Does anyone else find that certain symptoms return to signal that they need a dose of Armour? I'm sensitive to the cognitive issues and find that when I need more Armour it feels like my brain is rather hungry. It's scary to be so dependent on a drug and I'm sometimes tempted to try and quit, but I always take the dose in the end. I'd love to hear from anyone who's gone through this. Do the "needy" symptoms stop when we reach and optimal dose? Thanks for your help.

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It's not that you're "dependent on a drug" though. A lot of people seem to think of their thyroid medication as a "drug", but EVERYONE is TOTALLY dependent on thyroid hormones. The only difference between us and people who aren't on prescription replacements is that our bodies aren't producing as much as they need.

So, I'd assume, no the "needy" thing won't disappear, because that's your body's way of saying "Hey, I've run out of that last dose of T3, gimme more!"

I start getting really tired when I'm ready for my next dose, personally ... like right now, now that you mention it. ;-)

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Technical Help For the New Site (Please post your questions!)

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[moved to the forums here: Armour: Finding the right dose]

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Thanks for the reminder, Mivox. Yes, it is something our bodies need. In fact this is what I'm feeling in more immediate, physical ways every day. I'm just a little uncomfortable continually raising without some sense that I will reach a plateau eventually...the maximum amount my body will need, equivalent to the amount it made when I was thyroid-healthy. Without that sense it CAN (at this phase in my treatment) feel like I'll constantly be needing more. Does this make sense?

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Because T3 is the "active" form of thyroid hormone, when you take Armour your body begins using the T3 immediately, and when it runs out it will always need more. The fact that you get tired when it's time for your next dose doesn't, IMO, mean that you need to take a higher dose.

That's where blood tests come in handy, IMO. Knowing when you're at a fairly normal level ... when your Free T's are well in normal range, and your TSH is below 2 (I'd hazard to say below 1, but that's just based on my own experience of when I start feeling best), then you're probably at or near where you should be.

But as long as you're needing to take hormone replacement, and you're taking something with T3, I think your body reacting to the previous dose's T3 being 'used up' is something I'd be expecting.

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How to Use the New ThyroidStory Site (Where & How to Post)
Technical Help For the New Site (Please post your questions!)

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moved to forums here

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moved to forums here

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moved to the forums here

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Antoinette, most of your questions here really would be more appropriate in the forums, since they don't have much to do with the topic of the original post here anymore. ;-)

I'm going to move some of your posts there, now ... and in the future, if you're not commenting directly on one of the blog posts, feel free to start a new forum topic with your questions! (It makes it easier for other users to find information later! :-)

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How to Use the New ThyroidStory Site (Where & How to Post)
Technical Help For the New Site (Please post your questions!)

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you may have adrenal fatigue. try taking cortef 5mg 4 times a day for a while to see if this helps. you need a Rx for this. hard to find a doctor that will prescribe cortef. i do much better on armour and split my dose. i'm up to 3grains/day. i am taking cortef right now to help with my latest dose increase but will be off soon. read more about adrenal fatigue

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Great post Mivox. This is the type of questions that many people share.

I agree with this person's post. If you are in adrenal fatigue, it means that your adrenal glands are unable to keep up. If you add exogenous thyroid hormone, you will rev up your metabolism and create a greater demand on your adrenals (which already stink).

You can do a salivary hormone test that shows adrenal function throughout the day. You should have a high level of cortisol in the morning and lower at night, and a lower level of DHEA in the morning and higher at night. Finding out where these hormones are throughout the day will tell you how to treat it.

As a general rule, you should treat an adrenal problem before addressing the thyroid issue (there are exceptions).

Here's a link for more info: http://thyroidsolutions.blogspot.com/2007/11/caution-armour-thyroid-is-not-100-safe.html

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I take cortef 5mg in am and one at noon. Also take 30mg of DHEA in am. Have been having crushing fatigue and "panic-attack" like symptoms. Decided to forgo the DHEA and only take 5mg. of cortef yesterday. Felt somewhat better. Asked doctor about taking dhea and cortef...said to cut back dhea to 15mg. Took it this morning and the crushing fatigue has returned. Anyone else out there encountered this problem.....cortef and dhea problems?

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