Hi Have just got my first order of armour so here goes...... I've read some posts about when to take it. is night time a good idea? I'm not sleeping well as I wake in the night for one or 2 hours. On fludrocortisone for my adrenals. Perhaps it will eventually help my sleep patterns. Am trying not to rest too much in day so I sleep at night.
Any advice appreciate d thanks x
NDT needs to be taken in a split dose because the half life of t3 is shorter than t4. i take my first dose when i wake up and second dose around midday. The idea is to take the second dose in time to avoid the crash you can experience when t3 starts dropping again
Hi thanks for replying , I will Split my dose mind you I'm taking the pill also so will have to stagger things somehow.. I'm trying to take my temp if I can remember ! and weigh myself to track how I respond. My bloods are so called normal so not sure how I can gauge what'd happening...I guess if I start running around !! .
I have taken NDT once daily dose and it suited me fine.
T3 after it has gone into our receptor cells, the effect of it lasts between 1 and 3 days. This is from a link re Armour or any NDT:
Dr. Lowe: The answer is that the endocrinologist is mistaken; the peak T3 level is not a problem. The only time Armour causes adverse effects is when a patient takes too much for her as an individual—just as when she takes too much of any other thyroid hormone product, including Synthroid.
We’ve observed many hundreds of patients taking products that contain T3. Despite our careful inquiries of many of these patients, we’ve never heard complaints of adverse effects that could credibly be ascribed to peak T3 blood level.
My impression is that most endocrinologists have had little-to-no clinical experience with T3-containing products. Perhaps because of that, they haven’t learned that the adverse effects from peak T3 levels that they so often warn against seldom if ever occur. Their false belief that adverse effects do occur, however, serves well the financial interests of corporations that market T4 products, such as Synthroid. Some endocrinologists may not be cognizant of it, but when they parrot this false belief, they’re taking part in their profession’s quid pro quo for the enormous financial and nonfinancial incentives that T4-marketing corporations lavish on their specialty. (I document this in my soon-to-be published book Tyranny of the TSH.)
web.archive.org/web/2010103...
" This information is accurate—when plain, full-strength, one-time-per-day doses of T3 are used properly, there are no adverse effects. The only adverse effects occur when a patient takes a dosage that for her is excessive. With Cytomel, if overstimulation occurs, it can be stopped with one or two small doses of propranolol. Or the patient can simply reduce her dosage of Cytomel the next time she takes it. I want to emphasize, however, that when our protocol is used properly, there is no overstimulation to be avoided by using timed-release T3. The protocol has safeguards against adverse effects.
web.archive.org/web/2010103...
Some members do prefer to split their doses.
Many thanks for that info shaws. I will read those extracts. I know knowledge is power but sometimes can't thinks straight some evidence seems conflicting. I fought to get armour and even though the endocrinologist won't prescribe it he will monitor me in 2 months . Not sure if that's much use but he did put me on flfludrocortisone can I ask why do people go for ssynthetic t3 and t4 combination s over ndt. Many thanks
Some doctors/endos in the UK will prescribe T3 added to T4. Very few will prescribe T3 only.
Many frown on NDT and have made false statements about it.
Some would love to trial NDT but are wary of going it alone so you are lucky with your Endo and hope you feel much better.
Best of luck and hope you feel much better very soon. After all it has been in use in different forms since 1892.
Thanks for your reply. Yes I think I'm lucky in that he listens to me and is the first doctor to take me seriously since I got sick in 1999. He has also prescribed fludrocortisone as he said it was adrenal exhaustion. I was utterly wrecked and it saved me from falling back to square one . In some ways he is good in that he thinks of holistic answers not in terms of supplements but in terms of cause and effect. I think he hoped that it would right itself with little intervention. I just felt that I was doing the educating at the last appointment and then wondered if I should look for support elsewhere mainly due the adrenal issuesm I will try the armour and see how I do.
Thanks for taking the time to reply 🐧
You are really fortunate if doctor is prescribing Armour and if you do well it might also be a learning curve for him too. I wish you success.
Yes although he wouldn't actually prescribe it ge gave me info on what dose to sstart and will monitor me. He Said the problem lies with the gmc who are basically old thinking. He did agree ndt is better. He was impressed at my level of understanding most of which I have gleaned from people's posts and the information on this site regarding treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome with thyroid medication. Also my own experience to date fits with hypothyroidism and I never agreed that nothing could be done for my health just took so long to find information and someone willing and able to treat me. Thanks for your good wishes fingers crossed x
Yes 
For information:
I'd take it first thing in the morning with water, 1 hour before breakfast/tea/coffee etc.
remember to start at a low dose, 1/4 -1/2 grain, leave a fortnight before increasing by 1/4 grain.
Good luck xx
Thanks for reply and information. I wasn't sure if I had to leave a gap before have a cup of tea I'm starting on a quarter. can I ask Did u measure your weight or temperature when you started? Many thanks x
Yes, leave a good hour before anything other than water. I'd take it in early morning, partly because you're not sleeping well at night and you'd be over-stimulated taking it at bedtime.
Take a note of BP, pulse, temperature, and weight; but don't get too bogged down with temperature readings meaning anything especially relevant. Blood tests are the only meaningful measurement.
Ok thanks, can I ask a silly question but how long before you felt some improvements in symptoms? . I think this maybe my only measure as my bloods are normal I'm not a hashimoto hypothyroidism case I had graves ten years ago and think I'm now hypothyroid. Or chronic fatigue which I never have believed existed just needed to learn then find treatment. Thanks for your time x
On Armour, felt a bit better within 3-4 days each time I added a tiny bit more until went from 1 &1/4 to 1&1/2 and then felt overmedicated after about a week. xx
I take 1.5g when I go to bed then 2g when I wake at about 4am then sleep till 7am. then I take other medication to keep them apart. when I had to increase the dose this year I did it very slowly over 4 months and still leave out the .5 once or twice a week.
I never slept well on levo but now usually sleep very well
Thanks for your reply, can I ask how long before you felt some improvements to your symptoms. ? I would very much like to sleep better! Can I ask what other medication you take.or could I ask for your comment on mine as I take fludrocortisone and oestrogen and progesterone in the pill .also iron.... Did I see somewhere that I shouldn't take armour near the pill.? And near iron. Many thanks
Why are you taking Fludrocortisone?
Hi, I'm taking fludrocortisone for adrenals
I am concerned because if you have really low Aldosterone, which Florinef is used to treat, you need to know why. I suspect that it is due to low thyroid levels tho, unless you have Adrenal Gland Disease, which is very rare. Any time you take a hormone, like Flud. your body stops it's own production. I have a Pituitary issue and have done a lot of research on Cortisol and Aldoesterone etc.. I tend to agree with ray peat :
Ray Peat wrote:
“Thyroid is needed for the adrenals to function well, and adequate cholesterol, as raw material. It’s popular to talk about ‘weak adrenals,’ but the adrenal cortex regenerates very well. Animal experimenters can make animals that lack the adrenal medulla by scooping out everything inside the adrenal capsule, and the remaining cells quickly regenerate the steroid producing tissues, the cortex. So I think the ‘low adrenal’ people are simply low thyroid, or deficient in cholesterol or nutrients.”
— Raymond Peat, PhD
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