Aa
Is anyone on Armour?
Is anyone in our group on Armour and if so are you good with it? What are pro's and con's of say Armour and or Synthoid etc.
I go to Endo on monday so I want to be intelligent about this...thanks
Lisa
PS got my stiches out today and my scar line is absolutely flawless... it will heal up great inspite of blowing the first stich set. Doc says my site looks good inspite of added trauma...
I go to Endo on monday so I want to be intelligent about this...thanks
Lisa
PS got my stiches out today and my scar line is absolutely flawless... it will heal up great inspite of blowing the first stich set. Doc says my site looks good inspite of added trauma...
My wife was diagnosed with hashimoto 3 months ago. Her TSH level was 68 last checked. Does anyone else have levels this high?
We are thinking about starting treatment (after low glycemic dietary approach did not work) with Armour medication primarily because it may be easier eventually to stop treatment than it is with synthetic.
Has anyone successfully ended treatment with Armour?
TIA
We are thinking about starting treatment (after low glycemic dietary approach did not work) with Armour medication primarily because it may be easier eventually to stop treatment than it is with synthetic.
Has anyone successfully ended treatment with Armour?
TIA
I had horrible problems on Synthroid. The hypo symptoms never went away even though my doctor said I was in the "correct" range. I got the book, "Living Well with Hypothyroidism" by Mary Shomon and it saved my life. I too have Hashimoto's. After reading her book I decided to try Armour. I asked my doctor for Armour and he REFUSED to give it to me saying it wasn't as good as Synthroid. I argued with him telling him that Synthroid isn't helping my symptoms. I asked him as my doctor wasn't it his job to make me feel better and if so, then why wouldn't he want to try whatever he could to make me feel better...like trying Armour. He still refused and said I didn't know what I was talking about. I was so angry I fired him as my doctor and I walked out of his office never to return. I went to www.thyroid-info.com and found a doctor on their list who would prescribe Armour for me. I have been on Armour now for over three years and it has made a world of difference for me. All my hypo symptoms are gone!
Read Mary Shomon's book. In it she talks about all the different types of thyroid medications including Cytomel. Cytomel is an artificial T3. Some folks do fine on that with Synthroid and some still don't. I think the reason some don't is because they are only getting T4 and T3 with the Synthroid/Cytomel combo. Armour has all the other hormones that our thyroid gland would normally produce such as T1 and T2 and I think that is the difference between feeling well and not feeling well. Granted the medical community still does not know what T1 and T2 (and all the other T-hormones) do, but our bodies produce it and if our bodies don't need it, our bodies wouldn't produce it. Nature hates waste. I think trying to duplicate what the human body does naturally is best and the best way to do that is taking a natural thyroid hormone replacement like Armour. There are other brands of natural thyroid hormone (Westhroid and Naturethroid) but Armour seems to be the most popular.
And no...Armour will not harm your heart. Go to the Armour Thyroid web site and check out the medication for yourself at: www.armourthyroid.com
Another option is to go on Thyrolar which is an artificial combo of T4 and T3. The problem with Thyrolar is it has to be kept refrigerated and that may be a problem if you travel a lot.
The problem with asking your doctor for T3 be it Cytomel, Thyrolar or Armour is that most conventional doctors are trained in med school to think the human body only needs T4 found in Synthroid so most doctors will refuse to give you Cytomel, Thyrolar or Armour. Many doctors have never heard that some people's bodies have a difficult time converting T4 to the active hormone T3 and that's why when a person is in the "normal" range and still has hypo symptoms. Lab tests show how much of the T4 is floating around in you, but they don't show how well your body is using the T4 and converting it to T3. All the cells in your body need T3 to function properly. If you are still feeling horrible on a T4 only thyroid medication like Synthroid, it's because your cells are being starved for T3 and your body just isn't converting the T4 to T3. My former doctor thought I was nuts when I told him all this. I even took documentation to show him and he REFUSED to look at it. That's why I left him and found another doctor who was familiar with the conversion problem of T4 to T3.
