armour

[cliffsue]

i have had thyroid problems now for for 40yrs had partial thyroid rmoved 35ys ago which resulted in been underactive i take 150 thyroxin which has only been changed 2 times in all these years .i seem to have to manage my own dosage only have blood test once a year.now im in my 60s had digestive problems an meneires as my balance not good i was wondering if these could be my thyroid .iv just read all your comments on the armour an have to admit never heard of it could some one please shed some light on it for me please sue

[PinkNinja]

Armour is made from dessicated pig thyroid. Because it contains more than just thyroxine, it seems to work well for patients who don't respond well to synthetic thyroxine. Unfortunately only a few NHS doctors will prescribe it and many have to pay for private prescriptions.

Your digestive problems and menieres could be at least partly related to your hypothyroidism. This doesn't necessarily mean that thyroxine doesn't suit you but it may mean you are not on a high enough dose or other factors are at play. Your TSH will likely need to be below 1 for you to feel well, and may even need to be suppressed. Your T4 level should be near the top of the range or, in some cases, just above the range. If this isn't the case, you probably need an increase of dose. Do you have your thyroid test results? It is always handy to have them and the reference ranges.

If your TSH is nice and low and your T4 is at the top of the range, it would be a good idea to get the following tests;

serum iron (needs to be at a good level, not just in range)

ferritin (above 70 for women)

folate

vitamin B12 (above 400-500)

vitamin D

Lower than optimal levels of any of these could be contributing to you symptoms. Iron and B12 are believed to be important for your body to use thyroid hormones effectively. Vitamin D is actually a hormone that is involved in something like 300 metabolic processes, so very important! Hypothyroid patients are more likely than others to be deficient in one or more of the above.

I hope that helps a little. I hope you find the solution soon.

Carolyn x

[cliffsue in reply to PinkNinja]

thank you i really appreciate wat you have told me i do not have my results but will def make appiontment to see doc for blood test an get results thank you again and i will let you no wat the test come back as sue x

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Armour is only one make of desiccated thyroid - more information here:

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/treatm...

Rod

[Clarebear]

My balance problems seem to be entirely down to my thyroid. in my case NDT (Armour) has really helped and (fingers crossed) I don't suffer with vertigo/dizziness/balance problems anymore. Xxx

[Heloise]

I'm surprised that you have never heard of Armour. It was used for 30 or more years before thyroxine was created in the lab. Armour, because of it's close similarity to human thyroid containing T4, T3, T2, T1 and calcitonin, it was very well tolerated in humans unlike thyroxine (T4). Armour is a company that sells pork products and now Forest Pharmaceuticals sells the thyroid product with assurance that it is pure and stable. With T4 only, your body is expected to convert to the rest of the T's. For some people it seems to work but if you are one of the unlucky ones, it doesn't quite accomplish the equivalent to your own natural thyroid.

It seems difficult to get a prescription in the UK for this which is quite surprising as it is a century old medication.

[Heloise]

I shouldn't say not tolerated. You managed on it for many years but it was probably not as optimal as desiccated thyroid like Armour or Erfa.

[cliffsue]

thank you all for your help i think my doctors not up to date but i will be doing a visit as i have never seen any of my results of blood test if armour can help my vertigo it would be a god send thanks again for all the replys sue x

[Heloise in reply to cliffsue]

Sometimes estrogen plays a large part in hypothyroidism. You should read more about this. You can use this website and read articles. Excellent source easy to understand.

stopthethyroidmadness.com/m...