Proper taking of thyroid meds

[Guest guest]

These are the most common mistakes which occur when a switch has been

made to Armour/Naturethroid/Thyroid-S, etc. and

YOU can avoid them by being familiar with the below!

1. STICKING WITH TOO LOW A DOSE. For a myriad of reasons, this

happens often. Patients will be on inadequately low doses

due to: 1) being held on a starting dose too long, 2) being bound by

the directives of a TSH-obsessed doctor, 3)

failing to get a raise of Armour until the " next labwork " , which can

be weeks and months away, 4) following an inaccurate

Synthroid-to-Armour conversion equivalency chart, 5) being forced to

lower a dose due to a high free T3 with continuing

hypo symptoms, which is a sign of low cortisol, not too much Armour,

or 6) being afraid to go higher.

For example, a patient makes her way up to 1-2 grains, notices

great improvements, but also has continuing problems.

OR, a patient makes her way up to 2 grains and notices NO

improvement. And it's common to think that Armour is not working!

In reality, it may simply mean a patient isn't on enough! Most

patients need 3-5 grains before completely ridding themselves

of symptoms. It can also be very wise to check adrenal function,

since low cortisol can prevent thyroid hormones from

making it to the cells….and you will still feel bad.

2. THINKING THEY ARE ON TOO MUCH BECAUSE OF HYPER-SYMPTOMS . It's

common to think that because a patient is having

hyper-like symptoms (anxiety, shakiness, fast heart rate, etc),

especially on doses lower than 3 grains, they are on too

much. Often, though, the hyper-like symptoms could be the result of

underlying low-functioning adrenals (i.e. not enough

cortisol), or even a low Ferritin—-each and/or both of which can be

quite common in hypothyroid patients. So it can be wise

to get both your Ferritin and cortisol levels checked. Ferritin is

easily checked via a blood test, and if a patient

is below 50, it can cause problems. As far as Cortisol levels,

patients have found that the most accurate test is NOT a

one-time blood test, but a 24 hour adrenal saliva test, which catches

your levels during a 24 hour period. If money is

an issue, try the self-tests on the ADRENAL INFO page on this site.

Additionally, if you raise too quickly, or in too large a dose

raise, your body can overreact, making you think you

were on too much. The solution for patients has been to go back where

they were, and go up in smaller increments, such as

1/4 grain.

3. FAILING TO MULTI-DOSE. Occasionally, some patients take their

natural thyroid all at once in the morning and say

they do fine. But… most individuals will notice much better results

by multi-dosing. For example, a person on 3 1/2

grains might take 2 grains in the morning, one grain by noon or in

the early afternoon, and 1/2 grain by mid-afternoon.

Multi-dosing better imitates what your own thyroid would be doing,

and gives you the direct T3 throughout the day when you

most need it. Spreading out the Armour also prevents stress on your

adrenals.

4. FAILING TO TAKE ARMOUR SUBLINGUALLY. It's a given that patients

CAN have success with swallowing Armour. But,

even better success can be noted by doing Armour sublingually, i.e.

placing the tablet between your inner check and

gum, or under your tongue… and forgetting about it. Why? Because

nearly 100% is utilized when you do it sublingually, vs.

the large amount you lose when swallowing due to stomach acids and

liver processing. Some patients who switched

from swallowing their pills to sublingual discovered they could take

LESS Armour than when they swallowed, and get the

same great results!

5. SWALLOWING NATURAL THYROID WITH ESTROGEN, CALCIUM or IRON.

Estrogen, calcium and iron bind some of the thyroid

hormones and makes them unusable. So… it's wise to avoid swallowing

these at the same time you swallow your natural thyroid.

(Again, another reason to do sublingual for Armour, and for the other

natural thyroid if you can survive their taste!)

6. STAYING ON A STARTING DOSE TOO LONG. This is a common mistake.

When first starting on Armour or any natural thyroid

product, it can be wise to start on one grain or less. BUT… patients

have found it UNWISE to stay on that low dose much

longer than 2 weeks without raising. Why? Because hypothyroid

symptoms can return with a VENGEANCE.

