Re: question re ramping up Armour

[Guest guest]

Hi Marie ~ This what Stop the Thyroid Madness

(www.stopthethyroidmadness) say about the ramping up of Armour:

" Generally, we and certain informed doctors have found that a safe

dose to start on is around one grain, which is 60 mg (or less for

those with severely challenged adrenals). We then hold that for a

week or two at the most to allow our bodies to adjust to the direct

T3, then start raising about 1/2 grain every few weeks. If we fail to

raise from a starting dose within two weeks or less, our hypo starts

to return with a vengeance due to the hypothalamus/pituitary/thyroid

feedback loop. When we get to the 3 grain area, we have found it wise

to hold our doses at least 4-6 weeks to allow the T4 in Armour to

fully build and show it's T4-to-T3 conversion results. Failing to do

so can cause a patient to dose far too high, with hyper symptoms to

match. It appears that most of us end up needing 3-5 grains at the

minimum when we find our optimal dose, mentioned below.

> I recently started taking Armour and I'm at 1.5 grains since last

> week. Before this I was taking 225mcg daily dose of T4. "

I know what you mean about the cost/benefit aspect of this. Are your

adrenals fully supported for you to go ahead and do an increase?

Mo

>

> My hypo symptoms are getting worse, presumably because I'm taking a

> lower overall dose of hormone. In particular, the sleep deprivation

> and migraines are making life pretty rough at the moment.

>

> I want to increase to 2 grains to stop myself getting further into

> hypo territory, however I've only been on 1.5 grains for a week. It

> seems to make sense to me to NOT let myself get more hypo, although

I

> know that I should ideally wait 2 weeks to increase the dose.

>

> It just seems to me that the side effects of getting more hypo are

> worse than anything that might happen from adding an extra 1/2

grain a

> week earlier than I should.

>

> Does anyone know of a reason why I shouldnt increase at this stage?

> thanks, Marie

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Mo,

Thanks a million; thats exactly what I was hoping to hear. I am on

adrenal support still; HC & DHEA and it is definitely helping.

The Armour is definitely doing something good; for instance my

tolerance to cold is improving and this cold snap we're having is

testing that to the max ! But I'm pretty sure I need more, so I'm

really happy to read what you've written.

thanks, Marie

[Guest guest]

Hi Sheila

Thank you for your comments. I take your point about the wisdom of

increasing slowly, but I finally caved today. Truth be told, 5

straight days of headaches and a week of ever worsening insomnia

finally ground me down. Also, I reason that whatever benefit I might

derive from Armour is being negated by the sleep deprivation.

In hindsight, I might have been better to maintain some amount of T4

while introducing Armour just to prevent this sort of thing. That way

my T4 levels wouldnt have taken such a nose dive. As I increased the

Armour I could have decreased the T4. Ho hum... you live and learn.

As you say its an experimental process in any case.

Thanks also for your advice on hitting the " sweet spot " , I'll check

out that file and commit it to (my rapidly failing) memory

Marie xx

[Guest guest]

I

wonder if you have an adrenal problem that is stopping the absorption of your

Armour - worsening insomnia could mean you are putting out too much cortisol at

night when you should be sleepy and getting the rest you need - and

also getting the headaches could be a sign of the struggle between thyroid and

adrenals.

Luv -

Sheila

Thank you for your comments. I take your point about the wisdom of

increasing slowly, but I finally caved today. Truth be told, 5

straight days of headaches and a week of ever worsening insomnia

finally ground me down. Also, I reason that whatever benefit I might

derive from Armour is being negated by the sleep deprivation.

__

[Guest guest]

mollybawn2000 wrote:

>

> Does anyone know of a reason why I shouldnt increase at this stage?

> thanks, Marie

Only if you have a heart condition. Sudden changes can induce an

" oscillation, " but only if you have some thyroid function left. If you

have a clean cardiac record, this should be even less of a risk.

Chuck

[Guest guest]

Thanks Chuck and Sheila. I dont have any heart problems but I think

Sheila you might be right about ongoing adrenal problems. I've

increased my HC just to see if it helps.

thanks again!