Common mistakes with thyroid meds

[Guest guest]

Patty,

I have had all the test, thyroid, adrenals, t3 and t 4 and nothing.... All says I am ok... I do take 30mg which is a very low dose...It seems to work on the hair falling out issue...ONLY

God Bless,

~See AOL's top rated recipes and easy ways to stay in shape for winter.

[Guest guest]

Wow Patty looks like I need to work on this thyroid issue closer... But all test come back great...So I don't know what to do except experiement further with Armour... Seems that when I did 30mg then went up to 60mg it worked great, then my hair started falling out by the gobs, so I went back down to 30mg, now I am ok...

~See AOL's top rated recipes and easy ways to stay in shape for winter.

[Guest guest]

Patty,

OK great I will listen to that one.... My doctor over hear told me to stop taking it, I did for a few days, felt bad, went back on it myself... Felt better... See doctors don't know it all, we know our bodies, I totally agree.... Thanks

~See AOL's top rated recipes and easy ways to stay in shape for winter.

[Guest guest]

I believe this is from a group on Thyroid support, and those taking Armour might find it helpful.PattyThese are the most common mistakes which occur when a switch has been made to Armour/Naturethroid/Thyroid-S, etc. and YOU can avoid them by being familiar with the below! 1. STICKING WITH TOO LOW A DOSE. For a myriad of reasons, this happens often. Patients will be on inadequately low doses due to: 1) being held on a starting dose too long, 2) being bound by the directives of a TSH-obsessed doctor, 3) failing to get a raise of Armour until the “next labwork”, which can be weeks and months away, 4) following an inaccurate Synthroid-to-Armour conversion equivalency chart, 5) being forced to lower a dose due to a high free T3 with continuing hypo symptoms, which is a sign of low cortisol, not too much Armour, or 6) being afraid to go higher. For example, a patient makes her way up to 1-2 grains, notices great

improvements, but also has continuing problems. OR, a patient makes her way up to 2 grains and notices NO improvement. And it’s common to think that Armour is not working! In reality, it may simply mean a patient isn’t on enough! Most patients need 3-5 grains before completely ridding themselves of symptoms. It can also be very wise to check adrenal function, since low cortisol can prevent thyroid hormones from making it to the cells….and you will still feel bad. 2. THINKING THEY ARE ON TOO MUCH BECAUSE OF HYPER-SYMPTOMS . It’s common to think that because a patient is having hyper-like symptoms (anxiety, shakiness, fast heart rate, etc), especially on doses lower than 3 grains, they are on too much. Often, though, the hyper-like symptoms could be the result of underlying low-functioning adrenals (i.e. not enough cortisol), or even a low Ferritin—-each and/or both of which can be quite common in hypothyroid patients. So it can be wise to get both your

Ferritin and cortisol levels checked. Ferritin is easily checked via a blood test, and if a patient is below 50, it can cause problems. As far as Cortisol levels, patients have found that the most accurate test is NOT a one-time blood test, but a 24 hour adrenal saliva test, which catches your levels during a 24 hour period. If money is an issue, try the self-tests on the ADRENAL INFO page on this site. Additionally, if you raise too quickly, or in too large a dose raise, your body can overreact, making you think you were on too much. The solution for patients has been to go back where they were, and go up in smaller increments, such as 1/4 grain. 3. FAILING TO MULTI-DOSE. Occasionally, some patients take their natural thyroid all at once in the morning and say they do fine. But… most individuals will notice much better results by multi-dosing. For example, a person on 3 1/2 grains might take 2 grains in the morning, one grain by noon or in the

early afternoon, and 1/2 grain by mid-afternoon. Multi-dosing better imitates what your own thyroid would be doing, and gives you the direct T3 throughout the day when you most need it. Spreading out the Armour also prevents stress on your adrenals. 4. FAILING TO TAKE ARMOUR SUBLINGUALLY. It’s a given that patients CAN have success with swallowing Armour. But, even better success can be noted by doing Armour sublingually, i.e. placing the tablet between your inner check and gum, or under your tongue… and forgetting about it. Why? Because nearly 100% is utilized when you do it sublingually, vs. the large amount you lose when swallowing due to stomach acids and liver processing. Some patients who switched from swallowing their pills to sublingual discovered they could take LESS Armour than when they swallowed, and get the same great results! 5. SWALLOWING NATURAL THYROID WITH ESTROGEN, CALCIUM or IRON. Estrogen, calcium and iron bind some of the

