RE: T4&T3 ratio in Armour etc.in Hypothyroidism

[Guest guest]

Hi , That may be just fine is you are a good converter, but for some of us need to add more T3 to the armour! Maybe if we had armour at the start of treatment then the situation would be as you describe, but the conversion mechanism seems to get worn out for some of us who have been on T4 only for years- as this is profoundly unnatural. Armour does need to have T4 or T3 added for individual need. I tried Artificial T4/T3 combo and felt very poorly- I just could not find a balance that worked, but Armour and T3 work for me. One size does not fit all, which is why all options need to be availble for individual circumstances. > thyroid treatment > From: valerie@...> Date: Sun, 6 Feb 2011 12:11:41 +0000> Subject: T4 & T3 ratio in Armour etc.in Hypothyroidism> > I was reading and interesting article online by an American doctor. He suggested that the fact that (according to him) the Armour ratio of T4 & T3 is 80% & 20% whereas the human ratio is 98% & 2% means that one may do very well on Armour for a few months and then not so well as the T3 is too much. He suggests that for this reason a synthetic T4 & T3 treatment in the right ratio is better or an additional dosage of synthetic T4 if one is on Armour etc. Anybody out there got any opinions and how would one go about adding some T4 to NDT if the NDT doesn't seem to be working as well as it did previously. (I'm not saying that this is what has happened to me, I'm just interested should anything like this happen as I have recently started NDT instead of Levothyroxine).> > > > ------------------------------------> > TPA is not medically qualified. Consult with a qualified medical practitioner before changing medication.> >

[Guest guest]

It appears that

some NHS doctors do not recommend natural desiccated thyroid because they

believe the amount of thyroid hormone varies between batches and/or they

believe the higher ratio of T3 to T4 in Armour could be harmful or cause

adverse reactions. The evidence does not support such reasoning, and in

fact the variation of thyroid hormone in Armour is minimal and well controlled

(maximum 5-10 %) as specified by the US FDA.

Armour Thyroid

does have a higher amount of T3 compared to T4 than the relative amounts of T3

to T4 secreted by the human thyroid gland. However, it is well documented that thyroid

extract is often more effective and is better tolerated than synthetic

preparations of T4, T3 and T4/T3 combination. This is because the T3 in natural

thyroid extract is absorbed more slowly than synthetic (purified, unbound) T3.

The normal

thyroid gland contains approximately 200 mcg of T4 per gram of gland, and 15

mcgs of T3 per gram. The ratio of these two hormones in the circulation

does not represent the ratio of the thyroid gland, since about 80% of

peripheral T3 comes from monodeiodination of T4. Peripheral

monodeiodination of T4 also results in the formation of reverse T3, which is

inactive.

A similar ratio

can be obtained by prescribing both Armour and synthetic thyroxine, although

clinical response and symptom control should take precedence over a theoretical

ideal. Perhaps the ultimate form of thyroxine for difficult patients is

whole thyroid extracted from animals, such as Armour thyroid tablets.

Start

the NDT on it's own and see whether or not your dosages of T4/T3 do need

adjusting. We are all different and need different amounts to the next guy. I

needed 25mcgs T4 adding to my 2 grains of Armour, but now I don't need any T4.

Some people need additional T3, some tiny amounts, some large amounts such as

adding to their Armour. Some don't need any adjustments. The beauty of

natural desiccated thyroid is that your body knows very quickly if it is

suddenly taking too much or too little, and you adjust according to what your

body is telling you.

Some

doctors will find any excuse to try to get their patients back onto synthetic T4/T3

combination. Remember, the drug companies don't make any money from natural

medicines, as they cannot patent them, so will do whatever is necessary to try

to make patients believe the synthetic is best.

Luv

- Sheila

I was reading and interesting article online by

an American doctor. He suggested that the fact that (according to him) the

Armour ratio of T4 & T3 is 80% & 20% whereas the human ratio is 98%

& 2% means that one may do very well on Armour for a few months and then

not so well as the T3 is too much. He suggests that for this reason a synthetic

T4 & T3 treatment in the right ratio is better or an additional dosage of

synthetic T4 if one is on Armour etc. Anybody out there got any opinions and

how would one go about adding some T4 to NDT if the NDT doesn't seem to be

working as well as it did previously. (I'm not saying that this is what has

happened to me, I'm just interested should anything like this happen as I have

recently started NDT instead of Levothyroxine).