Re: Advice on Armour Dosage

[Guest guest]

> It seems that although my TSH has improved, my FT3 and FT4 have

> become worse. Does this mean I can't tolerate Armour and need

> synthetics or just simply don't have enough? Perhaps my initial TSH

> was from a different cause other than hypothyroidism? I am also

> taking iron for somewhat low ferritin and selenium.

>

> Does anyone have any advice?

from your labs, i would say that it looks like your TSH has

inappropriately been supressed by this dose of armour. instead of

your thyroid keeping up it's work at the same level so that it's

output, plus the armour equals more thyroid hormones, your thyroid is

producing less, so you end up with less hormone. this is extremely

common. it happened to me.

are you still having hypothyroid symptoms? if so, that plus your

labs, might indicate that you need more medication. as for me, i am

in a similar situation and i am going to ask for more medication when

i go back to the endo.

rachel.

[Guest guest]

Your first set of tests just don't look like someone who was on Armour for

quite awhile, they look like someone's tests who has some added synthetic T4

to their Armour. Was this the case, or could it be that you were not off

the synthetic for more than a couple of wks or so before you were put on the

Armour? Also, this doesn't make sense on your second set of tests, as you

upped the Armour, both the Free T3 and Free T4 went severely down. Have you

been missing doses pretty regularly, or did you start taking your Armour

food, or have you been taking the Armour WITH the iron? Taking the Armour

with the iron is a no no, as you won't absorb the thyroid hormones the same

way at all. You need to separate the iron from the thyroid by around 3 hrs,

even if you are multy dosing your thyroid med, or it's not going anywhere at

all. Also, once you get at a grain or past that, the dosage increases need

to be done in small increments of 15 mgs, stay on that dose for 4 to 6 wks,

then up it, after testing, as it takes that long for the T4 to come to

fruition in the body, because it is the storage hormone that slowly converts

(in some people it doesn't convert well at all, so no, I would not say to go

back to synthetics at all) to T3. T3 has a rapid onset. I take my thyroid

now in 30 mg doses, 4 times a day (because of needing the T3 more than just

a small area of the day), with a single 15 mg dose worked in there

somewhere, a 5th time. When it comes to T3, so many people on these boards

are not utilizing the T4 very well, so they direct T3 most of the time, plus

the other benefits of natural thyroid. Once in the morning, and, for many

people, that T3 is gone in 4 to 6 hrs or so, with nothing the rest of the

day, unless they are converting the T4 very well. What other supplements do

you take, and do you take anything with the thyroid at all?

Advice on Armour Dosage

>

>

> I have been on Armour since June of 2004 for a dx of subclinical

> hypothyroidism. My baseline levels are:

>

> TSH 3.23 (range .5-6.00)

>

> FT3 3.2 (2-4.9)

>

> FT4 1.2 (.8-1.5)

>

> I was on 60 mg of Armour when I received the below results on 9/7/04

> (have since increased to 90 mg, and trying to increase to 120 mg,

> albeit slowly)

>

> TSH .904 (.35-5.5)

>

> FT3 2.5 (2.3-4.2)

>

> FT4 .92 (.89-1.76)

>

> It seems that although my TSH has improved, my FT3 and FT4 have

> become worse. Does this mean I can't tolerate Armour and need

> synthetics or just simply don't have enough? Perhaps my initial TSH

> was from a different cause other than hypothyroidism? I am also

> taking iron for somewhat low ferritin and selenium.

>

> Does anyone have any advice?

[Guest guest]

wrote:

>Your first set of tests just

>Armour? Also, this doesn't make sense on your second set of tests, as you

>upped the Armour, both the Free T3 and Free T4 went severely down

>

Its possible to have these sorts of results on Armour without missing

doses or binding of other things [iron etc] to screw up the results. I

have had very low levels of free t4 and free 3 on my last labs - much

lower than when i was on thryoxine despite the Armour dose beung much

higher. I suspect it was due my body being more able to use the thyroid

hormone than the synthetic and also due to my pituitary being

essentially switched off or thyroid output going down.

I am due to get more tests this week so we shall see if the resilts are

still low on inceased armour.

--

Alison

http://www.alisonashwell.com

new work uploaded

http://www.artwanted/alisonashwell

[Guest guest]

Actually, the first set of tests was my baseline levels when I was

first diagnosed, before I started the Armour. I haven't ever tried

synthetics, but am wondering if I need to try something else, if

Armour is not working effectively.

I did take it for a while with food, but haven't the last few

weeks...so perhaps that made somewhat of a difference.

Did my T3 and T4 levels look optimal at my baseline? Do I even need

to be taking thyroid meds?

> Your first set of tests just don't look like someone who was on

Armour for

> quite awhile, they look like someone's tests who has some added

synthetic T4

> to their Armour. Was this the case, or could it be that you were

not off

> the synthetic for more than a couple of wks or so before you were

put on the

> Armour? Also, this doesn't make sense on your second set of

tests, as you

> upped the Armour, both the Free T3 and Free T4 went severely

down. Have you

> been missing doses pretty regularly, or did you start taking your

Armour

> food, or have you been taking the Armour WITH the iron? Taking

the Armour

> with the iron is a no no, as you won't absorb the thyroid hormones

the same

> way at all. You need to separate the iron from the thyroid by

around 3 hrs,

> even if you are multy dosing your thyroid med, or it's not going

anywhere at

> all. Also, once you get at a grain or past that, the dosage

increases need

> to be done in small increments of 15 mgs, stay on that dose for 4

to 6 wks,

> then up it, after testing, as it takes that long for the T4 to

come to

> fruition in the body, because it is the storage hormone that

slowly converts

> (in some people it doesn't convert well at all, so no, I would not

say to go

> back to synthetics at all) to T3. T3 has a rapid onset. I take

my thyroid

> now in 30 mg doses, 4 times a day (because of needing the T3 more

than just

> a small area of the day), with a single 15 mg dose worked in there

> somewhere, a 5th time. When it comes to T3, so many people on

these boards

> are not utilizing the T4 very well, so they direct T3 most of the

time, plus

> the other benefits of natural thyroid. Once in the morning, and,

for many

> people, that T3 is gone in 4 to 6 hrs or so, with nothing the rest

of the

> day, unless they are converting the T4 very well. What other

supplements do

> you take, and do you take anything with the thyroid at all?

>

>

>

> Advice on Armour Dosage

>

>

> >

> >

> > I have been on Armour since June of 2004 for a dx of subclinical

> > hypothyroidism. My baseline levels are:

> >

> > TSH 3.23 (range .5-6.00)

> >

> > FT3 3.2 (2-4.9)

> >

> > FT4 1.2 (.8-1.5)

> >

> > I was on 60 mg of Armour when I received the below results on

9/7/04

> > (have since increased to 90 mg, and trying to increase to 120 mg,

> > albeit slowly)

> >

> > TSH .904 (.35-5.5)

> >

> > FT3 2.5 (2.3-4.2)

> >

> > FT4 .92 (.89-1.76)

> >

> > It seems that although my TSH has improved, my FT3 and FT4 have

> > become worse. Does this mean I can't tolerate Armour and need

> > synthetics or just simply don't have enough? Perhaps my initial

TSH

> > was from a different cause other than hypothyroidism? I am also

> > taking iron for somewhat low ferritin and selenium.

> >

> > Does anyone have any advice?