# Could I have gotten a bad batch of Armour?



## green.willow (Aug 17, 2012)

Partial thyroidectomy due to possible cancerous nodules.

I've been on Armour Thyroid for about 12 years and before that synthroid for about 5 years. I weathered the formula change of a few years ago by ordering from Canada but have been back on "American" version for maybe two years. (I forget)

In the past six months I've had a heck of a time physically. Ears ringing like crazy and waking wide awake every night between 1 and 2:30 and then not getting sleepy again until 5 am which is when I need to get up to go to work.

I've always felt I was ultra-sensitive to my dosage and sometimes, when I got too much, I would get really anxious. I'd cut back for a few days and the anxiety would leave, but I haven't had any unwarrented anxiety like that for a few years, now.

Recently, I got a little sloppy about taking my Armour Thyroid due to having to travel for work. My sleeping got better - not great but better. Now that I'm back on schedule, I'm having the sleeping problems again.

I had my blood tests (TSH and a couple of the other standards) and they were "normal", but my blood tests have ALWAYS been "normal" even though I had immediate and positive results to being put on synthroid after my thyroidectomy.

Oh, I also have another nodule, which my doctor is monitoring for the time being.

I have two thoughts:
1) I got the wrong dose of thyroid medicine and it's too much for me.
2) Somehow the new nodule is messing me up.

Any thoughts or advice? I hate to go back to the doctor-- I have to pay out of pocket and they are so frustratingly unhelpful....


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## sjmjuly (Mar 23, 2012)

Well I can't say anything about the nodule because I don't have any, but the medication part drove me nuts too. I have hashi's and was put on Naturethroid. Did great for a year and my last labs showed me hypo, though I wasn't feeling bad. I actually felt good. Anyway, the doc increased my dose and holy cow,,,I went completely hyper. Couldn't sleep, bad anxiety, high blood pressure it was awful. Doctor took me completely off and I am doing fine now. Hashi's appears to be in remission at the moment. While I don't think you could stop completely, maybe you need to decrease your dose.


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

I'd say you are due for an ultrasound to rule out a bad nodule.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

green.willow said:


> I have two thoughts:
> 1) I got the wrong dose of thyroid medicine and it's too much for me.
> 2) Somehow the new nodule is messing me up.


Either one of these is a definite possibility.

Sounds to me like your current dose is too high for what your body currently needs, like you said.

Ask your pharmacist to compare your current dosage to the dose you were on a year ago. Perhaps the doctor's office made a mistake when they wrote the latest prescription, or the pharmacist or tech made a mistake when they put it into the computer. Mistakes definitely do happen occasionally. If the same dose was prescribed, then you could ask for a new refill, just in case your last batch wasn't right...or you could skip that and look at your lab results more closely AND compare them to labs from last year. Even if you're "in range," you might still do better if your results are lower in the range (which they may have been last year), so your dosage should decrease.

And I agree about getting an ultrasound of that pesky nodule...that could be the culprit, too!


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

Follow-up question...do you have a thyroid diagnosis, other than possible cancerous nodules? (Like Graves or Hashi's?) That could make a big difference.


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## webster2 (May 19, 2011)

Is the nodule a hot one? Have you had an U/S? If so they can generate thyroid hormone and may be the cause of your feeling overmedicated. Have oyu had antibody yests done?


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## green.willow (Aug 17, 2012)

joplin1975 said:


> I'd say you are due for an ultrasound to rule out a bad nodule.


I don't understand, Ihad the ultrasound. What would be the purpose of another?


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## green.willow (Aug 17, 2012)

webster2 said:


> Is the nodule a hot one? Have you had an U/S? If so they can generate thyroid hormone and may be the cause of your feeling overmedicated. Have oyu had antibody yests done?


Yes, I've had an ultrasound. I've never heard of an antibody test? Could you explain the purpose?

I was not told it the nodule was hot. I assume "hot" means throwing extra hormone, right??? How would the doctors know this?

Thanks so much!


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## green.willow (Aug 17, 2012)

Octavia said:


> Follow-up question...do you have a thyroid diagnosis, other than possible cancerous nodules? (Like Graves or Hashi's?) That could make a big difference.


No. I was tested for this, I believe twice (the big carry around the pee jug test, right?).

Once at the time of the first nodule and then a second time about six or seven years in because I wasn't feeling as well as I wanted to. Both times, negative.

Thanks to everyone.


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## green.willow (Aug 17, 2012)

Octavia said:


> Either one of these is a definite possibility.
> 
> Sounds to me like your current dose is too high for what your body currently needs, like you said.
> 
> ...


Thanks much for the suggestion on checking with the pharmacy on the dosage. I hadn't thought of that!


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

green.willow said:


> Partial thyroidectomy due to possible cancerous nodules.
> 
> I've been on Armour Thyroid for about 12 years and before that synthroid for about 5 years. I weathered the formula change of a few years ago by ordering from Canada but have been back on "American" version for maybe two years. (I forget)
> 
> ...


It could be the nodule, it could be your life-style has changed re exercise and it would help a lot if you could get a FREE T3 test. That would immediately tell you if you are over medicated or not.

