Armour - 2 grains a lot.

[Wellesley94]

Hope someone can help? I have Hashimotos and was started on 1 grain of Armour about a month ago and felt almost instant improvement ie decreased palpitations. However within two weeks the palpitations came back. Now I'm on two grains which I started four days ago (recommended by private doc) but no real decrease in palpitations. Would it be wrong to take an extra grain every other day to see if there is an improvement?I have not got the time to see my doc again before I go on holiday tomorrow and was hoping to feel better since I've been through a rough period and am a bit desperate to try and feel better on holiday. I can't sleep with the palpitations and I need to try and stop taking sleeping tablets before I be one addicted. Any advice grateful accepted.

[CarolineC57]

Hi - it sounds to me like you've increased too quickly (and maybe even started on too high a dose). I'm on another brand of NDT and I started on just one-quarter grain. I've been increasing by one-quarter every two or three weeks (I did have to cut back on several occasions when I got palpitations - then I was OK when I increased again after a while). I'm now taking two grains - and I've been on it for nearly a year.

Mind you, I've never taken levo (NHS docs say there's nothing wrong with me as my TSH is "normal") so I was starting from a point where I'd had no hormone support at all. If you've been on levo or something else previously then you probably wouldn't need to start as low as I did.

Hope this helps. I'm sure someone who knows more about NDT than I do will be along soon to give you some better advice than I can. I'm relatively new to all this.

[Wellesley94 in reply to CarolineC57]

Hi Caroline

Thanks. Yes I was on Levo before Armour. Maybe I should decrease for a day or two and see what happens?

Thanks

[CarolineC57 in reply to Wellesley94]

Yes, I think that's a good idea. If you've increased from one to two grains in one go that's clearly doubling your dose. The increase needs to be gradual. See Clutter's post below too - Clutter is much more knowledgeable about this than I am.

[Clutter]

Wellesley, it would be extremely foolish to increase so quickly. Increases should be in half grain increments every two weeks. Ideally you would hold at 2 grains for 4-6 weeks and have a blood test to check levels before increasing further. This link explains why dose adjustments should be gradual thyrophoenix.com/adjusting_...

I found sleeping with an extra pillow, slightly raised, helped make the palpitations less intrusive than when I lay flat.

I hope you enjoy your holiday.

[Wellesley94]

Thank you. I will try the pillow tip.

My Endo increased my dose from one tablet to two last Monday because I told him my palpitations had returned. I'm wondering if I should only take two every other day? What do you think? I've emailed him but as it's the weekend I doubt I will get a response.

[Clutter in reply to Wellesley94]

Wellesley, use the orange Reply tab and the member you are responding to will be sent notifications you have replied.

If palpitations are worse since you increased to 2 grains reduce dose to 1.5 grains (cut one tablet in half). If they're no worse you may as well stick with 2 grains. You might try splitting dose into 2 x daily, 6-12 hours apart. That will even out the T3 peaks and troughs and might help with the palpitations.

There's absolutely no point in dosing alternate days, you'll get no T3 benefit on the off day.

[Wellesley94 in reply to Clutter]

Ok will try splitting dose. Many thanks for advice.

[Jackie]

Hi Safest to have another blood test especially for FT3 but you probably need more. I was on 4 grains armour , now 4 grains of Nature Thiroid.

Jackie

[claudiasmum]

What dose of levo were you on before and did you try T4/T3 in between?

[ThyroidThora]

Hi Wellesley,

I'm on 1.75 grains of Armour but when I started on it last October I was on 1 grain (2 x 30mcg tablets) which my endo increased by a quarter grain every couple of months. I was having palpitations and was over medicated when I was on the T4/T3 combination therapy and I've been a lot better since. The only time my palpitations returned was when my diabetes medication was increased last March. To overcome this I split my diabetes medication so I had my higher dose with my evening meal and my lower dose with my breakfast. I did this for a couple of weeks and then started taking all my diabetes meds with my evening meal as prescribed, and I was fine. I think the increase in the thyroid meds and diabetes meds at the same time triggered the palpitations because Metformin (diabetes meds) works in the pituatory gland and lowers the TSH causing a temporary hyperthyroid situation.

Perhaps you would stagger your Armour tablets. I know when I went up to 3 tablets I found it easier to take 2 tablets on a morning when waking and then I had one about 3pm to keep me going for the rest of the day.

Have a lovely holiday and I hope you sort your dosage out soon.

TT x

[K1V1]

Consider changing your diet as well. I am now on fruit & veg diet with occasional non veg food. This seems to help to reduce palpitation and digest food better giving you more energy.