OUCH. That's quite the change.

It may take a few weeks for your body to adjust. Hang in there.

Thank you! I know it's terrible to feel this way! :(

Armour can't make you sick, but you may feel sick from the titration side effects.

I split my Armour into 3 doses and that works for me best.
7:00am, 11:00am, 1:45pm

Am wondering if the conversion is off.
I was on 100 levoxyl and 20 cytomel. I did take 1.5 grains (90) of Armour and TSH was peachy, but my frees were at the bottom. I increased to 2 grns (120) and frees still low. I am now on 3 grns (180) after the addition of Estradial and will test at the end of November.
I am still tired...
Constipation can very well be an indication of hypo, but you probably already know that. When I switched from sythetic to natural I felt a great deal better, even with a TSH of 30 due to the wrong conversion.
Your pharmacist may be able to tell you.

Good advice from StillListing

What are the titration side effects? The dosing or the mixture they use to make Armour?

I went back to Synthroid and Cytomel. Still not great but a least I don't feel sick to my stomach all day.

Titration side affect usually mean "titrating up from one dose to the next" it's PROCESS.

Meaning, to get to optimal, we have to start somewhere and we can't start at "THE dose for optimal" because our systems just can't handle it for the most part. It has to be done incrementally. Meaning, they generally start us off at one dosage 50mcg synthroid or whatever - and then we get labs (Free T3, Free T4, TSH) about six weeks later and adjust the dosage UP..until we get to where we need to be in order to live symptom free.

However, when we go "up" on a dosage old symptoms disappear, but new ones can appear - sometimes for just a few weeks and that's it - sometimes for longer. But, eventually all symptoms should be gone if we're on the "optimal dosage". Make sense?

When switching you from synthroid/cytomel to armour - here's what happened:
You went FROM:
125 mcg of T4
10 mg T3
TO:
135 Armour which breaks down this way----
One grain is 65 mg (actually 64.8) and contains .038 mg (or 38 mcg) of T4 and 9 mcg of T3 - you're on 135 - so lets do the math:
135/65=2.07 (our factor)
2.07 x 38= 78.92 mcg of T4
2.07 x 9 = 18.63

So what happened when he switched you is this:
You went from 125 T4/10 T3 to 78.92 T4/18.63 T3
And, now you have symptoms because he decreased your T4 by 46mcg and increased your T3 by 7 mcg(8.63).

So, now your T4/T3 ratio is off by quite a bit and you got a net decrease in T4. THAT will cause symptoms.

If you have your Free T4 and Free T3 blood tests done, I'm sure it will bear that out if you compare them to the last set (prior to the change) should you stay on that dosage.

I think you mentioned you switched back. probably a good idea. There's no reason to have to switch to armour unless you get a doc who's unfamiliar with cytomel or unwilling to rx it....unless you just want to (and many people do). Your doc should have run the Free T3 and Free T4 test and adjusted your meds accordingly - and it's easier with synthetics because T4/T3 is separate, so all your doc had to do was increase T4 or T3 or both - based on your labs (so I can't figure out why your doc would wanna do that - oh well).

If you need more info - just post questions. Thanks and good luck!

Typo alert (sorry)

So what happened when he switched you is this:
You went from 125 T4/10 T3 to 78.92 T4/18.63 T3
And, now you have symptoms because he decreased your T4 by 46mcg and increased your T3 by NINE mcg(8.63).

Thanks now that makes sense. Yes I do better with higher T4 but since I don't convert well I still need T3. I can't get on much but thanks for your help!

:)

would a different dose of Armour helped? I'm thinking no because the ratio is not the same.

You can try it, but my answer is "no" for the reason you stated "ratio is off".

It didn't work for me.