Geeezzz.....it took your doctor a year to realize that Armour isn't working for you and now she'd rather you go hyper for awhile???

I've been hyper as a result of a too-high dose....it's horrible. Elevated heart rate, electric shock feeling throughout the body, diarrhea, insomnia.

How about the endo trying that plan? And, after she's done with that, let her take some anti-thyroid drugs so she can experience what you've dealt with for the past year.

Sorry, I'm very tired of hearing stories of doctors making patients sicker when they're getting paid to help them heal. I just can't imagine what some doctors are thinking when they make dosing decisions.

Anyway, off the soap box and back to you....

I remember that you were taking 90mg Armour and your FreeT4/T3 levels were below-range.

What dose of Tirosint did she prescribe?

175.....the dosage of Synthroid I was on before I switched to Armour. Too much?

Oh Sweetie!

No wonder you're doing so poorly on Armour!

90mg Armour contains 56mcg T4 (which is what Synthroid contains) **and** 14.5mcg T3.

Now, T3 is 4 times as potent as T4 so the 14.5mcg T3 in your Armour dose is considered somewhat equivalent to 58mcg T4.

Adding the T4 content of the Armour to the "T4 equivalent" amount of T3 in Armour means you were taking a dose that was similar to 150mcg Synthroid.

In essence, your endo reduced your dose when she switched you from Synthroid to Armour.....and let you suffer a year :(

Onto her current plan.....

Because Tirosint contains no fillers, 175mcg of Tirosint will most likely "pack more punch" than 175mcg of Synthroid.....Tirosint will be absorbed better so, you'll have more hormone going to every cell of your body.

However, your body was used to the 56mcg T4 it was getting from Armour.

Going up to 175mcg of a "strong" T4 med such as Tirosint sounds very scary to me......I think you have every right to be nervous.

Most doctors increase T4 doses by 12.5mcg - 25mcg. Your doctor is increasing your T4 dose by almost 125mcg!!

Finally, you *were* getting T3 in your Armour......now you're not getting any. While we can talk all we want about T3 being equivalent to a T4 dose size 4 times larger, that doesn't mean we can do without T3 - especially if we were taking it already.

I think the endo could have done one of two things:

1. switch you to Nature-Throid which is like Armour but contains different fillers

2. prescribe not only Tirosint but, also, Cytomel which is a T3 med

Usually, when doctors switch a patient's meds, they try to find a new dose or dose combination that will be somewhat similar to what the patient had been taking......along with a slight dose increase if the patient's labs need help.

The body can handle just so much new hormone at any given time.

Your endos preference for sending you hyper could very well happen if you go along with her new dosing strategy.

Since you were getting 56mcg T4 and 14.5mcg T3 from your current Armour, why not ask the endo to prescribe 75mcg Tirosint and 15mcg Cytomel?

Those obviously represent slight dose increases from what you had been taking. I suspect you will need more dose adjustments moving forward but, we do need to take the slow and steady approach with dose increases.

I know the numbers stuff can make one crazy - especially when brain fog is in the picture.

However, if you learn what's in the meds you take, you can work with your doctor and help her make logical dosing decisions based upon your labs and good dosing practices.

She did agree today when I called her to lower this dosage to 137mg but doesn't think I need Cytomel. She said to give this a couple of weeks and then to call her and tell her how I am feeling. You are right though....with brain fog and so much involved in this medication dosage and these lab results it can get very confusing. I am just glad she at least agreed to lower this. Before Armour I was on 150 of Synthroid.

Well, I do wish you the best of luck.

I'm sure you realize I don't understand how the endo can tell you she doesn't think you'll need Cytomel when you were getting 14.5mcg of T3 in your old Armour dose.

I hope you call her in two weeks and report how you're feeling. If you're not feeling better at that point, I hope you can convince her to start you on some Cytomel.

You've suffered way too long already.

I have. I hope I recognize what "feeling good" is if I ever get there. It has been many years.....at least 10 I think.

10 years? Yikes! I'm so very sorry.

I think I told you that I've dealt with a total of 40 symptoms as a result of hypothyroidism.....they are all gone now that I'm optimized.

I always dreamed that maintaining my optimal levels with regular labs and appropriate dose adjustments would keep me feeling good.

That is now my reality and it's awesome. I wish the same for you and offer my help with you getting there.

Believe you me, when those symptoms start to dissipate, you'll feel like a heavy burden is being lifted from your body. You can't help but notice.

Thanks cd....you have already been a great help. Now I know what a little more about the whole hypothyroid disease and why I feel so bad and maybe what I can do to be my own advocate for feeling better. I really appreciate it.