My daughter's thyroid levels are low. Her T3 and her T4. Her TSH is also very low. She is currently taking a tiny dose of T3. It seems that increasing the T3 makes her more fatigued, the last time we tried.
She has many symptoms of hypothyroid. She is constipated, has trouble losing weight, is mentally fatigued, unmotivated, and anxious. She needs a nap most days.
Her cortisol has been high when it was checked last.
Armour and Naturethroid were both disasters when she tried them last year, but I am thinking she needs to try something again.
She is being treated for Lyme, babesia, and bartonella.
Has anyone been able to slowly increase T3 and feel better instead of worse? Does anyone do well on just Synthroid and didn't do well on Armour?
Any suggestions?
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
I would suggest going to Stop the Thyroid Madness on Facebook or to their website.
All I know is that Nature Throid is helping me and I've read that Synthroid is not a good idea.
Posted by Ellen101 (Member # 35432) on :
I have been on Armour for over a year and have done really well on it. I agree with lymetoo, Stop the Thyroid Madness is great.
Posted by Kaibyrd (Member # 45606) on :
NatureThroid is the only one that works for me but I remember every time I'd start a new thyroid med, the first week would wipe me out so I had to give each one at least 3 weeks to know if it would work.
Posted by lpkayak (Member # 5230) on :
I was on armour for years. I thought it was helping. It kept my numbers in normal range but only one point into normal. My docs said it was ok even tho i had many sx
Two months ago a chiropractor told me it wasnt working. He adjusted me and gve me an.iodine supp and a thyroid supp that has same ingredient as armour
I lost 20 lbs in two months. The supplement is a common brand that chiros use. Standard process.
[ 06-02-2015, 09:00 PM: Message edited by: lpkayak ]
Posted by GretaM (Member # 40917) on :
Desiccated thyroid and iodoral.
Also other hormones now too because I don't make my own anymore.
A relative had problems with desiccated, and had it compounded at a pharmacy and is doing much better on it. Could that be an option?
Posted by jkmom (Member # 14004) on :
I took her to another doctor this week and we are going to try adding a little Levoxyl, and increasing her T3 a little bit. This doctor thinks she might be able to go very slowly and increase it. By doing the Levoxyl along with the T3, she can adjust them separately as needed.
I am encouraged that all of you have been able to find something that helps. I have thought Lyme was the complicating factor in all of this. This doctor knows and even treats Lyme so I am hoping she knows how to handle a difficult thyroid case.
Posted by Littlesprout (Member # 7406) on :
I have Hashimoto's so armour doesn't work for me. I take syntroid plus lugols. T3 messes w my MVP problems
Posted by 'Kete-tracker (Member # 17189) on :
"Armour and Naturethroid were both disasters when she tried them last year, but I am thinking she needs to try something again."
'Disasters' in what way?
"Has anyone been able to slowly increase T3 and feel better instead of worse?"
If you're 'running hypothyroid', *any* addition of T4, either name-brand Synthroid or the generic version ("levothyroxine sodium tablets") OR T4/T3 (Armour) will improve things, such as energy levels in the evening & being less chilly in a cold room. But as *I* never increased my T4 levels slowly. I just went with the doctor's recommended daily morning dose, so I can't answer to how a slow ramp-up of "thyroid-assisting" medication would differ.
"Does anyone do well on just Synthroid and didn't do well on Armour?"
I did OK on both. As I'm 'covnverting' pretty well, my doc says Synthroid (100% T4) should be fine. [The body converts the T4 to T3, then to T2 & finally T1 (within the mitochodria in the cells) *as-needed*.]
"Armour"... Pig thyroid extract, if-you-will, is a mix of *about* 20% T3 & 80% T4.
From Rxlist(dot)com: "[Armour tablets] provide 38 mcg levothyroxine (T4) and 9 mcg liothyronine (T3) per grain of thyroid. The inactive ingredients are calcium stearate, dextrose, microcrystalline cellulose, sodium starch glycolate and opadry white."
Posted by Robin123 (Member # 9197) on :
I guess we're all different. Armour works for me.
For ending constipation, your daughter could try drinking mangosteen juice. I like the Mango-Xan version - the most tart. Found in health food stores and online. We're all different in our responses to anything.
Posted by SouthPaw (Member # 35229) on :
Levothyroxine since maybe 2002.
Never had any side effects from it. Dosage has been increased a couple of times but that's it.
Posted by jkmom (Member # 14004) on :
It is hard to remember everything that happened when she tried the Armour. She was mostly up and living her life but she needed a nap every day before starting it. On the 4th day on the Armour, she got up and felt rested and didn't need a nap. On the 5th day, she was back in her bed all day. After that, she missed many days of school and was anxious with hot flashes, bothered by bright light, brain fog, and fatigue. She had many problems but the worst thing was that she was back in her bed almost all of the time. Even stopping the Armour didn't get her back to where she was until she took a glandular adrenal supplement. It was 2 or 3 months before she was back to where she was, pre-Armour.
Somehow I let myself be talked into a trial of NatureThroid a few months later with the same result.
We haven't started the new medicine because she is going on a two week vacation and we don't want to take a chance on the same reaction. The more I think about it, I don't really see how this is different than the Armour.
My theory is that it is her adrenals and her body can't handle the faster metabolism brought on by the thyroid med. Her T3 and her T4 are both low but her TSH is also low. From my internet research, it seems to me, her body thinks it has enough thyroid hormones. When we checked her cortisol was high, so I don't think hydrocortisone is the way to go. She has been on adrenal support this whole time.
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- I've been resisting this all week. You ask: "How are you treating your thyroid?"
I'd like to take it out to a nice dinner & a movie. -
Posted by WPinVA (Member # 33581) on :
I do well on Synthroid but I also did an adrenal recovery program. For me it was very important to do both.