thyroid hormones and makes them unusable. So… it’s wise to avoid swallowing these at the same time you swallow your natural thyroid. (Again, another reason to do sublingual for Armour, and for the other natural thyroid if you can survive their taste!) 6. STAYING ON A STARTING DOSE TOO LONG. This is a common mistake. When first starting on Armour or any natural thyroid product, it can be wise to start on one grain or less. BUT… patients have found it UNWISE to stay on that low dose much longer than 2 weeks without raising. Why? Because hypothyroid symptoms can return with a VENGEANCE. 7. THINKING ARMOUR IS NOT WORKING WHEN SOMETHING ARISES. Armour contains direct T3, and the T3 can initially aggravate certain conditions. When this happens, patients have simply stopped the increase of their Armour , or decreased it to give the reaction time to go away. An example is Mitral Valve Prolapse–one patient noted that with each raise, she had palps. But

they went away within the first 5 days after each raise. One gal got itchy when she got on Armour, and was so determined to blame Armour that she got off, got back on Synthroid, and is STILL itchy. 8. ADDING T4 or T3 to ARMOUR TOO SOON! Most patients report that they do perfectly fine on Armour alone, especially when they have taken the time to raise and find their optimal dose, which is often over 3 grains and has removed all hypothyroid symptoms. But some patients and their doctors feel the need to add either synthetic T4 or T3 to their natural thyroid dose to achieve a certain result . The challenge is in not adding it too soon, otherwise you miss out on the benefits of the T4, T3, T2, T1 and Calcitonin. Instead, if they had simply upped their Armour more, they might have gotten the results they desired. Occasionally, a patient may suspect they have thyroid hormone resistance when 5-6 grains of Armour is not doing the job. At this point, they add T3,

or Cytomel, to their dose, to achieve results. Addtionally, since most patients on an optimal dose of Armour only achieve a mid-range T4, some are adding a small amount of T4 to raise the level. 9. GOING UP WITH DOSAGES WAY TOO FAST. This was observed a few years ago: a patient got on Armour. One grain, then 2 grains, 3 grains, 4 grains, 5 grains, then 6 grains. But the problem was that he did this within 4-5 weeks! OUCH!! He started to find himself majorly overdosed with symptoms to match. He had to stop for a few weeks… then resume again at one grain and do it the right way. Namely, patients have noted that after they have been on a starting dose for a few weeks, they can start rising by 1/2 grain or so every 2-3 weeks. It’s all individual, but that seems to be the general amount to raise. They also note that when they get up to 2-3 grains, it’s time to hold each dose at least 4-5 weeks to allow the buildup of the T4, and to see it’s conversion to T3

results. 10. PAYING TOO STRICT ATTENTION TO LABS. Unfortunately, thyroid patients have noticed that doctors tend to treat lab results rather than treat PATIENTS. Labs are interesting, and labs are good adjuncts to the full spectrum of dosing. BUT… SYMPTOMS are IMPORTANT. For example, patients have learned that even if there is a very suppressed TSH, and/or a high free T3, yet symptoms continue, it’s important to look at one’s adrenal function, since low cortisol can make the free T3 go high while symptoms continue. 11. THINKING YOUR DOCTOR KNOWS MORE THAN YOU DO. Granted, we have great respect for education, and we appreciate the knowledge that a medical school trained doctor brings to our health quest. It’s important! BUT… that education does NOT take away from our OWN knowledge and our OWN intuitive sense about our bodies… about what works, about what doesn’t work… no matter what that doctor says. This website represents just that! So, patients

have discovered that the doctor-patient relationship is best as a TEAM, with respect going BOTH directions. Doctors are not “gods”. They can and DO make mistakes in judgement. TEAMWORK counts. Find a good doc!! Janie THYROID MADNESS DEFINITION: 1. Treating hypothyroid patients solely with T4-only meds 2. Dosing solely by the TSH and the total T4, or using the outdated "Thyroid Panel" 3. Prescribing anti-depressants in lieu of evaluating and treating the free T3 4. Telling thyroid patients that desiccated natural thyroid like Armour is "unreliable", "inconsistent", "dangerous" or "outdated". 5. Making labwork more important than the hypo symptoms which scream their presence 6. Failing to see the OBVIOUS symptoms of poorly treated thyroid, and instead, recommending a slew of other tests and diagnoses.

