mention. I've since learned that patients like ourselves need to raise that starting dose within a few weeks after starting to prevent this!! I am now over 3 grains and feel fantastic. I belong to other thyroid groups, and the majority of patients seem to be on close to 3 grain and higher before they completely rid themselves of symptoms. I know it's all individual, but did want to pass that along to you.

[Chocobabe]

I get the impression that medical people are not as versed about Armour as those of us who are on it. Plus there are groups, like the Natural Thyroid Hormones group on Yahoo, where they share SO much and it's VERY helpful. Yes, I felt out-of-it, but it took a few weeks from being on too low a dose. I've noticed a few others who say they also had things crop up like you, but they just rode them out, and raised. Some folks found out that they had sluggish adrenals, and they did a 24 hour adrenal saliva test to find out. They then got on adrenal support like Isocort. I never had to do that.

[sugr]

Thanks so much for your response!  I have talked to several medical people and none have heard of this.  The only thing is, these side effects came as soon as I started the thyoid.  Is this what happened to you?  Also, did you sometimes feel really out-of-it,  feeling like you didn't know where you were or something like that?  I really appreciate your response.  Thanks for encouraging others who have been through the same thing!