New Armour

[mariposa25]

Help i think i am posting in the wrong place. I just started taking thr new formuloated Armour. Switched from synthroid and cytomel. Anyone taking the new Armour. Please some input.....I feel awful.

[artistatrest]

I guess I am on the new Armour as I started taking it in 2012. I find it to be superior to Synthroid however, having not taken the old formulation, it is hard to say.

I know people say that the old Armour was dissolvable under the tongue. My dr said don't do that, the new one won't dissolve. you will be sucking on that tablet all morning.

I also take my thyroid med around 3;30-4:30 in the am. I drink strong coffee around 5:30-6:00 and I need my thyroid med to be completely gone by then. I also want to be sure I take it on an empty stomach. I do feel the armour "wakes me up" within 2 hrs. the synthroid was not like that, as it is so slow acting.

[belchl]

Hi, Maybe you should have them check your calcium and PHT parathyroid hormone. My mom had been taking the old Armour for years and was fine. Then when it was not available she didn't do to well on the Synthetic switched back to the new Armour last fall. She also has parathyroid disease which they didn't monitor well. She started hallucinating, depressed among other many symptoms. We're in the hospital now, she's terribly sick, developed pneumonia here---parathyroid issues are nothing to "wait and see on". They'll may tell you that the the thyroid and the parathyroid have nothing to do with each other but I'm not so sure---not so sure at all.

[mariposa25]

hi

[mariposa25]

Hi not sure if this will help...but I switched to Armour almost a month ago from Synthroid/cytomel, and in ten days I became HYPER. My symptoms were also awful. EXTREME fatigue could not lift my arms, aches etc. Think of a horrible flu with no cold?  I was crying over anything.  My Dr.  even suggested I could be depressed but it all started about 1 week into the Armour. I have been reducing the dose for the last 3 days and today I switched back to the Synthroid. The crying stopped  and the aches have improved (almost gone) I feel almost back to normal.This New Armour did not work out for me apparently. I really wanted to go "natural" but Armour is no longer the same formula. A lot of people are going through similar symptoms. Lazymoose is right, post your question so you can get some input on everything else. Hang in there you are not going nuts. God Bless.

[LazyMoose]

For your RAI questions, please start a new post of your own for the best help. I am not experienced in that aera. Three months on Armour is about the time you should know if its working. I dont know the ranges of your lab tests, they vary. But I'm guessing your T3 is high and T4 is low? If tat is the case Armour is not working right. If you want to try EFRA find a doc that will fax to Canada. Its surprising who will and who wont. We all need a back up doc too, for things like this. One is not enough. Compouning is spendy but local, all options have tradeoffs.

[RIRain]

This is going to be a complicated question. I had a TT for Papillary CA in Jan. Both nodes involved. Confined to thyroid. Thyroglobulin <0.2 and scans neg. I opted to continue to have levels checked rather than RAI treatment now. I figure if levels go up I could have the treatment then. Endo would have preferred treatment, but he is OK with it. I was afraid of all of the parotid and neuropathy complications. How has anyone done who has had RAI? Now on to the Armor question. Started on Synthroid and Cytomel in Jan. Switched to Armor after three months.Taking 60 mg twice a day. Last labs TSH 0.06, Free T3 339.7, Free T4 0.55. I feel terrible. Tired, don't want to go out, hair loss, dry skin, crying, frequent diarrhea. My endo feels I'm over-treated, but I feel hypo. Would Erfa be a good switch? My endo won't order an "over the border" drug. He did give me a script for Thyroid Compound 60 mg twice a day to have a Compound Pharmacy prepare. I am worried about the safety and quality control. Any suggestions before I go nuts? I'm on the faculty in a school and have to go back to work in 3 weeks. I'm seeing my endo in 2 wks. He's a good guy and has been pretty receptive to anything I've asked for. He's in a busy group practice, but if I call, I can usually expect a call back within an hour.

[mariposa25]

Thanks a million......Now wish me luck in convincing them to even consider the ERFA. But I shall try.

[stella5349]

really its a myth on the bone issues with TSH. TSH has little to do with the bone issues.

[mariposa25]

Hi again and what pharmacy? I am getting my at cvs.

[mariposa25]

Hi thats great!!!! So we are on the same ride. Put me up to date are you starting or switching. i requested the switch and i guess the synthroid in my system along with the bang of new Armour made me Hyper. My symptoms were .....are awful. The first week I was ok but yes i did have a runny nose and a lot of sneezing. by day 10 I crashed I thought I was going HYPO.    Aches ansd flu like....AWFUL. Hey what Endo are you seeing is he good?  w/b Read the comments on this stuff they are scary, I dont know what to do. Oh and my TSH went from 1.8 to .023

[probable427]

Hey girl
I live in Miami too!! what a coincidence....

ok.. so today was the first day and OMG...did I have RUNNY nose and sneezing ALL DAY

I felt great with good energyy and all... but this:( I am very sad.. I guess we both have the same formulation then since we are both in miami..

Did u experience any symptoms in the first week? I am pretty scared now!! ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh and I cant mess around with the symptoms coz im a student.. I might try to have them lower my dose and see coz i cant be sneezing all day what a waste of my day...ahhh

[TXGrama]

Yes, I'm on the new Armour formulation and was by TSH standards going hyper, without any symptoms.

