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How to switch back to cytomel from armour
Hi everyone
I have been having problems with armour thyroid, which I switched to from cytomel recently. I have adreneal fatigue so it is most likely that my body cannot handle converting the T4 in the armour. I cannot see the doctor until late next week and I feel I need to get back on cytomel (T3). How should I switch back to cytomel without doing a lot more damgae to my adrenals? Should I taper the armour while adding the cytomel? Or should I go off all of the armour asap?
I have been having problems with armour thyroid, which I switched to from cytomel recently. I have adreneal fatigue so it is most likely that my body cannot handle converting the T4 in the armour. I cannot see the doctor until late next week and I feel I need to get back on cytomel (T3). How should I switch back to cytomel without doing a lot more damgae to my adrenals? Should I taper the armour while adding the cytomel? Or should I go off all of the armour asap?
Your not really impatient, this disease is such a slow process healing. I have read it takes as long to heal as you have had it undiagnosed. So if that is true, I am coming up on 20 years on being treated, and know I had it that long before being diagnosed, soooooooooooooo....I should be getting close to solving this unending mystery.
I hope you find some answers on your next doc visit. It will happen, good luck to you.
I hope you find some answers on your next doc visit. It will happen, good luck to you.
Hi Shoenut
Yeah, it is really unfortunate that docs seem to be so casual about this stuff. In my case the thing I don't understand is why am I more hypo the higher the dose of armour? If I went hyper it would make more sense?
I also feel like months and months is too long to wait to get to feeling better. I guess I am impatient!
Arg!
I hope you get to the levels your body needs. I guess we really have to press our doctors!
Yeah, it is really unfortunate that docs seem to be so casual about this stuff. In my case the thing I don't understand is why am I more hypo the higher the dose of armour? If I went hyper it would make more sense?
I also feel like months and months is too long to wait to get to feeling better. I guess I am impatient!
Arg!
I hope you get to the levels your body needs. I guess we really have to press our doctors!
Maybe it would be best to wait till next week and get your true picture of blood levels and go from there. I know the end of next week seems like years away, been there, but if he is having you raise your T4, there must be no sign of overmedication, that would be a concern.
I really think in all my reading, Armour would work for nearly all, IF the Doc's knew how to administer it. My pharmacist told me when the Doc wanted me to take too much Armour starting out, "Take only half, it is your body, Amour is hard to get regulated on". She actually told me she didn't want to get between me and my doctor. Geez, wouldn't that be right in ther line of work, safety first. If I didn't know enough about this to question it, I would of been in hyper land.
All med students should have to go to classes on Armour alone......the world would be a better place. IMHO Sorry a little bitter here.
I really think in all my reading, Armour would work for nearly all, IF the Doc's knew how to administer it. My pharmacist told me when the Doc wanted me to take too much Armour starting out, "Take only half, it is your body, Amour is hard to get regulated on". She actually told me she didn't want to get between me and my doctor. Geez, wouldn't that be right in ther line of work, safety first. If I didn't know enough about this to question it, I would of been in hyper land.
All med students should have to go to classes on Armour alone......the world would be a better place. IMHO Sorry a little bitter here.
HI Stella
Thanks so much for your help with everything. If you read shoenut's last post she mentioned she was getting hypo symptoms a few weeks after she raises her dose on armour. So for people like me and shoenut, does armour just not work for us?I know T3 itself works on me because of the cytomel, and I also seem to have a better reaction to levo with the T4. Are there people who just don't do well on armour?
Thanks
Thanks so much for your help with everything. If you read shoenut's last post she mentioned she was getting hypo symptoms a few weeks after she raises her dose on armour. So for people like me and shoenut, does armour just not work for us?I know T3 itself works on me because of the cytomel, and I also seem to have a better reaction to levo with the T4. Are there people who just don't do well on armour?
Thanks
Hi shoenut
Ugh that sounds so frustrating! Maybe its time for a second opinion? Good luck!
Ugh that sounds so frustrating! Maybe its time for a second opinion? Good luck!
I wish I knew what to tell you, what I have learned is once I raised my dose of Armour, usually by the 3-4 week my hypo symptoms start to return, and that means I need to increase again. The reason I can't give you the "fairy tale ending" to my journey is my doc is holdig me back because she is a TSH worshiper, my body is screaming for an incresase, but my TSH isn't.
Hi Stella
Thanks so much for answering
My doc uses both levo and armour. Right now he wants me to go higher on the levo and lower on the armour but he does not want me to go on cytomel (he doesn't like cytomel-new doc). But the cytomel seems to be the only thing that gives me any energy and mood improvement. Ugh
Thanks so much for answering
My doc uses both levo and armour. Right now he wants me to go higher on the levo and lower on the armour but he does not want me to go on cytomel (he doesn't like cytomel-new doc). But the cytomel seems to be the only thing that gives me any energy and mood improvement. Ugh
Hi Shoenut
The strange thing is that the symptoms that I was having were hypo symptoms not hyper. I was really cold, had dry skin, and was getting tired and puffy and stuffed up. It would make sense if I was shaky and had fast heartbeats. Do you think I still should wait?
The strange thing is that the symptoms that I was having were hypo symptoms not hyper. I was really cold, had dry skin, and was getting tired and puffy and stuffed up. It would make sense if I was shaky and had fast heartbeats. Do you think I still should wait?
Just adding my 2 cents. Three weeks on Armour is not very long. I have been adjusting for a year. When I first started on Armour with synthroid, it was too much, it took a long time and I am still adjusting. But I hung in there, I spent 20 years on synthroid and was up for the challenge of a change.
When you said you upped your dosage, to what? I wait at least 4 weeks before upping my dose. Do you think this could of been too much too soon. The prescribing info I have read for Armour says to increase 15 mcg every 2-4 weeks. Just a thought as we are all different.
