Aa
22 year old daughter. hypothyroid
My daughter is on armour thyroid medication. She had gained 35 pounds since Christmas.
Recent test were TSH-3.81. (0.0450-4.500)
T4,free(direct) 0.83. (0.82-1.77)
I know that her endocrinologist will say that she is in range but I think that it needs some tweaking.
Also, looking for a doc in Lexington ky area. Her acne is terrible, weight gain and very emotional. Please help
Recent test were TSH-3.81. (0.0450-4.500)
T4,free(direct) 0.83. (0.82-1.77)
I know that her endocrinologist will say that she is in range but I think that it needs some tweaking.
Also, looking for a doc in Lexington ky area. Her acne is terrible, weight gain and very emotional. Please help
Yes, Armour, NatureThroid, Erfa, etc. are all brands of desiccated porcine thyroid. They are all similar but all have different inactive ingredients. Sometimes the inactive ingredients impact absorption.
I'm not sure what you mean when you say desiccated. Is that the armour?
The doctor was also checking for cushing's syndrome. Cortisol was only slightly out of range. The blood test for cushing's is not always the most accurate. She goes back to the doctor in Hong kong this week to go over the results. Hopefully, they will be more Thyroid smart than many American doctors. Thank you for helping.
The doctor was also checking for cushing's syndrome. Cortisol was only slightly out of range. The blood test for cushing's is not always the most accurate. She goes back to the doctor in Hong kong this week to go over the results. Hopefully, they will be more Thyroid smart than many American doctors. Thank you for helping.
There are difference, not in the active ingredients, but in the fillers. Some people find one desiccated brand works better for them than others, as thomthod pointed out. In fact, several years ago now, Armour reformulated, and people who'd been on it with great success for years found it no longer worked for them.
As you can see, though, your daughter's frees are nowhere near where they need to be. FT4 is below range, and the rule of thumb for FT4 is midrange. However, due to the high T3 content in desiccated, that can be hard to achieve without FT3 going too high. FT3 is only 37.5% of range, and the rule of thumb here is upper half to upper third of range. Once again, due to the high T3 content in desiccated, FT3 often runs on the high side.
TSH looks good. However, on desiccated, TSH is often suppressed, so it's probably not as good as it seems on first glance.
AM cortisol is also high, a sign that the adrenals are still trying to compensate for lack of thyroid hormones. I think she needs an increase. Right now, both FT3 and FT4 are too low, so she can just ask her doctor to increase her desiccated. However, with FT3 fairly high relative to the very low FT4, she might have to consider at some later date adding a little synthetic T4 into the mix to get a better balance of FT3 to FT4.
As you can see, though, your daughter's frees are nowhere near where they need to be. FT4 is below range, and the rule of thumb for FT4 is midrange. However, due to the high T3 content in desiccated, that can be hard to achieve without FT3 going too high. FT3 is only 37.5% of range, and the rule of thumb here is upper half to upper third of range. Once again, due to the high T3 content in desiccated, FT3 often runs on the high side.
TSH looks good. However, on desiccated, TSH is often suppressed, so it's probably not as good as it seems on first glance.
AM cortisol is also high, a sign that the adrenals are still trying to compensate for lack of thyroid hormones. I think she needs an increase. Right now, both FT3 and FT4 are too low, so she can just ask her doctor to increase her desiccated. However, with FT3 fairly high relative to the very low FT4, she might have to consider at some later date adding a little synthetic T4 into the mix to get a better balance of FT3 to FT4.
I can tell you I switched for 4 months from armour to nature and I did not do well. My TSH shot up to 9. I switched to save a buck, shame on me!
I have gotten so much good info from this forum. My daughter is currently in Hong kong and is still not feeling 'like she should'. She is currently on hypothyroid meds. Armour thyroid 65mg.
free t3 2.9 range 2.0-4.4 pg/ml
free t4 0.89 range 0.93-1.71 ng/dl
TSH 1.25 range 0.27-4.20 ulU/ml
cortisol (am) 544 range171-536 nmol/L
What do you think of these numbers? Is there a difference in Armour thyroid and Nature thyroid?
Thanks for your help.
free t3 2.9 range 2.0-4.4 pg/ml
free t4 0.89 range 0.93-1.71 ng/dl
TSH 1.25 range 0.27-4.20 ulU/ml
cortisol (am) 544 range171-536 nmol/L
What do you think of these numbers? Is there a difference in Armour thyroid and Nature thyroid?
Thanks for your help.
You can improve your odds of finding a good doctor and save time and money by interviewing doctors over the phone before making an appointment. You can ask to speak to a nurse and ask a few key questions that will weed out the worst of the worst.
The first I'd ask is which tests they regularly order for hypo patients. Of course, you want to hear FT3, FT4 and TSH. If they only order TSH...run. If they say FT4 and TSH, you might go on to ask if FT3 is ordered on patient request.
Another good question is which meds they're open to using. Not all doctors will prescribe Armour, so if you're committed to going that route, you should confirm ahead of time.
I meant to ask earlier how much Armour she's taking.
The first I'd ask is which tests they regularly order for hypo patients. Of course, you want to hear FT3, FT4 and TSH. If they only order TSH...run. If they say FT4 and TSH, you might go on to ask if FT3 is ordered on patient request.
Another good question is which meds they're open to using. Not all doctors will prescribe Armour, so if you're committed to going that route, you should confirm ahead of time.
I meant to ask earlier how much Armour she's taking.
Lexington is our only option. I think that we will look for a new doctor. They were only going to do the TSH but my daughter insisted on the t4 and we thought t3(free) was also going to be done. This group is so helpful. Thank you.
My first comment is that any doctor who doesn't test FT3 is not a good thyroid doctor. My second is that, once on meds with T3 in them (like Armour), not testing FT3 borders on malpractice.
As you can see, her FT4 is on the floor of the range. However, that's not unusual for someone on Armour. So, it's imperative to know what FT3 is doing.
Her TSH is high. AACE recommended over 10 years ago that TSH range be changed to 0.3-3.0. Using that more realistic range, hypo is indicated.
Everything points to her needing a meds increase. Guideline for FT4 is midrange and for FT3 is upper half to upper third of range.
One of our members keeps a list of doctors recommended by forum members, but there isn't one in KY. Are you close enough to another state for that to be an option?
As you can see, her FT4 is on the floor of the range. However, that's not unusual for someone on Armour. So, it's imperative to know what FT3 is doing.
Her TSH is high. AACE recommended over 10 years ago that TSH range be changed to 0.3-3.0. Using that more realistic range, hypo is indicated.
Everything points to her needing a meds increase. Guideline for FT4 is midrange and for FT3 is upper half to upper third of range.
One of our members keeps a list of doctors recommended by forum members, but there isn't one in KY. Are you close enough to another state for that to be an option?
No, they did not give me that number. I specifically ask for that and I did not get that result.
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