What are the dangers of taking 30 mg Armour Thyroid?

[SheriH58]

If your tests come back slightly below normal but hypothyroid symptoms are severe, what are the dangers of taking only 30 mg. of Armour Thyroid if your doctor says you tested almost normal, it's not your thyroid but doesn't have any answers for my son having ALL the symptoms of hypothyroidism?

[quest04]

Hello sir,

I can imagine what u must be going through. I my self am 25 years old and was recently diagnosed to have hypothyroidism. And am on ultroxin, 100 mg. However, it was not satisfying, as the symptoms are right around the corner.

However, I wanted to consult a doctor before starting with natural thyroid.

I read that you know a doctor who uses natural thyroid for treatment. Can you please give me his details.

[chel 81]

Here's the second half... message was too long to put into one:


I know my thyroid medication stopped working because all my symptoms appeared the same as they did when I first got sick with it. Mine was a very sudden change- not over periods of years but rather just a couple of months- 3 to be exact. I went from healthy, thin, active to lethargic, overweight, and unable to exercise in a very short time. My first time it came 2 months after being diagnosed with mono. At first I didn't realize because many of the symtoms like fatigue were already there from the mono but when my weight started to creep up (gained 30 lbs in 3 months) and my periods stopped, I started having IBS, and got acne- that was when I knew something more was wrong. I didn't get a diagnosis for three years. Just kept trying to do everything to get back to normal but nothing worked. Exercised for 1 1/2 every day but weight wouldn't budge. I even had my resting metabolic rate tested and the technician was shocked when she saw it was less than 1100 cal/day- it was supposed to be at 1500! Basically my body was in constant starvation mode so no matter what or how much/little I ate/exercised my body would work very efficiently at trying to sustain life and so everything slowed down- my metabolism, my skin, my intestines. I finally got a diagnosis and they were willing to treat me with Armour. Within just a few months things slowly started to improve. Within 1 year everything was back to normal- I was fit and thin, active, happy, everything was great. Then a few years passed of that and after being stressed for some time things started happening all over again. Only this time things were worse- I gained 50 lbs in only 3 months (despite running 4 miles a day & eating a perfect organic unprocessed diet), periods went crazy, IBS reappeared, acne, extreme fatigue- everything the first time but worse. I knew at that point the thyroid meds just weren't working anymore however, my doctors didn't test and didn't realize that I had mono again. It wasn't until a year 1/2 later that they tested for it and we've put the pieces together. It's actually the mono that attacks the thyroid in my tissues preventing me from using thyroid hormone. In other words, no matter how much thyroid I take my body won't be able to use it (trust me they massively overdosed me and I had major heart palps and high BP and high heart rate that went with it but still hypo). My case is more unusual so I wanted to fully explain so you could see that it wasn't that the Armour just quit on me it was my body just quit using it because of my mono. I'm working on fighting the mono and hope that when that is taken care of the Armour will begin to work again for me.

Unfortunately thyroid disorders can be very complex since hormones in general are very complex and they work together in so many ways. However, it's not always that complex to treat and if you have a physician willing to test and experiment that's one of the first big obsticals that many people never get through but if you can it gives you a much better chance for getting better. It's sad when I hear of people who are told they are fine and suffer so long just because the doctors wouldn't do the right tests or didn't examine them carefully enough. It sounds like from what you stated above that at least you have a doctor willing to treat with Armour which is really good- means they know there is options out there.

Chel

[chel 81]

You're welcome- I try to help when I can since I know how painful this can be and have done quite a bit of research to try to help myself (it actually took my own research to finally get a doctor to diagnose me as well so I know how they can sometimes just tell you everything is fine when you know it's not).

From what I can see his thyroid numbers all look pretty good. I don't have thyroid antibodies so maybe someone who does can comment on them but if they are detectable maybe that is where the problem is. Also, I don't see a Reverse T3 result. I know a lot of doctors don't think it is necessary but sometimes it seems doctors are ignorant to the fact that too much can wipe out needed Free T3 so even if his numbers look good elsewhere he may not be absorbing it all because of that.

