Hypothyroidism Support Group

Hypothyroidism is the disease state caused by insufficient production of thyrohormone by the thyroid gland. There are several distinct causes for chronic hypothyroidism, the most common being Hashimoto's thyroiditis and hypothyroidism following radioiodine therapy for hyperthyroidism. Advanced hypothyroidism may cause severe complications, the most serious one of which is...

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Advice on meds

franda123
franda123
Hi,
Can anyone please tell me if it is ok to take Levothyoxine with Armour thyroid first thing in the morning together. I currently take armour alone and have just been prescribed levo to bring my FT4 up? If anyone has a better system that will go easy on side effects I would appreciate any advice. The doses are 60mg armour twice a day and starting 12.5 of levo.
Thank you,
Fran
utahgal
utahgal
Yes, you can take them together. No problem.
franda123
franda123
Thank you
franda123
franda123
Do you know if I will be going backwards in any way doing this. I thought I read someone say you are starting over when you introduce a new med. Maybe I misunderstood. The reason being is because I do feel pretty well for the most part but still have some lingering symptoms.I believe this is probably due to low FT4 at 1.19. Ref range 0.8-1.82 and FT3 is 4.2 Ref range is 2.0-4.4. I pretty much medicate myself since I have a doctor that gives me this freedom to take or not to based on symptoms. That being said I have felt sick for so long I would do anything to feel completely normal again.
Thanks again,
Fran
utahgal
utahgal
No. You wouldn't be starting over. That's just if you were taking synthroid only and wanted to switch to armor only. Or visa versa.

You are just boosting your FT4 a bit. You are already stable on your armour. You'll be fine.
kklim
kklim
Hi Fran. I take my T4 and NDT together in the morning and at 4pm. No side effects from that. Prior to that I was on NDT only but, like you, my Free T3 was ok but Free T4 wasn't high enough.
franda123
franda123
Hi Kklim,
How much levo did you start with and was there any side effects or symptoms to be aware of? Do you think my FT3 is too high? How low was your FT4 versus you FT3 when you started and how much did it help bring it up?
Thanks,
Fran
utahgal
utahgal
12.5 mcg of Levo is a VERY small amount. You'll be fine.
kklim
kklim
Fran, I started on 25mcg T4 only when I was first diagnosed and the endo raised the dosage to 37.5mcg and then 50mcg. Didn't work for me as both FT3 and FT4 were still low. Switched to NDT on my own (docs where I live don't prescribe it) using the T3 and T4 equivalent dosages in one NDT pill (the numbers are in the Stop The Thyroid Madness website).

Had some reactions when I started on NDT (initially quarter pill in morning and another quarter mid-afternoon): tightness in neck, slight chest pain, pain in soles. There are normal -- just the body adjusting to having more T3 after so long. Moved up to one NDT late last year. Can't remember the last set of values (please do a search) but Free T3 was ok and Free T4 wasn't high enough so have since added T4.
GageL
GageL
Most people take both at the same time in the AM, sometimes divide the T4 dose morning and evening. I dont personally do that because it gives me insomnia but others have no issues.
Your 12.5 mg is extremely low, most people start at 25mg and then move way up from there.