Changed to Armour - my results (& pregnancy query!)

[setay_k]

Hi,

After 10 years of struggling to find the right level of Levothyroxine and battling fatigue, I decided enough was enough and switched to a private Dr. He understood that my levels of T3 were too low and therefore prescribed Armour (mix of T3 and T4).

My previous blood test results on Levo (100 per day) were:

TSH0.208 mlU/L(0.27-4.2)

Free T33.85 pmol/L(3.1-6.8)

Free T415.1 pmol/L(12-22)

My latest blood test results on Armour (1.5 grains per day) are:

TSH0.18 mlU/L(0.27-4.2)

Free T35.03 pmol/L(3.1-6.8)

Free T410.1 pmol/L(12-22)

This is the highest my T3 has been in years and I am feeling MUCH better. Previously I felt fatigued (needed to nap every day), had extreme brain fog (which was making me question whether I could continue in my profession) and just felt depressed. Whether that was because I was low on T3, or just fed up with 10 years of exhaustion I don't know. However I now don't need to nap every day, can walk the dog AND workout and I actually feel happy again.

I still feel like I have latitude to increase slightly, but will see what my new Dr says. I don't feel like I'm out of the woods yet, but I thought I would let anyone who is interested know how my trial of Armour went. It certainly suits me better than levo. And if you still feel crappy and your GP says "but you're in the right levels", then listen to your body instead. Only you know when you aren't feeling right. And thank you to anyone who said "your T3 levels are too low" ... you gave me the confidence to reach out to a private Dr and ignore my GP.

(I can't share the name of my private Dr here, so you will have to private message).

So... my next question is: in pregnancy, is T4 vital, or is it ok if your T3 levels are high enough? (FYI not pregnant yet, future thinking).

[Heloise]

Hi setay, I'm glad you decided to change your thyroid hormone to one which includes t3. Such a simple step for your GP to ignore. Makes you wonder why, when anyone here could have recommended the same. Having been here for many years we have to look even beyond thyroid levels because other factors were the cause to begin with. We should deal with those especially if you are considering pregnancy in the future. Women may not understand that the baby is going to pick up on your microbiome and immune system since they have none of their own. That's why smoking and drinking should be prohibited but so are any other toxins the mother has come in contact. Childhood illness and autism are off shoots of those toxins. Many of those toxins like PCBs, glyphosate, etc. are found in mothers' milk. When our livers are stressed because of the influx of chemicals we need to make efforts to support the process and there is a lot of good information out there now.

T4 as an inactive hormone is probably not as important as progesterone in achieving pregnancy. You adrenal glands which are usually stressed with hypothyroidism and may also need support. Try to get as healthy as you can during these important years.