Ran out Armour Thyroid two weeks ago do I re start at really low dose again or mix with levothyroxine

[Blanche1960]

Hi guys,

Long story stupidly ran out of Armour thyroid over two weeks ago…didn’t realise running so low had all sorts going off… then hospital prescription never got to their pharmacy… been waiting for second prescription 9 days now…hopefully 🤞get some today!

Was taking 2 and a half grains split twice a day… Endo told me to replace with 250 Levo (was on 150 before Armour 5 months ago ) thought this was a lot so been taking 200 split twice day!

Not felt good but then never do but started with palpations, banging headaches again, pains in legs/ hands, skin crawling etc couple days ago…. My question is shall I just start straight on to the normal 2 and half grains of Armour again or need to build up really slowly (hope not been a nightmare last 5 months) my results were in range after being ridiculous for months (know ranges not important with NDT but a guide) and was feeling bit better on it…tiny steps, some things better but pain in legs worse on NDT and even worse low mood ( thinking of trying HRT) !

sorry if confusing you lovely people just at my wits end with it all, got lots other stuff going off too!

[adin]

That's my problem too, I struggle with pain in the soles of my feet on ndt or levo +t3. I think the pains are less if I add a little levothyroxine to the ndt.

[Blanche1960 in reply to adin]

Sorry to hear that yep it’s so confusing knowing what to do for best!I have arthritis in my knees anyway but on NDT found the muscular pain bad but helped in me sleeping and headaches not as bad when got to full dose!

[Aurealis]

What’s your best instinct?Armour gives me a headache when I change dose so I’d be worried about a direct swap, but doesn’t 2.5 grains of Armour contain about 25mcg of T3? That might have quite an impact. If it was me I’d scale up over a few days and revise the plan depending on how I felt. In my experience endos start you on big doses of T3 and Armour… good luck

[pennyannie in reply to Aurealis]

I believe 1 grain Armour contains trace elements of T1. T2 and calcitonin plus 9 mcg T3 + 38 mcg T4 :

so if taking 2 + 1/2 grains you're looking at around 22.50 mcg T3 and around 95mcg T4 :

[Blanche1960 in reply to pennyannie]

Registrar checked with pharmacy and said to replace the 2+1/2 Armour with 250 Levo… never had that much Levo before so just took 200!

[Blanche1960 in reply to Aurealis]

Thanks for your reply, my instinct is to take 100 Levo (liquid equivalent) and 1 grain Armour, just tried this overnight and feel even worse!🤷🏼‍♀️ Like you headaches awful It’s complicated I’ve put more detail in my reply to pennyannie!best wishes

[Aurealis in reply to Blanche1960]

It has to have time to stabilise so don’t swap and change. See if you feel slightly better tomorrow than today on same dose

[Blanche1960 in reply to Aurealis]

Thanks, no I won’t swap and change just asked as being without NDT for two weeks and substituting Levo as advised by hospital… got new armour yesterday so was just wondering wether to stop Levo all together and go back on NDT as before 2+1/2 grains … or if need to build up slowly again, did this on first starting it and TSH show up to 75… T3/4 both under range… took 5 months to get back in range and feeling any better( then ran out foolishly) don’t want to go through this slow process again… think would rather go back on to Levo than go through all that again with maybe having to start radiation treatment very soon… but won’t know till results of biopsy Thursday! Sorry for saga and thanks for your useful info, I will decide what to do then stick to it, know swapping and changing won’t help at all!

Kind regards

[Aurealis in reply to Blanche1960]

I just know how tempting it is when you feel rubbish :)Good luck with your treatment x

[pennyannie]

Hello Blanche :

I don't think there is a need to build up again -

BUT T4 is a storage hormone - so you need to stop the T4 : and suggest you wait a couple of days and then ease back in your Armour at a lower dose but plan to be back on the full dose within a couple of weeks.

Looking back at previous posts - did you ever try liquid T4 ?

[Blanche1960 in reply to pennyannie]

Hi thanks for replying,I did try Liquid Levo, but still didn’t think it was right so asked to try NDT which increased very slowly, I’d been on 2 + 1/2 for three weeks, results looking good but still felt as though under a bit… Endo told me to keep on same dose and test again In 6 wks!

Just don’t know what to do it’s really stressing me out as maybe starting radiation treatment very soon depending on Results of mass in post nasal space!

I’ve been taking 200 liquid Levo for two wks whilst out of Armour but like I said last couple days felt shocking, got new armour yesterday (found out pharmacy been waiting for Armour 1/2 grain to come in hsd 1 grain all along… Grrrr) so took 1 grain last night then 100 Levo this morning and feel even worse!

Can’t tell you how annoyed I am with myself for leaving it late then hospital cocking it all up!

Know T4 stores and read T3 element out of your body in few days so that’s why wondered if it would have big impact if increased Armour quickly as was so hard building up in first place felt so unwell but determined to try and get to full dose, peservered and now feel so stupid running out, but been having lots scans and appointments for other stuff!

Sorry for drama!!

[pennyannie in reply to Blanche1960]

Try not to worry as that doesn't do us any favours :

It's pointless saying that x T4 = y number of NDT grains :

We all convert the T4 differently according to the form of T4 being prescribed:

NDT is very subtle and it is very much like the tortoise hare fable - low and slow :

Just nudge up a 1/4 grain every week or two and if no worse nudge up again and NDT takes weeks to settle in the body and even after I'd found my best dose of NDT I was seeing improvements for a good 6 months afterwards, the last one being my weight loss.

[Blanche1960]

Thankyou trying not to worry just in my DNA lolYeah didn’t take any notice of what they said about conversion… know from here everybody different… that’s why I only took 200 Levo instead 250 as they told me to do while NDT came into stock!

Just scared of nudging up very slowly again as last time took 4/5 months… only increased 1/4 grain a month at first as told by endo but results were ridiculous TSH 75 on 1 grain… 44 on 1+3/4 he then pushed dose up to 2+1/2 over space of 2 months… which resulted in good TSH 1.6… very top of range T3 and just in range T4… then I went and ruined it all by running out and hospital losing prescription etc, then said didn’t have any when they did!

Anyway think will do as you said increase by 1/4 a wk, this is much faster than regime before so levels might not alter so drastically!

Sorry if repeating myself… feel better getting it off my chest!

Thanks again for your very kind advice

Have a good weekend! 😊