# Anyone wanna help a hypo?



## brokentail (Nov 24, 2009)

Hi

I Hope someone can help me understand whats going on inside of me.

I was diagnosed hypo 5 years ago, kept switching primary care docs because i was unhappy with my care.. everyone kept just switching my antidepressants and increasing my synthroid a bit, i would complain about being gigantic and depressed and dry and miserable and they would say lose weight or thats part of being a woman... 
Finally got a doctor to prescribe me armour, (he was terrible) gradually got up to 90mg, quit all antidepressants, took a little while but i got out of the depression, finally after 10 years wanted to get married, wanted to fix my skin, went on accutane, wanted to lose weight, lost 60 lbs, exercising a lot, awake NOT NAPPING ever, everything perfect..until i went to pick up my armour in july and they had none and said it wouldnt be coming back so my dr. switched me to 75mcg of synthroid which seemed very low.. i said to my doc WHAT IF I GET FAT? 
he said ahh come back in 2 months for blood test. i looked up the correct dose switching from armour to synthroid, it said i should be on 150mcg i called him, he kinda believed me & switched the dose. I've been taking it since then.. until i realized in October, i am myself from 2 years ago. fat (gained 20lbs), tired ALL THE TIME, cannot concentrate to save my life at work, gross dry skin. depressed. TIRED. so tired. i called and said i need a blood test, got the blood and the appt. 
I dont know if its psychological, like i believed the armour was helping so i was better or what.. but my doc says my #'s are in theraputic range, i said i feel better at the low end of the range i showed him my past tests he said oh dont look at the other numbers just the tsh, he reluctantly bumped me up to 175 synth. He thinks i'm fine. (and or crazy)

i will post below 3 sets of results and dates..

11/4/08 - felt super, 40lbs down so far.
tsh - .0476 (0.450-4.500)
t4 - 8.1 (4.5 -12.0)
t3 uptake - 32 (24-39)
free thyroxine index 2.6 (1.2-4.9)
--
6/12/09 - felt tired, stopped losing weight in april. 
tsh - 4.436 (.450 - 4.500)
t4 - 10.8 (4.5 - 12.0)
t3 uptake - 21 Low (24 - 39)
free thyroxine index 2.3 (1.2 - 4.9)
--
11/10/09 - miserable
tsh - 4.170 (.450 - 4.500)
t4 - 13.0 high (4.5- 12.0)
t3 uptake - 27 (24 -39)
free thyroxine index - 3.5 (1.2 - 4.9)
--

I know i should be going to a endocrinologist, i cant seem to find one with good reviews and im scared of wasting my time and energy going to a guy who will have the same mentality as my pcp.

--

thank you.


----------



## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

brokentail said:


> Hi
> 
> I Hope someone can help me understand whats going on inside of me.
> 
> ...


Hi, Brokentail!! I am sooooooooooo scared; I kid you not. I was on Synthroid and/or Levoxyl at various times for years and I was the walking dead, in pain all the time and fat! Got on Armour and it turned my life around big time. Been on it for many many years (6 or more; I can't remember exactly), weigh my proper weight, feel great every day and I too, cannot get Armour.

My husband and I are very very upset about this. It means a disaster for many of us who do not convert T4 to T3

Lucky for me, I have about 3 more month's supply. I just called yesterday and there is none available and worse, the bulletin does not say a "release date" which they usually say.

Here is their site for announcements and phone # .....

http://www.armourthyroid.com/Default.aspx

If worse comes to worse, I am considering ERFA from Canada (have to talk to my doc about this) and if that is not an option, will have to try Cytomel which is a synthetic T3. The problem is, I don't do well on synthetic anything.

Let me know. You will have to do something if you are a non-converter. You can't go back to what you were. I hear you loud and clear!


----------



## brokentail (Nov 24, 2009)

thanks for the reply, i was terrified to go back to synthroid which did nothing for me for years.. then i guess i just forgot about it as i got lazier and lazier...

how do i know if i cannot convert t3, my doc doesnt seem to think any of that matters..(t3, t4) i asked for cytomel, i had all info i printed from the internet he acted like i was asking for an rx for cocaine. (big nervous smile, flat out no)
i asked him 3 times. he would only up my synthroid.

Its been a week i feel no different. I still come home from my grueling 8 hour day to huddle in the corner of the couch drifting in and out of consciousness til my husband gets home at 11.

Whats really killing me is i turned my whole life around, it was so obvious, everyone noticed. Now im going backwards i feel like everyone is noticing too... but not saying anything because what could they say, hey did you gain weight? you sure spend a lot of time at home sleeping... i wish i could wear a sign.

How are they still selling Armour in Canada?


----------



## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

brokentail said:


> thanks for the reply, i was terrified to go back to synthroid which did nothing for me for years.. then i guess i just forgot about it as i got lazier and lazier...
> 
> how do i know if i cannot convert t3, my doc doesnt seem to think any of that matters..(t3, t4) i asked for cytomel, i had all info i printed from the internet he acted like i was asking for an rx for cocaine. (big nervous smile, flat out no)
> i asked him 3 times. he would only up my synthroid.
> ...


How you know aside from your obvious physical (clinical) symptoms is by getting your Free T4 and Free T3 done. Free T3 should be mid-range or higher if you are converting. Free T4 "should" reflect that it is being used up (converted) and not building up to a high range.

Here is info on ERFA. It is not Armour but it is dessicated porcine thyroid...........

http://erfa-sa.erfa.net/Thyroid/english/mono_en.html

You may need to change doctors; this one is definitely NOT thinking outside the box nor is he your champion in this matter.


----------

