Frustration again

[t3rcam]

I had a partially successful visit to my GP yesterday who agreed to provide me with a private prescription for Armour on a short term basis, despite it being "expensive", but it will take a few days to arrive at the pharmacy. I was wondering if I should test my iron, Vit B Vit D etc now before I start taking the armour to ensure that there has been an improvement. My GP was not willing to discuss the private blood tests that I had done. I felt rather pre judged before I even finished my first sentence. He gave me a copy if an NHS research paper which suggested that patients who were trialed on Armour felt no difference from taking levothyroxine or benefit and any who did were experiencing a "placebo effect". Can anyone provide me with any links to research papers which state the contrary? He says that if my high TSH isn't lowered by taking the Armour he will not be prescribing it again as he will be treating blood test results and not symptoms. I haven't taken levothyroxine for a considerable period of time because I feel much worse when I take it. I take adrenal supplements and recently started taking iron, B12 and Vit D with MK2.

I am so fed up of shelling out more and more money to get my health back on track because of GP's lack of knowledge and interest. Will Armour reduce TSH? If anyone has a source in the UK where I can obtain NDT can you please private message me?

I think that I read somewhere on this site that GP's are going to be accepting saliva test results. Does anyone have any more information?

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

Maybe this will help:

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu....

Please let us know what NHS paper he gave you? Title, author(s), date, reference numbers, anything.

[Bridgette68]

Hi

I was taking Levo for over 10 years and year on year I feel a little worse

I begged pleaded whatever it took it try something else ..... nothing else is available they said ...... well I eventually (after over 3 yrs) got to try Armour and did to start get it on NHS and feel so much. Enter in just a few weeks !!!

Everyone is different and what might work for one won't for the other !!

I now have no thyroid, it's now not there, so for me as I have for many year struggled with my weight, fatigue and general motivation ..... I have been in Armour for 2 years now follow a good healthy life changing / style and feel so much better than when taking Levo.

I purchase my Armour privately as my endo and doctor won't prescribe it anymore. Have an annual check up with bloods (not enough if you ask me) but have an endo that hasn't got any other patients using anything else but Levo !!!

I have recently (Dec 2016) started taking a fruit and veg capsule everyday and have found my energy levels increase so much, I'm now sleeping better, not only has my hair stopped falling out but is thicker and grows more now too .... it never looked like it was growing at all !!!

And that's not all ...... I've started a much healthier food plan and I now, though a slow process, started to lose a little weight which I've struggled with over the years ..... I've looked at food and the weight went on !!!!! And my skin is glowing too ..... clear no red marks !!!

[hellybaybee]

Well as a patient with hypothyroidism I have taken both nature throid and levothyroxine. I went back to levothyroxine (as I could get it for free) and developed a goitre as well as all the other symptoms I had before. I was good on levo for a year until it just didn't work for me any more. I would think that was caused by a placebo effect, I would love to get well on levo! I'm on NP thyroid now simply because I can't afford armour so my endo is trying the cheaper ones first

[Hidden]

The usual nonsense from a doctor who believes everything his "superiors" tell him despite the fact that he must know very well that it's a load of rubbish. It's little wonder that so many people are convinced there is a conspiracy concerning this subject.

I was on levo for 8 years and was offered nothing else by doc despite me complaining bitterly that it was the wrong medicine for me.

As soon as I switch to NDT after becoming convinced the NHS has nothing to offer me, I regained much of my health that had long since disappeared. Not 100% but I think the lack of proper treatment for so long did my body irreparable harm from which it will never recover.

"Placebo effect" - WHAT UTTER CR#P!!!

As for him admitting that he really is treating blood tests rather than symptoms, well, I don't think I need to add any more other than the obvious which is to get a doctor who actually did read the textbook on thyroid problems when he was at medical school.

[t3rcam]

Thank you all very much for your replies. I really am hoping that the Armour will work & reduce my TSH but it is more important for me to feel better. I collected my Armour today & expected to have to pay for the private script but no. I am building up my vitamin levels and iron before I start taking the Armour. More cost involved for private blood tests but it's the only way to get my health back on track. Are there any moves a foot for things to change for those of us who do not fair well on Levothyroxine & those who struggle to get diagnosed. Not to mention the adrenal issues that affect many of us? I forgot to say in my original post that I mentioned to my GP that I thought that it was my adrenals that were the original problem and that I thought my adrenal gland had been damaged during lithotripsy for a kidney stone over 20 years ago. He just said that there are many unexplained things in medicine. I researched lithotripsy and low & behold the risks stated were potential damage to kidneys, adrenal glands and diaphragm. The paper that my GP gave me is from the NHS Evidence website evidence.nhs.uk and is called "What is the rationale for using a combination of levothyrixibe and liothyronine (such as Armour Thyroid) to treat hypothyroidism? ". Published November 2011. Under the section Quality Asdurance it says that the document was prepared by Varinder Rai, (based on earlier work by Alexandra Debby), London Medicinez Information Service (Northeick Oark Hispital).

I look forward to hearing any thoughts you may have. Thank you.