Armour Thyroid

bkane101
bkane101 Member Posts: 35
in Thyroid Cancer #1
Is anyone out there taking Armour Thyroid? I was on 250 mcg's of Levothyroxine and while my TSH on paper was fine at 0.7 I still was having some issues with body aches and tiredness so my doctor thought my body wasn't converting the medicine to T3 so he changed me to 180 mcg's of Armour Thyroid. I've been on it almost 3 weeks now and I'm regressing in a bad way! I'm lethargic, depressed, and my body aches like you wouldn't believe. I also wake up about 6 times a night in the 6 hours of sleep I get. I feel like my body won't get into the deep sleep at all. I'm not sure if this is a result of the new medication or if one has worn off and the other has kicked in? I feel horrible! I've read some good things about Cytomel so I'm going to ask my doctor about it when I see him in mid-December.

Comments

  • sunnyaz
    sunnyaz Member Posts: 582
    #2
    Armour
    Yuck, sounds terrible! Almost like you are hypothyroid. I haven't taken Armour but I do know that most doctors I know don't recommend it. It's basically crushed pig thyroid. Nasher is taking a combination of Levothyroxine (or Synthroid) and Cytomel and I believe he has had good results with the combination. Might want to ask him about it. I wouldn't wait until December to start feeling better. Maybe your doctor could consult with you on the phone about it and call in a new RX.

    I don't use generic Thyroid replacement. I have been told that Synthroid is the best Thyroid drug on the market by many doctors. The reason is because each pill is consistent, whereas the generic's may have slight differences in dose from pill to pill. When the RX is written it has to be written as DAW (Dispense as Written) or they will fill with a generic. I have been taking it for almost two years and I feel pretty good. Don't get me wrong, I have some issues but nothing like what you are describing. I take an over the counter sleep aid (generic Unisom) so that I can stay asleep for at least 7-8 hours each night. Not getting enough good sleep can cause people to slowly go crazy and exacerbate every other problem you might be having. I don't have the body aches (except for physical reasons that are explained) and my depression has subsided for the most part. The only depression I experience is due to circumstance in my life and I just learn to deal with them the best way I can.

    Hoping you get some answers and better results soon.

    Blessings,
    Julie-SunnyAZ
  • jecklehyde
    jecklehyde Member Posts: 33
    #3
    sunnyaz said:

    Armour
    Yuck, sounds terrible! Almost like you are hypothyroid. I haven't taken Armour but I do know that most doctors I know don't recommend it. It's basically crushed pig thyroid. Nasher is taking a combination of Levothyroxine (or Synthroid) and Cytomel and I believe he has had good results with the combination. Might want to ask him about it. I wouldn't wait until December to start feeling better. Maybe your doctor could consult with you on the phone about it and call in a new RX.

    I don't use generic Thyroid replacement. I have been told that Synthroid is the best Thyroid drug on the market by many doctors. The reason is because each pill is consistent, whereas the generic's may have slight differences in dose from pill to pill. When the RX is written it has to be written as DAW (Dispense as Written) or they will fill with a generic. I have been taking it for almost two years and I feel pretty good. Don't get me wrong, I have some issues but nothing like what you are describing. I take an over the counter sleep aid (generic Unisom) so that I can stay asleep for at least 7-8 hours each night. Not getting enough good sleep can cause people to slowly go crazy and exacerbate every other problem you might be having. I don't have the body aches (except for physical reasons that are explained) and my depression has subsided for the most part. The only depression I experience is due to circumstance in my life and I just learn to deal with them the best way I can.

    Hoping you get some answers and better results soon.

    Blessings,
    Julie-SunnyAZ

    Same as Nasher
    I have been having issues with my Syntroid. TSH is very hyper, but I am still very tired Cytomel is a fast acting type of Syntroid, it only lasts about 8 hours. I take my Syntroid in the morning and Cytomel twice a day. This keeps me in a better place, as I am not falling asleep or wanting to fall asleep all of the time. My endo likes this as she didn't want to increase my Syntroid since my TSH numbers are so low.

