Help needed with increasing Armour

[Mouse]

I was taking 1/4 grain Armour and my blood results were:

TSH 7.2 (0.2-5.5),

T4 7.12 (10.0-24.5),

T3 4 (3.9-6.7)

So I increased to 1/2 grain. My next blood test results were:

TSH 5.1

T4 10.8

T3 3.7

So I increased to 1/2 grain in the morning and 1/4 grain before I went to bed. I have just had another blood test

TSH 3.5

T4 10.4

T3 4.7

Even though my doctor has marked the results as normal I want to increase again but I am not sure when to take the extra. Should I take it in the morning so that would be 3/4 grain in the morning and 1/4 in the evening or take 1/2 grain in he morning and 1/2 grain in the evening or the extra 1/4 grain in the middle of the day?

I hope someone can advice me please

[Clutter]

Mouse, You probably need to increase by half a grain. Try 3/4 grain in the morning and 1/2 grain in the evening. If you are still symptomatic increase by another 1/2 grain in 4 weeeks. TSH of just above/below 1.0 is comfortable for most people.

[shaws]

I prefer a one daily dose of either NDT, levo or T3. The reason for this is that your whole life is not claimed by medication and you are free. Also, sufficient T3 is needed to saturate your T3 receptor cells to enable us to function as normally as possible and I doubt that happens in dribs and drabs.

1/4 Armour is equal to around 25mcg of levo, 1/2 = 50mcg, 3/4 = 75mcg levo and 1 gr = to approx 100 levo.

Usually a starting dose is 50 levo (1/2 gr on NDT) and gradually increase by 1/4 or 1/2 gr until you feel well. The link below also spells out the proper way of diagnosing/dosing that doctors used to use before the blood tests were introduced.

This is a link and go to the date January 30, 2002. This doctor had lots of success with his patients.

web.archive.org/web/2010103...

[shaws]

I prefer a one daily dose of either NDT, levo or T3. The reason for this is that your whole life is not claimed by medication and you are free. Also, sufficient T3 is needed to saturate your T3 receptor cells to enable us to function as normally as possible and I doubt that happens in dribs and drabs.

1/4 Armour is equal to around 25mcg of levo, 1/2 = 50mcg, 3/4 = 75mcg levo and 1 gr = to approx 100 levo.

Usually a starting dose is 50 levo (1/2 gr on NDT) and gradually increase by 1/4 or 1/2 gr until you feel well. The link below also spells out the proper way of diagnosing/dosing that doctors used to use before the blood tests were introduced.

This is a link and go to the date January 30, 2002. This doctor had lots of success with his patients.

web.archive.org/web/2010103...

[shaws]

You should be aiming for the TSH to reduce to around 1or until you feel well. That means some of us need a TSH low or suppressed.

[Heloise]

Hi Mouse, Should we assume there are a couple of weeks between your lab tests and raises in dose? I agree with Shaws that breaking up your tablets isn't really necessary unless you have a special problem. That quarter grain of Armour only contains 2 or 3 mcgs. of T3. The rest is T4 which is a storage hormone that may last for two weeks so a few hours means nothing.

Your T3 is looking very good so this next raise might get you to your optimal level.

[Clarebear]

I too take all of my NDT in one go at 7am (2.25 grains). I couldn't cope with this to start with though and did take divided doses, which I gradually brought closer and closer together.

[Mouse]

Thank you for all your replies.

I have only been able to increase the dose since getting my adrenals sorted so I am interested to hear, Clarebear, that you couldn't take the whole lot at one go in the beginning as this was why I split the dose initially. I will try taking the extra in the morning and if that is OK then try the whole dose in the morning.

[galathea]

I take all my NDT. (3 grains) at night, just before bed in one go. Have done the multidose thing, but taking in one lot is fine or me. I believe this may be because the hormones in NDT are said to be bound, not free, so that makes them slow to release. Here is an explanation........thyroid-s.com/natural-desic...

[Jazzw in reply to galathea]

Wow, thanks for posting that link, Galathea. That was really helpful and explains a lot about why we respond to synthetic T3 and T4 differently than NDT.

Probably worth a post in its own right!

[Mouse in reply to Jazzw]

Yes, thank you Galathea, that was really interesting link

[teenarocks]

I take my NDT in the morning all in one dose. It's too difficult to split doses and keep them long enough away from food. Are you taking all your doses two hours before or one hour after eating or drinking anything but water? If you can handle the one dose, I would suggest you try it.