Natural or synthetic... which is better.

[mandiful86]

Has anyone tried Armour for thyroid problems? If you have would you recommend it? What are some pros/cons? Is it better or worse than synthetic hormones like levothyroxin or synthriod?

[mandiful86]

I love you so much for that letter. How could my doctor be so wrong? I'm going to find a better doctor. My grandma praised him so much for helping her with her thyroid, but I think he is not up to date on current information and treatments. I should have known when he told me he didn't know what was causing my symptoms. My thoughts were... aren't you supposed to find that out? Is that not why I came to you in the first place? The letter helped me understand so much.

Thanks!

[gimel]

From what we have heard of your doctor to date, you are going to have to request it.  And then when he resists and gives excuses as to why it is not necessary, insist on it and don't take no for an answer.  

A good thyroid doctor will treat a hypo patient clinically by testing and adjusting Free T3 and Free T4 as necessary to relieve symptoms, without being constrained by resultant TSH levels.  symptom relief should be all important, not just test results.  You can get some good insight into clinical treatment from this letter written by a good thyroid doctor for patients that he sometimes consults with from a distance.  The letter is sent to the PCP of the patient to help guide treatment.

http://hormonerestoration.com/files/ThyroidPMD.pdf

While you are working on your doctor to get those Free T3 and Free T4 tests done, you might as well give him a copy of the letter and ask if he is going to be willing to treat you clinically,  as described in the letter.  If not, then you will need to find a good thyroid doctor that will do so.

[mandiful86]

My  doctor constantly tells me that my levels are normal. He never tells me the numbers, just that they are normal and I should be fine. Even though I am taking 175 mcg Levothyroxin, my symptoms are not relieved. It almost feels like the meds are not working all day or something. Which my doctor tells me is impossible. I feel fine in the morning, but after noon muscle fatigue kicks in, horrible brain fog and whatever else my body throws at me. Do all drs. check to see if their patients are converting T4 to T3, or do I have to request it?

[Barb135]

Which med to take is a very individual thing.  As noted above, there are many people who convert the T4 to T3 properly, and do very well, on just T4 medication.

On the other hand, those of us who don't convert well, have the option of going with either dessicated, such as Armour, or as in my case, Tirosint, which is a relatively new, synthetic T4, plus I add a small dose of generic T3 to help maintain FT3 levels.  

While both gimel and LazyMoose feel best with the dessicated, many of us do equally well with the synthetics..  One thing I do like about the synthetics is that T4 and T3 dosages can be manipulated independently, whereas with the dessicated, you get what you get.

[LazyMoose]

What gimel said.

I was on T4 for 10 yrs, for me it did not relive symptoms.

Now I'm on a similar but different brand of dessicated like Armour and feel better - my FT3 is up 2/3 into the range.

[gimel]

Much of the discussion about T4 meds versus combo T4/T3 meds is based on whether hypo symptoms were relieved or not.  Symptom relief, in turn, is mainly a result of getting the Free T3 level high enough.  If the patient is one that converts T4 to T3 adequately to enable high Free T3 levels, then a T4 med is frequently preferred, for their convenience and consistent effect throughout the day.  

I say that because T4 is much slower acting than T3.  As a result, T4 meds can be taken once a day and the effect will stay fairly consistent over the whole day.  With T3 meds, the T3 is much faster acting and are generally taken in several doses during the day to try and even out the effect.  

So the bottom line is that if your body adequately converts T4 to T3 enough to allow your T4 med to raise your T3 level high enough to relieve symptoms, that is typically the preferred approach.  If conversion is not adequate, then you have to add a T3 source to your meds in order to get your Free T3 high enough to relieve those symptoms.  This latter scenario is why I take Armour thyroid.  My Free T3 is 3.9 (range of 2.3 - 4.2), Free T4 is .84 (range of .60 - 1.50), and I am feeling best ever.  Prior to about 2 1/2 years ago I had been taking 200 mcg of Synthroid for well over 25 years and still had lingering hypo symptoms, even though my Free T4 was at the high end of the range.