# Got results- Armour made me worse?? Advice please



## Adrienne (Aug 19, 2011)

A few days ago I posted my background and a few questions on the general thyroid board ("How long should adjustment take?") But now I got my most recent lab results and I'm curious what other people make of this. I have a time line for the last 18 months for what med I was on and test results I got along the way. I realize a very important test is missing -Free T3- but my dr never orders it. I think because of my insurance but next time I will insist on it or at least find out why she doesn't order it.

Ref ranges: TSH... 0.45-4.5
Free T4... 0.82-1.77
Total T3... 71-180

2/2/10- TSH 2.65, Free T4 1.10 (no meds yet, he started me on 12.5mcg synthroid soon after for small nodule he found)

10/9/10- TSH 0.718, FreeT4 1.24, Total T3 115 (been on 50mcg dose of Synthroid for about 3 months; feeling "ok")

1/4/11- TSH 0.719 (been on 50mcg dose of Synthroid for about 6 months; feeling "ok" but wanting to try Armour)

3/2/11- TSH 0.695, FreeT4 0.88, Total T3 99 (been on Armour 30mg for 6 wks, feeling slightly worse than last testing)

7/19/11- TSH 1.88, FreeT4 0.94, Total T3 115 (been on Armour 30mg for 6 months; feel worse than ever!)

When my dr got my most recent results she called and said they were "good" and therefore would not be increasing my dose like I'd hoped. So I had no choice but to switch back to Synthroid (and actually I'm trying Tirosint but its basically the same thing).

I'm not sure if she compared my most recent results to the results from March because even though my TSH is "normal" and would probably be fine for many people, its almost tripled since March (0.695 to 1.88)!! I don't know if this didn't concern her (she's not the one feeling like crap) or if she just didn't even notice. Obviously I need to be at a TSH of 0.7 or lower to feel decent. 
I'm confused about this pattern though. I really thought Armour would do great things for me based on all the great things I've heard about it. I was so disappointed to find the opposite! I should also mention I d lost about 20 lbs after being on the 50mcg dose of Synthroid for 6 months and since I switched to Armour I've gained almost every lb back despite no changes to diet or exercise :-(

I've been back on T4-only med for about 6 wks now and I still feel horrible, I'm hoping my "ok" feeling will be back soon!! Suddenly feeling "ok" doesn't seem so bad, if only I hadn't gotten greedy trying to actually feel good  Its so hard because my brain feels so fuzzy and I get bad depression when I'm hypo so its very hard to stay focused and motivated to figure this out and get better.

Finding a doctor more willing to adjust my dose would be great but not an option right now due to my financial situation. I don't know what else to do! Wait and see?? Any advice? Please help! Thanks.


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## lainey (Aug 26, 2010)

The free T3 test is quite expensive, but is necessary when taking T3 medications. For the moment, if you are back on T4 meds, it will serve as information only. When taking T3 meds, it really becomes the guide for your dosing.

Really, based on your recent labs, you could have been on a slightly higher dose of Armour.

TSH can fluctuate somewhat based on a variety of factors. At this point, you need to stick with something and see where your labs go. If you can get the TSH back down below 1 you might feel some relief.


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