Menopause & Armour Thyroid
annelind
22 years ago
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22 years agoannelind_cdreams_com
22 years agoRelated Discussions
Anyone take thyroid medication?
Comments (22)Hi there...popping in to conversations this evening. I'm hypo, but my issue is different. TSH tells your body to make T4 T4 converts to T3 and Reverse T3 T3 is works at the molecular level in your body. In the US, most doctors will tell you that Reverse T3 has no impact. Others will tell you that R T3 will impart your body's ability to absorb and use T3. So back to me....I don't convert T4 to T3 well. When I Finally found someone who would treat me, my RT3 was through the roof and my T3 was really low. My TSH and T4 were borderline. I was exhausted and had gained a lot of weight - including a 20lb weight gain over less than three months. I actually went to an endocrinologist who told me he could see something was wrong, but couldn't treat me because my TSH and T4 were both borderline normal. It took 10 years to find someone who would look beyond the standard tests and help me. I am on a compounded T3 only. T3 has a short uptake, so many doctors who prescribe it will have you get a compounded sustained release formula. I've tried Armour and supplementing with T4 with no benefits. It is also not uncommon for hypo patients to also be low D and B. Here are some resources that helped me finally understand the condition. Mary Shomon is a thyroid advocate and has written many books on the subject. Google her for a link to her website. Her site lead me to Holtorf Medical Group in Torrance, CA. Their website is Holtorfmed.com. This is where I first started getting treated. My only caution is that while they were more aggressive with testing and research, he seems to be pushing for the money and I was less impressed with the other doctors in the practice. That being said, the website has very valuable information....See MoreCan you find Armour thyroid medication?
Comments (7)Yes, Vickij, that's what I do, just bring my empty bottle to the new pharmacy. Luckily, I'm in the computer at just about every pharmacy in three towns. LOL I have them do the transfer while I wait - it's not a complex procedure and they generally don't push it off until it's convenient (as sometimes happens with transfers) if you're standing there - and thus far every pharmacy I've been to has been ethical enough not to sell their supply of any medication out from under me when they have a valid rx bottle or box sitting on the counter to be processed and they've told me they had it in stock. Your other option is when you have your doctor's appointment, have him/her write a separate paper prescription for each month's supply, no refills, to cover you until your next appointment. Hardcopy prescriptions for non-controlled substances are good for 12 months. They'll moan and whine but if you explain the situation they're usually more cooperative. Then when you call around and find some Armour, you can run over with a fresh paper prescription to fill rather than wasting time with transfers. That's what my previous endo did during one of the past Armour shortages. I plan on doing a combination of this and having my prescriptions written differently so they can be filled with any dessicated thyroid product rather than just Armour, if I don't go the compounding route. The way the script should be written is "Natural desiccated thyroid" and the amount in grains rather than milligrams. I may also have him write the scripts so they can be filled with either 2 pills of 1-grain (equivalent to 65mg) or 1 pill of 2-grain (130mg) in order to get maximum flexibility. If I could get to my doctor's office now, I'd have him set me up for a several-months' supply of Armour 240mg and to heck with the crumbling problem when splitting them, since drugstore.com does have 240mg and 300mg in stock, and just pay for it myself. 180 tablets of 240mg (which would be a year's worth for me) is about $140. People have been reporting problems importing natural porcine thyroid from Canadian pharmacies, including confiscation of the meds by US Customs, but if you're interested in going that route here's a list of supposedly reputable online pharmacies. See, problem is that natural dessicated thyroid was never actually approved by the FDA under modern standards - it was "grandfathered" in as legally prescribable because it had been in use for many years when the FDA was established. Unfortunately, the FDA is seeking to rescind that and force the manufacturers to go through the entire FDA approval from scratch. This is not likely to be profitable for the manufacturers. There is also pressure on the FDA from groups like American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and the American Thyroid Association, both of which advocate removing natural thyroid from the market entirely, claiming it's "dangerous" and "unreliable" compared to levothyroxine (Synthroid, etc.). However, both groups and their members do accept grants and other financial support from the manufacturers of levothyroxine drugs, which creates a major ethical issue....See MoreOrganic_Donna - How's the Armour working?
Comments (20)vickij, Check out the forum that I linked in one of my above posts. Also check out Mary Shomon's site and Stop The Thyroid Maddness site. There is so much info on Armour. bigbaby, I commend you for trying to live a more healthy lifestyle. There is a lot of info to help you learn about a natural life. I like Dr. Andrew Weil's books. As far as eating, try to eat foods in their natural state, i.e. from the ground, the sky, the water, not a box, bag or can. Eat a lot of fish, brown rice, fruit, vegetables, nuts, olive oil, small amounts of antibiotic free meats, whole wheat pasta, (unless you are going gluten free), organic dark chocolate, 60% or higher Cocoa. STAY AWAY from sugar, too much dairy, chips and all junk foods, cookies, cakes etc., meats injected with growth hormones, soft drinks, juices, alchohol, anything out of a box, bag, (except frozen veggies), or can. You get the picture. Try and walk daily and live a stress free lifestyle. Listen to your body!!! If something doesn't feel right find out why. Western medicine loves to throw pills at any symptom. Sometimes pills are a necessary evil. Most times a lifestyle change would benefit more. Do you know what the number one risk factor for heart disease and cancer is? Constipation. That's why diet is so important. You only have this one body. Put the best foods you can afford in it. Organic is best if you can pay the prices. Nourish your body with fresh healthy foods and it will give you many years of vitality. Try and keep stress levels low and get a good nights sleep. Donna...See MoreQuestion for those with autoimmune thyroid (Hashi's or Graves)
Comments (1)No, I've never worked shift work and I'm not at all familiar with the studies you link. I was diagnosed with Graves in 1992, Hashimoto's about 10 years later, pretty much on the 'schedule' my endo had told me to expect. We treated Graves conservatively, PTU orally and it went into remission over time, now years later I take levothyroxine daily. Truthfully, I wasn't particularly ill with either disease, it was more like I was functioning but with a lot of little health annoyances :) - of course with annual screening, the Hashimoto's was detected and given attention early. I didn't have time to become too symptomatic, my doctor caught the change right away....See Moredskoeltzowx_aol_com
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