Thyroid medication

I am currently taking levoxyl (synthetic thyroid hormone) and I don't feel terrible, I just don't feel as good as I used to before I had hypothyroidism. (feel more tired, sometimes depressed and have a hard time losing weight)

I have a friend who switched to armour thyroid and feel great, has her energy level back, is losing the weight she should be while watching her calories. I was wondering if anyone else is on armour thyroid or has tried it?

I would love to know this answer also! I have a terrible endocrinologist now. I'm looking to switch. She puts everyone who is hypo on synthroid. I also heard good things about armour. Even with synthroid, I am exhausted! I find it hard to lose any weight either. I have cut back calories to 800 even & the sacle won't budge! It's truly hard to push yourself to exercise more too with being hypo. If anyone has had success with another drug, I'd love to hear it!

I would love to know the answer also. I am taking 225mg's of Levoxyl and have my blood tested every 3 months and it comes back in the normal range. But I am so tired all the time. I have to take a nap every afternoon or I wouldn't make through the day. I never thought of asking to change to another brand. Maybe I'll ask my doctor the next time I see her.

Someone please give us some feedback!

Good luck with that!   I posted a couple days ago because I am being tested for thyroid which will explain 6 years of sheer craziness.  I just needed some advice before going to my dr.s, you know like what should I ask for or insist upon, maybe a good luck and NOTHING!  Well one response.

Hypo/Hyperthyroidism is just not a well talked topic and yet sooooo many people here suffer from it.  I search previous topics and some had trouble getting responses as well.  It's crazy.  I will be getting my results hopefully tomorrow.

My $.02  :

I take synthroid, and have been on it for, oh, 6 or 7 years now.  When I first started taking it, I noticed a HUGE difference in my energy levels and was a lot better emotionally.  But over time it has stopped having as much of an effect on me... it wears off by like 7 or 8 oclock at night (I take it in the morning), and I still get bouts of depression.  I hate the side effects (super dry skin that is sometimes extremely painful, even with twice a day moisturizing).  Just last year my doctor finally raised my dose from 50 to 75, and when my levels still climbed up a bit after 6 months, she pushed it to 88 and I am just waiting for my next blood test to see how that is doing.

So I started doing research.  I've been reading a lot and it seems a really common thing for people to gradually have to increase their dosing of synthroid until it no longer works for them.  Now I'm not sure that this is a downside of the synthroid, or if it is simply like any other drug consumed steadily over time - your body adjusts to it and  is not as easily impacted by the doses that it once was.

Now, my feelings on the Armour vs Synthroid discussion.  Every article I've read about Armour raves about it.  People who are on it swear it is the best thing ever.  And maybe it is.  But I trust my doctor, and I find it hard to believe that synthroid is as bad as some people say if many, many doctors prescribe it first and foremost.

I, personally, will stick with synthroid for now.  If, when I visit my doctor in a few months, my levels are still up and she wants to raise my dose again, I will ask her opinion of Armour.  I would be willing to try it, but for now, my current prescription is synthroid.

Just a few links I found.  My recommendation is to do your homework if you are planning to approach your endocrinologist, because there is a chance you will have to fight for your right to obtain an Armour prescription.  A lot of people have to go through family doctors or switch physicians. 

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/thyroiddrugs/l/bl letter.htm  A woman's letter to her physician concerning synthroid and armour.  Apparently the physician refused to treat her if she took armour instead of synthroid.

http://thyroid.about.com/library/weekly/aa032 901a.htm   Some interesting facts about levothyroxine, including the fact that synthroid was never really approved by the FDA, but rather grandfathered in.

http://thyroid.about.com/od/isthatso/f/armour .htm  An interesting article that gives a bit about the history of armour and synthroid, and shows a price comparison of the two.

I'm on synthroid and it was a godsend to me.  I've been on it for only a little over a year.  My doctor warned me that the dosage should be changed as I lose weight, but I am half way to my goal and it hasn't needed to be changed yet.

I'm on synthroid and I've never heard of armour... I've been on synthroid for about 7/8 years now and in the past two years I've noticed that it has been extremely difficult for me to lose weight and I thought it was just me. At first I had energy when I was diagnosised and I could maintain and lose weight with no problem and then recently it seems like nothing I do works.

Glad that I happened up on this site!  My doctor just increased my dosage of levoxyl from 50 to 75, because I am so tired all the time...I asked about HRT using the formula that would fit my need...she has suggested that we wait and see if the increased dosage of levoxyl will help.  I am already overweight...I sure don't need to gain anymore..I hope this won't be the case...but if it starts heading in that direction, she will be hearing from me.

My quality of life is '0' and I am tired of feeling 163 years old!  Thanks for all the posts it helps me to know what to be looking for in the weeks ahead..

I will post my results.

www.stopthethyroidmadness.com

 

read that! Im sure that Armour does the trick. I haven't heard of one person who says it didn't do them good...I'm new to hypo and I really want to start with Armour before things get worst!

