# Need advice on Talking Idoral or going to armour



## gettinghealthy (May 13, 2011)

Hi there, 
I have borderline hypo I think
TSH 3rd generation is 4.75 (H)
T4 free 1.0
T3 total 71 (L)

I tried a very tiny dose of synthoid and went nuts with hyper symptoms and had to stop taking it. Then a couple of months later another dr. ( not an endo) said to try Iodoral. I had been taking a lot of kelp the last two months with no problem.

I took One table of 12.5mg. On the fourth day i felt speedy, and bad taste in my mouth, my nose was running. I couldn't move or function all day even more fatigue than I have been dealing with.

I am scared to keep taking the Iodoral, or should i break it in two and try a 1/2 a dose once a day?

I am also wondering if i should try armour instead of iodoral since i did not do well on a super low dose of synthoid.

I feel like the high mercury in my body is what is depressing my thyroid and want to look into chelation but i'm so fatigued I would like to get something to help me feel better to tolerate the chelation.

thanks for any insight you can provide on Iodoral or pros and cons of armour wtih my numbers.


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## lainey (Aug 26, 2010)

Excess iodine tends to cause hyperthyroidism in patients who have an underlying autoimmune thyroid disease.

The kelp and iodoral really are not appropriate unless you have been tested and found to be iodine deficient.

As for mercury testing, there are a lot of holistic and naturopathic doctors that propose it, then do it improperly. Mercury testing of the blood is very sensitive to recent consumption of mercury containing foods, such as fatty fish. Urine testing for mercury is only reliable if done WITHOUT a chelating agent of any sort--many of these doctors will give you a chelating agent (which washes mercury out, which all of us have in our body to some extent) and then read your results as positive. In general, mercury poisoning is in fact very rare in people who do not have some sort of consistent or unusual environmental exposure.

What are the dates on your most recent labs? You should post them with ranges.

If you have not had them done recently you need TSH, FREE T4, FREE T3 and thyroid antibodies.

Armour contains T4. If you felt that you were hyper on the very small dose of T4 medication Synthroid, you are not likely to do better on Armour. If you felt hyper on a small dose of T4 meds as reported, your doctor should also test for TSI (thyroid stimulating immunoglobin) along with the free T3 to see if you have competing antibodies, as this is often the case for people who don't tolerate replacement medication.


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## gettinghealthy (May 13, 2011)

Thank you for your response. 
I did have the labs done about two weeks ago.
TSH 3rd generation 4.75 range 0.40-4.50
T4Free 1.0 range is 0.8-1.8 ng
T3total 71 range is 76-181 ng
TSH receptor antibody is <0.3 U/L <1.0 u/L negative
Anti Mullerian Hormone ( AMH) <0.16 ng range 0.0-6.9 so this seems low
DHEA sulfate serum 140 ug range for me 19-210

TSI done in may 83% range is 0-139
Corisol ,Serum or Plasma Mass Spectrometry 25 ng/dL 8am 8.0-19
4pm 4.0-11 i did a test in the morning but not at 8am.

I did not seem to do well on the iodoral, i crashed hard after four days on that and it leads me to believe i may have secondary hypo or something with my adrenals.

I did test very high in mercury on hair and blood but i will not do anything on that until i can get my thyroid or andrenals better as i couldn't handle chelation right now.

Perhaps, if armour is not a good option i am at a loss as to what to try next.

Thanks


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

gettinghealthy said:


> Hi there,
> I have borderline hypo I think
> TSH 3rd generation is 4.75 (H)
> T4 free 1.0
> ...


Welcome!! In the future, we do need ranges enclosed w/ the results as different labs use different ranges.

Because your TSH is a little high, one would think hypo but I personally am not so sure of that.

Antibodies' testing is highly recommened to get to the bottom of this. You see, if you are not hypo but in fact are hyper, you could be in trouble taking thyroxine replacement.

TSI (thyroid stimulating immunoglobulin),TPO (antimicrosomal antibodies) TBII (thyrotropin-binding inhibitory immunoglobulin), 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/

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. 
http://www.medicineonline.com/topics/t/2/Thyroid-Stimulating-Immunoglobulin/TSI.html

And, now I see you added your ranges in another post. You are hyper.

Also, get a FREE T3 run. FT3 is your active hormone.

I can not tell you what to do but I do not think you should be taking any thyroxine or Iodoral at this time.

Also am of the opinion that your doc should order an ultra-sound to see if there is anything suspicious of cancer of the thyroid.


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## gettinghealthy (May 13, 2011)

i did have a thyroid ultrasound in may which was normal so that looked fine.