You may have a difficult time getting your doctor to prescribe Cytomel. Most med schools don't even teach doctors now days about any type of thyroid hormone replacement but Synthroid. Many doctors have never heard of Cytomel, Armour, Westhroid or Naturethroid. My G.P. who is a resident at a major medical teaching university and hospital (Not my Endo, I go to both a G.P. and an Endo.) has never heard of Armour. I had to educate my G.P. about Armour. He couldn't understand why he had never even heard of it and why it wasn't on his list of pharmaceuticals that the medical university and hospital provided. If your Endo refuses to prescribe Cytomel for you, don't be afraid to leave her and find another doctor. Your doctor is not God. Doctor's are supposed to work for us to make us better and if they don't you fire them like you would any employee who doesn't do their job. There are many good Endo doctors out there that are willing to listen to you and will believe you when you say you don't feel well on just Synthroid. So if you can't get Cytomel or another T3 thyroid medication from your Endo, it's time to shop around for a new Endo.
Good luck Megan. And please read Mary Shomon's book, "Living Well with Hypothyroidism". This book will enlighten you and give you more info about your disease than you can imagine. You'll know more than most doctors once you read this book. And don't be afraid of the book. It's easy reading, written for the everyday person and is not difficult, hard or boring. It was written by an everyday woman (wife and mother) who had all the horrible ups and downs of being hypo and really suffered so she knows what she's talking about. She is an amazing woman who was able to buck the system and educated herself about the disease. You can read about Mary Shomon's credentials at: http://thyroid.about.com/mbiopage.htm. You can find her book used at Amazon.com really cheap like for about $7.00.
I hope that once you get on a T3, be it Cytomel, Thyrolar or Armour, that you will come back to this message board and let us all know how you are doing.
Good luck Megan!
Read Mary Shomon's book. In it she talks about all the different types of thyroid medications including Cytomel. Cytomel is an artificial T3. Some folks do fine on that with Synthroid and some still don't. I think the reason some don't is because they are only getting T4 and T3 with the Synthroid/Cytomel combo. Armour has all the other hormones that our thyroid gland would normally produce such as T1 and T2 and I think that is the difference between feeling well and not feeling well. Granted the medical community still does not know what T1 and T2 (and all the other T-hormones) do, but our bodies produce it and if our bodies don't need it, our bodies wouldn't produce it. Nature hates waste. I think trying to duplicate what the human body does naturally is best and the best way to do that is taking a natural thyroid hormone replacement like Armour. There are other brands of natural thyroid hormone (Westhroid and Naturethroid) but Armour seems to be the most popular.
And no...Armour will not harm your heart. Go to the Armour Thyroid web site and check out the medication for yourself at: www.armourthyroid.com
Another option is to go on Thyrolar which is an artificial combo of T4 and T3. The problem with Thyrolar is it has to be kept refrigerated and that may be a problem if you travel a lot.
The problem with asking your doctor for T3 be it Cytomel, Thyrolar or Armour is that most conventional doctors are trained in med school to think the human body only needs T4 found in Synthroid so most doctors will refuse to give you Cytomel, Thyrolar or Armour. Many doctors have never heard that some people's bodies have a difficult time converting T4 to the active hormone T3 and that's why when a person is in the "normal" range and still has hypo symptoms. Lab tests show how much of the T4 is floating around in you, but they don't show how well your body is using the T4 and converting it to T3. All the cells in your body need T3 to function properly. If you are still feeling horrible on a T4 only thyroid medication like Synthroid, it's because your cells are being starved for T3 and your body just isn't converting the T4 to T3. My former doctor thought I was nuts when I told him all this. I even took documentation to show him and he REFUSED to look at it. That's why I left him and found another doctor who was familiar with the conversion problem of T4 to T3.
You may have a difficult time getting your doctor to prescribe Cytomel. Most med schools don't even teach doctors now days about any type of thyroid hormone replacement but Synthroid. Many doctors have never heard of Cytomel, Armour, Westhroid or Naturethroid. My G.P. who is a resident at a major medical teaching university and hospital (Not my Endo, I go to both a G.P. and an Endo.) has never heard of Armour. I had to educate my G.P. about Armour. He couldn't understand why he had never even heard of it and why it wasn't on his list of pharmaceuticals that the medical university and hospital provided. If your Endo refuses to prescribe Cytomel for you, don't be afraid to leave her and find another doctor. Your doctor is not God. Doctor's are supposed to work for us to make us better and if they don't you fire them like you would any employee who doesn't do their job. There are many good Endo doctors out there that are willing to listen to you and will believe you when you say you don't feel well on just Synthroid. So if you can't get Cytomel or another T3 thyroid medication from your Endo, it's time to shop around for a new Endo.