It's been a battle this last year to get my thyroid in balance.  I do better on the combination of Levoxyl (T4) and Armour (T4/T3).  I took Synthroid for years but it wasn't working any more for me.

[mariposa25]

Hi again......Thanks. Actually I went Hyper......but with hypo, symptoms. A lot of people are posting the opposite though....that the new Armour is getting them hypO.????? I am moving around because I am cutting the pill in 1/2 and the fatigue has lessened in the last few days. I wish I would have never messed with my dosing. The New formula is getting mixed reviews. Most of them bad. ??????? How were you able to get the Efra. Thanks again for replying.

[mariposa25]

Hi Thanks for the input. Are nyou taking the new formulation now? (of Armour)

[TXGrama]

I'm one of those on the new Armour (and Levoxyl too).

I had been on the same combo - Armour 60 mcg (1 grain) and Levoxyl 50 mcg previously.  But when the Armour shortage came around I ended up on 150 mcg of Synthroid and my FT3 went no where.  I don't convert easily to T3.  Then I was on Synthroid and Cytomel, still FT3 never got above 2.2.  Finally we went back to the same dosage of Armour and Levoxyl.

Armour seems to be the only one that brings my FT3 up where it should be.  So I probably need to stay on Armour.  But it's very individual in how our bodies respond to the thyroid medications.

Now my labs are:

TSH  0.1   (0.3-3.0)
FT4   1.2  (0.7-1.6
FT3   4.3  (2.0-4.4)

I had no symptoms of hyper, but they wanted to lower dose of Armour to 45 mcg (3/4 grain).  The 30 mcg is too small to cut in half, so I'm going to check with pharmacy to see if they can get the 15 mcg size.  They worry about my bone density (osteopenic) when my TSH gets that low, but I feel better at 0.1.  Beginning to drag again.

[LazyMoose]

When was that lab? What is your Free T4?

Reminder: You have been on Armour only for 3 1/2 weeks, so labs wont be very accurate.

Even if you changed from synthetic to a dessicated that is know to work well (like ERFA) you would still not feel right given the 3 1/2 week time frame. So this it a tough call.

You might feel better in 3 more weeks or you might feel worse - at that point you will know more clearly. If you feel  worse at 6 weeks,even if labs look OK, its not for you. If a little better by 6 weeks, give a little more time.

Note: I changed from Nature Throid dessicated (did not work for me) to ERFA dessicated in May. The first four weeks I was still hypo. I am still feeling better weekly and its already August.

[mariposa25]

hi again ....Sorry started and posted allover the place by acc. here are the labs THS .023
                                                                                                             free      T3 186  (70-180)
                                                                                                          antithyroglobulin 373 (0-40
                            Thank you.                                                                        TPO 24 (0-34)

[mariposa25]

Hi Thank you so much. Glad to here she's doing well. I have 2 girls. My older one 12 is having some symptoms that now I realize can be a warning. Always tired etc. I am watching her closely and she is schedule with an endo. Anyhows How do you get the Dr to give you the presc. ? I live in Miami.....and finding a Dr. to even consider not having you on Synthroid was a mission. Carefully executed.....and now it doesnt work!

[stella5349]

I have to know the actual labs on the Frees to comment correctly. Can you post those please?

[ChitChatNine]

Hi,

WELCOME to our community!  You are in the right place and we're so glad you've posted and gotten such wonderful advice.

We're able to help one another which is the best part of MedHelp!   I know I've learned so much along the way and couldn't have done it without this community.

Sorry, not much techno knowledge for your ? - I am a Synthroid patient happened on your post and wanted to {{{{{[ wave  }}}}}}}}} hello!

C~

[magpieannie]

No not anymore as the new formulation did not do well for my thyroidless daughter.However, I did successfully and slowly move her over from a lifetime of Synthroid only to the original Armour (which she did great on) 1 1/2 years ago. The new Armour formula has more cellulose and less dexstrose in the fillers and binders and her freet4 dropped drastically on this and her freet3 dropped substantually. Had severe joint pain and fatigue on it within 2 weeks. I then switched her to original Nature-Throid. Has been on it for 1 year and done great. Now, unfortunatly it too has been changed in a similar way as the Armour. We will not be trying it. We have been slowly switching her over during this last month to canadian desiccated thyroid hormone (ERFA). As of yesterday she is completly switched and we'll do labs in 2 weeks. She feels fine and is acting well. Also, if you are taking the Armour all at once, you may want to split it up by 3 doses at 4 hours apart if posssible. Taking it all at once is alot of t3 and most do better spreading it out through the day. You alo could back off the Armour a tad and give the Synthroid time to get out of your system and then slowly begin adding it back in a little at a time as an option, but discuss with your doctor first.

[mariposa25]

Thank you so much. I was terrified. l spent last week in bed could not even move. It was bad. Are you presently taking Armour. Do you think it is better than Synthroid in the long run. Should Ijust stick it out.?

[magpieannie]

You are suppose to add in the Armour very slowly once you go off a synthetic t4 med. Synthroid stays in your system about 6 weeks decreasing its effects in you by 1/2 each week. So you must convert over slowly or hyperthtyroid symptoms can develop. This is probably why your t3 is so high. If you switched over all at once, then you have too much available thyroid in your system right now and will probably feel badly for several more weeks until the Synthroid is completly out of your system.