The key is in the hormone T3. Some people with hypothyroidism (most of them) dont convert the T4 into T3 properly, and without T3 you will have ZERO energy(because T3 is the one responsible for the metabolism going on in your entire body)...so this is why some people feel terrible even when taking the right dose of T4. If you can't get Amour Thyroid, try taking Cytomel (T3) with your T4 medication as a T4+T3 treatment. People always say how much better they feel when they have T3 included into their treatment...they say that about  95% of their symptoms go away if not ALL.

good luck!!

 

 

I've been on synthroid for about 6 or so years now and am on 100 mg a day. 

This may not be the case for everyone but this is what helped me when at first I wasn't feeling the full effects:

First, it takes a while for it to take effect. It can take months to get up to the recommended dose as you need to work up to it gradually.

Second with synthroid there are a few rules you HAVE to follow for it to take full effect... Take it atleast 2 hours after eating and don't eat for an hour after taking it.  You also aren't supossed to take a multivitamin or any other medication within four hours of taking the synthroid.  It inhibits the absorbsion.

It wasn't until I was very religious about the rules that I really felt back to normal energy wise.

Again this may not be why everyone is having trouble but it's just a few suggestions to keep in mind.  I haven't ever heard of armour so I don't know anything about that part.

I am back on Armour Thyroid.  After a relocation and insurance change found me using a doctor who didn't prescribe anything other than Synthroid--and watching my weight creep up while my energy was sucked down the drain--I was convinced that the Synthroid just wasn't cutting it. 

Well, as luck had it, I changed jobs, changed insurance, got a new doctor, and on the very first visit, I asked him if he has any problem with prescribing Armour.  That would have been the determining factor as to whether or not I'd go there again; I do not want a closed-minded doctor.

Mary Shomon has an About.com site with a wealth of information about thyroid disease.  There you can also find a conversion chart for changing from Synthroid to Armour.  I strongly suspect that many doctors don't know how to prescribe it, because the dosage differs from Synthroid.  It contains actual T3 hormone as well as T4, and T3 is biologically more active than just straight T4.  It is thought that some people simply have a problem converting T4 to T3 (which is what the body actually uses).

I don't think any doctor likes to feel stupid, and  prescribing information can be hard to find in the doctor's setting.  I'm not sure why that is, but I've found this to be true. For what it's worth, I was taking 0.1 mg Synthroid and now I take one grain (around 64 mg) of Armour Thyroid.  But this is me, and your mileage may vary =)

When I take Armour only once daily, whole dose, blood tests show my T3 to be a bit high...and this is one reason that it's a good idea to cut the tablet in half and take it twice a day instead of once.  T3 apparently reaches peak level faster and has a shorter half-lfe than T4.   by dividing the dose, the body uses it better, and you get a more accurate measurement on your blood tests.  I want my TSH to stay at around 1 if possible.  The lowest it's ever been is 0.85, and that is an acceptable level.  Studies indicate that many women feel like crap if their TSH goes above two.

The idea here is that you want to be well-informed when you approach your doctor.  Do the homework.  Find the information and then print it out.  Do not hesitate to bring it to your doctor's appointment with you.  If your doctor says okay and prescribes it and you find your insurance doesn't cover Armour thyroid, don't sweat it.  It's cheap.

Please check out Mary's site.  It can give you the tools you need so that you can help your doctor help you.

Good Luck!

I was diagnosed Hypo almost a year ago.  My first dosage of levothyroxin was 112.  I went for a recheck & my levels turned out too high.  I was so jacked up & hyper, I got NO sleep & my face broke out in cystic acne (still is).  Dr. then lowered my dosage to 88.  I felt great at that dosage.  I felt the most "normal" than I had in a long time.  Dr. checked my levels & they were too low, so up to 100 I went.  I went right back to being hyped up, broken out & feeling like crap.  Had another recheck & levels werent right then either.  At this point, the Dr. said that he thought the fluctuation my be due to taking the generic version.  So, for the last 4 months, I've been on Synthroid 100.  My whole face is broken out in serious cystic acne.  My periods are screwed up-they are the reverse of what they used to be, I am so depressed and agitated that I can hardly stand myself!!  I actually cussed my dog out last night!!

Luckily, I have yet another recheck this Thursday & ALL these things will be discussed & hopefully soon resolved.  I so feel everyone's pain with Hypothyroidism-It sucks!!

i recently had my thyroid checked and my thyroid is a little hyper active. the doctor is not treating me for it. my mom suffers from the same problem. what level do you have to be at to need medication? i feel fatigued aalllll the time.

I have been visiting an endocrinologist since I was 16 (I'm now 21), and I've tried a few different things.  First of all, everyone is different.  My doctor described it to me like sleep requirements -- while I definitely need at least 8 hours of sleep a day, I know people who can get by on 5 hours and be just fine the next day.  When it comes to thyroid, there is no "standard"; you may just have to try a few things to see what works best for you and your body.

I was taking Levoxyl for a few years, and then noticed that I was starting to get those old symptoms back -- fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, etc.  I went and talked to my doctor, and while my levels were technically normal, it went back to what was best for me and my needs.  There is another thyroid medicine out there called Cytomel, and from what I understand, it's animal thyroid that helps supplement the T3 hormone.  I now take both the Levoxyl and the Cytomel, and the changes were amazing.  Might be something to check into if you're looking for options