Can you cut armour thyroid in half

Common Questions and Answers about Can you cut armour thyroid in half

armour-thyroid

Logically, yes, but it is still the same dosage you are on now.

I felt good on 120mg? but did feel a little hyper. Can you cut the pills in 1/2? I still have some 120's left and if I cut them in 1/2 then logically they would be at 60 right?

Armour is a natural thyroid replacement derived from pig thyroid. Doctors (except naturopaths) do not like to prescribe it because they think it is inconsistent. It contains T1, T2, T3 and T4. Unless you have a problem converting T4 to T3, they would rather have you on the synthetic because it is consistent, although the generics, they say, have differences in the fillers they use and can be inconsistent, also.

sorry MJL123 - You can cut your med in half. It isn't a problem at all. in fact - since you recently went to Armour - try taking it throughout the day as suggested above. I went to taking mine in 15mgs 4x's a day when I started b/c it took a while for me to adjust to it. Now that I am at a way higher level then when I started, I am able to take a higher dosage when it's time and I cut my splitting times to 2 times a day.

t3 from what i have researched and speaking with my new Endo extremely important for feeling well. Mine was very low she said. This would be the reasoning behind the armour has t3 and t4, I do feel better. Just still tired alot.

I believe the condition originated with my switch to Armour and has become worse with each increase in my dose of Armour thyroid over the past year. I have asked my Dr. to consider prescribing a product called Nature Throid. It has the exact same active ingredient but hypo allergenic binding (inactive) ingredients. She is looking into it. I hope she will let me try it. you can read about the product at RCL labs website, www.rclabs.com I am really sick of the thyroid police (doctors)!

Only you can weigh the pros & cons on having it removed. Some people claim they have never felt better once the dosage was correct, others say they still feel horrible. For me personally, I did not have any issues after the TT (16yrs ago).

Sorry, had to make two posts, first was too long, I guess to be accepted by MH. Further, have a look at this statement from the site of the manufacturer of Armour thyroid, Forest Laboratories, inc. " Armour thyroid is a natural, porcine-derived thyroid hormone replacement containing both T4and T3. Note that the amount of thyroid hormone in the thyroid gland may vary from animal to animal.

The most common starting dose for patients with hypothyroidism is Armour thyroid, 90 mg which is cut in half with a razor blade and half is ideally taken twice a day, 10 to 20 minutes before breakfast and dinner. If you have trouble remember taking them, then take the entire dose before breakfast. It is also ideal to chew the tablet before swallowing. Taking it after meals also helps to reduce volatility of the blood-level of T3.

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.

By changing your dose back and forth (you mentioned taking 30 and then 60 for a few days), you won't get accurate test results. I know how frustrating it is. What you can do is split your dose of 60 into TWO doses of 30 - one in the morning and one in the evening. That might help with the shakiness. But you should stick with the same dose and give it time to work. Dr. Mark is really good about answering each question and usually does so within a day or two. Good luck!

Your doctor is reacting to the low TSH, which is not the least bit uncommon for someone on thyroid medication, particularly, one containing a T3 component, such as Armour. I can't believe you doctor is prescribing you medication with T3 in and not monitoring your FT3 levels. You really need an FT3 test. At any rate, since you have a Total T3 test, please post the reference range so we can see where your falls within it. Is there any way you can get your doctor to do a Free T3?

Well...the fact that you are on Armour (or another brand of desicated thyroid) changes things. It sounds like you are over-medicated. The question is, how high is your Free T3? Testing and regulation of medication is different for desiccated thyroid hormone than it is for synthetic hormone replacement. Your TSH and Free T4 will be lower and your Free T3 will be higher. You really need to have your Free T3 checked each time your other tests are run if you are on desiccated thyroid.

And, the side effects from Synthroid, My God, were horrible for me getting to that 2 week feeling almost normal point. My Family Doctor now wants me to try Armour, 1/4 gram, and cut it in half till I see how I react. My Endocrinologist looked like she would explode when I asked about Armour when all this started 6 months ago, so I will find another Endo. Any advice out there? I would like to try Armour, but if I'm sensitive to Synthroid, will I be the same on Armour?