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[Guest guest]

Oh, I hate it when it does that.

I hope you can read this now!

>

>

> I believe this is from a group on Thyroid support, and those

taking Armour might find it helpful.

>

> Patty

>

> These are the most common mistakes which occur when a switch has

been made to Armour/Naturethroid/Thyroid-S, etc. and YOU can avoid

them by being familiar with the below!

1. STICKING WITH TOO LOW A DOSE. For a myriad of reasons, this

happens often. Patients will be on inadequately low doses due to:

1) being held on a starting dose too long,

2) being bound by the directives of a TSH-obsessed doctor,

3) failing to get a raise of Armour until the " next labwork " , which

can be weeks and months away,

4) following an inaccurate Synthroid-to-Armour conversion

equivalency chart,

5) being forced to lower a dose due to a high free T3 with

continuing hypo symptoms, which is a sign of low cortisol, not too

much Armour, or

6) being afraid to go higher.

For example, a patient makes her way up to 1-2 grains, notices great

improvements, but also has continuing problems. OR, a patient makes

her way up to 2 grains and notices NO improvement. And it's common to

think

> that Armour is not working! In reality, it may simply mean a

patient isn't on enough! Most patients need 3-5 grains before

completely ridding themselves of symptoms. It can also be very wise

to check adrenal function, since low cortisol can prevent thyroid

hormones from making it to the cells….and you will still feel

bad.

2. THINKING THEY ARE ON TOO MUCH BECAUSE OF HYPER-SYMPTOMS . It's

common to think that because a patient is having hyper-like

symptoms (anxiety, shakiness, fast heart rate, etc), especially on

doses lower than 3 grains, they are on too much. Often, though, the

hyper-like symptoms could be the result of underlying low-functioning

adrenals (i.e. not enough cortisol), or even a low Ferritin—-each

and/or both of which can be quite common in hypothyroid patients. So

it can be wise to get both your Ferritin and cortisol levels

checked. Ferritin is easily checked via a blood test, and if a

patient is below 50, it can cause problems. As far

> as Cortisol levels, patients have found that the most accurate

test is NOT a one-time blood test, but a 24 hour adrenal saliva

test, which catches your levels during a 24 hour period. If money

is an issue, try the self-tests on the ADRENAL INFO page on this

site. Additionally, if you raise too quickly, or in too

large a dose raise, your body can overreact, making you think you

were on too much. The solution for patients has been to go back where

they were, and go up in smaller increments, such as 1/4

grain.

3. FAILING TO MULTI-DOSE. Occasionally, some patients take their

natural thyroid all at once in the morning and say they do fine.

But… most individuals will notice much better results by multi-

dosing. For example, a person on 3 1/2 grains might take 2 grains

in the morning, one grain by noon or in the early afternoon, and 1/2

grain by mid-afternoon. Multi-dosing better imitates what your own

thyroid would be doing, and gives you the direct

> T3 throughout the day when you most need it. Spreading out the

Armour also prevents stress on your adrenals.

4. FAILING TO TAKE ARMOUR SUBLINGUALLY. It's a given that patients

CAN have success with swallowing Armour. But, even better success

can be noted by doing Armour sublingually, i.e. placing the tablet

between your inner check and gum, or under your tongue… and

forgetting about it. Why? Because nearly 100% is utilized when you do

it sublingually, vs. the large amount you lose when swallowing due

to stomach acids and liver processing. Some patients who switched

from swallowing their pills to sublingual discovered they could take

LESS Armour than when they swallowed, and get the same great

results!

5. SWALLOWING NATURAL THYROID WITH ESTROGEN, CALCIUM or IRON.

Estrogen, calcium and iron bind some of the thyroid hormones and

makes them unusable. So… it's wise to avoid swallowing these at the

same time you swallow your natural thyroid. (Again,

> another reason to do sublingual for Armour, and for the other

natural thyroid if you can survive their taste!)

6. STAYING ON A STARTING DOSE TOO LONG. This is a common mistake.

When first starting on Armour or any natural thyroid product, it

can be wise to start on one grain or less. BUT… patients have found

it UNWISE to stay on that low dose much longer than 2 weeks without

raising. Why? Because hypothyroid symptoms can return with a

VENGEANCE.

