Aa
Switching from Armour to Syntroid
I am 71 year old man. Had been taking Armour for 4 months, had palpitations and was recommended to switch to Syntroid. Does anybody know what I should expect during the transition period?
Thank you!
Thank you!
Dear gimel, you are an angel! Thank you so much for taking the time to analyze my problems. I will try to follow your advice.
Sounds like a real horror story. Apparently unnecessary surgery, followed by dosing by TSH. And now a switch to Armour at what is probably too small a dose for full replacement. And now a reduction of your Armour and told to take a half a pill on MWF and one grain on the other days.
First you should be aware that most patients find it best to take a consistent amount of Armour every day, since it reacts somewhat fast. They even go further and split the dose in half and take in the a.m. and early p.m, to even out the effect through the day. Quite different from your plan, huh?
Looking at your latest test results, normally I would be suspicious that the FT3 level was still too low and, certainly the FT4 is low. But with you reporting HBP and atrial fibrillation and anxiety, that is more indicative of needing a decrease in your FT3. I wouldn't think you would want to go back to the Synthroid, since you had some symptoms with that as well, so perhaps the best thing to consider is to continue with the Armour, but at the reduced level. I am not exactly clear on the amount you're taking each day. I think I understand that you were taking 90 mg per day and now you are taking 67.5 mg per day (45 + 90 divided by two), but whatever the two day total is, it probable would be best to split it in half and take the same amount each day.
With the reduced dose you should determine pretty quickly if that helps with the symptoms.
First you should be aware that most patients find it best to take a consistent amount of Armour every day, since it reacts somewhat fast. They even go further and split the dose in half and take in the a.m. and early p.m, to even out the effect through the day. Quite different from your plan, huh?
Looking at your latest test results, normally I would be suspicious that the FT3 level was still too low and, certainly the FT4 is low. But with you reporting HBP and atrial fibrillation and anxiety, that is more indicative of needing a decrease in your FT3. I wouldn't think you would want to go back to the Synthroid, since you had some symptoms with that as well, so perhaps the best thing to consider is to continue with the Armour, but at the reduced level. I am not exactly clear on the amount you're taking each day. I think I understand that you were taking 90 mg per day and now you are taking 67.5 mg per day (45 + 90 divided by two), but whatever the two day total is, it probable would be best to split it in half and take the same amount each day.
With the reduced dose you should determine pretty quickly if that helps with the symptoms.
I, probably, had to tell you my thyroid history first. A year and a half ago I was a healthy person living without any pills. It so happened that during a check up they found a noddle on my thyroid. The result of the biopsy was: "Suspicious for papillary carcinoma". The surgery which I had last February showed that the noddle was much smaller than they had told me (1/2sm instead of 1.5) and it was benign. After total thyroidectomy I was prescribed 125mg of Synthroid which later was changed to 100mg. Despite good test results I wasn't feeling well: chills, constant headache and occasional insomnia. My doc. was sure that it had nothing to do with Synthroid so I found another endo who prescribed me 90mg of Thyroid Armour. When February blood test showed the numbers I had already mentioned in my previous post( by the way, I did take the pill before the test), the endo recommended taking 1/2 of Armour on M, W, Fri. and a whole pill on the other days. However, during these 4 mos on Armour, besides insomnia, which has gotten much worse, I have also developed high blood pressure, atrial fibrilation, and anxiety. My primary insists on switching back to Synthroid. So now I am in twenty minds as to which med to take.
One more question. Did you take your Armour meds before the blood draw for your last thyroid test?
I suspect that your doctor decided to switch your meds based mainly on your TSH level, with the suspicion that you had become hyper. But you do not become hyper just due to a low TSH. You are hyper when having hyper symptoms caused by excessive FT3 and FT4 levels, which you do not have.
TSH is frequently suppressed when taking significant dosage of thyroid meds. TSH itself does not directly cause any symptoms. TSH is only an indicator of thyroid status. Far better indicators are symptoms, and also the levels of the biologically active thyroid hormones, FT3 and FT4. In your case FT4 is barely in the lower end of the range and FT3 is just at midpoint of its range.
Personally I would be very leery of making the change in meds. Instead of solving a problem, you may be causing more problems. I say this because making the cchange from the Armour (T4/T3) to Synthroid (T4 only) is very difficult to coordinate, without going through a potential hypo phase. Did your doctor say anything about how you should make the change? All at once, or gradually phase into it?
I seem to also remember several members having palpitations that were related to being hypo, rather than hyper. So, all in all, if you find a good thyroid doctor, I would go for a second opinion before making that change.
What dosage of Armour were you taking and for how long? What dosage of Synthroid has been prescribed?
TSH is frequently suppressed when taking significant dosage of thyroid meds. TSH itself does not directly cause any symptoms. TSH is only an indicator of thyroid status. Far better indicators are symptoms, and also the levels of the biologically active thyroid hormones, FT3 and FT4. In your case FT4 is barely in the lower end of the range and FT3 is just at midpoint of its range.
Personally I would be very leery of making the change in meds. Instead of solving a problem, you may be causing more problems. I say this because making the cchange from the Armour (T4/T3) to Synthroid (T4 only) is very difficult to coordinate, without going through a potential hypo phase. Did your doctor say anything about how you should make the change? All at once, or gradually phase into it?
I seem to also remember several members having palpitations that were related to being hypo, rather than hyper. So, all in all, if you find a good thyroid doctor, I would go for a second opinion before making that change.
What dosage of Armour were you taking and for how long? What dosage of Synthroid has been prescribed?
Thank you for your prompt response. My last test results are : TSH - 0.33 (0.40 - 4.50),
TF4 - 0.9 (0.8 - 1.8), TF3 - 3.3 (2.3 - 4.2).
TF4 - 0.9 (0.8 - 1.8), TF3 - 3.3 (2.3 - 4.2).
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Thyroid Disorders Community
We tapped the CDC for information on what you need to know about radiation exposure
Endocrinologist Mark Lupo, MD, answers 10 questions about thyroid disorders and how to treat them
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
