What thyroid meds are you on, and what do you think of them?

[Marit]

I've just been hearing so many pros/cons, definite opinions, etc, about pretty much all the thyroid meds, especially Synthroid and Armour. Any input? What works best for you?

[snowbunny]

I don't have hypothyroidism; I have hyperthyroidism.

I'm on methimazole - 10 mg twice a day.

I noticed a big difference at first (when I was on 10 mg three times a day). Now, some of my symptoms are returning by my endo says my labs are fine.

[Marit]

If your labs are fine but your symptoms aren't, that's what should be important. I hate it when doc's look at a piece of paper and say, well such and such is in the normal range, so obviously everything is ok. So what, you're just imagining things or what???
Grrrr.....

[Kimba33]

I am also taking Synthroid 25mcg 1 daily and it has worked for me getting my levels normal and seems to have no side effects

[wina]

I'm on 75 mcg Synthroid, and I suspect it's doing more harm than good. I'm still exhausted and tired all the time. Only problem it's helped is with feeling cold all the time, that doesn't happen as often now. The bad thing is Synthroid makes my appetite crazy, I eat like a horse and gained a lot of weight.

My free T3 is what's low, free T4 was always normal. Taking
Synthoid free T3 is barely within range. It appears to me I have a problem converting T4 to T3, so it makes no sense to me why Synthroid (T4) would be prescribed.

I've never taken Armour but I'd guess it would help me more than Synthroid because it has some T3 too. I know that my doctor wouldn't prescribe it, so oh well what can I do.

[DianaSophie]

Hey Marit

I am just wondering how your research is going reagrding Thyroid meds. what are you on at the moment? i'm just about to start Thyroxine and have heard that Armour is better, though my endo. here in London/UK refuses to prescribe it to me.

how are you feeling - what changes have you experienced?

I hope it's all under control for you now?

i look forward to hearing from you

Diana x

[Marit]

Hi Diana,
I've been on Cytomel for almost a week now, I haven't noticed anything so far. However, I've got other health things going on so it's hard to tell! My cortisol is too high but my endo thinks everything is fine and doesn't want to see me again! Argh. So it'll be awhile yet before I figure things out I guess....
Marit

[tucsonmama]

I've been on .05 mg of Synthroid now for almost 2 years and although my blood tests come back normal, not one of my symptoms have improved. I am going to the doctor ASAP to ask about geting T3 added to the regime because I'm tired of taking this stuff and not seeing any positive results. Why are doctors so afraid to prescribe Armour or Cytomel or whatever else when it seems like (at least in my experience and the experiences of others that I know) T4 therapy alone (i.e. Synthroid) doesn't work for a lot of people??

[prunepie]

i am on one grain armour and i really like it. was on straight t3, unithroid , synthroid... but armour is the only thing that really works for me personally xo jenn

[tucsonmama]

OK, I'm going to the doctor on Monday to see if he will be willing to prescribe me some form of T3 medication, preferably Armour. Do conventional doctors prescribe it, or is it only available through holistic practitioners? Maybe a dumb question, but it seems like there is a lot of info on the net connecting Armour to alternative medicine, while suggesting that most conventional doctors don;t like to prescribe it. Also, how long does it take to start seeing results once you start taking a T3 medication?? I know that T4 alone can take months.

Thanks to anyone willing to answer my questions!!

[tndrmrcies]

I've been on synthroid for about 7 years now. I saw minimal improvement in my symptoms even though the levels became normal pretty quickly. A few years ago I had my dose adjusted and started on cytomel. It did seem to help some of the symptoms, with the exception of needing a lot of sleep. I'm not sure how much of the remaining symptoms could be contributed to the pcos or not, but I felt the best I've felt in my adult life when I started taking Metformin.

[prunepie]

most reg drs will only prescribe t4.... but you can also find mainstream drs who will give armour..... you never know.. i would call ahead of time and ask if the dr will prescribe armour or cytomel (t3) along with a t4 drug...to save you some time ..

also go to www.thyroid.about.com they have a list of drs who willprescribe t3 or armour as well xo jenn

[Rosie1028]

I am going to the doctor on Friday to have my levels checked again. I actually made an appointment with him to talk to him. Last time I saw someone else in the office and they told me that they did an complete thyroid panel, all they did was check my TSH.

I want it all this time and the results mailed to me. Since they have lowered my dose of Levoxyl, I have noticedt that I am having a hard time losing any weight. I have been going to the gym faithfully every day and I have upped my cardio to 60 minutes and I haven't lost any weight.

I am curious to see what my numbers are. I heard that the T3 is responsible for metabolism. Is that true? I asked my doctor ( different on that I am seeing) about Aromour and she said it was a "dirty drug" and she doesn't prescribe it.

[Wiggleynose]

Bah, I didn't even mess around with Synthroid. My mom and brother both take it, not one symptom has improved in the 15 years my mom has been on it. But I can't convince her to question her doctor and get a new one who will listen *sigh*
My brother is the same way, his ranges are still higher than they should be, the dr. won't acknowledge the new ranges and he still feels like crap!

Anyway, after my first two doctors I talked to about the thyroid blew off my results (depite my articles about the range change) I went to the thyroid.about.com and looked up a dr. that prescribed armour. I went to him and took in my lab results and told him I wanted Armour. No hassle! i had my script at the end of the appt. And when I did my retest, my TSH/T3/T4 wasn't where *I* wanted it, even though it was in range, and he upped my dose because *I* wanted my TSH around 1.0 (it was at 3.2, down from 5.6).

I retest tomorrow and my appt. is next tuesday. If my ranges still aren't where I want them I will go to 90mg.

As for it being a "dirty drug", Well, no drug is clean in my opinion. Helpful or not, it's still a chemical you're putting in your body.

The thing I like about armour, is that it's Natural Thyroid. I mean, it's flipping PIG Thyroid, dried out, crushed up, mixed with the stuff that makes it into pill form and then processed into a pill. Then, they test each batch to make sure they're within the same range in regards to strength. With Synthroid, it's 100% chemical replacement and it's only ONE hormone. With Armour you get T3 AND T4. Two for the price of one, IMO! I think my body accepts it better because it's natural. But that's just my opinion.

[Rosie1028]

I went to the doctor Friday and I had a great talk with him. He said he would be totally open to me taking Armour thyroid. He is also checking me for Cushings because my Dheas are 932. I guess 200-400 is normal for my age.

I will get all of the results on Wednesday. For those of you taking armour, how long did it take before you noticed a change??