Dieting with Obstacles Those with special health concerns such as diabetes, fibromyalgia, pregnancy, etc can post here for extra support and help.

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 07-12-2007, 06:49 PM   #16  
Junior Member
 
aine43's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 1

Default

I've been taking Armour for 5 months and although I am no longer tired feeling I have gained 10 pounds and crave sugar! I just don't know about all the hype with this drug. I took Synthroid and I could never get my levels to stay good. Lyvoxl made me crazy!
aine43 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2007, 08:20 PM   #17  
Senior Member
 
cathyxxx's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 5,089

S/C/G: 209/179/160

Height: 5'3"

Default

Hey aine43 - do you mean good hype or bad hype about Armour?

I was wondering what dosage of Armour you are taking?

I did not lose 1 lb until I was up to 3 grains of Armour, and that was at least a year after starting Armour. The weight was the last hypo symptom to even begin to budge for me, but of course, everybody is different.

I was also wondering - is your doc treating your symptoms or doing blood work and going by the lab results? if he does blood work could you tell me which thyroid tests he is running?

thanks,
Cathy
cathyxxx is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-13-2007, 12:31 PM   #18  
Gettin Closer!!
 
StillTryin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Middle of NoWhere!
Posts: 1,040

S/C/G: See Signature

Height: Tall enough for my feet to reach the ground

Default

Cathy,
you seem to have quite a bit of knowledge about the Armour. How would I know what the conversion should be from synthroid? I take .175 of synthroid daily now and I just know it isnt working they way it should. I just do not see the relief I should be seeing with it since you would think that if you are being with drugs you should feel better
StillTryin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-13-2007, 01:52 PM   #19  
Senior Member
 
cathyxxx's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 5,089

S/C/G: 209/179/160

Height: 5'3"

Default

Hey StillTryin

here is the conversion chart at the armour website

http://www.armourthyroid.com/faq.html#q5

Please let me know if I can help with anything at all.

take care,
Cathy
cathyxxx is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-15-2007, 12:47 AM   #20  
What am I waiting for?
 
jasmine987's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Northeast USA
Posts: 221

S/C/G: 315/254/160

Height: 5'6"

Default

I find it annoying how we have to rely on the Dr. to "allow" us to try a new med that could potentially improve our daily lives. I switched Dr.s after getting a lab value of over 5.3 and getting a letter in the mail stating it was normal, they still were going by old lab standards. Seriously how is over a 2 even normal! I am taking 75mcg a day currently of levoxyl. My last labs did show an increase in TSH its around 4 now up from a 2.2. I havent tried the Amour brand myself, I dont plan to as I am a vegetarian.
I hate trying to get the Dr. to listen....its like all they see is a fat lazy person. That it cannot be possibly true we are not eating a lot and exercising. They assume we are lying!! I wish they would just listen more!
jasmine987 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-17-2007, 10:43 AM   #21  
Gettin Closer!!
 
StillTryin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Middle of NoWhere!
Posts: 1,040

S/C/G: See Signature

Height: Tall enough for my feet to reach the ground

Default

Jasmine, I agree. Even as I am fairly close to my "goal" weight, I sometimes think the DR thinks I am crazy when I tell him I just cant seem to lose. I find it aggrivating also. I made an appointment today to go see him on Friday and I am going to beg him to let me try it for 6 months just to see if it works.
I really do not think it can hurt.
StillTryin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-18-2007, 12:11 PM   #22  
Senior Member
 
QuilterInVA's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Yorktown, VA USA
Posts: 5,435

Default

The medication will not cause you to lose weight without following a good diet and exercising every day.

It is not easy to get the correct dose for any thyroid medication. If the doctor makes a change, based on your lab or how you are feeling, you should go back in 6 weeks to have the blood work repeated and keep doing this until its right.
QuilterInVA is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-20-2007, 06:51 PM   #23  
Gettin Closer!!
 
StillTryin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Middle of NoWhere!
Posts: 1,040

S/C/G: See Signature

Height: Tall enough for my feet to reach the ground

Default

OK I went to my appointment today and he is letting me try the Armour. I am happy about that because I really hope it alleviates some of the tiredness and other problems I have due to being hypo.

Susan, Yes I do know that the meds will not "cause" you to lose the weight, but being on the correct meds at the right dose will help you in the long run. I have found tooooo many times that if my dose is incorrect that I can not lose any weight no matter how *good* my diet is.