When you said you upped your dosage, to what? I wait at least 4 weeks before upping my dose. Do you think this could of been too much too soon. The prescribing info I have read for Armour says to increase 15 mcg every 2-4 weeks. Just a thought as we are all different.
No - it's the conversion off the T4 that you need to work on first. Your doctor is right. When the thyroid is not balanced - all your other hormones can be effected. You need to balance that out first. You have no pitutiary issues so next level would be thyroid conversion along with adrenal repair together.
T3 does not balance the adrenals - seperate issues as I understand it. T3 stabilizes your metobolism and muscle - along with helping aid digestion. Other things too.
You should back off Armour if not entirely - if your plan is to move back into a T4 (Synthroid) and a T3( Cytomel) pattern.
As I said above - switching meds is very hard on your body - you need to establish a long pattern of meds to start to see the benefits. Switching back and forth on things can suck up your reserve you started. BUT - if you felt better on what you did in the past than moving back towards that may be best. You can't expect things to not change doing this type of switch. It will and sometimes the first couple of weeks - you may fall a bit until things start to re-establish themselves again.
Some doctors work with both Synthroid and Armour together. I still am not sure how that all works. But if you are soley looking to go back to Cytomel - you will need to take T4 too.
T3 does not balance the adrenals - seperate issues as I understand it. T3 stabilizes your metobolism and muscle - along with helping aid digestion. Other things too.
You should back off Armour if not entirely - if your plan is to move back into a T4 (Synthroid) and a T3( Cytomel) pattern.
As I said above - switching meds is very hard on your body - you need to establish a long pattern of meds to start to see the benefits. Switching back and forth on things can suck up your reserve you started. BUT - if you felt better on what you did in the past than moving back towards that may be best. You can't expect things to not change doing this type of switch. It will and sometimes the first couple of weeks - you may fall a bit until things start to re-establish themselves again.
Some doctors work with both Synthroid and Armour together. I still am not sure how that all works. But if you are soley looking to go back to Cytomel - you will need to take T4 too.
Hi Stella
I just left a message with my doctor and he called me back telling me to take more T4 (levoxyl) and no cytomel and less armour. I am so confused! I feel like this is going to make me feel much worse!
I don't know what to do!
I just left a message with my doctor and he called me back telling me to take more T4 (levoxyl) and no cytomel and less armour. I am so confused! I feel like this is going to make me feel much worse!
I don't know what to do!
Hi Stella
But isn't it the T4 in the armour that is tiring out my adrenals? I was on cytomel for years before switching to the armour and didn't have these types of problems. So I was thinking that being on T3 only might be a good idea to let my adrenals heal, since my adrenals would not have to be stressed while my thyroid worked to convert the T3 to T4. What do you think?
But isn't it the T4 in the armour that is tiring out my adrenals? I was on cytomel for years before switching to the armour and didn't have these types of problems. So I was thinking that being on T3 only might be a good idea to let my adrenals heal, since my adrenals would not have to be stressed while my thyroid worked to convert the T3 to T4. What do you think?
Either way you will have to find a balance with your thyroid.
I don't think it wise to entirely quit meds for thyroid bc of adrenal problems. It's like a catch 22. You are repairing your adrenals with support additives - but still lacking proper thyroid function off meds thats fighting to balance too.
Also a 3 week trial on Armour and then going back to Cytomel may abrupt you too. I posted earlier today about a conversation I had with a pharmacist last night about switching meds.
It's very hard on a patient that is taking any kind of hormone replacement to keep changing things around too soon.
First no track record can be established at all.
If you truly want to move forward on returning back to T4 and Cytomel - go ahead - but you need to prepare yourself for another change that could slide you into an unsteady position.
I would think since Armour is pretty short lived in the system - it is not as hard to switch from Armour an go back to T4 - then moving from Synthroid to Armour is.
I think the best thing to consider with your doctor is moving back to T4 Synthroid first - establish a 4 week regimen there and then readd Cytomel while working on your adrenal disorder.
That is only my opinion.
I do however feel that your adrenals will still be upset until you are stable on thyroid medication again regardless on treatment.
I don't think it wise to entirely quit meds for thyroid bc of adrenal problems. It's like a catch 22. You are repairing your adrenals with support additives - but still lacking proper thyroid function off meds thats fighting to balance too.
Also a 3 week trial on Armour and then going back to Cytomel may abrupt you too. I posted earlier today about a conversation I had with a pharmacist last night about switching meds.
It's very hard on a patient that is taking any kind of hormone replacement to keep changing things around too soon.
First no track record can be established at all.
If you truly want to move forward on returning back to T4 and Cytomel - go ahead - but you need to prepare yourself for another change that could slide you into an unsteady position.
I would think since Armour is pretty short lived in the system - it is not as hard to switch from Armour an go back to T4 - then moving from Synthroid to Armour is.
I think the best thing to consider with your doctor is moving back to T4 Synthroid first - establish a 4 week regimen there and then readd Cytomel while working on your adrenal disorder.
That is only my opinion.
I do however feel that your adrenals will still be upset until you are stable on thyroid medication again regardless on treatment.
Hi Stella
I have only been on armour for a bout 3 weeks. I upped the dosage and have been feeling so awful. I felt much better on the cytomel. I do have adrenal issues so I guess I have to deal with those first. Will switching back to cytomel make my adrenals even more tired due to the change? Or is it better to get off the T4 asap to rest my adrenals?
Thanks
I have only been on armour for a bout 3 weeks. I upped the dosage and have been feeling so awful. I felt much better on the cytomel. I do have adrenal issues so I guess I have to deal with those first. Will switching back to cytomel make my adrenals even more tired due to the change? Or is it better to get off the T4 asap to rest my adrenals?
Thanks
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