Changing doses of Armour thyroid due to weight issues. Read and advise Please.?
I am 30 years old and I had my thyroid radioactivly removed. I take 1 grain of armour every morning. I feel MUCH better than I did on synthroid (that stuff was HORRIBLE)I have had this condition for about 9 years. I work out 3-5 days a week (cardio and weights) and eat very healthy. I am not fat at all. 5'6" 135,but I feel like my body is not responding to my efforts to lean out and just drop a couple pounds. I just stay at the same weight no matter what I do. So, I called my doctor and we talked. We negociated. He said I could take 1 1/2 tablets every other day. I told him I was feeling tired and like I was at a stopping point with my weight goals. Any advise on this at all?
User Comments
- You should carefully monitor your heart rate that it does not reach too high (like 80 bpm and up) and if it does not you can take more Armour even daily. You should also check your labwork and ensure that you are in the healthy range, as you can go as low as .01 on the TSH and still should be on the hypo side. Check your other values too. As far as leaning down, you might want to try different exercise methods to achieve that goal. Be happy that you are happy with your weight - most hypothyroid can not say that. You are lucky! Looks like for your weight and height you could take more Armour say 100 or 120 mg per day and always split in half. Lately it has been recommended that you take one of your dose at night, whcih I have been doing. It really helps with the overnight mechanisms and metabolism as we lose a few LBs every night (so I stay back the same as I started the previous morning). You do not have to worry about taking more Armour as long as you monitor your blood pressure, yoru heart rate and your blood work. Good luck to you!
- In 1990 my thyroid was destroyed by RadioActive Iodine (RAI) as well. I was also put on synthroid, and also agree that it was horrible. In my case I gained around 140 pounds, became bald, developed osteoporosis, looked like an old woman, and was crippled.
In 2003 I got on Armour Thyroid and I do feel that it saved my life. Unlike you, I was able to "dose by symptoms", which is why I am now symptom free. I dosed my Armour by symptoms because that is what has been proven to be successful according to my experiences, experiences of those before me, and many old time old school doctors who were in practice before 1975.
I know that the human body needs ALL the thyroid hormones to function and survive. Without a thyroid gland and taking synthetic t4 (synthroid), I was not getting all the thyroid hormones, and very likely the synthroid (as most synthetics do) shut off many of my thyroid receptors.
It does that...synthetic hormones can actually shut off their respective hormone receptors - receptors "receive" and help get the hormones into our cells where they need to be. Sometimes these receptors can not recognize synthetic hormones as anything biologically useful. For a thyroidless person this can be quite a negative situation.
The idea is that since a healthy human body has specific thyroid hormones which are there naturally, that is what thyroidless people need to replace. Ideally, we need our thyroid glands back, but unless someone can successfully transplant one back in, we need to supplement thyroid hormones. Miracle of miracles, there's been something on the market for the last 100 years or so that does just that. It's called "dessicated thyroid" and it is actual porcine thyroid glands, dried, powdered, and mixed in specific ways and tested in order to maintain exact potency of "ALL" the thyroid hormones (T1, T2, T3, T4, etc) , plus calcitonin.
Negotiating with your doctor? That's sounds interesting. You have to negotiate to get all the thyroid hromones your body needs to function and survive? I hope you are at least splitting your dose between early morning and early afternoon, and letting it melt under your tongue, AND taking the very same amount every single day. And I truely hope you change doctors so that you 'will' be able to dose your Armour by symptoms, and not end up like I did before I started taking desiccated thyroid, which "was" on my death bed...
- You are on way too low a dose. I take armour thyroid and I am currently ay 3 3/4 grains and working up. How I got my up is you start out at a low dose like you did and increase by 1/2 grain every two weeks when symptoms return. Then when you get to 3 grains you want to hold it for 6 weeks for the Free T4 to stabilize in the blood. Then raise by a 1/4 grain every 6 weeks untill all symptoms are gone and you have an afternoon temp of 98.6. I also recommend doing a temp graph this will really tell you what is going on with your metabolism. You can get the temp graph at the link below. Hope this helps, also if your doctor is not willing to work with you on this I would try and find a DO (doctor of osteopath)
- How is your doctor adjusting your dosage of Armour? If it's by TSH, you are most likely on too low a dose. Armour works best when one is dosed by the free t3 and the free t4. Also, are you taking the Armour dose before you are testing? On the Armour website it states to test, then take the Armour. Links below.
With the T3 in Armour, you really should be taking the same dose each day. Perhaps you could divide the Armour up so that your dose is consistent.
- I also have addisons disease as well. I have had that condition for about 15 years. I take hydrocortisone and florinef as well. Just thought I would add those details as well.
- Thanks!
- I don't take armour thyroid but I take generic t4. I would suggest you look for signs of being hyperthyroid once you alternate doses each day. I would think a 50% increase in dose every other day is too much. I think you would be better off getting a 2nd prescription for 1/4 grain, and take that every other day at first and be a little bit more patient with your weight loss.
I now take 200 mcg, but at 225 and 212, I had symptoms of being hyperthyroid. I would get heart palpitations in my sleep, and was more short tempered. A small difference in medication can make a big difference in how you feel.