I do go back in 7 weeks to have blood drawn .
I am now on 120mg of armour/day. I guess I am wondering now if I should split the pills and take them 2 times a day or just once in the morning...any ideas? I asked my Dr and he admitted he just wasnt sure what to recommend.

Last edited by StillTryin; 07-20-2007 at 07:05 PM. Reason: Forgot to add somthing
StillTryin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-20-2007, 08:08 PM   #24  
Senior Member
 
cathyxxx's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 5,089

S/C/G: 209/179/160

Height: 5'3"

Default

hey StillTryin - I am thrilled that your doc is letting you try Armour.

You are starting on 2 grains (120 mgs). Most people start at 1 grain (60 mgs) and work up, but you may be fine since you were already on synthetic thyroid.

Personally, I would take the 2 grains (120 mgs) in the morning upon waking and try not to eat for an hour. ya know, just take it on an empty stomach. as long as you are not feeling really tired in the afternoon, I would just take the 2 grains in the morning. If you find you are dragging in the afternoon then I would try splitting it up and take 1 grain (60 mgs) in the morning and 1 grain (60 mgs) in the afternoon. Most people find they need between 3 to 5 grains in order to treat their symptoms.

My son and I both take 5 grains (300 mgs) and we take 3 grains in the moring and 2 grains in the afternoon an hour after lunch (aiming for an empty stomach). My mom and sister in law both take 3 grains and they take all 3 grains in the morning. You'll just have to see what works best for you.

I do want to caution you that when you go back for a blood work, make sure that you haven't taken your Armour before the blood draw. The direct T3 in Armour spikes in your blood stream causing your lab results to look higher then they actually are and a lot of people are under dosed bec of taking their Armour before their blood is drawn. If you are having blood drawn first thing in the morning, then I would make sure that you hadn't take your Armour since the day before. After they draw your blood, then simply take your Armour for the day. If you are not doing a blood draw until late in the afternoon, I would still wait to take the Armour until after they take your blood. Especially, if you doc is going by lab results rather than symptoms.

I can show you an example of the difference in the lab results when my mom forgot and took her Armour a few hours before her blood work. The difference is quit noticeable.

Also their are articles at stopthethyroidmadness that explain that your TSH will most likely be suppressed on Armour Thyroid. I don't know how familiar your doc is with Armour, but you might want to print some of those out to show him, so he doesn't freak if your TSH comes back at 0.001 or something liket hat. All of my families and friends TSH result comes back around that number, and it's perfectly normal to do that.

let me know if I can help with any of this and keep us posted.
take care,
Cathy
cathyxxx is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-20-2007, 08:52 PM   #25  
Gettin Closer!!
 
StillTryin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Middle of NoWhere!
Posts: 1,040

S/C/G: See Signature

Height: Tall enough for my feet to reach the ground

Default

Cathy, my dr is not that familiar with it, I think that is why he was VERy reluctant to prescribe it. Plus from him saying that it isnt always accurate dosage being that it is natural and not synthetic. I will take the web address to Stopthetyroidmadness.com since he has a computer in each room and uses it at each of my visits. I took my first dose today so I am anxious to see how I feel in a couple days or a week. I know my biggest symptom besides weight is being constantly overtired and constipated. So I am really hoping that some of that goes away rather quickly.

Oh and I dont know if this is a factor in thyroid disorder, but my blood pressure today was 90/60
StillTryin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-20-2007, 10:38 PM   #26  
Senior Member
 
cathyxxx's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 5,089

S/C/G: 209/179/160

Height: 5'3"

Default

stilltryin, you are welcome to give your doc the website, but he might do better just having the specific articles printed out and handed to him. there are some pretty "anti doctor" comments there that may catch his attention and keep him from actually seeing the great info. then again, he might not take it like that.

there is also info there about Armour's stability. there is a lot of proganda out there about Armour that is not true. Armour has been around longer than the synthetic thyroid meds and has to meet the same FDA approval that synthetic drugs do.

what does your blood pressure normally run?

how long ago did you figure out that you have a thyroid problem?

Oh also, I wanted to caution you not to expect miracles in a few days. Feeling better even with proper thyroid treatment just takes some time usually, and it may take some time to figure out your correct dosage.
cathyxxx is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-21-2007, 10:19 AM   #27  
Gettin Closer!!
 