7. THINKING ARMOUR IS NOT WORKING WHEN SOMETHING ARISES. Armour

contains direct T3, and the T3 can initially aggravate

certain conditions. When this happens, patients have simply stopped

the increase of their Armour , or decreased it to give

the reaction time to go away. An example is Mitral Valve

Prolapse–one

patient noted that with each raise, she had palps.

But they went away within the first 5 days after each raise. One gal

got itchy when she got on Armour, and was so determined

to blame Armour that she got off, got back on Synthroid, and is STILL

itchy.

8. ADDING T4 or T3 to ARMOUR TOO SOON! Most patients report that

they do perfectly fine on Armour alone, especially

when they have taken the time to raise and find their optimal dose,

which is often over 3 grains and has removed all

hypothyroid symptoms. But some patients and their doctors feel the

need to add either synthetic T4 or T3 to their natural

thyroid dose to achieve a certain result . The challenge is in not

adding it too soon, otherwise you miss out on the benefits

of the T4, T3, T2, T1 and Calcitonin. Instead, if they had simply

upped their Armour more, they might have gotten the

results they desired. Occasionally, a patient may suspect they have

thyroid hormone resistance when 5-6 grains of Armour

is not doing the job. At this point, they add T3, or Cytomel, to

their dose, to achieve results. Addtionally, since most

patients on an optimal dose of Armour only achieve a mid-range T4,

some are adding a small amount of T4 to raise the level.

9. GOING UP WITH DOSAGES WAY TOO FAST. This was observed a few

years ago: a patient got on Armour. One grain, then 2

grains, 3 grains, 4 grains, 5 grains, then 6 grains. But the problem

was that he did this within 4-5 weeks! OUCH!! He started

to find himself majorly overdosed with symptoms to match. He had to

stop for a few weeks… then resume again at one grain

and do it the right way. Namely, patients have noted that after they

have been on a starting dose for a few weeks, they

can start rising by 1/2 grain or so every 2-3 weeks. It's all

individual, but that seems to be the general amount to raise.

They also note that when they get up to 2-3 grains, it's time to hold

each dose at least 4-5 weeks to allow the buildup of

the T4, and to see it's conversion to T3 results.

10. PAYING TOO STRICT ATTENTION TO LABS. Unfortunately, thyroid

patients have noticed that doctors tend to treat lab results

rather than treat PATIENTS. Labs are interesting, and labs are good

adjuncts to the full spectrum of dosing. BUT… SYMPTOMS

are IMPORTANT. For example, patients have learned that even if there

is a very suppressed TSH, and/or a high free T3, yet

symptoms continue, it's important to look at one's adrenal function,

since low cortisol can make the free T3 go high while

symptoms continue.

11. THINKING YOUR DOCTOR KNOWS MORE THAN YOU DO. Granted, we have

great respect for education, and we appreciate

the knowledge that a medical school trained doctor brings to our

health quest. It's important! BUT… that education does NOT

take away from our OWN knowledge and our OWN intuitive sense about

our bodies… about what works, about what doesn't work…

no matter what that doctor says. This website represents just that!

So, patients have discovered that the doctor-patient

relationship is best as a TEAM, with respect going BOTH directions.

Doctors are not " gods " . They can and DO make mistakes

in judgement. TEAMWORK counts. Find a good doc!!

Janie

THYROID MADNESS DEFINITION:

1. Treating hypothyroid patients solely with T4-only meds

2. Dosing solely by the TSH and the total T4, or using the

outdated " Thyroid Panel "

3. Prescribing anti-depressants in lieu of evaluating and treating

the free T3

4. Telling thyroid patients that desiccated natural thyroid like

Armour is " unreliable " , " inconsistent " , " dangerous " or " outdated " .

5. Making labwork more important than the hypo symptoms which scream

their presence

6. Failing to see the OBVIOUS symptoms of poorly treated thyroid, and

instead, recommending a slew of other tests and diagnoses.