Starting on Armour

[Albaangel]

Starting on Armour for first time tomorrow, I have been told to take 1/2 grain at 8am and 1/4 grain at 3pm. According to the Thyroid Pharmacists conversion table that is equivalent to 75 levo, I am currently only on 50 levo which I have been told to stop while I trial the Armour.

I tried 75 levo 3 years ago but had horrendous heart palpitations which stopped when I started back on 50.

Does Armour doses go by your weight? I am 7st and wondering if this is too much a dose.

Should I split the doses to 3 times daily?

Last bloods

TSH - 0.59 - 0.27 - 4.20 mIU/L

Free T4 - 17.5 12.0 - 22.0 pmol/L

Free T3 - 3.4 - 3.1 - 6.8 pmol/L

T4 Total - 103.0 - 66 - 181 nmol/L

CRP <0.60 - <5.0 mg/L

Vitamin D (25 OH) 133 - 50 - 200 nmol/L

Magnesium 0.86 - 0.66 - 0.99 mmol/L

Ferritin 135.00 - 13 - 150 µg/L

Serum Folate 43.10 - 8.83 - 60.8 nmol/L

Active B12 >150 - 37.5 - 150 pmol/L

Anti-Thyroglobulin Abs - 12 - <115 IU/mL

Anti-Thyroidperoxidase abs - <9.0 - <34 IU/mL

* Cortisol (Random) - 516.0 - 73.8 - 507.0 nmol/L

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Previous post shows you are not on high enough dose Levo

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

See how you get on with NDT

[RockyPath]

If you experience palpitations or other hyper sensations, definitely split up the dosing. It can be a nuisance to have to do this. I had first attempted all at once, first thing upon waking, on the ignorant recommendation of an endocrinologist. By noon (after working out at the gym for an hour) I needed an hour nap. 🤔 Currently, I take 1/2 grain at bedtime and 1/2 grain when I wake up. After the gym from 11-12, I am still function and go to two classes that last into late afternoon.

The original design of the thyroid gland is to emit hormone into the bloodstream according to realtime bodily demand. Running up a hill for a kilometer demands more energy than lying in bed sleeping. Does that sound like hormone dispensing by the gland is something that happens once a day? No. If I add a 1 km run around my neighborhood in the morning, by early evening I'm nodding off at the computer.

As to why doctors would think you would ever only need to take the Armour once a day, a friend who is a doctor explained: They are trained in medical school to think you are an ignorant, non-compliant, bumbling fool.

Some people can take it once a day. Some of us can't.

Wishing you success on your journey.

[jamesal0 in reply to RockyPath]

100% agree you take NDT / Armour as you need it. Take a base dose in the morning and then depending what you do you take more. Today I took 60mg with breakfast, went to work, 60 just before lunch, cycled 20km for lunch then 60 at 5pm when I got home. But if I do nothing during the day I'll only take 120. (60 +60). Get to understand what you feel like when you are under dosed and over dosed. You may get a slight head ache after NDT / Armour, but if it doesn't clear in an hour you are over dosing. NDT / Armour is a O2 cheat , dilates all your arteries and you can absorb heaps more oxygen in the swimming pool or while running . The number one thing is dont dont use blood tests - it's a recipe for failure with NDT. J

[Albaangel]

Thanks for your replies, very much appreciate the help and advice.

[pennyannie]

Hello Albaangel :

As I understand things the T4 will take around 6-8 weeks to fully leave your body and in that time frame one slowly builds up the NDT in 1/4 grain increments - for a smooth transition :

I increased weekly - some say increases should be fortnightly -

I stopped 125 mcg daily T4 and started 1/4 grain NDT the following day.

Before you start you need bench readings of your T3 and T4 and your core strength vitamins and minerals - ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D - up and maintained at optimal levels.

I monitored myself twice daily AM and PM on blood pressure, pulse and temperature so went by physical systems and both my pulse and blood pressure remained stable and my temperature slowly rose from 35.4 to 36.6 where it tends to be, now some 5/6 years later.

There comes a week where you don't feel as improved as the previous week - maybe just a bit uncomfortable in your skin, nervous, edgey,

so you then drop back down that last 1/4 grain - stay on the lower dose letting it bed in and run a blood test at around 6-8 weeks just to check you're going in the right direction with some, hopefully all symptoms relieved, and that your best dose on NDT at that point in time.

With NDT you track on the T3 readings and if your T3 has not improved from the bench mark readings maybe NDT not the best treatment option for you.

Your TSH will likely be low/suppressed by that doesn't matter - your T4 maybe lower than when you were on T4 BUT your T3 should be proportionately higher than when on T4 monotherapy and this your dose on NDT at this juncture.

If you get to 2 grains, and feeling improved - stay on 2 grains for 6-8 weeks and then run a blood test to let this dose settle and bed in - and if things are going in the right direction and happy with your progress - but not just ' there yet ' build up slowly in 1/4 grains - as before :

Some people split the dose - I do not - and I am with Graves but post RAI thyroid ablation.

P,S. - If dealing with Hashimoto's - I have read that for some people with this AI disease taking NDT increases and upsets their immune system response further and they do better on synthetic treatment options such as a T3/T4 combo :

[radd]

Albaangel,

My heart thumped on Levothyroxine mono-therapy too and I suffered low FT3 levels. Some of us can’t raise the Levo dose high enough to achieve adequate FT3, and if you are a poor converter this adds another negative element. However, T3 is extremely powerful and it is easy to take too much. I think you would have done better to have added some T3 to your Levo as have better control regarding the T4:T3 ratios.

However, your thyroid antibodies are low and your cortisol sufficient so in a good place to start NDT, but as you haven’t medicated T3 before you will need to introduce NDT slowly and perform a slow transition over. I found Armour to be one of more T3 potent NDT’s and have had to reduce NDT dose and add back some Levo.

You are slightly under-dosed anyway so if I was you I would start with leaving the 50mcg Levo as it is and just add a quarter grain Armour. Hold for a week and see how you feel. If things go well, you could then do a gradual switch over several weeks and will have the ability to rein back if the T3 makes you feel jittery and too headachy.

Good luck 🤞

[Albaangel]

Thanks for the advice