If I were you - I would go to the rule of thyroid and split the med as you suggest... Take only the half 60mg grain to start for the weekend ( even dividing that half in 2 and taking it 2x's a day) and call the doctor and tell them on Monday you are only taking 1 grain ( half the pill) - ( 60mgs) and would like to test in 2 weeks again to see where you are at to increase again - possibly adding in the entire other half after you test.

But this past week ive noticed that 4-5 hrs after taking it, i feel all my symptoms but worse!!! So, the next day i cut my dose in half and took it in the morning and the other half late afternoon...the day after i noticed few hours after i took my ;last dose late afternoon, again i started feeling it all around 8pm...so last night i took another half pill and about an hour later i felt much better. I would get very anxious and panicky and my heart would pound...

doesn't cause this probelm. There can be problems using Armour or cytomel (T3) if you have heart issues which has to do with the life span and action of this particular chemical. It has a very short biological life compared to T4, and is also the form of thyroid hormone immediately used by cells. The T4 is continuously converted into T3 in the body as the body needs it.

I know you are desperate for sleep, and sometimes sleep may be more important than taking thyroid meds. You're talking 5, 6, maybe 7 days before you can consult your doctor. That's a ways off. Maybe cutting the dose in half for a day or two would be a safe way to experiment? If you could limp along on half a dose for a few days and get good sleep, it may be worth the trade off. I don't understand Armour well enough to suggest you just stop taking it.

Here is the solid theory of how to take your Armour so you can begin to stabilize. Let's use the 60mgs to start as I think you are on. Keep splitting the dosages the way you are. then get an increase which may be the nescessary thing for you to suggest to your doctor right now at this time. I think you doctor may recommend upping you to 90mgs at this time. split that 3 ways now!

So, your doctor is suggesting 60 mg Armour plus 15 mcg Cytomel, and you will be getting about half as much T4 as you are taking now and 24 mcg of T3 (you are taking 10 now, so that's a big increase). With the drop in T4 meds, your FT4, which is already low in the range is likely to go even lower. The big increase in Cytomel might raise your FT4 since less will have to be converted to T3 because of the high dose of T3 you will be taking.

Let us know what conditions you have and what you went through so far. Do you have a parathyroid disorder? Do you - or did you - have cancer and have had your thyroid removed? Are you autoimmune and struggling? So many - visit here and a thread like this is so important to know what's up. We as Leaders and members would like to know what has brought you to this board so we and others can direct you to the best resources available. Thanks and Happy Health!

They also suggest to cut the dose in half and take half in the am and half in the pm 20 minutes after meals...The same article said if you take it one time daily to take it before meals....Why the difference?

So you will likely have to have increased dosages of medication over time to make up for that loss of thyroid. This is why it is good to know you have this situation so that you can keep getting tested enough to "catch" when a small bump in medication dosage is needed.

I assume that you were probably on 25 mcg. Perhaps you need to cut that in half and stay on 12.5 until you feel ready to increase? I'm a woman, too, so don't think I'm being sexist, but I'll bet that at least 50% of the population doesn't think you look "stupid" in a triple D bra! One of our members keeps a list of doctors recommended by members. Her's one in Chicago: Illinois, Chicago Alan Bain,D.O. (312) 236-7010 Have you tried him?

Thanks so much for your input. I am taking a 90mg tablet. I can cut that in half and take it at 7am and 5pm? I usually go to bed around 11pm. I read the pdf you sent and plan to send it to my doctor. When and if I add in the 15mg of Armour, do you think I should add it to my morning or afternoon dose? I appreciate any input you can give me.

I also have been have heart palpations alot after taking the med about 20 min to a half hour later daily. So, I cut the pill in half and no more palpations. \ My doctor is a bioidentical hormone doctor and she suggested I go off for 2 months and see where my levels will be at. Then she will decide what med I should take. Maybe bioidentical thyroid med. I do not want to take Synthroid. I hate the weight gain the most.

High fever of 100 to as high as 106 A high heart rate that can be as high as 200 beats per minute Palpitations, chest pain, shortness of breath High blood pressure Confusion, delirium and even psychosis Extreme weakness and fatigue Extreme restlessness, nervousness, mood swings Exaggerated reflexes Difficulty breathing Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea Recent dramatic weight loss may have taken place recently Profuse sweating, dehydration Stupor or coma http://thyroid.about.

) Onward marching!! Thank you for everyone's support and emails!

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