What type of thyroid medication are people using?

[Chris's Mom]

Just wanted to get a sense of what kind of thyriod medication they are on. I have been on synthroid. The reason for my question is I heard on Dr. Atkins that he felt synthroid was not the most beneficial medication due to inadequate t3/t4 absorption. Does anyone see a MD who is privy to this....Thanks

[123different]

I take levoxyl. My doctor tested T3 and T4 and all the tests and this is what she recommended.

[Chris's Mom]

Thanks...tried levoxyl did not due well on it had an allergic reaction where my skin was very dry/itchy, but thanks for the reply....

[shenacat]

I am taking armour, a natural dessicated thyroid. Dr. Atkins is right on with this one... $ynthroid does work better for some people but what really happens is they tend to line the pocket$ of doctors and pharmacists to get them to spew their fake trash about how they are the "wonder drug"...

A lot of people have never felt the same until starting a little t3.

[JessicaE]

I take Synthroid. Both my T3 and T4 levels are normal and I feel great.

[ChgoGal]

I'm on Synthroid .125mg once a day and I feel fine.

[Chris's Mom]

thanks for all the responses.....

[DoorInward]

I am on levoxyl at 162.5mcg...I will likely add a synthetic T3 soon, but that is "up in the air" at the moment.

Everyone responds differently to different drug therapies.

Armour has become a rather trendy option, but it is not for everyone.

$ynthroid does work better for some people but what really happens is they tend to line the pocket$ of doctors and pharmacists to get them to spew their fake trash about how they are the "wonder drug"...

Shenacat: I think if the doctors were really interested in "lining their pockets" they would be prescribing armour. My endocrinologist has told me that it has become so trendy that she has acquired 233 new patients in 2002 alone who destabalized on that stuff (after having heard so many people rave about it on the internet) and so are having to start from square 1 with month-by-month checks until they re-stabalize. (I took it for a month. I wish I never had.) I have never heard anybody call synthroid a "wonder drug," but I know several people for whom it is...and who could never take armour and do well. (Ok...in brief: Everyone responds differently physically...not all problems are alike. It is not a crime for a company that makes a good product to turn a profit. There is no grand conspiracy between pharmaceutical companies and doctors to rob women of any particular drug therapy.)

I think the bottom line is to have a good endo who can lead you in the right direction for you.

[bananasmom]

I have taken 150 mcg synthoid for only the past 6 weeks (recently diagnosed).

BTW, Levoxyl and Synthroid are the same medicine, a T4(Levothyroxine), just two different brand names; each uses a different filler and/or binder. I think Dr. Atkins means that, for some people, T4 isn't enough (it depends on your body synthesizing T3).

I think it's a good starting point, though. If blood tests don't show enough improvment with the T4 supplement, then you look elsewhere.

(my TSH was 112, so I figure anything I take is going to be good!)

[JessicaE]

Bananasmom - Some docs prescribe only brand-name Synthroid, as some people do not react well to the generic. My endo tells me it's one of the few drugs where there really is a difference between the brand-name and generic versions. My mom briefly went on the generic and her thyroid went out of whack very quickly, after 10 years of stabilization. Going back on Synthroid regulated her again in no time. Just an FYI!

[shenacat]

I wouldn't call Armour "trendy". It's been around for much longer than synthroid.

As far as that goes, as long as people have the option of getting T3 I could care less what works for them, as long as it works! The biggest problem is that ppl just do not have the option of getting T3, and many would do much better with it.

A lot of ppl experience trouble when switching to armour because they do not give synthroid a chance to wean out of their system. Synthroid, being what it is, a synthetic hormone, resides in the body for weeks after you stop taking it, and armour is faster acting because it is natural and contains t3, which is the active thyroid hormone. So people need to take the advice of a doctor experienced in this when switching, and make the shift slowly. A lot of ppl think they can just stop taking the synthroid and start the armour the next day, but it doesn't work that way. They tend to go hyper, and then the doc takes them off meds, and they go hypo, and then... you see my point.

[DoorInward]

Shenacat:

Of course Armour has been around for a lot longer than synthroid...but there is a reason why doctors were so eager to get synthetics.

When I called it "trendy" I did so in reference to the fact that until a lot of newly diagnosed women women read the hype on the internet over the past 4 years (mostly by other well-meaning women who believe that what works for them must surely work for everyone), nobody even thought about it. It was widely considered a lousy idea. Suddenly there has been an AVALANCHE of complaints from women who stayed on it just long enough to realize that while that little bump (and it is very tiny) of T3 made them feel really great in a short term way, they were totally hurting themselves in the long run, frequently making their problems worse.

