Armour thyroid?

[Tarrenae]

My doctor has prescribed Armour thyroid 30 mg 2x day for low thyroid,I have never taken any sort of medication for thyroid before,and I am also very sensitive to any kind of drugs or chemicals,so I was wondering if any one who has used Armour have good/bad experiences with it and what sort of side effects might happen,im really worried about it making me sick or giving me a heart attack or something,maybe these fears are irrational but I get pre-drug anxiety.I've been feeling terrible with autoimmune related dizziness,chills,brittle falling hair,chest pains,etc.not to mention rapid weight gain...can someone give me some feed back plz? Also is it true you have to take it for life once you start?

[nawchem]

I am very drug sensitive also. My dr had me break the 30mg (half grain) pill into quarters, start with 1/4 and then increase 1/4 everyday. One of the side effects of the drug is tachycardia. It doesn't last forever but when you increase your dose you might get that. I didn't know that and called the paramedics when my heartrate went up to 200 the first night I had taken it. I don't know anyone else this has happened to. I always increase very slowly, 15mg per week.

Stay close to the bathroom everytime I have a thyroid increase I lose tons of water weight. I once lost 5" off my wrist in one week. Drink lots of water and I wouldn't recommend a 6 mile hike the first week.

You might feel strange in other ways too. You have to adjust to the medication. The first 3 months I just ate moderately and stopped going to the gym and just walked. I lost wt every week.

Don't take generic thyroid. Get the name brand because different brands are not consistant. I just saw this on about.com :
from Mary Shomon
Dear Readers, It's been a busy news week for thyroid disease. On Wednesday, some of the big names in thyroid disease went to the FDA to discuss their concerns over generic levothyroxine. Millions of people are prescribed generic thyroid medication. If you're one of them, you need to find out why the nation's top thyroid experts don't think you should be taking generic thyroid drugs.

I have become hyperthyroid twice in one year, then I have to cut way back on my medication until I'm hypo and then try to find the right level again. I had high blood pressure, insomnia, lost 1/4 of my hair and my heartrate was over 100 for several weeks. I will not take generics anymore.

Armour thyroid is cheap, it probably costs less then your insurance copay so don't let them do generics on you because of your insurance.

I have been on Nature-throid, its like armour just a different manufacturer for years. I really like it. I think most people stay on thyroid for life. The dose is somewhat weight dependent so you may decrease your dose as you lose wt. You are taking a small dose (I take 1.5x more and synthroid too).

Get copies of all your thyroid tests and write what dosages of medication you took and save it, you can see where your levels are when you feel good. Don't take thyroid medication before a blood test, your T3 will look high for a few hours after you take the pill when it may not really be.

Usually I feel really good when I increase the dose, I think my thyroid gland stops making thyroid a little bit, so then I'll feel low again in a couple of weeks. If you feel good then tired you probably just need to increase your dose a little.

[Nancy LC]

Some people do well with T3 containing thyroid preparations, some don't. I'm one of the ones that don't. Armour thyroid comes from ground up pig's thyroid glands, but it is measured and dosed as carefully as any other drug is. So it is very natural and quite similar to thyroid your own body would make. However, I think humans make less T3 thyroid than pigs do.

All in all though, if you're lacking sufficient thyroid hormone you'll feel MUCH better once you get what you need. It is something you could die from (lack of thyroid) if you weren't able to make any at all.

As far as worrying about a heart attack, you're just having groundless anxiety. If the dose is right (and you'll know if it isn't) you should have no problems. If it is too high, you'll feel miserable and will tell your doctor.