Armour thyroid withdrawal
Common Questions and Answers about Armour thyroid withdrawal
armour-thyroid
I was put on cytomel for low thyroid function in April. Since then, @5mcg 5x?day, my T3 rose and my T4 fell, so I was reduced to 5mcg qid. Still had sky high T3 and low T4.
2 weeks ago my hairdresser informed me of much hairloss at my temples and around hairline, but more thyroid type loss pattern than estrogen. So my Dr. is pulling me off cytomel, I had already been reduced to 5cg qid, AM temp 97.2-97.7, dependding on how late I sleep, the later the higher.
The Dr. thought Cytomel would be better for me but I was started on Armour because the Dr. thought Cytomel might give me palps because I am sensitive to them. After 2 months of being on 30 mgs. I started having added anxiety, like muscle twitches in my face and shakiness. So Dr. said stop meds.
I only took 15 mgs on Wed. and then none yesterday and all I wanted to do is sleep. Is this normal when stopping armour?
TSH will look slightly hyper, Free T4 should me at least mid normal range, and Free T3 should look mid normal to high normal range (some even go a little above the high normal range)
Anything below these and you are not optimal.
I am sorry to say that your doctor is leaving you hypo and feeling sick. My goodness even the new range of TSH .30-3.0 shows you hypo!
Go find a thyroid specialist so you can get to feeling better! Please do not settle for being left sick......
Hi, Which one do you think is better, synthroid which is artificial hormone or armour thyroid which is bioidentical. Is anyone taking armour thyroid? Can anyone compare it's effect.
I have been taking Armour thyroid with satisfactory results. Unfortunately, I can't find a pharmacy that has it in stock. My M.D. has suggested that I begin taking Synthroid and I am scared that my symptoms may return. I am taking 90mg of Armour and my prescription is for 150mcg of Synthroid. If I have no choice and must change, how do you suggest I make the change.
I was put on Armour thyroid 2 months ago. I am very sensitive to meds so I was started on 15mgs for the first 10 days and then 15 mgs 2x a day after that. I was noticing that all of a sudden I have been more anxious than normal and couldnt understand why. I had a Drs. appt. with my regular Dr. and mentioned it to her and she said it could be the side affects of the armour. This is about how long it takes to get into the system and now I have this added anxiety. Could she be right?
First - thyroid supplementation is for an underactive thyroid, bot an overactive thyroid. Both Armour Thyroid and levothyroxine are thyroid supplements - levothyroxine is T4, which is the form of hormone produced by the thyroid gland, and which is converted to the active T3 form. Armour Thyroid contains both T4 and T3. Some patients don't seem to convert T4 to T3 quite the way they should and this may explain why some feel better on Armour Thyroid.
So you need to talk to the doctor about getting tested for Free T3, and make sure they do that every time you go in for tests. Also ask for an increase of the Armour to 60 mg daily. A good thyroid doctor will treat a hypothyroid patient clinically by testing and adjusting Free T4 and Free T3 as needed to relieve symptoms, without being constrained by resultant TSH levels. Symptom relief should be all important, not just test results.
Have you ever heard of the Armour Thyroid causing your pituitary glad to fair? My PA refuses to prescribe Armour and seems to think it is what's causing my TSH level to be extremely low(.03). But I think it's because I was taking 300 mcg of sythroid before my old PA put me back on 180mcg. I've been back on Armour for 2 months now and I feel 200% better than I ever did on the synthetic.
I was on levothyroxin and did not do well. I had read so much about getting on armour thyroid that I was glad when the new doc ordered armour. Now I have been reading about the new formulation and am wondering if I would do better with getting my levels up if I switched to the ERFA? Will my levels ever get where they need to be if I stay on the Armour? there is so much to consider here. It sounds like you can easily have your RX changed to a different pharmacy that would provide the ERFA.
Cut those Armour thyroid pills in half! Absolutely!
As my good doctor says, "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 after 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.
Therefore I´m getting all the more convinced that I would rather use Armour Thyroid instead. But I have a question about Armour due to the fact that I have Hashimotos. I have caught information from many sources (books and internetsources) that the natural porcine hormone extracts in Armour "feeds" the TPO-antibodies and thus encreae the antibody titer. Is this true or is it only a myth? If Armour encreases the antibody titer I wouldn´t dare to ask my doctor to prescribe Armour.
is anybody have problem with armour thyroid?. I think nobody should try this medication. My thyroid was attenuated by radioactive iodine. dr.gave me lavothyroxin then change to armour thyroid. Since then I have severe pain on my hips and lower back. He tested my TSH T3 AND T4 --normal then he tried bactireal tests--normal. ultimately he swithed me to cytomel and levthyroxin. My pain reduced to half but it is not going away. Now Dr. himself is puzzed . I have still have half pain and cramps.
I started on Armour thyroid 30mg 3 days ago and I woke up today with headache, dizziness, and unbalanced. My story started 1 month ago when my doctor started me on synthroid 50mcg. I developed left facial heaviness, dizziness, and unbalanced after only taking synthroid for 10 days. My Endo doctor told me to stop taking synthroid. I stop taking synthroid for 2 weeks, and the dizziness, left facial heaviness, and headache never completely resolved.
Well....straight from Armour Thyroid....NP Thyroid is NOT a generic of Armour, although pharmacists think it is! I was told by Armour's pharmacist that there is NO generic for Armour...just FYI.
When I tried to locate it here in Ohio, initially the pharms couldnt find it, I kept saying Acella....finally they looked under NP thyroid or just thyroid, manufactured by Acella, and there it was.....
Hello, My armour thyroid medication was increased to 240mg from 180mg and I have been on this dosage for approximately 6 weeks. My latest blood test results were as follows: T3 4.6 (2.3-4.2) T4 1.3 (0.8-1.8) and TSH 0.03 (0.50-5.20) Over the last few years I have increased my thyroid dosage starting very low and now at the high end. I feel better each time I increase but never feeling like I can be at my optimal best.
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