Help TSH went way up on Amour Thyroid, should I switch back to Synthroid?

[Amanda221]

Hi,

I had thyroid cancer 6 years ago and got my thyroid removed and did a session of RAI.  I have been on Synthroid ever since and added cytomel about two years.  Due to the cancer they always keep my TSH around .5 or lower.  I was still suffering with some symptoms and decided to try out the Amour Thyroid.  My doctor switched me about 7 weeks ago to 60 mg once a day.  I just got my blood work back and my TSH jumped from .5 to 26.57.  I have been feeling absolutely awful the last week or so and it seems to be getting worse by the day.  I feel like I got hit by a bus!  My doctor prescribed another 15 mg but that doesn't seem like enough.  I am not sure if I should try and give the Amour more time to work or just go back to my old Syntroid dosage.  I feel so bad my brain is not quite working  and feel so desperate for some relief.  Any advice or anyone else have something like this happen?  Could it be Amour just doesn't work for me?

Thanks so much!!
Amanda

[goolarra]

Going from 112 mcg T4 plus 5 mcg T3 to 60 mg of Armour is a significant decrease.  Before the switch you were taking the equivalent (adding your T4 and T3 meds together after multiplying your T3 dose by 4 to adjust for its potency) of 132 mcg T4.  60 mg of Armour is equivalent to only 100 mcg of T4.  However, if you increased the 15 mg your doctor has suggesdted, you'd be much closer with an equivalent of 125 mcg T4 on 75 mg Armour.

60 mg of Armour only has 38 mcg of T4 and 9 mcg of T3.  

There are also subtle differences in the different desiccated products (Armour, NT, ERFA, etc.).  Some of our members report doing fine on one and terrible on another.  After Armour was reformulated several years ago, many people who had been in it with great success for years found it no longer worked for them.

You actually almost doubled your T3 intake in the switch.  My guess is that your FT4 has taken a nosedive in the decrease from 112 to 38.  While FT3 correlates best with symptoms, FT4 can't be ignored...the balance between the two has to be maintained.  Of course, that's all guesswork until you get your labs.

I can't tell you what you should do.  As i said, switching from synthetics to Armour or vice versa is a little like starting all over again from scratch.  Since there's no way to take desiccated with the EXACT T3/T4 balance you had with the synthetics, you kind of have to experiment with the Armour and see how it affects you.  One of the drawbacks of desiccated is that you can't manipulate the T3 and T4 independently...it is what it is. Add to that that the different brands affect people differently, and there really are a lot of variables to consider and juggle.

Do you have FT3 and FT4 (and ranges) from before the switch?  It could be that if you tweaked the T3 and/or T4 a little, your remaining symptoms would have been relieved.  What were your remaining symptoms on Synthroid/Cytomel?    

[Amanda221]

I was on .112 of Syntroid and 5 mcg of cytomel before I did the switch.  The doctors are freaking out over these numbers and now I have to go for more lymph node mapping ultrasounds and stuff.  I am not sure of my FT3 and FT4 range as they didn't send me a copy of the actual blood tests yet.  I am just feeling so bad just like I did when I went off all meds for the RAI.  It is like my body is shutting down and nothing is working anymore....
I really like the thought behind the Amour and everything I read about it but feeling this bad is scary.  THANKS SO MUCH FOR THE HELP AND REPLIES!

[goolarra]

What was your dose of Synthroid before the switch to Armour?

Do you have FT3 and FT4 results to go with both the 0.5 and 26.57 TSH results?  If so, please post with reference ranges.

We're all different...one hypo's heaven is another's...  It could be that Armour is not right for you.  However, switching from Synthroid to desiccated is a little like starting all over again, so it might just be an adjustment period.