Armour confusion

I went on Armour in November 2011. I had previously been on thyroxine for 10 years (dx Hashimoto's in 2001). I ended up on 200 mcg daily.

I started on 60 mg of Armour, while decreasing thyroxine by 25 mcg every week until I had weaned off it completely. I ended up on 300 (5 grains) of Armour by combining 15, 30, 60, 90, and 120 mg pills. I did great for the first six months; I lost a lot of water weight, started losing weight, and had a lot more energy.

In July 2012, I went on 240 and 300 mg pills, and started crashing almost immediately. I asked the pharmacy to go back on the smaller pills, but I have never managed to feel as good on Armour since. On 5 grains of Armour, my FT3 levels were only 2.9 (ref 1.7-3.7).

It has been suggested to me that I got the old Armour the first time around. Those pills expired in December 2012, so is it at all possible that they were manufactured pre-reformulation? I chewed them up and swallowed with a glass of water, but I don't remember the pills tasting sweet or being crunchy.

[Glynisrose]

You should have stopped your levo for at least 2 weeks before starting Armour. I sometimes think that doctors deliberately set people up to fail in the taking of any NDT!!

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Glynisrose]

I find this a somewhat surprising response. Two weeks without taking thyroid hormone, especially for someone without any thyroid activity, is a very long time.

STTM, for example, says:

How do I move from taking T4-only to NDT?

Many patients do their T4 one day, then stop and start on desiccated thyroid the next with a safe beginning dose, usually one grain (see below), with no problems whatsoever. Some doctors guide their patients to lower T4, such as by half, start on desiccated thyroid, then continue lowering the T4 as they raise the NDT. But the former works well. Work with your doctor.

stopthethyroidmadness.com/n...

Which rather suggests that at least some people do not need to "have stopped levo for at least two weeks".

[Glynisrose in reply to helvella]

Levo is T4 alone and it takes about 2 weeks to clear the body of this storage hormone.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Glynisrose]

I am very well aware that "levo" is levothyroxine (T4) only.

[Glynisrose in reply to helvella]

Then you know that it has a long life and takes at least 2 weeks to exit the body!