Good luck Megan. And please read Mary Shomon's book, "Living Well with Hypothyroidism". This book will enlighten you and give you more info about your disease than you can imagine. You'll know more than most doctors once you read this book. And don't be afraid of the book. It's easy reading, written for the everyday person and is not difficult, hard or boring. It was written by an everyday woman (wife and mother) who had all the horrible ups and downs of being hypo and really suffered so she knows what she's talking about. She is an amazing woman who was able to buck the system and educated herself about the disease. You can read about Mary Shomon's credentials at: http://thyroid.about.com/mbiopage.htm. You can find her book used at Amazon.com really cheap like for about $7.00.
I hope that once you get on a T3, be it Cytomel, Thyrolar or Armour, that you will come back to this message board and let us all know how you are doing.
Good luck Megan!
I need some advice, please.... I have recently been diagnosed with Hashimoto's in Aug of 08- but suffered with it for 10 months prior to diagnosis. I had first been diagnosed with Hypo ten years prior. I have been on synthroid the entire time of my treatment. I currently take 150mcg's daily. Although I feel I am reaching or near my correct dosage, I still have hypo symptoms- I am extremly cold, fatigued, I cannot lose weight, I feel "foggy"- and I want my life back. Today, my acupuncturist's assistant insisted that I go on Armour- and I am VERY reluctant to do so. I am feeling better than I have ever felt and to mess with my dosage seems like I would be betraying my body. It has been a hell of a climb to get to this point. Also, I am terrified that I might upset my Endo- and she is one of the best in the state. I cannot afford to lose the one person who has helped me so much. Furthermore, I have a history of heart disease in my family. Am I right to conclude that Armour can affect my heart? I'm only 27- I do not want to add heart trouble to the list of things going wrong with my body. I don't know what to do at this point. Too many cooks in the kitchen is a recipe for disaster. I know the acupuncture is needed- but i want her assistant to back off. How do I politely tell her thanks but no thanks?
Also, I know I have adrenal fatigue- actually it is more like adrenal exhaustion..... I know this because I actually felt my adrenals fire and fire today- overreacting and my body having absolutley no idea how to compensate for this occurance.... How do I get my adrenaline glands healthy and keep them that way?
Lastly, I would like to try a Synthroid/Cytomel combo. I think this would be the best way to finally get healthy.... what are your thoughts?
Sometimes I feel like I am the only person batteling this disease... I am so young, I worry about what my quality of life will be in 10, 20 years... Although my diagnosis could be worse, it is awful to know that a major organ in my body does not work like it should.... I would gladly walk away from this disease if I could. I am desperate to be healthy again....
Also, I know I have adrenal fatigue- actually it is more like adrenal exhaustion..... I know this because I actually felt my adrenals fire and fire today- overreacting and my body having absolutley no idea how to compensate for this occurance.... How do I get my adrenaline glands healthy and keep them that way?
Lastly, I would like to try a Synthroid/Cytomel combo. I think this would be the best way to finally get healthy.... what are your thoughts?
Sometimes I feel like I am the only person batteling this disease... I am so young, I worry about what my quality of life will be in 10, 20 years... Although my diagnosis could be worse, it is awful to know that a major organ in my body does not work like it should.... I would gladly walk away from this disease if I could. I am desperate to be healthy again....
I am in the process of moving and have lost my lab work papers (house is in a mess...boxes everywhere). I do remember my TSH was very low last time...0.02, but I don't remember what my T4, T3, etc. was.
Yes, I think my problems right now are related to something wrong with my adrenal glands. I checked out both Cushings and PCOS and have symptoms of both. I have a doctor's appointment in a couple of weeks and will print out info on both Cushings and PCOS and take it to my doctor.
Thank you all for your help!
Yes, I think my problems right now are related to something wrong with my adrenal glands. I checked out both Cushings and PCOS and have symptoms of both. I have a doctor's appointment in a couple of weeks and will print out info on both Cushings and PCOS and take it to my doctor.
Thank you all for your help!
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