# How does the titration feel for other?



## mscj (May 19, 2011)

I have been in the process of adding Armour since Mar. 31st 2011. 
I had half of my thyroid removed Feb. 2008 but before and after was told that my lab numbers were in acceptable range even though I felt awful and now looking with better info can see that I was low.

Labs pre Armour 3/31/2011
T3 69 (58-159)
FT4 0.80 (0.81-1.54)
TSH 1.91 (0.35-4.0)

I was started on 1/4g.-felt little to nothing.
One week later I asked to go up to 1/2. Got permission.
I felt decent for 2-3 days and then went back to horrid.
Waited for 4 weeks for next lab test.

5/5/2011 Labs (4 weeks at 1/2g.)
T3 73 (58-159)
FT4 0.80 (0.81-1.54)
TSH 0.87 (0.35-4.0)

Asked and got permission to go up to 1g. (had to fight)
Felt good for about 6 days and then went back to feeling yucky.
Asked for permission to go up again. Dr. not happy but reminded me to wait for 4 weeks after I stay on the same dose for labs.
Went up a to 1 1/4g. 10 days after last change. No lab.
Lasted for about 6-7 days before the decline.
Today I have gone up to 1 1/2 g.

I would like to know how this process feels for other people. I know that I am going up faster than recommended but I am desperate to be able to function. I am trying to listen very carefully to my body.

Thanks for any replies on how it felt for you. I look forward to seeing what this feels or felt like to others.


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

I'm taking generic Levothyroxine, not Armour, but have noticed some of those same effects. When they boosted me from 50 MCG to 75 MCG I felt better for a few days, then things seemed to go downhill. I had a doc and an endocrinologist both tell me that was just a "placebo effect", and that it wasn't possible to notice a change that quickly. (Yah, right.) 75 MCG seemed to much at once, so now on 62.5 MCG trying to hopefully work my way back up to 75 MCG or wherever I need to be...

It does feel like a rocky road! Two steps forward, one step back...


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## mscj (May 19, 2011)

I wonder if the Dr.s who are talking to use about it had ever gone through it if they would say the same things. I KNOW that I felt better for a period and then went down. I am hoping that as I keep going up there will come a point where feeling better lasts longer and then stays. It is great to have a place to hear how it is for others.


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## lavender (Jul 13, 2010)

I had my thyroid out in August. total thyroidectomy. I was put on synthroid, and felt wretched. I was tired, couldn't think straight, and my whole body hurt. I was in severe pain in my hands and arms, and I looked really sick.

I switched to Armour in December, and started feeling better within days of the switch. After about a month on 120 mg, I started to feel a bit hyper and asked my doc to lower my dose. My labs looked good, FT3 was a tad high, and she agreed. I was on 90 mg, and felt a bit hypo, but was still doing well. Asked my doc to add 15 mg. She wanted to do labs first, and my TSH turned out to be 29.

Somewhere in that time I just stopped functioning. I'm a grad student and it was all I could do to get to class. She raised my dose to 105 mg with no improvement. My TSH is 23, and I am now on 120 mg. I felt better the first day I was on this dose. At this point, I don't know if increasing my dose or switching to a whole new med is a better idea. I was really excited when I started Armour, but I don't know what's wrong now.

I wish I had some better advice or encouragement to give you.


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

I kept pushing my endocrinologist to look at potential underlying adrenal problems, but he advised me that if my sodium levels were out of whack it would point to something like that. I sort of take that with a grain of salt, and will be asking again in the future. You might want to investigate the adrenal side of things...

Interestingly, the doctor who discovered my Hashimoto's is one of the ones who said I was just noticing a "placebo affect" and might "need something for my mood." While I agree my mood has been changing (like, duh), I _do_ know how I felt for a couple of days, and it was as if I had some of my old energy back.

Now, to counter this, I also asked my endocrinologist about it. He also replied with the "placebo effect" comment. Yet, when I asked a separate question about taking a higher dose of Levothyroxine (75 MCG) part of the week, he said I would probably notice that I "felt different" during that time. So there you go, the doctors don't believe you can feel better in a short time, but think you can feel worse in a short time from a dose increase. That seems a little counter-intuitive.

To further cloud matters, I pulled a couple copies of drug reference books (better half is a nurse) off the shelf and guess what? T4 thyroid medicine begins to be active within 2-3 days. That's not the full effect, which takes weeks, but it _does_ start working in the short-term.

As I ramble on here, I guess what I'm saying is there is a lot of conflicting information out there. Ultimately you know how you feel, nobody else does. 
:anim_32:


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

mscj said:


> I have been in the process of adding Armour since Mar. 31st 2011.
> I had half of my thyroid removed Feb. 2008 but before and after was told that my lab numbers were in acceptable range even though I felt awful and now looking with better info can see that I was low.
> 
> Labs pre Armour 3/31/2011
> ...


We talked about this in another post. I am sorry you are having such a tough time of it but that is the titration process and it is not recommended to increase Armour every 4 weeks as we discussed as well.

The other thing is I don't know why the doc is doing T3 labs. You cannot use the Total 3 lab result as the basis for titration. One must have the FREE T3 which is the unbound portion available for cellular uptake.

I would like to see you hold steady on on the 1 1/2 grains for 8 weeks and then get the TSH, FREE T4 (which will be naturally low on the Armour and is NOT a concern) and the FREE T3 lab tests.

The way you are going, it could very well end up that you will not be able to tolerate any form of T3. I have seen this a jillion times if I have seen it once.


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## mscj (May 19, 2011)

I am most certainly going to ask for the FT3 test the next time I do them. Do you think there is any point in asking for the RT3? I also started taking 1,000mg of Vit. C each morning as it was discussed in STTM, I believe, that it would help support the adrenals.

I would like to hear more about this becoming intolerant to T3. I don't understand how this works.

I also have a fairly physical job as a stage hand and am 49. Does this affect the process?


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## mscj (May 19, 2011)

I also have been told that I have fibromyalgia and I don't know if that affects things or not. I did read Dr. John C. Lowe's page saying that he believes that it is actually due to low thyroid. It does seem like the symptoms are awfully similar. It is all so confusing and especially when you don't feel well.


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## lavender (Jul 13, 2010)

I have been diagnosed with fibro also. I suspect it was a symptom of untreated thyroid disease, but I won't know until I am actually eurothyroid on meds for a while. I do know that for me, I am more sensitive to big changes. I need to make one change at a time, watch to see what happens and go from there.

I don't know much about RT3, and take what I have read on STTM with a grain of salt. What works for one person does not work for all, and their suggestions seem to be a one size fits all solution.

Not all docs are great with thyroid, especially with dessicated thyroid, but they did learn some things in medical school that I don't know. My doc and I might not agree on everything, but I do discuss what I do with her.

Thyroid meds can be potent, and the correct dose is different for each of us. I think of myself as goldilocks, Too hot or too cold, to soft or too hard is nooooo good for me, or my body. The thing is that while cold porridge may not taste so good, at least it won't burn your mouth.

Going up on thyorid meds too fast puts you at risk for some very dangerous consequences, thyroid storm and a heart attack for one. It also puts your body through one neck of a workout as thyroid meds take time to adjust to. Part of what may be making you not feel so good is the super fast shift in meds.

If you give your body time, you will find your "just right" without burning yourself.


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