Thyroid Storm I believe is a term related to people who have Graves Disease or Autoimmune Thyroid Disease. If anyone wants to correct me please do so because it's not something I have personally experienced. However, I don't think this would be from taking thyroid but from what his thyroid is actually doing. Basically his thyroid might suddenly produce way too much. If that was his case though he would have bouts of it on and off- not typical for someone experiencing hypothyroidism.

Thyroid meds are meant to replicate what your body naturally does as much as possible. However, everyone's body produces thyroid hormones in various amounts depending on the day- our body's will naturally fluctuate from day to day so one day you might produce a little more or a little less. This are probably not large variants so that's why we don't notice anything different in how we feel. So, if you were to take just a little bit- if it wasn't needed you probably wouldn't even be able to tell a difference. If however, that little bit is all he needed it might make a huge difference.

It's funny because so many doctors want to drive it in patients heads that T3 containing drugs (like Armour) are bad and can give you heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure etc. However, you could get that also from T4. But, thyroid disease is one of the most common disorders affecting the population today. And, people when treated correctly are getting along fine. I have thyroid disease running on both sides of my family and several have been on thyroid drugs for 30+ years with no problems. Doctors a lot of times want to scare patients about T3 drugs because they are given bad information in medical school- information funded by drug companies like Synthroid. And, while Synthroid definitely works wonders for many people it's not the cure all like many doctors like to say it is. People should be given the true facts and patients should have choices. The one thing that I have run across in my research regarding Synthroid is that it works best on two patients: men and those who have prior history of hyperthyroidism. The reason is this: men's livers work differently than women's (more efficient) so since most of the thyroid is converting from T4 to T3 in the liver they can convert much more efficiently the T4 in the Synthroid to active T3 for their bodies to use. The same thing goes for people with prior hyperthyroidism. Many hyperthyroid patients convert too easily from T4 to T3 which is why they became hyperthyroid to begin with. So, if they take a T4 only drug like Synthroid they do fairly well at converting it to T3 for their body to use. Now, this isn't the case for everyone and lots of men and hyperthyroid patients don't fall into this group but they do more often than those of us who begin as hypothyroid. Many hypothyroid patients can't convert efficiently at all so when given T4 only drugs they just build up in our system, cause the TSH to lower (making our labs look great!) but then we still feel horrible because we never get the T3 our bodies need.

Any thyroid drug can cause weight gain. It may cause it because our metabolism gets slightly amped up to want us to eat more than the increase in the metabolism, it may cause it because we aren't taking enough- the body may try to adjust for the incoming medication and adjust down too much of it's own production leaving us with less thyroid than we started with, T4 drugs sometimes make hypothyroidism worse because it converts too much to Reverse T3 and actually ends up making up more hypothyroid by wiping out way too much usable Free T3, there are many other explanations that I really don't know enough about but the fact is that some people do gain weight on any thyroid medication.

Armour is natural in that it comes from a natural source rather than in a lab but it still is different than what our bodies make. Some people cannot tolerate it because of milk or pig allergies (my grandfather can't take it because he gets all itchy). However, if people have a milk allergy Naturethroid is also made from pigs but doesn't have the lactose so they tolerate that better. I prefer Armour because it has the T3, T2, T1 etc and for some reason my body goes crazy whenever I take synthetic hormones of any kind (can't take BCP's either). I do think it has helped a great many patients and if it works for that person is a great medication.