What is your current daily dose of Armour?

Let us know what you decide.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

green.willow said:


> No. I was tested for this, I believe twice (the big carry around the pee jug test, right?).
> 
> Once at the time of the first nodule and then a second time about six or seven years in because I wasn't feeling as well as I wanted to. Both times, negative.
> 
> Thanks to everyone.


hhhmmm....I'm not familiar with a urine test for thyroid disease. The one time I did the "pee in the jug" test, it was for kidney function.

Sounds like you are not aware of having your thyroid antibodies tested. That is a major piece of the puzzle. Google "thyroid antibodies" and you'll see a lot of good information.


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## green.willow (Aug 17, 2012)

Okay, now I'm just ****ed. I've had this condition for 20 years and have seen numerous doctors and endos and I don't remembrer any one of them doing an antibody test.

hhhmmm....I'm not familiar with a urine test for thyroid disease. The one time I did the "pee in the jug" test, it was for kidney function.

Sounds like you are not aware of having your thyroid antibodies tested. That is a major piece of the puzzle. Google "thyroid antibodies" and you'll see a lot of good information.

Thank you.


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## webster2 (May 19, 2011)

Over twenty years ago, I had my first experience with thyroid imbalance. The doctor tested 7 things before I was diagnosed. The 6th thing was a 24 hour urine collection and the 7th was a thyroid panel.

Fast forward 20 years, I was really sick for 2 years, and kept being told it was menopause, I had a thyroid storm...not much fun but it brought about a diagnosis. Ask to have your antibodies checked. Hang in there!


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

green.willow said:


> Okay, now I'm just ****ed. I've had this condition for 20 years and have seen numerous doctors and endos and I don't remembrer any one of them doing an antibody test.
> 
> hhhmmm....I'm not familiar with a urine test for thyroid disease. The one time I did the "pee in the jug" test, it was for kidney function.
> 
> ...


To save you time, I have given you a list which may be helpful.

TPO Ab
Mild to moderately elevated levels of thyroid antibodies may be found in a variety of thyroid and autoimmune disorders, such as thyroid cancer, Type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, pernicious anemia, and autoimmune collagen vascular diseases. Significantly increased concentrations most frequently indicate thyroid autoimmune diseases such as Hashimoto thyroiditis and Graves disease.
http://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/thyroid-antibodies/tab/test

TSI
Normally, there is no TSI in the blood. If TSI is found in the blood, this indicates that the thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin is the cause of the of a person's hyperthyroidism.

Negative test results means that the autoantibodies are not present in the blood at the time of testing and may indicate that symptoms are due to a cause other than autoimmune. However, a certain percentage of people who have autoimmune thyroid disease do not have autoantibodies. If it is suspected that the autoantibodies may develop over time, as may happen with some autoimmune disorders, then repeat testing may be done at a later date.
http://labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/thyroid-antibodies/tab/test

Trab
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17684583

TPO (antimicrosomal antibodies) TBII (thyrotropin-binding inhibitory immunoglobulin), Thyroglobulin and Thyroglobulin Ab, ANA (antinuclear antibodies), (thyroid hormone panel) TSH, Free T3, Free T4.

You can look this stuff up here and more.........
http://www.labtestsonline.org/

I was angry also. 20 years of improper testing and no diagnosis as a result.


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## green.willow (Aug 17, 2012)

Thanks so much for the advice and the support. I appreciate it. I don't have a smidgeon of medical background so figuring this out is so difficult.

My good news is that I quit taking my thyroid medicine a week ago and last night I actually slept reasonably well and my ears didn't ring like it was Christmas Eve in the belfry.

I think I am going to order my own tests-- I'm tired of the doctors putting me off to save the insurance company money, when I end up paying for it anyway because I have such a high deductible. I can't do this right away, but I'll let you know what I find out when I have the tests results.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

green.willow said:


> Thanks so much for the advice and the support. I appreciate it. I don't have a smidgeon of medical background so figuring this out is so difficult.
> 
> My good news is that I quit taking my thyroid medicine a week ago and last night I actually slept reasonably well and my ears didn't ring like it was Christmas Eve in the belfry.
> 
> I think I am going to order my own tests-- I'm tired of the doctors putting me off to save the insurance company money, when I end up paying for it anyway because I have such a high deductible. I can't do this right away, but I'll let you know what I find out when I have the tests results.


You just said a mouthful there about insurance. They got you over a barrel; what a pity, what a sin.

Stay with us; you will learn much and we do hope that you get the medical intervention you deserve to have.


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## jenny v (May 6, 2012)

*green.willow*, I've actually been using this place for labs: Health One. I've put a link to the test panel I order below, it's got FT3, FT4, TSH and others for a pretty reasonable rate ($59) and they use Lab Corp facilities. My endo's lab is at a teaching hospital and although I have good insurance they are stingy about covering labs there (I paid $250 out of pocket the last time I did labs there!). My endo is okay with me using this place to do labs, thank goodness.

http://www.healthonelabs.com/pub/tests/test/pid/167


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