Hey Choices! I agree....sometimes it takes a miracle to find a doc that will prescribe natural thyroid meds. It is sad really!!! I don't have insurance for any of this stuff, but I know this, not getting proper treatment for a thyroid problem, is much more expensive then pursuing it outside of your insurance plan. I am glad that you will see a naturopath, and that you are researching this stuff for yourself. It took me over 20 years to get proper treatment and that really only happened bec I began researching this stuff to death! So please don't give up...you may have to go thru several docs before finding one to help you. I would suggest this tho....before ever making an appt with any doctor's office, I would always ask if they prescribe natural thyroid meds? If the answer is no, then you don't have to waste your time or your money with that one. Another thing you can do is call local pharmacies to ask them for the names of docs that prescribe natural thyroid meds like Armour and Naturethroid. They are usually glad to help with that info. Another thing is to call compounding pharmacies in your area to get the names of doc that prescribe compounded thyroid meds. Just a thought if you have trouble finding a doc that prescribes them.

please keep us posted & take care,
Cathy

I'm on Synthroid, and I've been on it for three years. I still find it very easy to gain weight and VERY difficult to lose. Treatment alone won't make you lose weight - it is still harder to lose weight with hypothyroidism than it is for people who don't have thyroid issues. TRUST me.

My post is in 2012 and I don't know who will see it but that foot pain was happening to me BEFORE I knew I had to have surgery on my Thyroid! After they took out the tumor (I have 1/2 T left) my foot pain went away.

I first started on synthroid and that was actually ok. But I have been slowly gaining weight and my doc is very sympathetic and also says with my labs I will never lose. So he started me on Armour.

It took about 3 weeks but today Yes! I had the aha moment. I woke up early, took my pill and went back to bed for about an hour. But I could not go to sleep again. When I got up I knew I was "back".
Another thing about Armour that I noticed in the first week was a loss of appetite. I had started a diet and was happy that I had no desire to snack all day like before.

But TODAY, after 3 weeks is the first day I feel like myself.
And my feet still feel better. And I can always tell when my TSH is too high. I can hardly walk.

hey nina - I see your post! and I'm so glad for you!

I can so much relate to what you said in your post in your original post that you have quoted.

how much Armour are you taking? believe it or not, I take 5 grains (300 mgs) a day I could always tell when it was time to increase my dosage bec after a few weeks or months of feeling better, the symptoms would start surfacing again.

so glad you are feeling better!

Hi Cathy,

I'm just wondering about your increasing dosage over time. Is that normal? (to need to up your doseage over time?)

I've been on natural dessicated thyroid since 2000 when I had a thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer. I took synthroid for about 6 months and felt blah, down... just not quite right. Within a week of switching, I also had the sensation that the clouds had parted and the sun had come out for the first time in months. Amazing!

I have been taking 250mg a day since then, testing once or twice a year and have been stable ever since (tsh near zero, free t3 just outside the high end of the range, free t4 normal-high). I only increased my dosage during my pregnancies.

So I never thought I was low or could be low. I hadn't been tested in about 2 years when I had my levels checked last month (we moved countries so I was out of my comfort zone re: doctors etc). Anyhow, turns out I'm a little low now. Free t4 outside the low end of the range by a fair bit, free t3 just inside the low end, tsh 4.5.

How does that happen?? I had been losing weight, so I thought if anything, I would be too high. BUT, I had also found in the past 6 months that my weight loss was near zero. I'd started well, then hit a plateau in which nothing was moving, despite having low cals and lots of exercise... now I see why.

Anyhow, sorry for the longwinded story, but my question is: is it normal to have your doseage of dessicated thyroid creep up over time? Or I saw in the previous pages that someone mentioned that there was a batch of thyroid that was maybe less strong than the norm? Anyone know approximately when that was?