7. THINKING ARMOUR IS NOT WORKING WHEN SOMETHING ARISES. Armour

contains direct T3, and the T3 can initially aggravate certain

conditions. When this happens, patients have simply stopped the

increase of their Armour , or decreased it to give the reaction

time to go away. An example is Mitral Valve Prolapse–one patient

noted that with each raise, she had palps. But they went away

within the first 5 days after each raise. One gal got itchy when she

got on Armour, and was so determined to blame Armour that she

> got off, got back on Synthroid, and is STILL itchy.

8. ADDING T4 or T3 to ARMOUR TOO SOON! Most patients report that they

do perfectly fine on Armour alone, especially when they have taken

the time to raise and find their optimal dose, which is often over 3

grains and has removed all hypothyroid symptoms. But some patients

and their doctors feel the need to add either synthetic T4 or T3 to

their natural thyroid dose to achieve a certain result . The

challenge is in not adding it too soon, otherwise you miss out on the

benefits of the T4, T3, T2, T1 and Calcitonin. Instead, if they had

simply upped their Armour more, they might have gotten the results

they desired. Occasionally, a patient may suspect they have thyroid

hormone resistance when 5-6 grains of Armour is not doing the job.

At this point, they add T3, or Cytomel, to their dose, to achieve

results. Addtionally, since most patients on an optimal dose of

Armour only achieve a mid-range T4, some

> are adding a small amount of T4 to raise the level.

9. GOING UP WITH DOSAGES WAY TOO FAST. This was observed a few years

ago: a patient got on Armour. One grain, then 2 grains, 3 grains, 4

grains, 5 grains, then 6 grains. But the problem was that he did this

within 4-5 weeks! OUCH!! He started to find himself majorly

overdosed with symptoms to match. He had to stop for a few weeks…

then resume again at one grain and do it the right way. Namely,

patients have noted that after they have been on a starting dose for

a few weeks, they can start rising by 1/2 grain or so every 2-3

weeks. It's all individual, but that seems to be the general amount

to raise. They also note that when they get up to 2-3 grains, it's

time to hold each dose at least 4-5 weeks to allow the buildup of

the T4, and to see it's conversion to T3 results.

10. PAYING TOO STRICT ATTENTION TO LABS. Unfortunately, thyroid

patients have noticed that doctors tend to treat lab results

> rather than treat PATIENTS. Labs are interesting, and labs are

good adjuncts to the full spectrum of dosing. BUT… SYMPTOMS are

IMPORTANT. For example, patients have learned that even if there is a

very suppressed TSH, and/or a high free T3, yet symptoms continue,

it's important to look at one's adrenal function, since low cortisol

can make the free T3 go high while symptoms continue.

11. THINKING YOUR DOCTOR KNOWS MORE THAN YOU DO. Granted, we have

great respect for education, and we appreciate the knowledge that a

medical school trained doctor brings to our health quest. It's

important! BUT… that education does NOT take away from our OWN

knowledge and our OWN intuitive sense about our bodies… about what

works, about what doesn't work… no matter what that doctor says.

This website represents just that! So, patients have discovered that

the doctor-patient relationship is best as a TEAM, with respect

going BOTH directions. Doctors are not " gods " . They can

and DO make mistakes in judgement. TEAMWORK counts. Find a good

doc!! Janie

THYROID MADNESS DEFINITION:

1. Treating hypothyroid patients solely with T4-only meds

2. Dosing solely by the TSH and the total T4, or using the

outdated " Thyroid Panel "

3. Prescribing anti-depressants in lieu of evaluating and treating

the free T3

4. Telling thyroid patients that desiccated natural thyroid like

Armour is " unreliable " , " inconsistent " , " dangerous " or " outdated " .

5. Making labwork more important than the hypo symptoms which scream

their presence

6. Failing to see the OBVIOUS symptoms of poorly treated thyroid, and

instead, recommending a slew of other tests and diagnoses.

[Guest guest]

Hey ,

If it isn't broke, don't fix it! If you are doing great on 30 mg

Armour, stick with it. You can read your body better than anyone else

can, and you'll know when you feel good on the right dose.

Patty

>

> Wow Patty looks like I need to work on this thyroid issue closer...

But all

> test come back great...So I don't know what to do except

experiement further

> with Armour... Seems that when I did 30mg then went up to 60mg it

worked great,

> then my hair started falling out by the gobs, so I went back down

to 30mg, now

> I am ok...

>

> ~

>

>

>

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