[sutan351]

#1018729

I apologize if there have been previous discussions on this topic……I was unable to find

Can someone please explain the issue going on with Armour Thyroid ( I believe it’s unavailable) and if you have found this more effective than Synthroid.

I was Hyper with TED – now Hypo after RAI in April. I have been on Synthroid since June with my TSH going from 84 to 17 to 12. My endo has increased my dosage each time. Now at 125 mcg. I have tolerated Synthroid for the most part, but still struggle with fatigue and weight gain.

I saw a Dr. on a local show today talking about Armour Thyroid and it’s effectiveness at turning T4 into T3 (something Synthroid can’t do…he said) and how his patients immediately benefitted from Armour Thyroid. But when I went to check it out online – I found a great deal of controversy. Including it’s unavailability.

I was hopeful seeing this report today – and thought this mighht be the answer. Has anyone found other compound supplements to help with T4 to T3 Conversion. Or is it just ‘waiting’ longer to get my TSH in normal range?

Thanks for any comments,
Sandy

[Bobbi]

#1066769

I don’t know about its availability. I have seen occasional posts here on the board (although not recently) about people taking it.

Armour, as I understand it, is made up of animal thyroids. Rightly or wrongly, I have always imagined the process of making the pills for Armour as something similar to making hamburger. Animal thyroids are collected, ground up, processed into pill form. Because whole thyroids are being used, and thyroids store their hormone for future use, there is a full compliment of thyroid hormone in the armour product. By this I mean all of the various chemical compounds that the thyroid makes at any point in time — and there are several — are present in the final Armour product. The major components, though, would be T3 and T4.

Synthroid and the other similar replacement hormones are made up of man-made chemicals. The man-made chemicals are identical to our body’s own T4. Approximately 80% of a thyroid gland’s hormonal output is T4. T4 is actually a "pro-hormone" inasmuch as it cannot get into cells to stimulate cell metabolism unless it is converted into T3. It must be converted into T3. It constantly being converted into T3 in a variety of places throughout the body, but primarily in the liver. Our bodies are designed to convert T4 into T3. So in that respect, the fellow you heard, or read, was wrong. We do need T3, but the body does convert T4 into T3.

There has been discussion, as you have found, about whether it is better to take the synthetic replacement products that are only T4 or whether Armour is more "natural." Indeed, in the earliest days, those of us without thyroids would have been kept alive by having animal thyroid glands slipped under the skin, allowing their hormone to pass into our bodies. The next step was to make pills out of animal thyroids. But how fresh were the thyroids? How to adjust for necessary dose? Was there degrading of the hormone content over time? These questions followed the Armour-type products when they started being used. My understanding was that there were consistency issues with the Armour-like products early on, and that doctors decided the safer replacement route was via synthetics. That problem was apparently resolved, I think — but I do not know for sure.

The problem doctors sometimes find with any product containing T3 is that T3 is extremely potent, while having a very short life-span. Taking it in a pill provides "oomph" when you take it, but not necessarily when your body needs it most. And in folks with any underlying heart issues, it can be dangerous. T4 provides a reservoir of hormone that is inactive until converted. It is there, waiting to be converted when the body needs it. It isn’t pumped into the cells the minute you take it. That, at least is the explanation given to me by my endo.

Talk with your own doctor — the doctor who knows YOUR medical condition. But if your doctor prefers to use synthroid-like products, please know that they DO convert to T3 in your body.

Wishing you well,

[sutan351]

#1066770

Bobbi,

Thank-you so much for you very through and timely response. I feel better knowing T4 converts to T3 from Synthroid and hope when my TSH levels are back in normal range – the fatigue and weight gain will improve.

I have seen those discussions about Armour on/off for years and was surprised when I looked at a consumer affairs website yesterday, how many folks were devastated by the lack of availability. When you see that many having success with Armour that experienced difficulties with Synthroid – it makes your mind start to wander.

I should know better than to try to find a ‘quick fix’ this far into the waiting game of Graves. I’ll keep waiting for that normal range of TSH to better judge.

It’s also gettting used to a new norm for now. When I was Hyper (I know it was a dangerous health state) I felt SO much better than I do now ….and am just trying to get back to a healthy state.

Again, I appreciate you comments.

Sandy

[Tamara2010]

#1066771

I heard this also, that armour makes you feel better than any others. I haven’t had RAI yet, but wanted to ask about Armour before I did, because I want to feel good before I let them kill my thyroid. It is so frustrating…all of this. Bless you.

[Bobbi]

#1066772

Tamara: Armour thyroid is not for patients who have hyperthyroidism. It is for patients who have had their thyroids removed, either by RAI or surgery.

[Ski]

#1066773

Recent studies using T3 replacement along with T4 (which is what Armour does) have shown that many people feel better taking Armour AT FIRST, but the effects either subside or the potency of the T3 begins to cause problems that feel very much like hyperthyroidism. A very tiny percentage of patients may actually need additional T3 due to problems converting T4 to T3, but it is uncommon.

For most people, taking T4 and relying on the body to convert it to T3 is sufficient.

[StellaC]

#1066774

I haven’t had any experience with Armour Thyroid, but when I first went hypo (and I went really, really hypo … ) my endo stared me out on 25 mcg of Sythroid (we had to take things slow) and because I was literally weeping with exhaustion in her office she also put me on Cytomel for 2 weeks to try to get me to feel better sooner. Cytomel is T3, has a really short half-life compared to synthroid (T4) and in my experience was really "potent." In fact it made me feel like I was hyper again – heart palpations, nervousness and irritability all returned full force while I was on it. Personally, although I’d really LOVE to have more energy I’m scared to do any sort of T3/T4 combo … I think I’d just as soon let my body convert the T4 into T3 at its own pace.

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