Not sure what to think of Armour Thyroid...!

I was put on Armour Thyroid in December 2011. I was on 200 mcg of thyroxine back then, and decreased it by 25 mcg a week, while adding 15 mg of Armour...As of 60 mg (1 grain) a day, I started peeing like crazy. Lost about 5 kilograms in less than a week...kept raising for six months, ended up on 300 mg (5 grains) a day, and felt great. Armour only, no thyroxine.

Lab results in May 2012:

FT4 1.1 (ref 0.7-1.5)

FT3 4.1 (ref 1.7-3.7)

TSH <0.001

In June 2012, I got a new prescription, this time for 240 and 300 mg, along with 15 and 30 mg pills. I started going downhill almost immediately; retaining fluid, gaining weight, feeling tired and depressed most of the time.

Lab results in November 2012:

FT4 1.1 (ref 0.7-1.5)

FT3 2.9 (ref 1.7-3.7)

TSH <0.001

I always go to the lab 24 hours after latest dose. As you can see, FT4 levels remained the same, but FT3 levels dropped rather drastically.

I asked to go back on the smaller pills, but never felt as good again. I then asked to be switched to Erfa, and it seems to be working very well. I have not had labs yet, but it seems to be working. So I wanted to ask you the following:

- is it at all possible that I got the old version of Armour the first time around, that is, in late 2011, and that could explain why I did great on it the first time around? The first batches I got expired in November and December 2012 respectively;

- I have read on the STTM that Erfa has been reformulated and does not work as well; however, my experience has been good. I have lost 10 kilograms since February, my body temp is normal, and I feel normal as well (anxious to see lab results, though); I have the "new" version of Erfa (125 mg white and pink label, 60 mg white and green label, 30 mg white and blue label).

- could NP Thyroid by Acella be an alternative? How does it work compared to Erfa and reformulated Armour? Or should I say: "If it ain't broken, don't try to fix it", that is, stay on Erfa?! So far, the "reformulated" version seems to work very well for me, even better than the "original" version...

I'd appreciate any input on this!

Anna

[Peacefullbliss]

Have you tested your cortisol (24 hour saliva test), iron, ferritin, B12 and vitamin D levels. The drop in FT3 might be because T3 is not getting into your cells. Armour does not look like its the problem to me. If you have adrenal issues or low iron it's going to affect the ability of T3 to get into your cells. You need to now make sure you have all your ducks in a row.

stopthethyroidmadness.com/d...

[Hidden in reply to Peacefullbliss]

Thanks for your input!

Yes, I have tested cortisol levels in both saliva, blood, and urine. These are the results (July 2014):

saliva:

8 am 8871 pg/ml (ref 1800-14500)

blood:

free cortisol

8 am 8 ng/mL (ref 1.3-25.1)

total cortisol:

8 am 148 ng/mL (ref 50-250)

urine (24 h):

21 ug/24h (ref 10-100)

Not sure how to interpret this...I am seeing my doctor on October 21. My doctor does not believe in saliva testing, so I ordered this test kit myself from Medivere in Germany...I'd appreciate any input on these labs! Thanks!

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

PS. If my doctor agrees to treat me for adrenal fatigue, which is the best option in your opinion: Medrol or hydrocortisone? I have read both have their pros and cons...I tend to retain fluid, so maybe Medrol would a better option? My doctor treats adrenal fatigue, and I expect my lab results warrant treatment...

[Hidden]

While certainly not being an expert on the matter, I think that cortisol levels are supposed to peak, and so be close to the upper normal range, at 8 am, at least in blood and saliva? Not sure about 24 h urine, though, as they show the average cortisol levels during a 24 h period. Yours look lowish to me, though.

At night, cortisol levels are supposed to be low, to help you unwind and go to sleep. But I guess many of us don't have any problems with that, but rather with getting those levels up where they should be in the morning