This is relatively normal. My doctor believed TSH was a little on the high side though (He believes it being in the 1 - 2 range is best). As well as he said that my T3 should be a little higher?
I've been on 25 MCG Synthroid for over a year now. Most of my results have been fine up until now -- TSH usually 2.5 or so. For some reason, this time it was almost 4. Not sure what caused the change (it couldn't be from missing Synthroid the day I had my blood taken for this test, right??)
But anyway, he prescribed me 60 MG Armour to take WITH my Synthroid. I'm kind of confused. Does this seem normal? I mean, my Synthroid is 25 MCG. 60 MG is quite a bit more than 25 MCG, isn't it, especially together? I just don't want to go hyperthyroid or experience any hyperthyroid symptoms.
Does this make sense to anyone or seem normal? I guess I'm confused by the dosage. 60 MG seems like so much more than 25 MCG and then both of them taken together seems like a HUGE jump from only taking the 25 MCG that I was taking for over a year. (Or is there something different about Armour that I'm not aware of, like dosage?)
Anyone else here take both Synthroid and Armour together?
Anyone with hypothyroidism have any thoughts?
Thanks, everyone!
-------------------- One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar. ~ Helen Keller
My Lyme Story Posts: 2965 | From Land of Confusion (bitten in KS, moved to PA, now living in MD) | Registered: Jun 2007
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Yes, me! I am on 30 Armour and .25 Synthroid. I am doing well on this combo. My LLMD told me that the combo better mirrors your natural production/conversion of T3 and T4 than either in isolation. Kris
Posts: 520 | From Maryland | Registered: Jan 2007
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Oops, I meant to add, didn't we pm about Rifampin and possible effects on thyroid medication? My LLMD swears it's not so, but my TSH had been stable at 2.5 and jumped to 11 after a few weeks on Rifampin.
I wonder if anyone else has had this experience. Kris
Posts: 520 | From Maryland | Registered: Jan 2007
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disturbedme
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
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posted
Joysie - I'm glad to see it's working for you.
My LLMD put me on 60 Armour though so it kind of worries me! I guess he knows what he's doing, but yeah... I don't want to have hyperthyroid symptoms as those are palps and scary things like that.
-------------------- One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar. ~ Helen Keller
My Lyme Story Posts: 2965 | From Land of Confusion (bitten in KS, moved to PA, now living in MD) | Registered: Jun 2007
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daise
Unregistered
posted
Hi disturbedme,
Hypothyroidism is crucial to Lyme patients--it's OK to post it here.
Your LLMD is trying to help you.
I was diagnoesd with severe hypothyoidism (TSH 75.)
I take both Levoxyl and Armour Thyroid compounded for time-release, at the same time. That's getting more common. That's because Armour has a small amount of T3. (It also has T2 and T1.)
This is my own way to say it, but the T3 and T4 in Armour tends to be used by the body much more that bioidentical T4 (Synthroid, Levoxyl, etc.) It's more useful, more bioavailable, to the body.
In my opinion Levoxyl is far superior to Synthroid because it's more bioavalable, supposedly due to the fillers and binders. Fillers and binders are a big deal as they may prevent T4 from being available to your cells.
Many take Synthroid and find their hair falling out in gobs, including me! I know of no one loosing hair on Levoxyl.
Armour is compounded for time-release (at a compounding pharmacy) so the T3 (fast-acting)is not too much all at once. The 1/4 grain amount of Armour (15 mg) contains 9 mcg of T4 (slow-acting, it's stored in your body) and 2.2 mcg of T3 (fast acting--wonderful for the brain, for most people.) It is dessicated pig's thyroid.
You're taking 60 mg, so you can figure, accordingly. However, there is no comparison in dosages you can make between Synthroid and Armour, unless they were in much higher amounts. They are different meds, made-up of different things.
Synthroid or Levoxyl is pure bioidentical T4.
The lab range given for your TSH test is not at all accurate. Most labs use the wrong range and that hurts millions of people. (Hypothyroidism is completely common in the general public and it's considered epidemic.)
The national association of endocrinologists (I can't remember the exact name) says the range for "normal" is .3 - 3.0. Anything over that is diagnostic for hypothyroidism. However, many alternative and integrative doctors believe anything over 2 is suspect.
Taking thyroid meds they believe your TSH should then be 2 TOPS. About .3 - 2.0 is the range, on thyroid meds.
Many alt & integ docs prescribe thyroid meds by how you feel: does it relieve signs and symptoms?
Your LLMD is right--your TSH is high. It would be best, yes, if you got a little more T3.
No, skipping T4 right before the test didn't affect the test--that's the latest thinking. I assume that's why you skipped it.
You wondered why your TSH was higher. Maybe you accidentally took synthroid twice in one day. Or Synthroid was post-potent, but when it has been off, Synthroid has been sub-potent.
Your thyroid is probably getting worse. Lyme germs often attack the thyroid. After heavy Lyme antibiotics for about a year and 4 months, my thyroid improved a bit! The antibiotics were working!
60 mg is a lot all at once, due to the FAST-ACTING T3. Probably better to do 30 mg in the morning and 30 in the afternoon--that requires a new prescription. But maybe your doc has a good reason why you need that all at once in the morning? (Not taken minimum of 8 hours before bedtime--if not more--or it can cause insomnia.) It's hard to take in the afternoon because you have to take it 2 hours after and one hour before a meal, so it gets absorbed.
Do you need it compounded for time-release by a compounding pharmacy? (Because it caused possible HYPERthyroid signs and symptoms and was very uncomfortable?) But--your doc may have a good reason. Again, you'd need a new prescription, like this: (amount) Armour Thyroid compounded for time-release.
I keep my THS at about .3.
You may find some signs and symptoms lessening! Your head may feel better!
Thyroxine (T4, which is converted to T3 at the cells) affects every cell in our body from the top of our heads clear down to our big, right toe. Imagine how that affects Lyme and co-infections!
With Lyme and co-infections our cells suffer, become damaged. Does this damage affect the ability of T4 to convert to T3? Alternative and integrative doctors have been saying this for many years--not with regards to Lyme in particular, but with potentially any pathogen ravaging cells.
And everybody is different as to their thyroid doses neeeded.
A great source is Mary J. Shomon, who wrote the book, Living Well With Hypothyroidism, 2005 Edition. It may be at your library. She has an excellent search site at www.thyroid-info.com which ties into her about.com site.
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