StillTryin's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Middle of NoWhere!
Posts: 1,040

S/C/G: See Signature

Height: Tall enough for my feet to reach the ground

Default

Yeah I done expect a miracle....but I can hope
My blood pressure is usually fairly low but not that low...maybe 110/80 (ish)

I was diagnosed about 5 years ago. I started at 50mg of synthroid and progressed to 175mg. Plus about 6 mo ago he added the cytomel at 12.5mg/day. That helped for a couple weeks and then I was back to the usual feeling like crap all the time. So he added ritalin to help keep me awake. I take 20mg of that/day and usually here is my day.

6am I wake up and I am tired....
8am I get to work and I am ok....
10 I am starting to get REALLY tired
by 2pm I feel like I havnt slept in days!
by 6pm when I get home I have NO/ZERO energy left and have just hope that I can sneek to bed within a reasonable amount of time (usually between 9-10pm)
I eat a pretty balanced diet plus I eat every 2-4 hours as my hunger warrants.
StillTryin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-13-2007, 06:14 PM   #28  
Senior Member
 
choices's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Washington state
Posts: 407

Height: 5'7.5"

Wink So glad I found you

I found out about a yr.ago that my thyroid was slow/low..Always tired,could sleep till noon,no energy etc...and even tho I was doing a weight loss diet program could not lose weight..My dr. finially after that whole yr. said ok it's low enough now to put me on meds. I was on the lowest dose for the last two months (24 something)and a few days ago had it all checked again,and it's worse. So now I'm waiting for the Rx to come in for another higher dose.(54 i think)..In the mean time I also found out that my cholesterol is waaaaaay to high,and I'm frightened about it. I was following the south beach plan,but now with the choles.thing I need to cut out different foods..like meat/animal protein,which is a mainstay with sb.. is this every a trip[ I've added more fish to my diet/fish oil pills/and flaxseed/and I'm a good veggie eater..but really no where to turn as far as 'WHAT DO I EAT'?anyway other than veggies? I emailed Suzanne,and asked her if there was a forum for hi-cholesterol..and she suggested this area for my search...Then I stumbled on you all with the Thyroid chat..THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE... looking forward to learning and sharing. Take care,Choices~
choices is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-13-2007, 06:58 PM   #29  
Senior Member
 
cathyxxx's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 5,089

S/C/G: 209/179/160

Height: 5'3"

Default

hey choices! it's nice to meet you!

high cholesterol is one of the many things that go along with a low thyroid problem. a lot of people find that with proper thyroid treatment that their cholesterol gets better (along with healthy eating of course), but a high cholesterol problem can definitely be a symptom of a low thyroid or an undertreated thyroid problem.

are you saying you are taking 25 mcgs of synthetic thyroid meds, and will be upping to 50 mcgs soon? 25 mcgs is the lowest dose, and 50 mcgs is still real low. 50 mcgs is about equal to 1/2 grain of Armour.

do you happen to know what thyroid tests your doc is running? and do you happen to know your results?

I would be more than glad to talk with you about any of this any time.
take care,
Cathy
cathyxxx is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-14-2007, 02:27 PM   #30  
Senior Member
 
choices's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Washington state
Posts: 407

Height: 5'7.5"

Thumbs up Hi Cathy,and thank you for the welcome

Thanks for connecting w/me. Yes I was on 24mcg,and starting tomorrow will be on 50mcg of levoxyl,as well as a dose of mevacor (lovastatin) to help lower the bad cholesterol..whew! I feel like out of the blue I'm rolling down hill fast,scare's the hck out of me. Don't know how long this new dosage will take to feel the positive affect..My DH has been on thyroid for half his life,and he has tons of energy..I just want to sleep/lay down etc. but I push myself to garden/walk/etc. Is it normal with this to be cranky? GeezO I feel ticked off half the time,and this yoyoing of my weight...down two lbs. up one is driving me nuts I guess from the sound of this post (cranky,and complaining)you all can tell how I feel..please let me let you know I'm not always this much of a pain honest. Thanks for all your listening,and help...it's alot of new info.to digest...keep in touch.choices~
choices is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off



All times are GMT -4. The time now is 11:46 AM.


We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.