There is no standard regulation of the T4/T3 ratios in Armour, which is the problem I and many women have while on it--it delivers more T4 than T3 one one day then higher T3 and less T4 the next. Since the body does not have time to adapt to any particular level, it is destabalizing. Moreover, armour, because it is dessicated pig thyroid, cannot be measured out accurately for dosage level of T3 or T4. Dosage is measured by grain, not the contents or how much it is delivering to your body. Because there is a great deal of variability in purity as well, there is no telling what else you are getting with those hormones.

Some people (and you, I presume, are one of them) do great on armour. Fabulous. In some women who have an advanced case of autoimmune, like me, the presence of armour with its fluctuating levels can actually speed up the rate at which the body attacks the thyroid.

When it comes to structure and the amount of time thyroxine and Triiodothyronine stay in "the system" there is no difference between synthetics and armour. The difference is in bodily adpatation to the product.

Yes, there can be benefits to taking T3 in combination with T4. There can even be some advantages to armour. However, "natural" is not necessarily better. No drug is right for all cases of hypothyroidism and not all women even need T3.

The idea is to make sure people are aware of their choices without putting down any particular one of them as if it is nothing more than some bizarre attempt by doctors "spewing their fake trash" in some secret conspiracy with pharmaceutical companies to make women feel lousy all the time.

[bananasmom]

there really is a difference between the brand-name and generic versions.

Jessica - Levoxyl is a brand name, not a generic. Sorry, maybe I wasn't clear, I should have posted that Synthroid, Levothroid, Levoxyl, Unithroid are brand names and Levothyroxine or thyroxine is the generic. It seems that a lot of people think that they are taking a generic when they take brand name Levoxyl, and they aren't. (that's what I gather from the handful of message boards that I've visited since my diagnosis)

The biggest problem is that ppl just do not have the option of getting T3, and many would do much better with it.

Shenacat - Then perhaps they should ask for new meds or shop for a new doctor, if they aren't satisfied with the results of their medication. Are you expressing frustration with they system and doctors, that are hesitant to treat based on symptoms?

If I am not doing well on my T4 replacement, and my blood tests reveal that I am not synthesizing enough T3, I expect my doctor would adjust my medication accordingly (presumably add triiodothyronine). If my doctor doesn't, I'm finding a new one; I feel that I owe that to myself.

[shenacat]

It is completely false to say that Armour does not have a consistent ratio of t3/t4. Visit the website. http://www.armourthyroid.com/

Consistency is verified and the ratio is always the same.

Granted the ratio may not be the same ratio some people need in which case they can substitute with some additional T4, or T3 (I know a gal who takes additional T3), or they may find unithroid/cytomel works best for them, etc... whatever.

I also find your assumption that my TD is NOT autoimmune amusing... where did I say it was NOT?

My personal levels fluctuate with my menstrual cycle ~ I am extremely sensitive to estrogen and my body needs more thyroid hormone during the 2nd half of my cycle (post-O) than during the 1st half. I know that and can plan for it. If I do not, I end up finding an in-between dose and am hyper 2 weeks, and hypo 2 weeks later. That would happen no matter what medication I was on... I'd prefer to have medication that is fast acting and that I can tweak accordingly than one that sticks around binding to my receptors for much longer than was ever intended by nature.

[DoorInward]

Shena:

Sorry you decided to take offense...If you look back you will notice that I am fully willing to concede that armour is appropriate for *some* women, just not all.

I made no assumptions about your condition. (I didn't even make any statements about your condition, nor did I even once suggest that armour was inappropriate for you.) I made no assumptions about armour. I made no statement about armour or anything else which cannot be verified. (Want citations?) It is well known that despite what Forest (hello-one of those evillll pharmaceutical companie$) says to sell you their product, the stuff is not consistent and is not so carefully regulated. It has already been the subject of countless lawsuits.

But, as I said, if it works for you , then FINE. Great. No one is trying to take it away from you. I am all for people getting what they need.

What I dared to suggest: That armour is not for everyone and that limiting what might possibly be appropriate choices for other women based on your personal biases is not productive. The idea is to inform, to learn, to share and make choices availble...not to belittle, misinform or restrict. There are pluses and minuses to all alternatives and there are as many appropriate therapies as their are individuals requiring them.

If you are that determined to feel insulted, then please do. Whatever makes you feel good--that's what's important, right?

As for me, I am well done with the matter because it appears that it will degenerate from here. I have unsubscribed from the thread and I will not be looking at it again--feel free to get the last word if you want it.