Anna

(From Janie: less, because I went through meno and have less estrogen block it than I did while on Armour. Otherwise, it would have been the same)

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I am desperate…please help me!!!

I was put on Armour in November 2011. At that time, I had been on thyroxine for 10 years and since 2009 also on Thyromine (1 capsule a day). My doctor ordered 24 h urine and blood tests. The results:

blood:

TSH 0.03
Free T3 pg/mL 2.8 (ref 2.1-4.2)
Free T4 ng/dL 1.2 (ref 0.8-1.8)

urine (most important according to my doc):

T3 824 pmol/24h (ref 800-2500; should ideally be 2000-2500 according to doc)
T4 1100 pmol/24h (550-3160; should ideally be above 3000 according to doc)

My doc is a Barnes doc. Before seeing her, I was asked to monitor my body tempetaure three mornings in a row; it was never above 36.1 degrees centrigrade (sorry, I don’t know how to convert it into Fahrenheit!)

How should these test results be interpreted? According to my former doc (a GP), I was optimally treated and my metabolism should have returned to normal. But I just kept gaining weight, no matter how much I dieted and exercised, and I am almost 30 kgs overweight right now.

New doc prescribed Armour (to raise until I feel fine) and Medrol for adrenal fatigue (my cortisol levels at 8 h were 5 ng/mL (ref 10-30, should be close to 30 according to doc). She chose Medrol rather than hc because I retain a lot of water.

At the pharmacy, I asked if I could have a bottle of Erfa as well even though the script was for Armour (as I had read so much about the problems with the reformulated Armour and wanted to compare them) and they ended up giving me 50-50.

With Armour, I don’t feel a thing. It’s like before I was diagnosed (Hashimoto’s) back in 2001. I feel like I’m sleepwalking. I took as much as 240 mg a day and it did nothing for me. Following my doc’s instructions (she’s on Armour herself and loves it), I chew the pills, then swallow them with water. I find the pills to dissolve very quickly and easily, though, so I don’t think I have the same Armour that others describe (the one turning into “chewing gum” in your mouth). But it has no characteristic odor, even though that is stated on the bottle. When I put it in my mouth, it feels like cotton candy and it just turns to dust within seconds. It has no taste whatsoever. I read about someone needing to go as high as 5 grains a day to get results; should I go down that road?

With Erfa, it’s the other way around. I take it sublingually following the advice in this forum. With Erfa, there’s no way I can take more than 90 mg at a time. If I take 125 mg at a time, I end up seriously hyper (sweating, feeling dizzy, almost “disconnected” from my own body).

My questions are:

1. what dose should I aim for? I was on 200 mcg of thyroxine + 1 capsule of Thyromine daily and my T4 and T3 levels were sub-optimal in spite of a suppressed TSH. Does this mean that I need more than 120 mg of desiccated thyroid (120mg=+/- 200 mcg of T4)? How is it possible that 240 mg of Armour do nothing for me,even if I take it in one single dose, whereas 180 mg of Erfa split in two doses make me hyper?

2. how many times a day should I take NTH (I think I’ll try to convince my doc to let me stay on Erfa). I have often read twice a day? Should I instead aim for three or four times a day? My doc told me that she takes Armour only once a day (in the morning) and feels just fine.

3. are there any other options for NTH (I live in Europe and Erfa and Armour are the only available prescription drugs; however, I’ve understood there there are other brands (Thyroid-S/Thiroyd)available without prescription? I would like to know which brands you have tried and found to work best?

I feel I cannot afford to lose any more time…for many years, I was sick and overweight before being diagnosed with Hashi’s. Then, I was sick and overweight on thyroxine. Now, it’s time I lost weight and regained my health! But how? NTH? Synthetics + Thyromine, or should I try Thyro Gold instead?

Any input or advice would be most welcome!

Cathy

Pharmacie Ste Croix
Rue Lesbroussart 12
1050 Bruxelles
tel: 02 – 648 63 72
fax: 02 – 646 80 95
phiesaintecroix@gmail.com

Pharmacie du Prince d’Orange
Chaussée de Waterloo 1499
1180 Bruxelles ( Uccle )
tel: 02 – 374 32 57
fax: 02 – 374 02 42

Checking Efra again in spring 2010, Efra told us that only 100 tab bottles would now be mailed out of Canada. Hope that is not still the case. Daughter-in-law has since gotten year over year Thyroid-S supplies direct in Bangkok, 1000 tabs per bottle.