Hello everyone,
Currently on 112.5 mcg of Levo , split into two doses , and no thyroid, I am switching to Armour thyroid . I am apprehensive about dosages to start with, as I react very strongly to drugs. For example, taking Levo in one dose instead two, gives me headaches and migraine-like visual disturbances. Would be very grateful for any advice on how to start on Armour ( I know there are different approaches).
Hello Britpol :
I am with Graves Disease and post RAI thyroid ablation in 2005 so presume I'm with little or no thyroid function.
Having been refused both T3 and NDT through my surgery and hospital I purchased my own NDT and started self medicating early 2018 and am much improved.
No thyroid hormone replacement works well until your core strength vitamins and minerals - those of ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D are up and maintained at optimal levels.
I stayed on 125 mcg daily T4 monotherapy until I had resolved my low vitamin and minerals which took over a year and then stopped T4 one day and started on NDT the following day.
Before I switched I also ran bench mark readings of at least a TSH - Free T3 and Free T4 so I had some facts to compare to after switching treatment options.
I monitored myself on blood pressure, pulse and body temperature twice daily - AM and PM and whilst these first 2 facts remained constant watched my temperature rise from 35.4 to 36.6 where it always seems to hover - now some 5/6 years on from switching to NDT.
The T4 - Levothyroxine takes around 6-8 weeks to fully leave your body -
so in this time frame you slowly introduce NDT at a quarter of a grain increments -
I went up weekly - some suggest fortnightly -
so you also need to need to have a pill cutter or sharp knife so to chop up the grains/tablets.
Each grain of Armour contains :-
trace elements of T1, T2 and calcitonin + a measure of T3 at 9 mcg + a measure of T4 at 38 mcg - and this unique ratio of T3/T4 found in NDT seems to suit many thousands of people.
So each week/fortnight increase your dose by 1/4 grain - take the Armour on an empty stomach with glass of water and wait an hour orso before you eat or drink anything.
There comes a week where you don't feel as good as the week before - maybe just a bit edgey, and a little uncomfortable in your skin - so drop back down to the previous weeks dose and stay on this lower dose for 6-8 weeks and then run a blood test -
track on your Free T3 reading which should now be proportionately higher and your T4 maybe proportionately lower than when on Levothyroxine - with a suppressed low TSH - but this does not matter.
If now without symptoms and pleased with where you are - this is your best dose at this point in time on NDT.
If you get to 2 grains - stay on this dose for 6-8 weeks letting it bed in and then run a blood test -
if your T3 hasn't moved much and you are still very symptomatic - maybe this is not the best treatment option for you.
If still with some symptoms but your T3 is moving up and you feel you are going in the right direction - simply start building up in 1/4 grains from 2 grains - and monitor on symptom relief and blood pressure, pulse and temperature.
Some people split their dose - some do not - it does become a what suits you best decision.
Since with NDT the natural thyroid hormones - T3 and T4 - are attached to hemoglobin they are more slowly broken down and absorbed in the body compared to synthetic T3/T4 treatment options.
I think that's ' it ' ?
Thank you very much, My problem is calcium absorption as well as high cholesterol and BO, which I hope to resolve through NDT.
Well NDT is the fullest spectrum of all the thyroid hormone replacement options -
so there are trace elements of calcitonin in Armour -
and high cholesterol in hypothyroid patients is generally due to under medication and too low a level of T3 :
So hopefully you should see some improvements in these 2 health issues and I'm not sure what you mean by BO ?
Thank you! Meant BP - blood pressure. My T4 is 70% through the range and T3 52%. Increasing Levo from 112.5 to 125 doesn’t improve these much but I start feeling hot and anxious. My parathyroid are not working well, hence calcium deficiency but calcium supplements give me side effects. I think NDT will get right for me; my daughter and my partner are on it and feeling good. Thanks again,
Ok - so you look to be in good company with family members already converts -
Keep us in the loop and ensure your vitamins and minerals are optimal first so to give yourself your best shot !
On T4 montherapy my T3 was at 25% and my T4 at 100/110 % through the ranges =
on NDT these have literally swopped positions with my T3 now 90/110 % and my T4 around 25/30% - over these past 5/6 years.
Thank you. Will do. You feel ok on the current dose of NDT?
Jenyren
Hi Pennyannie, thanks for the tag. I'm currently on 75mcg levo so in the above, you suggested aiming for 2 grains for 125mcg levo dose. Should I aim for 1 grain? I'm a bit confused because you mentioned 1 grain of NDT is 38mcg of Levo T4. Be great if you could advise thanks.
1 grain of Armour contains 38 mcg of T4 but also 9 mcg of T3 which Levothyroxine does not have. Dosing depends on individual. In my family, my daughter is on 2,grains as is my husband , so I have a kind of benchmark, but after testing in 4 months and also depending how I feel, the dose will be adjusted. Good luck!
I think if you look again - I wrote 1 grain Armour contains 9 mcg T3 + 38 mcg T4 -
T3 is said to be around 4 times more powerful than T4 -
Some say 1 grain equates to around 100 mcg T4 - which I feel silly writing as everyones ability to convert T4 is different anyway - and why you must go low and slow - switching over - and as the T4 reduces in your body over the coming weeks you build up with the desiccated thyroid of your choice.
Efra contains 8 mcg T3 + 35 mcg T4 - but the same treatment protocol applies irrespective of which brand you choose to go forward with.
I pinged you in here really just to read how I had switched over from T4 monotherapy and if you have started a new post as suggested - I'll pick you up tomorrow as I need to close down now.
Thanks as always for your advice. I've started a new thread so chat there. x
Yes - much improved:
Hello - I switched from Levothyroxine 100 mcg to Armour just over a year ago. I stopped levo one day and the next I started with a low amount of Armour and increased the dose very slowly. When I first started I found I got (mild) headaches each time I increased the dose but then this went away after a few days. Even before I was on the full dose I felt much more alive, as if things were actually moving round my body, I can't explain but I felt much more like the old me. I was supervised by a doctor and after a while I was up to 3 tablets per day and felt good and had good levels in tests but felt very shaky, especially my hands. I reduced the dose and am now on 2.75 per day. I split the dose - 1.5 on waking and 1.25 early afternoon. I'm not so shaky on this so just a quarter of a tablet/grain per day makes a big difference. I'm now waiting for blood tests to see what my levels are on this dose. I don't use a pill cutter, I find I can snap the pills between my fingers and thumbs and they don't crumble which someone told me they can with a pill cutter. I can't actually remember how quickly I increased the dose when I started, I think every two weeks which was a bit more slowly than the doctor recommended. I did try monitoring my temperature but it has stayed below normal. I hope you find it works for you, I feel so much better than when I was on Levothyroxine.
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