Hypothyroid Labs In The Pits

[connyankee]

Long story short. My 6th Endocrinologist retired over a year ago when my labs were good. I'm back to seeing my GP for the past year for Thyroid and now my labs are in the pits. Drugs used for past 6 months: 125mcg Synthroid and 1.5 mcgs Liothyronine. (I will admit that I was using Synthroid every other day, and the Liothyronine on the other days, so it's my own fault that I'm in the pits. I was thinking that I was going to have palpitations with my T3, but another website poster said that my dosage of T3 was "nothing"!) I've been underdosing myself so I'm my own enemy.

The good news is is that I talked my GP into my using Armour which he fought, "It's expensive." "It's not clean as synthetics." "It's difficult to find the right dose..." (I fought back by telling him that I'm binge watching Bette Davis movies and she usually slaps someone in her movies! Haha!)

So, I'm on my way to the Pharmacy to pick up my 90-day supply of Armour for $152.55 usd, which my insurance WON'T cover. Is that pricey to you in the UK?

Labs: TSH 5.47 (.35-3.6); T4: .74 (.7-1.37); FT3: 2.0 (2.5-4.3)

I've been sleeping until 2pm in the afternoon everyday, and have been eating and putting on weight. I have no motivation to keep house or do anything! I hope that the Armour will make a huge difference. One day at a time. Thanks for listening.

[Jazzw]

Hello! 🙂

1.5mcg liothyronine is a very small dose so it’s perhaps not surprising it didn’t make a lot of difference to you. You look to be very undermedicated—both Synthroid and liothyronine.

What dosage of Armour are you going to take? Unfortunately here in the UK it’s practically impossible to get Armour prescribed. Hopefully you’re planning to take it every day, as T3 has a very short half life. With levothyroxine, you can get away with taking it every other day but having fluctuating T3 levels will have been confusing your body I expect.

[connyankee in reply to Jazzw]

Thanks for your reply. My GP has Rx'd me 120 mcgs for starters. I begin tomorrow. I WILL take it everyday so that I stop this underdosing nonsense. Sorry that you cannot get it in the UK. Many of our Docs fight prescribing it here, so I'm lucky that my GP is letting me use it.

While I was in the hospital this past October for an appendectomy, the Hospitalist (the Doc who okays all of the meds that one takes whilst admitted) wouldn't okay my T3--as little amount that it was!!!! He told me that while in residency, he worked in an Endo unit and saw a few women who had to be shocked back to life because of T3 overdosing. That's what they're afraid of.

[Jazzw in reply to connyankee]

How very melodramatic of him. I’m not saying it’s impossible that happened but it seems really unlikely, unless those women were taking something that said T3 on the label and it wasn’t actually liothyronine. I guess that’s possible as bodybuilder types tend to experiment with T3 and some source it from dubious sites.

Is it definitely Armour and not another brand of NDT? A grain of Armour is 65mg, which would make 2 grains 130mg rather than 120mg.

[connyankee in reply to Jazzw]

The Rx bottle says "Thyroid". I asked the clerk, and she asked the harried pharmacist if it was Armour and I didn't get a clear answer because it was busy. Also, there are only 30 tabs in the bottle and not 90.I should go back to the pharmacy today and get it checked. There are numbers on the tablets. That should tell me something. Thanks for pointing that out!

[helvella in reply to connyankee]

My desiccated thyroid document identifies markings of all products I know of.

helvella's medicines documents (UK and Rest of the World) can be found here:

helvella - Thyroid Hormone Medicines

helvella has created, and tries to maintain, documents containing details of all thyroid hormone medicines in the UK and, in less detail, many others around the world. There is now a specific world desiccated thyroid document.

The link below takes you to a blog page which has direct links to the documents from Dropbox and QR codes to make it easy to access from phones. You will have to scroll down or up to find the link to the document you want.

The UK document contains up-to-date versions of the Summary Matrixes for levothyroxine tablets, oral solutions and also liothyronine available in the UK. Latest updates include all declared ingredients for all UK products and links to Patient Information Leaflets, etc.

helvella.blogspot.com/p/hel...

And the official prescribing information for Armour is here:

rxabbvie.com/pdf/armour_thy...

[connyankee in reply to helvella]

A lot to take in at the moment, but I will check this out when feeling up to it. Is this a document that you authored?While I'm here, is it okay to supplement with so-called Thyroid Support products while taking NDT?

I'm in a crashed state of health and swimming in information which is overwhelming.

Thank you from across the pond.

[helvella in reply to connyankee]

Yes - the desiccated thyroid document is what I have collected and collated.

(The Armour document is, of course, from the manufacturer AbbVie.)

In general, the Thyroid Support products are very questionable. They vary considerably in what they contain. However, many have some sort of iodine, often some sort of adaptogen, and a variety of other ingredients. One product might be just right for A, but absolutely wrong for B. And C might need something in-between.

Also, some are formulated to save manufacturing costs rather than be the best that can be achieved.

You have to look at what you need, what products are available, and try to get the best match.

[connyankee in reply to helvella]

Agreed.

[helvella in reply to Jazzw]

Actually, one grain Armour is 60 milligrams!

It doesn't help that we have seen some desiccated thyroid base on 60 and others on 65.

[connyankee in reply to helvella]

Thank the Lord that you have your wits about you! Is your journey posted somewhere?

[helvella in reply to connyankee]

Not really - it was straightforward because someone I know was already diagnosed and being treated. So she helped enormously and I already had some ideas.

[Jazzw in reply to helvella]

Oh no, so it is. Anyone would think I don’t take Armour. Must have been the Nature Throid I used to take that was 65mg?

I should probably stop commenting now that I’m getting old and befuddled.

Sorry connyankee

[helvella in reply to Jazzw]

It isn't actually important - but someone, somewhere, just might have been scratching their heads trying to understand. Most people wouldn't notice.

I assure you, I had to check.

[connyankee in reply to Jazzw]

No need to apologize.I can't remember anything and have difficulty with communication coming into my brain.

[connyankee in reply to Jazzw]

I'm at a starting dose of 120. But it's generic Armour by the name of "Thyroid". A US forum suggested that I do my Cortisol saliva test and "will have a hard time getting optimal," which I do not understand. In the meantime, my emotions are flat. No smiling. No laughter. I sleep 12-14 hours. I can only set one goal per day to get things done as I have no motivation. I'm eating ice cream like it's heroin or some addictive drug. I'm absolutely miserable and have had suicide ideation. I plan to contact my Psych to see if I can get extra help with anti-depressants. Thank you for listening.

[helvella in reply to connyankee]

Is this a prepared product? Or compounded to order?

If it is a prepared product, what company does it come from?

[connyankee in reply to helvella]

ANI Pharmaceuticals. N 744, white, round pill.

Saw my Psychiatrist and he said "no more antidepressants until your Thyroid is working again..." Seems to him that antidepressants will not work if Thyroid is off.

I seem to crash after eating, also. Is that a blood sugar thing? Thank you for your help.

[helvella in reply to connyankee]

Thanks.

I did not know of this make and am adding it to my medicines document.

Flat feeling is common in those who are hypothyroid.

120 milligrams is quite a high dose to start but given your previous dosing, you might well need it.

Do you have access to a blood glucose measuring device? Anything less than that tends to be towards being guesswork!

[connyankee in reply to helvella]

Thank you!