# Strange Armour Labs?



## beachy29 (Jul 17, 2011)

I was diagnosed with Hashi's in 2008 with a TSH of 10.955, Borderling T4, and Thyroid antibodies of 1, 800. I have been taking Armour (90 mg) for 1 month and have been feeling worse than when on Levothyroxine. For the first week, I felt great. I could think clearly, had lots of energy, and just felt awake. After that, I seemed to have crashed and feel incredible brain fog, changes in vision (takes a second for things to focus), difficulty concentrating and comprehending (I have to read things several times), dizzy spells, extremely cold hands and feet, low body temp (Avg. 96.7), and I have been extremely fatigued. My labs seem to be a bit strange and my Doctor doesn't understand why. He is ready to switch me back to Levo and I have to say, I am beginning to agree with him. Before I make the switch back, I wanted to get input from others. Am I feeling poorly because I need a higher dose? Based on labs, could it be that Armour just isn't right for me? Here are my labs and a bit of background:

Labs on Armour:
TSH: 1.040 (.465-4.680)
Free T4: .43 (.79-2.35)

7/11 
My labs just prior to starting Armour (on 75mcg Levothyroxine):
Free T3: 3.30 (2.77-5.27)
Free T4: .98 (.79-2.35)
TSH: 1.080 (.465-4.68
My Doctor was satisfied with these results but agreed to try me on Armour due to my complaints of continuing symptoms.

5/11 
Labs prior to that (on 88mcg Levothyroxine):
T4: 1.65 (.82-1.77)
T3: 3.6 (2-4.4)
TSH: .052 (.450-4.5)
This is when my dose was reuced to 75 mcg of Levothyroxine.

I should also note that I became pregnant in 5/11 and miscarried in 6/11. At the time of miscarriage my labs were:
T4: 1.30 (.82-1.77)
TSH: .341 (.450-4.5)

I'm not indicating that the miscarriage was due to thyroid, but before trying again, I want to make sure I am feeling well.

I also had a 24 hour adrenal test done in 7/11. The results are:
8am: 25 Elevated (13-24)
noon: 9 Normal (5-10)
5pm: 9 Elevated (3-8)
Midnight: 9 Elevated (1-4)
Cortisol Load: 52 (23-42)
DHEA: 5 Normal (3-10)
Total Salivary SIgA: 10 Depressed (25-60)

My Doctor has put me on Adaptocrine and topical medication called AdrenaCalm in hopes of calming down my adrenals.

So.. with all of that, I have been feeling lousy and have been missing work or not functioning well at work. Based on my labs, can anyone suggest any medication changes for my thyroid? Could my adrenals be playing a big part in my thyroid function?

It seems that Levothyroxine should be making me feel better. When my TSH is suppressed, my T4 and T3 are more in optimal range. But then doctors see the suppressed TSH and lower the dose. I also don't want to have another miscarriage due to going hyper. Is there a way (supplements, etc) to have a normal TSH and optimal T4/T3?


----------



## lainey (Aug 26, 2010)

You have to have a FREE T3 test when taking medications containing T3 (like Armour).

Armour contains more T3 in a ratio that is more than is normally produced by the body. The result of this is low (suppressed) free T4 results, and sometimes TSH results. Your current labs look "normal" for someone taking this medication.

Some people do have difficulty handling T3 medications. Normally your thyroid produces mostly T4, which is converted by the body to T3. People can react strongly to T3 when they take it directly.

It is sometimes difficult to get doctors to focus on the free T4 and T3 instead of just the TSH. From the looks of your labs your "real" dose actually falls somewhere between 75 and 88mcg of T4. The way to achieve this would be to get a little creative with the dosing by perhaps taking an extra 75mcg pill per week or something similar.


----------



## Adrienne (Aug 19, 2011)

I am dealing with something sort of similar right now (but in smaller dosages) so unfortunately I wont be much help but I did read that some people react to the T3 in combo meds by producing less T3 on their own. The body realizes all this T3 from the med is there so it stops converting it. Apparently this only happens to a small percentage of people. I was very disappointed because I thought Armour was going to be the answer to my continuing symptoms! I felt so bad after being on Armour for a few months that I switched back to Synthroid 6wks ago, unfortunately I'm still not feeling great but I'm hoping its the adjustment phase.


----------