[SheriH58]

Thanks for responding. I've tried to do my own research but am finding it really confusing. These are his blood results. He tested normal or slightly below but has all the symptoms and has had them for 3-4 years now. Whats Thyroid Storm? Could you please explain in detail the dangers of taking Thyroid Meds? I do want to share everything with my son. I'm scared. He now wants to try thyroid medication and of course at the age of 21 thinks he knows it all.... indestructable! After he's done his own research, he feels thyroid medication could help. He's got an appointment with his Sports Medicine DO on Monday morning. That doctor said too sometimes a very low dose of synthroid helps those patients whos test out normal but have all the symptoms. He said he would have to monitor him often. One thing I know for sure is he can not gain weight. It'll cause more issues with him as a distance runner himself. Can you gain weight on Synthroid or Armour Thyroid or do you lose weight? I don't know because I've lost weight but my weight fluctuates a lot. I guess because I feel great as well as my daughter and everyone I've talked to who's taking thyroid medication, I thought it was safe because Armour Thyroid is natural and it'd be worth a try. You stated you were on it and it stopped working.  How do you know? How would you know? Do you go through withdrawls when you wean yourself off? I never knew this was so complex. It scares me now to be on it even though it's helping. I appreciate your input. Thanks for your help.

Thy II

TSH                 1.17            ulU/ml                    0.30 - 3.00

Free T3            3.5               pg/ml                      1.5 - 4.1

Free T4            1.35             ng/dl                     0.80 - 2.00

Total T3        109,0     (should be 150)    ng/dl     65.0 - 185.0

T3 Uptake      33.7                                 %       25.0 - 40.0

Total T4           5.7                                ug/dL    4,5 - 12.5

FTI                  1.92                                        1.13 - 5.00

Anti-TPO Abs <10.0                              IU/ml    0.0 - 35.0

Anti-TG Abs    <20.0                             IU/ml    0.0 - 40.0
     ANTI-TG 20.0 =DETECTABLE

[chel 81]

Unless he jumps in at way too high of a dose or has an allergic reaction (this could be with any drug though) he shouldn't have any problems. It sounds like hypothyroidism runs in the family and he has classic symptoms so it might be wise to start him at a low dose and see how he improves. However, make sure they start him at a low dose because of the T3. Too much and even if he needs to be on it he could have some symptoms of overdose. Each person is different but I know that when they started my sister out on 30 mg (1/2 grain) she was getting night sweats and a fast heart rate so she stopped it altogether and wouldn't even try it again at a lower dose because of fearing that happening again. My doc recommended starting at 15 mg (1/4 grain) and staying there for a few months to get acclimated to it. Obviously it's such a low dose he may not have any improvement at all or could feel worse because his body may think it's getting enough and make less itself but after a few weeks/months he should be able to raise it to that 30 mg (1/2 grain) and then raise it every few weeks/month until he starts to see some improvement or if he starts getting signs of overdose which would indicate maybe something else is going on rather than the thyroid or in addition to the thyroid.

[SheriH58]

My son had AM fasting TSH, free T3 & T4, TPO and antithyroglobulin antibody, cortisol, etc.  tests done.  

TOTAL T3 results: 109.0 (the range is: 65.0 - 185.0) His endocrinologist said it should be at 150.

TOTAL T4 results:  5.7  (the range is: 4.5 - 12.5)

FTI  is:  1.92  (range is 1.13 - 5.00)

He had 3 pages of lab results come back on things he had tested due to fatique, puffy face, abdominal bloating, thinning hair, depression, unexplained weight gain, foggy memory, poor concentration, muscles weak, basically lethargic. He just doesn't feel well. I am confident if he was put on Armour Thyroid it would help jump start his metabolism, increase energy, help with foggy memory, regrow hair he has lost, help with losing a little weight, control his itchy dry skin, etc. I found a doctor to listen to me and put me on Armour Thyroid. I've never felt better. It's changed my life. It's helped my daughter, mother, sister, and friends at work as well. Even though my thyroid test results came back slightly below normal, after 2 years of asking to be put on medication, my doctor listened and told me I have all the symptoms of hypothyroidism but normal test results. I feel great now. My doctor can't believe the difference in me as well as my daughter. I know Armour Thyroid would help my son. He deserves to be heard and given a chance to try it out under a doctor's supervision. What will it hurt if he's on it for a couple months or more just to see if it helps?

[gimel]

In order for anyone here to give you a worthwhile answer, we really need to see the actual numbers and reference ranges for whatever thyroid tests have been done.  If you don't have the numbers, please get a copy from your doctor and post here.