Any input from anyone on this subject greatly appreciated!

hey kirsteng, sorry i'm just now seeing this.

with natural thyroid meds you usually start off at 1/2 grain (30 mgs) or 1 grain (60 mgs), then your dosage is gradually increased until you find the dosage you need to treat your symptoms. so in a years time I was up to 3 grains daily (180 mg), but was still dealing with hair loss and a few other things. over the next year i went from 3 grains to a total of 5 grains daily. i take 3 grains on an empty stomach upon waking, and then I take the other 2 grains in the afternoon 2 or 3 hours after lunch.

those first lab results you mentioned sounded good, but like you said, those latest ones indicate you need more natural thyroid meds.

how are your symptoms?

Thanks for the response.

Yup, still off I think. The symptoms had kind of snuck up on me over the past year or two, but were easily attributable to having moved to Chile, which is incredibly dry and much warmer year round than I'm used to... so dry skin, hair etc I assumed was that. Difficult weight loss I attributed to being over 40. Now I'm not so sure... And I'm still losing lots more hair than I should be I think. I have not been so good with keeping up with my meds (missed a couple of doses I think) in the hubbub of moving... I really need to get one of those medication thingies so I can see when I've missed a dose. Need to get on that ASAP!

We're now moving back to Canada though (leaving in a week) so I have made an appt with my former endocrinologist a couple of months after we get back (that's how long it takes to get an appt - yikes!). In the meantime I'm going to take an extra pill every few days to try to catch up. Not ideal I know, but I'd rather not get worse before I get better!

Anyhow, thanks for the info!

Hello,

What a wonderful thread, there is a lot of valuable information about Armour Dosage.

My story started 10 years ago, having a thyroid nodule appear after the birth of my daughter, have had 3 FNA, thankfully benign, and my nodule continues to grow. I am now 41, have had fertility issues ever since having my daughter. My nodule is currently at 4 cm and my ENT surgeon is preparing me for the right side of my thyroid to be removed. I have multiple thyroid symptoms and finally found a doctor to track my levels, help diagnose and treat with Armor to get to optimal levels. I am current taking 150 mg waking and wait an hour prior to eating. I still feel exhausted in the afternoon. I am working with my doctor every 6 weeks to discuss my levels which are the best they have ever been, but thankfully she is listening to my symptoms. I am hoping to get to 180 mg in the morning and then begin adding in the afternoon 60 - 120 mg. So thankful I found my doctor, so thankful.

I have lost only 7 lbs, currently weigh 280, gluten free, working on grain free, but it is extremely hard. Watching my sugar and my dairy, although I love cheese. I need to get my energy up so I can exercise to lose this weight. Tried cutting out caffeine, but was not so nice a person! So I drink 1-2 cups of coffee in the morning. I am a graphic designer and sit at a computer all day long which does not help with energy and its stressful. All of those things that could play into my thyroid problems. This is the heaviest I have ever been and people do not recognize me. My face is as round as the moon and I feel so bloated. Just want to be able to get my energy levels up!

I am nervous about removing half of my thyroid and how I will feel afterwards. Will I continue to gain more weight? I am meeting with a new Endocrinologist in September to discuss my levels, my medicine and state that I want to stay on the Armour, and surgery. My current doctor who prescribes my Armour is a Women's Health Nurse Practitioner, so would like to keep her in my corner.

I would like to ask for others stories, if they are similar to mine about having the surgery and your road to feeling better.

Thanks,
Cara

Hello everyone! I love all the information available here!! I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism over 10 years ago and struggled on Synthroid for about 5 of those years. Finally found a doctor that was willing to put my on Armour and never looked back! I had my little boy about 3 1/2 years ago and for about a year after I felt great. Then all the symptoms started coming back. I gained over 25 lbs! I was tired ALL the time. No energy. My hair was falling out. Sex drive...well what sex drive!?! All the usual symptoms that tell us our levels are off!! Went back to the doctor he said levels were fine. But I kept going back and FINALLY on Tuesday he upped my dose from 1.5 grains to 3 grains. I have only taken it 2 days and although it sounds crazy, I can already tell a difference!!! I am so excited to see how I'll feel next week, next month, and so on.