# Week 3 on Armour-more hypo than before!!



## graves84 (Oct 7, 2013)

I'm upset, because I had been feeling slightly better energy wise, but my labs came back as the following after 3 weeks on Armour- My Dr had given me one grain to equal 100mg of l-thyroxin as a raise from 88 l-thyroxin. She is now giving me 90mg Armour after seeing the results.

Could Armour not be working for me at all? I don't want to take something making me more hypo than ever before. Worried now....

TSH: (Highest in my life) range: 0.4-4.0-today result: 4.33 Past result 8/5: 1.19

Free t3, range: 0.80-1.7 result: 1.24

Free T4 range: 0.7-2.2-result: 0.7 past result 8/5: 1.1


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## fttfbass (Jan 8, 2014)

1 grain of armour doesn't equal 100mcgs of thyroxine. The conversion charts are a load of crap. 1 grain of armour contains 38mcg of T4 and 9mcg of T3. Now that you've raised to 90 mgs, you're taking 57mcg of T4 and 13.5mcg of T3. Everybody is different on how they utilize T4 and T3, so trying to convert Armour into a synthetic T4 comparison isn't going to be accurate.

You're still on a low dose. Most people end up at 2.5 grains or more until their TSH is suppressed and Free T3 is in the upper quarter of the range. Your Free T3 is currently in the middle of the range. TSH lags behind for up to 8 weeks after med changes, so your result of 4.33 is irrelevant.

Did you take your Armour before your labs were taken?


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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

graves84,

Your doctor is doing the right thing by increasing your med's, slow and steady wins this race.

Stick with the med's you are prescribed now.

Sounds like you finally have a doctor willing to work with you.


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## graves84 (Oct 7, 2013)

Hi,

Yes, I am so happy my PC is receptive to the info I brought to her today about how raising is important in the beginning. She also agreed that conversion can be inaccurate, but seemed to be learning along with me.

I did not take my Armour before the labs, and had been taking it with food the first 8 days (my mistake based on online advice)

Hoping to speed up the next round of labs after 2 weeks on the 90mg Armour.

The crazy thing is I feel so much more energetic than on l-thyroxin and thought for sure I was going to have great labs. I'm really worried about gaining weight from going slower because I work in entertainment. If I can't fit into the dress I lose my job and my $$ so my body size is very important, sadly.


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## fttfbass (Jan 8, 2014)

Keep in mind that it does take time for the T4 in the Armour to build up and do its thing (I've read 4-6 weeks). So, rushing for labs every 2-3 weeks may not be in your best interest. What you've been feeling so far is the T3 in the Armour, which you weren't getting before.

Are you splitting your doses? ie. 1 grain in the morning & 1/2 grain in the afternoon.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Thank you!!


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## graves84 (Oct 7, 2013)

Thanks!! Good to hear. In the long run, safer to be too slow than fast. I've been hyper and it is a scary feeling. I took my first 90mg dose today and have labs scheduled for 6 weeks. The pharmacy tried to swtich me to nature thyroid but I wouldn't let them. I also just started a round of b12 therapy shots so am up and crashing energy wise. My B12 was 100 on a range of 1-1000. 
I took the Armour all at once an hour before food, because the dr told me they have a long half life and I don't need to split the dose up.


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## fttfbass (Jan 8, 2014)

Most people split their dose up because the T3 peaks after a few hours. It keeps energy levels a little more constant, rather than getting a big jolt once daily. It's probably not noticeable now, but it most likely will be when you move onto higher doses.


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## graves84 (Oct 7, 2013)

Good to know! I've been so lacking energy for more than a year that any jolt feels good right now. Especially since I can't drink caffeine without getting really sick lol I'll have to be more patient. I can't believe I took so many years taking pills to go slower and now I have to get the darn thyroid to work. Never ending struggle with this disease.


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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

What was your Vit D level? Being low on D also contributes to fatigue.


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## Cheric04 (Aug 17, 2015)

Great information in this thread! Wondering if anyone knows what the normal additional dose the doctor should be adding for Armour to get your labs good?

I started on 90mg of Armour and my labs after 2 months were not good (THS 11 and T3 1.7). My doctor added 15mg more for Armour and after 3 weeks on the new dose, I'm not feeling well at all and have gained weight despite counting calories & working out. Wondering if the doctor should add more because at this rate doing labs every 2 months, it's going to take forever to get it right!


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Understanding the Thyroid: Why You Should Check Your Free T3
http://breakingmuscle.com/
(Copy and paste into your browser)

Dr. Mercola (FREES)
http://www.mercola.com/article/hypothyroid/diagnosis_comp.htm

Free T3 and Free T4 are the only accurate measurement of the actual active thyroid hormone levels in the body. This is the hormone that is actually free and exerting effect on the cells. These are the thyroid hormones that count.

Okay; for titration purposes, the FREE T3 is the criteria. You would hope to get your FREE T3 at about 75% of the range given by your lab for this test.

Doc should do FREE T3 test about every 6 to 8 weeks and if indicated, the Armour should be raised by 15 mg. increments and so it goes until you feel completely well.

And it does take a long time. If you push it, it could ruin all your efforts. Your body needs time to adjust to each small increase.

Info above!


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