I don't seem to have hyper symptoms but hypo symptoms so that's why i'm confused.

I need to find a good endo in La and get the other labs you mentioned before taking armour or any more iodoral based on them thinking i am hypo.


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## lainey (Aug 26, 2010)

If you were simply hypo, you would not have any TSI--thyroid stimulating immunoglobin. You should not have ANY, and yours came in at 83%. This is likely the reason you do not tolerate replacement medications--you have competing sets of antibodies.

You should not be taking iodine. Thyroid medication is a difficult proposition in this situation.

The symptoms for hyper and hypo do cross over. We have a thread here for people who have TPO and TSI antibodies. You may want to explore it. The treatment for your situation is not quite so simple.


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## gettinghealthy (May 13, 2011)

THank you but i'm even more scared how long it's going to take to figure out what to take to help me feel better. Couldn't even trick or treat with my daughter tonight, laying down and couldn't barely move.

Is there a thread or title of that board you could send me? I couldn't find where to find that discussion.

Thanks so much!


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## lainey (Aug 26, 2010)

Here it is:

http://www.thyroidboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=24

You shouldn't be scared. The issue is getting proper testing and treatment. It can be done.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

gettinghealthy said:


> i did have a thyroid ultrasound in may which was normal so that looked fine.
> 
> I don't seem to have hyper symptoms but hypo symptoms so that's why i'm confused.
> 
> I need to find a good endo in La and get the other labs you mentioned before taking armour or any more iodoral based on them thinking i am hypo.


Symptoms can and do cross over, not to mention that you mentioned when you take your thyroxine, you feel "speedy!"


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## gettinghealthy (May 13, 2011)

I went to a dermo this week who said i looked 'thyroidy' whatever that means. That my hair looked limp and fried and my upper lids were puffy and hanging down to low to see my whole pupil. I told her i am trying to find a good endo and she said well they never address the hair and puffy edema skin issue. She wanted me to send her my thyroid labs give me a drug called Singulaire that she said will take down the allergic symptoms depending if i showed certain antibodies I think she meant the TSI which i do show. I then looked up the drug and there were certain women who BECAME hypo after taking it for it's main use which is asthma.

Has anyone heard of taking singulaire for hypo symptoms??

Thanks!


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

gettinghealthy said:


> I went to a dermo this week who said i looked 'thyroidy' whatever that means. That my hair looked limp and fried and my upper lids were puffy and hanging down to low to see my whole pupil. I told her i am trying to find a good endo and she said well they never address the hair and puffy edema skin issue. She wanted me to send her my thyroid labs give me a drug called Singulaire that she said will take down the allergic symptoms depending if i showed certain antibodies I think she meant the TSI which i do show. I then looked up the drug and there were certain women who BECAME hypo after taking it for it's main use which is asthma.
> 
> Has anyone heard of taking singulaire for hypo symptoms??
> 
> Thanks!


Is she thinking you are allergic to the kelp and excess iodine from other sources?

I really dislike using pharmaceuticals for purposes other than what they are intended for. I do think but am not 100% sure that Singular is adrenergic and if you are hyperthyroid, that could be life-threatening.

Recommend that you inquire about that.

Humble opinion.


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## gettinghealthy (May 13, 2011)

No, she was suggesting it by looking at me and my hair and wanted to see my TSI numbers. She said it helps those symptoms a lot and that Dermos know this but Endo's don't seem to use it or care about those symptoms as much.

Because it looked a little suspect when i researched it i have not filled the script or pursued it but i was curious if you had heard of anyone else being given Singulaire for hypo.

I"m still trying to find a good endo and get to the bottom of what i have. 
i stopped the kelp and iodoral months ago but there is still a little iodine in my multi vitamin.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

gettinghealthy said:


> Thank you for your response.
> I did have the labs done about two weeks ago.
> TSH 3rd generation 4.75 range 0.40-4.50
> T4Free 1.0 range is 0.8-1.8 ng
> ...


Thank you so much for the ranges. What did your doctor have to say about the TSI? This is why you cannot tolerate the thyroxine replacement.

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. 
http://www.medicineonline.com/topics/t/2/Thyroid-Stimulating-Immunoglobulin/TSI.html

TSH Receptor Antibody also confirms hyperthyroid.
http://jcem.endojournals.org/content/83/11/3781.full

Until you get a confirmed diagnosis, be very very careful of OTC and other meds. Anything adrenergic can be a bad event.

The reason your labs don't reflect re the TSH, FT4 and T3 is because there are binding, blocking and simulating antibodies and immunoglobulins at play here.


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