Anyone on Armour Thyroid?

B

BAM

Cathlete
I have had hypothyroidism for many years but it only got diagnosed in the past 1-2 years. I generally choose alternative medicine to address my health issues. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to correct this imbalance. I also have adrenal burnout and have been addressing that as well without success. My body is EXTREMELY sensitive to many supplements and most medications. However, I have decided to try some prescription meds to see if I can be helped. I tried Cortef for my adrenals and Levoxyl for my thyroid but after using them for a bit, I had lots of internal turmoil, as I describe it. I just got a prescription for Armour and took it for 2 days but I was experiencing extreme stomach problems (not necessarily related to the Armour) so I stopped taking everything for a couple of days. I am going to start taking it again tomorrow at a very low dose.

My neurotransmitters are also way out of whack but again, I can't seem to find the proper thing to take for it. I'm wondering if anyone who is on Armour felt these horrible internal feelings of angst and turmoil but got relief from the Armour. First I'm hoping that my body will accept it and second I'm trying to find hope in feeling better. Has anyone had reactions to so many supplements/meds as I have but eventually found relief? Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Bam
 
Hi - I am taking Cortef and Armour Thyroid for 9 months now and I'm feeling significantly better. I am fairly sensitive to supplements, too, but I don't recall any horrible stomach problems.

Maybe there are other aspects of your diet that could address the stomach issues? I am trying to eat a 90% plant based diet and to avoid white flour, white sugar and artificial sweeteners. That is the winning ticket for me.

I wish you luck-
Cheryl
 
Thanks Cheryl. The stomach problem really could be due to other issues I'm having but I just wanted to check on the Armour. I'm really happy for you that you are feeling better. I'm looking forward to that day myself.

Bam
 
Hey Bam,

I'm on Armour and absolutely love it. I too have been hypothyroid for many years, but was only recently diagnosed (though I suspected it and should have checked my own bloodwork; I put too much faith in my doctor).

I've had no problems on it, in fact I feel better energy-wise than I have in years. I'm still struggling to lose weight, but I'm hoping that the new series will help with that!

Have you checked out www.stopthethyroidmadness.com? It's an excellent resource and there's a very helpful forum on the site. There are also some great thyroid groups in Yahoo groups. I've researched this topic ad nauseum (no pun intended!) and have never read about anyone having stomach issues, but that doesn't meant that Armour doesn't affect you that way. Hopefully it's not the Armour! I think it's the very best treatment for thyroid disease - even if it's a little smelly ;)

Keep us posted on how you're feeling.

Joni
 
Joni, thank you for posting that website. I haven't had a chance to look into it in depth but it looks great! There definitely is other stuff going on with my stomach so it probably isn't the Armour. I'm glad you are feeling better since taking it.

>>I think it's the very best treatment for thyroid disease - even if it's a little smelly ;)

Are you referring to what I THINK you're referring to? If it is, that's good info to know. :7

I would still love to know if anyone has experienced the emotions that I described in my original post and then got relief with the Armour. They are a b****! x(

Thank you.
Bam
 
Bamm,

do you think that Armour is better than Synthroid? I have heard a lot of people say that Armour is way better, should I tell my doctor I want to switch? I have not had too many problems with synthroid, but every once in a while, my doc has to up my dose.
 
Luvmylabs, I am by no means an expert. I would suggest you do some research for yourself and talk with your doctor. The link that Joni posted is great! If you're feeling good, you don't have side effects, and your blood test results are good, then it might be a good fit. But you know your body best. Be in tune with your body and really listen to it. It has a lot to say. I hope this helps you.

Bam

"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." - Galatians 5:22-23
 
>Luvmylabs, I am by no means an expert. I would suggest you
>do some research for yourself and talk with your doctor. The
>link that Joni posted is great! If you're feeling good, you
>don't have side effects, and your blood test results are good,
>then it might be a good fit. But you know your body best. Be
>in tune with your body and really listen to it. It has a lot
>to say. I hope this helps you.
>
>Bam
>
>"The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
>kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and
>self-control." - Galatians 5:22-23



Thanks Bam,

I have an appt. with my Endocrinologist next week, She increased my dose of synthroid about a month ago, so I will see what these blood results are, if they are not where I want them, I will ask for Armour.
I rely fully on the meds. I had all of my thyroid removed. I have noticed that I am REALLY sensitive to simple carbs:-( , I gain what at the blink of an eye.;( ;( , Weight loss is sort of complicated for me.
 
Hi BAM,

I am not on Armour but do know a few people who have been.
Given your adrenal issues, I would be very careful with trying it.

Many have problems feeling good with thyroid disease bc their bodies are unable to convert T4 to T3. It is the T3 that gives us the energy and pep that we need. It can take up to 3 months to begin feeling better once you begin thyroid meds.

Many say they feel much better on Armour - as Armour is made of dessicated pig thyroid, and contains both T4 and T3. The problem with Armour however is that the dose is never exact - bc it is made from the pig thyroid - some pills will give you less - some more. You also have to take it 3 times per day

All of your hormones are closely tied... if your adrenals are out of whack - then this will affect your thyroid - and vise versa. Moreover - toying with these hormones, when there is an adrenal issue present is very dangerous.

