Armour

[Kreenie1]

Hi everyone,

I started taking armour a month ago, and now my clothes are too tight and I feel bloated. I gained weight.

Everyone says it’s not the armour, but the only other thing I am taking is Bioidentical progesterone.

Any thoughts?

[cjrsquared]

It would be helpful to know more about your history. Have you been diagnosed as hypothyroid? What were your blood results? Were you previously on levothyroxine, what was your dose? How much armour are you taking? Have you had repeat bloods since starting armour? Without more context it is impossible to give any meaningful comment. If you can start a new post with more detail plus blood results and ranges.

[Kreenie1 in reply to cjrsquared]

That’s a good point. My thyroid levels were fine are paper. Functional Doctor put me in the lowest dose of armour due to symptoms of premenopause. But maybe I don’t need it? So it’s putting weight on?

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Kreenie1]

Suggest you get hold of all test results and ranges that have been done so far

Then come back here with new post

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Well you can’t “top up” a sluggish thyroid with a small dose of thyroid replacement hormone (wether it’s levothyroxine and especially with any NDT or T3)

our thyroid controls our metabolism

As an example....if, when perfectly healthy, your own thyroid made the equivalent of 125mcg levothyroxine (or as example 2 grains of Armour) ....and this metabolism is controlled by pituitary sending messages - TSH (Thyroid stimulating hormone)

Then as your thyroid starts to fail (usually due to autoimmune thyroid disease) ....you might get diagnosed when your thyroid has reduced output to roughly half equivalent of 75mcg levothyroxine (Or 1 grain of armour)

Pituitary has noticed there’s a drop in thyroid hormones in the blood....(that’s Ft4 and, most importantly, the active hormone Ft3) ....so to try to make more thyroid hormone ...pituitary sends out stronger message to thyroid - TSH rises up

When GP starts you on 50mcg Levothyroxine (or 1/4 grain NDT) ...initially you feel a bit better ....as you have 75mcg from your own thyroid and 50mcg levothyroxine (1/4 grain NDT’n

But (here’s the bit most GP’s don’t understand)....replacement thyroid hormones don’t “top up” your own thyroid output.....well they might very briefly....but the pituitary very soon “sees” the replacement hormones in the blood....and TSH starts to drop. Taking NDT or T3 the TSH will drop dramatically and substantially....often turning your own thyroid output right off

So at the end of week 6 ....TSH has dropped a lot. Your thyroid takes a rest ....has a holiday

So at this point you are now only mainly using the 50mcg levothyroxine (1/4 grain of NDT) ....which is actually a large dose reduction down from managing on 75mcg from your own thyroid before you started on levothyroxine

So you start to feel worse .....and are ready for next dose increase of levothyroxine (Or in your case NDT)

Bloods should be retested 6-8 weeks after each dose increase

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested. Also EXTREMELY important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if you have autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) diagnosed by raised Thyroid antibodies

Ask GP to test vitamin levels

Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and before eating or drinking anything other than water .

Last dose of Levothyroxine 24 hours prior to blood test. (taking delayed dose immediately after blood draw).

This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)

If/when also on T3, or NDT make sure to take last third or half of daily dose 8-12 hours prior to test, even if this means adjusting time or splitting of dose day before test

Is this how you do your tests?

Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or thyroid antibodies or all relevant vitamins

List of private testing options

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin

medichecks.com/products/thy...

Medichecks often have special offers, if order on Thursdays

Thriva Thyroid plus vitamins

thriva.co/tests/thyroid-test

Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes vitamins

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

[Shredder]

I went back onto Armour recently after the W.P I bought didn't have any positive affect on me. Unfortunately, like W.P Armour has been changed and like W.P it made me bloated and my weight has increased despite eating very little. Another good NDT had been ruined!

[Hidden]

I am on bio-identical progesterone (Utrogestan). My doctor said it won´t make you gain weight (unless of course your own P levels are elevated to begin with...which is highly unlikely in pre-menopause where you tend to be P deficient) as it´s diuretic and can counter the effects of estrogen.

I have noticed that on the days I take P (twelve days a month) I sleep much better, wake up more rested, and also tend to feel less bloated.

[pennyannie]

Hello Kreenie

Just to add that if you actually have a thyroid health issue, and do need to be on any thyroid hormone replacement, no thyroid hormone replacement works effectively if your core strength vitamins and minerals are not maintained at optimal levels.

By this I mean, not just anywhere in a range but most likely 50% + within, and I know from my own experience that ferritin needs to be over 70 for thyroid hormone conversion, and I actually " do better " when my level is up at around 90 / 100:

You may need to supplement these yourselves, and as you most probably will be " in the range " and not qualify for a NHS prescription, which doesn't necessarily imply you don't need a bit of help, balancing out inconsistencies.

[Kreenie1]

Thank you all so much for this. I am going to stop taking the armour and see if anything changes. I will let you all know. The reason I was on it in the first place was because of depression. I also have MTHFR, and as I age that seems to be triggered more too