I'm a 40 year old female who has had thyroidectomy in June 2000 I ended up having them totally removed because of how many goiters were in my thyroid and they did not want me to go through the operation again. Well I was put on levoxyl and right after I had my surgery I began to lose weight while I did the somersize program. Anyway that didn't last very long I did the program and lost 35 pounds was very happy and then I started to notice all my symptoms come back that I had when I was Hypotyhroid I'm cold all the time My hair does not grow I never get a haircut. my end of my eyebrows have disappeared I am so tired that I sleep every afternoon for 2 hours and never feel rested all in all I have all the symptoms when I was hypothyroid and my weight has return completely and I still do the somersize program even though I don't lose anything. How can I have a normal tsh level and feel like I do? When I saw my doctor and brought up all these facts he basically looked at me as if to say stop eating the bon bons and do some exercices. I was so upset leaving that office like all these symptoms are in my head He never even asked me what type of exercises I do or what I eat to make a judgement like that. In matter of fact I rarely eat right now my husband and I own our own business and I have 3 kids so I'm always running for something, my husband can't understand it either he knows I don't eat alot He thinks it's just working out with weights I'm so lost! I brought up cytomel to my doctor and he totally went against it. Said it was artifical and only last for a day. I don't know what to do anymore? Any suggestions I did think about armour what about that med? Is there any problem from going from levoxyl to armour? Thank you jamv

When your not happy with the doctor you have, I would find another one who treats symptoms and not just the #s that are in front of you. I changed doctors and found a great endo. I take Armour thyroid and Compound T4. When I first started taking the Armour my labs were normal but borderline low. Fortunately, my doctor listened to me about my symptoms and put me on it.
Isn't the Levoxyl a T4 medicine only? Armour is made up of T3/T4 combo. It has more T3 then T4.
Hope this helps.

Thank you for the response I am going to change my doctor I have to go out of network on my plan because I only have 1 endo on it. Did you notice any side effects from the armour? and yes levoxyl is only t4. I read Mary Shomans web page and she has a lot of info on normal numbers that are not so normal and I printed the article that was from a doctor and wanted the present endo doctor I have now to read it and it was like I was questioning his expertise! THanks again jamv

I have not noticed any side effects with the Armour. Not any bad anyway. I have noticed a difference that I am not as tired as I use to be. My husband was getting sick of hearing me say that I was tired. I was constantly saying that, I was laying on the couch all the time. I was losing my hair before I started the Armour and that has changed. I noticed that my hair grows faster. Just a tremendous difference.
I hope you're able to find a good doctor.

Thank you for that! I am very tired and I lay on the couch every afternoon not knowing where my energy is and my hair has stopped growing all together I don't even get haircuts. That's very encouraging that there might be some kind of help for me I'm getting tired of my husband always telling me to work out because I lost all my muscle tone and that's why I'm so tired and anemic all the time! He really doesn't understand what I'm going through and that makes it a lot harder to deal with. Again Thank you Jamv

That was the same with me, I would go a year without getting my haircut and believe me it never grew much.
In Sept. or Oct. of last year I started getting my haircut again. My hair was long about to my lower back and now it's a little longer than shoulder length. Since I've been keeping it short, I was going in about every 6 weeks to get it cut. I guess I made up for all those years of not getting it cut.
Now I've waited 3 months because I'm letting it grow out since it will.
Anyway, hang in there.

Nice to hear from you again, My husband found a couple of pictures of me when my hair was long and i couldn't believe how different I looked I have an appointment with a doctor out of network who supposedly prescribes armour and I'm praying that he'll change my meds. I don't know what to say to hopefully guarantee me that he'll change them because I feel so burnt from the other doctor who wouldn't give me the time of day with all the hypo symptoms I have again. So I'm a tad nervous but I go in with some hope because of you! Thanks Jamv

The first doctor to check my thyroid was my ob/gyn. My results came back normal at least by there standards. Then I went to my regular doctor to see if maybe he would put me on Armour because my Free T4 test was borderline low. Well, he basically said no and that I could try an anti-depressant. Maybe that was why I was tired all the time. I left from there very angry. So, I changed doctors, I had told her what was going on and said the test showed that I was borderline hypo and asked if she would put me on a trial of Armour to see if that helped. And she did, I was totally shocked but definitely happy. Later I had got a referral to an endo. because my hormones were also messed up and she was going to put me on estrogen and I was breastfeeding my baby at this time. And the pharmacist said absolutely not that I should not be taking it. So, that is why I see the endo. now and she is great. I asked her about adding the T4 and she did.
Go into the doctor's office prepared. Tell him, you would like to try the Armour and see if it helps. It doesn't hurt to try. On a trial basis like I asked my doctor.
I know used to when I went to doctor's I would never ask questions or make suggestions to the doctor but after going and the doctor wanting to put me on anti-depressants because he didn't bother to listen to me about the Armour. I just lay it out now. It's like this is what's going on and this is what I want to try. The last visit with the endo., I had all my lab works from 6 months, showing her the difference in the #s.
Sorry this is so long.

No it's not long but very helpful and encouraging I'll do that I've got all my test results and they are borderline low too. I remember before my thyroid was removed too that I was anemic and after I had the surgery my symptoms went away a little I thought I was on the road to recovery and then It (they) all came back all the symptoms I had when I was hypo even the anemia so I'm going to go in and ask for a trial basis like you said and see if I can get the meds changed. It's worth a try, you have been a REAL HELP Thank you so much jamv

Let me know what happens with your doctor visit.

Take Care,
Dolores

Well you were right Doloresrod It pays to talk to someone else. I saw another doctor and he talked with me for a long time and stated to me that he thought I was on the wrong meds for a very long time and he switched me to armour and I just took my first pill today and I don't feel any difference. He put me on 2 grain and I don't know if that is high or not I am not familar with this medicine? I asked him if I will notice any changes from going from levoxyl to armour and he gave me the analagy it's like being on a train and jumping between a moving trains cars whatever that means I'm just happy to be able to switch and that someone listened to me for once and didn't think I was completely nuts with having all those symptoms back again. Thanks alot Jamv

I am so happy for you. Being on 2 grains, you should notice a difference in couple of weeks. My doctor had started me on a 1/2 grain for 2 weeks and I did not feel a difference with low of a dosage, then she upped to 1 and then to 1 1/2 and then when I seen then endo. she automatically upped to 2 grains. But you will feel a difference. Right now I am on 1 1/2 again because she added the compound T4 and I'm suppose to go have blood work done tomorrow. Keep me posted on how you're doing. There needs to be more doctors out there that actually listen to their patients. Did they not teach that in medical school? hahaha

You are so right about that, that doctors do not listen to the patients I think we know whats going on in our own bodies, to know when we are not feeling right. What is the reasoning for adding the t4? after you added it did you notice a difference? Hope the blood test go alright and let me know how you are doing Thanks Jamv

The reason for the T4 was because my Free T4 levels were still low, my T3 was high normal and the TSH was 0.1, she had basically said that my thyroid was mildly elevated and so I talked to her and said that the Free T4 level had barely budged and she didn't want to raise the Armour because it had more T3 then T4 so I asked her to put me on the compound T4 and she did. I have felt a difference, I've been able to start losing again, I've been on it for about 6 weeks now and about 3 weeks ago is when I started losing weight.

I didn't go have the blood work done today. I realized that my kids got out of school early. So, I am going to do it first thing Monday morning and then wait 2 weeks for the results. I'll let you know what the results are.