Anyone else on Levothyroxine? *Just got my Armour thyroid, pg 8*

[cjeanean]

Makes you wonder who the first person was who said, hey, lets eat this random part of the pig a little at a time and see what happens!

 

[babylady4]

The Armour works MUCH better for my sis than the the Levithyroxine. She picks it up at a special pharmacy (not walgreens and the like) but I think it is pretty reasonable in price. She might be getting it online as well....

If ANYBODY on this forum should be on the Armour I think it should be Red.....

Might want to change to it anyway, you might feel better. The Levityroxine is just T-4 (the docs expect your body to convert it into the T-3 you are missing but it does not always happen...), the Armour is both T-4 AND T-3.

Just an FYI, Hypothyroidism is the most abundant underdiagnosed health problem out there. It has so many non-descript symptoms that are not always present in a nice neat package for easy diagnosis.... that and docs just don't look for it.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
hee hee
I'll have to get me some more pet pigs...

 

[babylady4]

I'll put the encyclopedia away now.... sorry!

cjeanean; that could also apply to who decided to eat what comes out of a chickens butt! Or drink that white stuff from the cow!

 

[Eggs4Sale]

Quote:
Burt,
I beg you, if you're going to have to take thyroid meds, use Armour.

Will ask my Cancer Doc, about Armour. They just put me on it because of the tumor, It was found thru a pet scan. Just had a test Friday to see if it is cancer, also found fluid on my lungs. Going in for cat scan tomorrow. I just hope my cancer has not started to sprend.

Go back to the doc. Wednesday for results. will ask her then. THANKS for the info.

I hope the best for you.....

For Armour, you may have to insist. You may have to say "I will not take anything BUT Armour." and be serious about it. As you've read here, many doctors are reluctant to prescribe it. They get no kickback from it, perk-wise, because it costs like $ to $11 for a month's supply.

WARNING: They will tell you that there is a shortage of Armour, which there is. It is temporary, but there is no known date of resumption. If you go to Walgreen's for your prescriptions, you'll be out of luck. Find yourself a compounding pharmacist, first. He will be able to make the pills himself. Call ahead and ask first if he has the ingredients necessary to compound Armour.
When my pharmacy ran out of Armour, my pharmacist told me he could make them as a last resort, but to call around and see what I could find first. I scoured the city. Every single pharmacist told me to switch to Synthroid, that there was no alternative to Armour, no substitute at all. I called my pharmacist back and he had a batch for me the next day. He has made another month's worth since then, and it looks like it will be that way for a while.

I understand cancer of the thyroid is different than straight hypothyroidism.
DrLowe.com is a wealth of great information regarding the thyroid. There are many other books upon which you can waste money, such as Shaman's, but Dr. Lowe is the only reason I am alive today, with no exaggeration. I hope he can do the same for you. I'll look through and see if I can find anything to send your way.

 

[Eggs4Sale]

Quote:
hee hee
I'll have to get me some more pet pigs...

Red, I miscarried till I was on Armour. It's a common symptom of being undertreated for hypothyroidism. They won't generally admit that, though, and say miscarriage is common, so there's no connection.

Don't ask for it. INSIST! If your doc says no, go elsewhere. Naturopaths are more open to it. Find a compounding pharmacy, not Walgreens and the like. Your pharmacist will have to make it themselves, as Armour is currently only filling backorders.

Jeez, I wish you had said this months ago, girl. I would've said something!!!!

 

[shelleyd2008]

I've been on it for about 4 years. I had hyperthyroidism (Graves' disease), and was on PTU for that. I was very bad at taking my meds, so my doctor decided to do a radioiodine treatment, in an attempt to slow my thyroid down, since it was super high. It worked, killed it completely. I get rechecked every 6 months for my meds, and every time the dose is increased. I'm now taking .175 mcg a day. I have gained at least 40 pounds since I started this medicine, which I'm sure doesn't help with the increasing of the dosage. I still feel like garbage, so it probably needs to be increased again.

It is very difficult for the doctors to get you on the correct dose, they have to increase it gradually. I believe it takes 6 weeks for you to get the full effect of the dose. I've heard that Synthroid, although supposedly the same thing as Levoxyl, works much better. Unfortunately, Synthroid is the 'name brand' and Levoxyl is the generic, so many insurance companies won't pay for Synthroid. That's my problem, and I sure can't afford to buy it myself

 

[Eggs4Sale]

Quote:
I don't think the dosage is your problem.

 

[Eggs4Sale]

Quote:
"Most Common Cause of Fibromyalgia: The main cause of fibromyalgia has been determined. As I recently announced in France, in most cases, fibromyalgia is caused by inadequate thyroid hormone regulation of cell function. The inadequate regulation results from thyroid hormone deficiency and/or partial cellular resistance to thyroid hormone." - Dr. John Lowe

Levothroid isn't working for you.

I can't stress this enough, to all the people saying they're doing great, but they have to take other meds for other sypmtoms....... You still HAVE those symptoms because your meds aren't working on your body. Increasing your dosage is not going to alleviate your symptoms. Those symptoms are a result of your thyroid problem, so why treat the symptoms individually? We've all seen the list of thyroid symptoms. Treat the thyroid, fix the symptoms, right? But only if you're taking a good medication for your body.

 

[Melissakins]

I've been on synthroid for 6+ years now and am doing MUCH better than I was prior to being diagnosed.

I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and have appointments every four months for bloodwork. I also have high blood pressure and PCOS. Yay.

Mine was caused by excessive radiation due to a car wreck that happened when I was 9. Major x-rays to check for broken bones, then surgeries afterwards, braces, etc etc. Basically the radiation killed my thyroid. My GP kept a check on it, did the nuclear medicine scans of it fairly frequently, but no tests could determine that my growing thyroid had a problem other than it was just getting bigger. My OBGYN finally got me an appointment with an endocrinologist who knew immediately something was amiss. Blood tests and ultrasounds showed Hashimoto's.

I work with two folks who have thyroid disease. One had pre-cancerous changes in hers and the other person had to have hers killed with radiation and is being treated now for hypothyroidism - hers is some variation of an autoimmune problem with her thyroid, Can't remember the name.

I lost weight, but I'm still cold all the time and I get tired easily. Skin is dry, but lotion/creams work, hair is fine, no acne like I'd had. My doctor is keeping an eye on my parathyroid for problems with it as well.