    Check it out with your doctor, it might be a better option.
  • Brooklyn777
    Brooklyn777 Member Posts: 9
    #4
    Armour Thyroid
    Hi bkane. I had thyroid cancer and a total thyroidectomy in 2006. (I wish I had taken the time to find this website before now!) I was stable on Synthroid for almost 5 yrs when a compounding pharmacist suggested to me and my PCP, I be switched to Armour thyroid in an attempt to increase a low T3 (was wnl but on the low side). BIG MISTAKE for me. I got sick and it has taken me months to recover. BE CAREFUL!!!!!...Listen to you body, it is giving you feedback right now. I called my dr after 2 wks and told him that I did not feel very good on Armour, I began to have dark circles and bags under my eyes - my first clue something was wrong but I took his advice and continued on Armour. At five weeks I noted overnight changes in my vision but did not connect it to the change in thyroid medicine....it continued from there until I began to have s/s of hyperthyroidism (the dose was too strong for me)and then I immediately stopped the med myself. My guess is you're still feeling bad and the medication does not agree w you either. You need to contact your dr IMMEDIATELY - don't wait until December. As I'm sure you know, T3 is much stronger than T4 and Armour contains both where as the synthetic contains T4 only AND anyone with autoimmune should NOT be given Armour. I brought this to their attention but it was not taken seriously and trusted them and agreed to the switch.:((

    I was so upset b/c this was my second imbalance in 2 yrs...I decided to go up to the Mayo Clinic to get some answers and talk to my Endo about Cytomel. (I too have a high Free T4 but a low FreeT3....conversion problem??? don't know but I did see some benefits from a higher T3 despite the negative effects I had to endure). (Sorry if this is repetitive, I have not read the 2 comments posted as of yet.) Please let me know what you decide and how you're doing!

    Best-n-Health,

    Brooklyn
  • Katt66
    Katt66 Member Posts: 4
    #5
    Brooklyn777 said:

    Armour Thyroid
    Hi bkane. I had thyroid cancer and a total thyroidectomy in 2006. (I wish I had taken the time to find this website before now!) I was stable on Synthroid for almost 5 yrs when a compounding pharmacist suggested to me and my PCP, I be switched to Armour thyroid in an attempt to increase a low T3 (was wnl but on the low side). BIG MISTAKE for me. I got sick and it has taken me months to recover. BE CAREFUL!!!!!...Listen to you body, it is giving you feedback right now. I called my dr after 2 wks and told him that I did not feel very good on Armour, I began to have dark circles and bags under my eyes - my first clue something was wrong but I took his advice and continued on Armour. At five weeks I noted overnight changes in my vision but did not connect it to the change in thyroid medicine....it continued from there until I began to have s/s of hyperthyroidism (the dose was too strong for me)and then I immediately stopped the med myself. My guess is you're still feeling bad and the medication does not agree w you either. You need to contact your dr IMMEDIATELY - don't wait until December. As I'm sure you know, T3 is much stronger than T4 and Armour contains both where as the synthetic contains T4 only AND anyone with autoimmune should NOT be given Armour. I brought this to their attention but it was not taken seriously and trusted them and agreed to the switch.:((

    I was so upset b/c this was my second imbalance in 2 yrs...I decided to go up to the Mayo Clinic to get some answers and talk to my Endo about Cytomel. (I too have a high Free T4 but a low FreeT3....conversion problem??? don't know but I did see some benefits from a higher T3 despite the negative effects I had to endure). (Sorry if this is repetitive, I have not read the 2 comments posted as of yet.) Please let me know what you decide and how you're doing!

    Best-n-Health,

    Brooklyn

    amour thyroid
    Hey Brooklyn.... I'm new to the boards and was surfing info when I read your reference on Armour. I've been on Armour in the past and now on Synthroid. My antibodies value is over 1000 and I'm told it should be closer to ...um... 30. So your comment on autoimmune and armour caught my attention.... why do you say those with autoimmue should avoid it? Looking for info to educate myself before next round of appointments with specialists.

    Thanks.

    Katt

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