I just started Armour a week ago because Synthroid wasn’t doing the trick-
I’m doing TONS of research on Armour and want to know your experiences on Armour and any advice or things i should look out for???
for example i’m reading Stop the Thyroid Madness right now and they suggest starting on one grain and then raising it a half a grain every few weeks until i get rid of hypothyroid symptoms. They said if i dont raise my introductory dose my symptoms will return with a vengeance due to the negative feedback loop between hypothalamus, pit gland, and thyroid gland.
When Synthroid alone isn’t doing the trick my endo prescribes Armour in conjunction with the Synthroid. Approx 70% Synthroid and 30% Armour. I myself just take Synthroid but all the issues you have been having sound like what my wife was dealing with and she was doing the 100% Synthroid but now is doing the 70/30 and I will say she is a new person. She is back to her old self minus the fatigue and achy joints. She feels so much better.
I know that she had an issue with the Armour making her scalp itch which is a know side effect. I have also been told by my endo that taking 100% Armour can make your heart race and make you feel jittery. If I remember right Armour works well because it treats the T3 side and the Synthroid treats the T4 which helps balance everything out (I might have that backwards).
Good Luck-I hope you find a combination that works well for you so that you can feel normal and energetic again.
Thanks dave! yeah youre right- synthroid has only T4 and Armour has T3 and T4
How exactly did her endo figure her dosage? - and did he determine her dosage by labwork or by alleviation of hypothyroid symptoms? Which lab results did he look at specifically??
We actually have the same Endo but I asked my wife about which tests were used and she told me that she has antibodies because if you were to look at her numbers they are pretty close to normal where as my numbers before Synthroid were not normal even though I have no symptoms. I would have your Endo check for antibodies and I am sure he/she has checked your TSH levels. As far as does I am not totally sure how she came up with her percentages, maybe trial and error but I was talking to her at my last visit and she said 70:30 Synthroid to Armour seems to work very well for people who don’t respond well to Synthroid alone. I Think she take armour 2-3 times a week and and Synthroid every day. I would try something like this first before doing 100% Armour. My endo said that 100% Armour can make your heart race and make you feel all jacked up and jittery. If this doesn’t work then try 100% Armour. Just my thoughts hope they help you out I know it helped my wife in a huge way.
I have hypothyroid and am taking 112 mcg of Synthroid. My doctor suggested switching to Armour so I had my levels re-checked. T3 was fine, T4 was a bit high and TSH was 0.06 which is way too low. Looks like I’m over medicated. Antibodies are still high but a bit lower than last time. Anyone had the experience of going hyperthyroid due to too much Synthroid?