One person very close to me was on it for about a year - with no relief from her symptoms. Another felt that it worked initially - but later did not work for her. I know of other examples also that I won't go into here. However - These people now have found that taking t3 with their synthroid has helped them. The street name of t3 is eltroxin. At least you know that the dose is correct -and each one will be the same as the last one.

Before looking into changing your meds - I would make sure the doctor is running a full panel of blood work - This would include T4, T3, and TSH. As well - they should also test for thyoid antibodies.

Although I do believe in alternative medicines - I would caution you with respect to trying to treat an autoimmune disorder in this way.

This is just my two cents.
Yve
 
Joni,

I'm sorry - but the homepage of the site you posted is really quite inflammatory in nature. I am sure the people who write for it have been through alot with respect to balancing their hormone levels, but many of the statements on that page are misleading and are written to cause hype. I only went to a few links and stopped - bc I felt I had read enough to understand the flavour of the rest of the site.

I think with any internet website of this sort - one really needs to be cautioned that it isn't professional advice but the opinion of an interest group - and should really be taken with a grain of salt.

Pls understand - I am not trying to be a basher - I have a history of thyroid issues - and have researched the topic also. I have read a fair bit about Armour - have read Mary Shomon's books - even subscribe to her newsletter. I used to be a regular on the About.com forums...so I am not trying to be critical for the sake of it.

Although I believe some of the information in the books and websites is valuable ...I just think that statements like "T4 alone doesn't work - and it never has" or - "Stop the thyroid madness " are completely out of line. I can appreciate some people struggle to find a dose that is correct for them - or that FOR THEM - t4 alone isn't enough..But this doesnt make Armour a better drug - nor does it guarantee someone else's symptoms to disappear.

Further - on one of the links I read - there was a stmt along the lines - of "people making a mistake thinking they are having hyper symptoms and lowering their dose, when really they should continue with the same dose and address the adrenals". If a patient is in fact super hyper - it can lead to heart attack, heart damage - and worsening of their adrenal issues. Why encourage people to self-medicate - and why not encourage the patient to seek medical help for a situation that could be potentially fatal? She makes it sound like treating an autoimmune disorder is as easy as 1-2-3 with Armour - which is really untrue.

I just find sites that make inflammatory statements like that to be highly misleading, unprofessional - and even unethical - as I believe they are doing it for their own self-gain - at the potential expense of many people that are vulnerable due to the symptoms their health is causing them.

I know someone that became EXTREMELY ill bc the doctor who she was seeing refused to prescribe anything but natural thyroid - Perhaps he didn't know how to balance her levels properly - given that this supplement contains two different hormones - Perhaps it is the fact that the levels of each of those hormones is not constant with every pill.... whatever it was - any site making a little pill out to be a miracle cure... really leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

The bigger issue is that many doctor's prescribe thyroid medication on the basis of TSH alone. To decide on a script - one must look at T4, T3 and TSH. As well, the other adrenals should be checked also - as an imbalance in one area will affect the other. If one isn't satisfied with their doctor -they should either request a referral to an endocrinologist - or seek the opinion of another.

Most people who experience hypo symptoms while on thyroid medication - do so bc their bodies don't convert T4 to T3.
One of the best books I have read on the topic was 'The Thyroid Solution" by Dr. Ridha Arem. I read it about 5 years ago - and will need to reread it again...but - it is well researched - and well written.

I hope you take my comments in the way they were intended - and not as a personal attack. My criticism is of the site that was posted - and of some of the information that was found within. This is a topic that is close to my heart - and I can't help but be passionate about it.

Yve
 
>>>I think it's the very best treatment for thyroid disease -
>even if it's a little smelly ;)
>
>Are you referring to what I THINK you're referring to? If it
>is, that's good info to know. :7

Well...I'm referring to the literal odor of the drug. It is, as Yvanna states below, dessicated pig thryoid so it has a distinct animal smell to it that I found really offensive at first. Had it not worked for me so well, I would have stuck with synthroid + T3. For me, it's worth the stinky factor!
 
Yve,

I'm not at all offended. In fact, I think I should have included a caveat with my recommendation of the website - that it is not a site written by medical professionals. I also agree that some of the statements are a bit inflammatory - I know many people for whom synthroid alone works fine, so their "synthroid bashing" mentality doesn't sit well with me either.

However, I don't think the authors of the site are doing it for their own self gain. They have nothing to gain really. They, like me, are frustrated that the medical community often ignores people who are symptomatic for thyroid disease because their TSH is "normal." I was one of those people, until based on the advice on the site, I got a copy of my own bloodwork and discovered that my T3 level has been at the lowest end of normal for the past 6 years. Given the number of symptoms for thyroid disease I had, my doctor should have seen that as a red flag and pursued further testing. Instead, she only looked at TSH and told me my problems were "psychological," gave me a script for prozac and sent me on my way. There are so many people out there frustrated by this mentality that communities like stopthethyroidmadness.com have sprung up to help others.

