Armour Thyriod (blood work results)

[AAP10]

Hello,

Could someone kindly let me know if I should increase Armour Thyroid from 45 to 60mg?

I do supplement with liquid iron, d3, and magnesium spray daily. Since three weeks ago started to feel fatigue and depression. FYI at that time I started Accutane 40mg once daily for acne. Today the dermatologist increased it to 60mg. I’ve heard this medication affects thyroid.

Labs done on 11/23

TSH 2.10 range 0.40-4.50

Free T4 ng/dL 0.8 range 0.8-1.8

T3 total 75 range 76-181 ng/dL

Iron total 69 mcg/ dL range 40-190

Iron Saturation 24% range 16-45

Iron binding capacity 285 range 250-450 mcg/dL

Ferritin 16 range 16-154 ng/mL

Hemoglobin 12.7 range 11.7-15.5 g/dL

Magnesium RBC 1.8 range 1.5-2.5

Vitamin B12 649 range 200-1100 pg/mL

Folate 13.5 ng/mL

Vitamin D, 25-OH 56 total ng/mL range 30.00-100.00

I appreciate your feedback, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

[pennyannie]

Hello AAP :

I can't see a Free T3 blood test result and that is the most important number of them all to track when taking NDT:

Considering your Free T4 is barely in the range I'd suspect your Free T3 to be low and a dose increase a logical first step though you may not feel much benefit until your ferritin is optimal and your conversion improved.

Obviously you need to keep building up your ferritin and I now try and maintain my level at around 100 -

I also aim for my vitamin D to be at around 100 : folate at around 20 and serum B12 up at around 750:

I 'm sorry I don't know enough to comment on your other medication.

Happy Thanksgiving from over the pond:

[Hidden]

Why would you stay on 45 mg of Armour for three weeks? Normally, you increase the dose by 15-30 mg every 10-14 days until you´ve found your maintenance dose. 45 mg is a starter dose, very unlikely to be your maintenance dose as it only contains around 30 mg of T4 and 6.5 mcg of T3. Although the maintenance dose varies from one person to another, an average maintenance dose is said to be around 3.5 grains. If you stay too long on a starter dose, you are likely to feel worse as your body senses the extra thyroid hormone and decreases its own hormone production, leaving you even less hypo than before.

Even if there is no FT3 result included, a TSH above 2 is indicative of being undermedicated.

[AAP10 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for your reply. I’ve been on this dose for over a year give or take. At some point in the past I did go up, but labs indicated it was too much. I had insomnia, agitation, and excessive heat intolerance.

[Hidden in reply to AAP10]

But how do you feel now?

[AAP10 in reply to Hidden]

I am feeling lots of fatigue and craving a bunch of carbs.

[Hidden in reply to AAP10]

Have you had your cortisol levels tested? Craving sweets can be a sign of low cortisol.

[pennyannie]

Hey there again :

Considering you are supplementing ferritin your result doesn't reflect this and am wondering if you are struggling with stomach absorption issues - and commonly referred to as " leaky gut " and a common problem with those diagnosed with Hashimoto's autoimmune disease ?

Has the doctor knowledge of your ferritin level and suggested any investigations ?

I don't know enough about the other " iron " results and hope someone els " jumps in " here.

With NDT you dose to the relief of symptoms and slowly increase your dose by 1/4 grains every 7/ 10 days, and your levels looked better when on 60 mcg but remember reading you felt unwell which might have been transient had your vitamins and minerals been optimal.

With NDT the TSH is not really relevant and any doctor monitoring and dosing on a TSH result is doing a disservice to his patient irrespective of whatever thyroid hormone replacement is being taken.

You need to be tracking your T3 level and it should should higher than when on T4 monotherapy.

The blood tests and ranges were all introduced to be used with Big Pharma's launch of T3 and T4 synthetic thyroid hormones and not NDT as NDT does not " fit into these boxes " and you dose on symptom relief.

[AAP10]

Hello, No the doctor hasn’t knowledge the ferritin level. He didn’t even want to test it neither. It was a struggle to get him on board. I’m seeing a hematologist next week. Hopeful she’ll shed some light into why.

[pennyannie in reply to AAP10]

Well - I'm sorry to read that - hopefully the hematologist will be able to help you better - keep us in the loop -I'm sorry your docto seems dismissive, could you look for another ?

[AAP10 in reply to pennyannie]

Thank you, I will.

[AAP10]

This is the third Endocrinologist I’ve been too. Honestly at this point I think it’s a system being run in the US. I apologize in advance if this offends anyone, but it’s ridiculous.

[pennyannie in reply to AAP10]

You are not offending anyone - rant away - get rid of it - as it's negative and restricts your healing :

&

DITTO :

[Hidden in reply to AAP10]

I very much doubt things are better anywhere else...this seems to be a universal problem.