Swelling & Weight Gain - Newly Diagnosed on Armour Thyroid

[mebolson]

Hi Everyone, I am newly diagnosed hypothyroidism with a TSH of 4.98 and was told that T3 and T4 were normal but she didn't give me the numbers. I was put on Armour Thyroid 30mg once daily. I have been taking it for 60 days and have horrible swelling (edema) in my feet, ankles, thighs and stomach and have gained weight with constipation issues that aren't responding to magnesium or stool softeners. I have an appointment next week but the swelling in my legs is so painful and I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this with Armour Thyroid? I have night sweats and the swelling subsides a little overnight but builds during the day. I didn't have this before starting Armour. Thank you for sharing any thoughts or ideas with me!

[meki]

I did not have any of these side effects if that is what they are need to ask you GP to listen to your heart as it sounds similar to heart issues rather than Amour

[DippyDame]

Maybe this will help-

healthline.com/health/armou...

Good to hear you have an appointment soon....your medic needs to think again!

You need to get hold of your test results. If you post them here, with lab ranges, members will then have the information to help them advise.

It may be that you would have been better with a trial of levothyroxine

With no labs, especially FT3, it's difficult to say.

Good luck

DD

[mebolson in reply to DippyDame]

I got my test results today and my TSH was 4.82, T4 was 1.14, and T3 was 2.7. She said my TSH was only slightly elevated to her. She looked at the edema in my legs and sent me for an EKG, as she was worried something was wrong with my heart. She said I shouldn't have so much edema and swelling from the Armour. The EKG was normal so she switched me to Levothyroxin 25mcg and Liothyronine 5mcg once daily to see if the edema subsides and if I tolerate it better than the Armour. I told her that I had been having joint pain for quite some time and wondered about Hashimoto's and she said there was no need to test for that because my numbers were way too low to have Hashi. She said I'm 50 years old and our bodies just ache as they get older. What are your thoughts on my labs? This is all new to me so I don't know what numbers are good or bad. Thanks!

[DippyDame in reply to mebolson]

Your TSH should ideally be close to 1 your result indicates that you are undermedicated. However TSH is not the most reliable diagnostic tool. Can you add the lab ranges (numbers in brackets) for the 3 results above with those we can calculate the percentage through the range which is useful....I suspect FT4 and FT3 are far too low.

These numbers will also indicate how well your body converts T4, the storage hormone, to T3 the active hormone. Every cell in the body requires an adequate and constant supply of T3, without that our ability to function decreases.

Have you had Folate, Ferritin, Vit D and VitB12 tested, these need to be optimal in order to support that conversion

Joint pain is a symptom of hypothyroidism

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

Has this endo tested your antibodies...without those results she cannot discount Hashi.

This might help-

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

How dare she suggest your age as a problem....that is the oldest excuse in the book!

I expect she will suggest Fibromyalgia and CFS next!

I'm 74 and don't accept that age is a factor in my complicated thyroid problem....rather it's the consequence of poor diagnosis and wrong medication over many decades!

Good luck

DD

[mebolson in reply to DippyDame]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply! I haven't even seen an Endo because this is my GP. She won't refer me to an Endo because she said I am just borderline Hypo and don't need an Endo. I have an appointment to see a functional medicine doctor but she can't get me in until June. I hear great things about her from friends of mine that have thyroid issues. Thanks again!

[mebolson in reply to DippyDame]

I forgot to add that no she has not tested me for any of vitamin deficiencies or for folate or ferritin. When I made the appointment with the functional medicine doctor they told me that they would be testing for that though along with food sensitivities and some other labs.

[Batty1]

I had simular issues when I was under treated.

[Jazzw]

I very much doubt that 30mg of Armour is sufficient. It’s probably been enough to effectively switch off any attempts your own thyroid was making to supply your daily requirements so you’ll now be experiencing symptoms from having an under active thyroid. You need a dose increase.

Doctors really don’t seem to understand how thyroid hormone replacement works. You can’t use it as a supplement—you have to work towards full replacement over the course of a few months.

[Duckydoodle]

This is an interesting concept to me. It seems like the more Armour I take, the more I experience edema and weight gain (even if my labs stay in range). Usually when this happens I back the dose down because the weight gain makes me miserable. I do know NDT can shut down the feedback loop and tell my own thyroid to stop working, but I’ve not considered trying to go to a higher dose in hopes of resolving the symptoms....

[chrysanth]

Hi,

was your Armour prescribed by an endocrinologist? If so, could you please private message me their name?

thank you