I also agree that they do give advice that might lead people to adjust their meds without consulting their doctor, which I don't think is wise. However, I didn't feel that they recommend self-medication, more that they recommend searching for a doctor who's sympathetic to underlying thyroid problems and who is willing to work with you until you feel better.

Again, the site does advocate strongly for Armour over synthroid, which I disagree with. Based on talking to doctors and other patients, it seems to me that treatment is highly individual. My doctor always starts with synthroid (or another synthetic) and goes from there.

The whole Armour vs. synthroid debate is highly controversial, and I too was skeptical about Armour at first, so I read as much as I could about it and even gave synthroid a try before going with Armour. There have actually been FDA problems with both synthroid and Armour.

Anyway - back to Bam, I too highly recommend Dr. Ridha Arem's book, "The Thyroid Solution" - he may have some insight into the stomach and/or emotional issues you described in your post. I'll check my copy tonight.

I hate this disease and the fact that it wreaks havoc on our mental and physical well-being. I just want all of us who struggle with thyroid problems to feel better and feel safe taking the meds that make us feel better. Yve reminded me about all of the info that Mary Shomon (patient and advocate) has shared, her about.com website is extremely helpful: http://thyroid.about.com/ as is her own website: http://www.thyroid-info.com/.

The bottom line is that it's incredibly important for all of us to do our homework and learn all that we can about the disease so that we can be optimally treated.

That said, I have a doctor's appt. on Thursday to have my levels tested. Woo hoo! Pincushion time!
 
Hi, just my two cents. I have have been hypothyroid for atleast the last 10 years, I was on synthroid for most of those years. After reading some information I decided last year to have my doctor switch me to Armour and the difference was noticed in the first week. I personally am not going to go back to the synthroid, I believe my body responds better to the Armour. That's just me. I suggest you do your homework and then make the decision based on how your body responds. Thanks
 
i've taken thyroid supplements for about 7 years. When the dosage is right they will turn your life around you will feel so much better! Keep communicating with your doctor. Mine says not all thyroid supplements are created equal. Different ones will work better for different people. I don't think it's a matter of one being better than another. It also doesn't take much of a change in dosage to change your condition. Over the years my dosages has been upped by increments of 10 and 25 mcgs and it's made a difference everytime. You might be looking at a dosage issue verses the type of medication you are on. You can feel as bad with too much as with not enough.
 
>I hate this disease and the fact that it wreaks havoc on our
>mental and physical well-being. I just want all of us who
>struggle with thyroid problems to feel better and feel safe
>taking the meds that make us feel better. Yve reminded me
>about all of the info that Mary Shomon (patient and advocate)
>has shared, her about.com website is extremely helpful:
>http://thyroid.about.com/ as is her own website:
>http://www.thyroid-info.com/.
>
>The bottom line is that it's incredibly important for all of
>us to do our homework and learn all that we can about the
>disease so that we can be optimally treated.
>
>That said, I have a doctor's appt. on Thursday to have my
>levels tested. Woo hoo! Pincushion time!

Jodi,
Good luck with your appt.. Coincidentally I have my endo appt on Thursday morning also!.

I am sorry that your doctor wasn't pro-active with respect to your thyroid condition. I think another big issue in all of this - is that the majority of endos treat more diabetes than they do thyroid diseases. It is so important to find a doctor who deals alot with thyroid disease and understands that conditions like depression, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia can be easily mistaken, when the issue might be undertreated thyroid.

I became hypothyroid after having surgery for thyroid cancer in 2001. 7 months later, I had to go completely hypo for 6 weeks for radioactive iodine treatment; a year later I went hypo again for the follow up scan to determine whether I needed more treatment - well the radiologist on duty made a mistake and told me I wouldn't need more treatment and to start my meds again... a week later the error was discovered, only it was too late to do the treatment as I had already started meds.... so 3 months later, I went hypo for 6 weeks yet again, for another dose of RAI. I don't remember all my labs, but the last hypo TSH test I remember was 132.

Fatigue, hair loss, extreme cold, in addition to the emotional aspect of being hypo - were the symptoms I remember most... and I think that symptoms - physical and emotional feed off eachother. So - if you are overtired - you are irritable also...if you are irritable - it is hard to sleep - if it is hard to sleep - you are even more tired. The stress of it all affects the adrenals, and all symptoms - including weight issues - are amplified. I know it takes about 2-3 months for regular thyroid labs to go back to normal, but I think the emotional side of it takes longer.

We do need to be our own advocates for care and testing. I have to say though that most of my doctors have been very supportive. They have always tested all thyroid labs - but my situation is unique as my tsh must be zero - whether or not the other hormones become suppressed. At any rate - I feel ok.. no fatigue unless I cause it... I still get cold, but that is small potatoes for me.

Anyways - nice chatting..I hope your appt goes well.
Yve.
 
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