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...
While on armour my ft4 levels have dropped below normal. It was .73 but my new endo says this is ok when taking armour. She said its common that ft4 is decreased when taking armour because it has more ft3. My tsh was normal and so was my ft3. Is it ok that my ft4 be this low? I am worried and frustrated
I stumbled upon this thread and am not sure where you're at right now but, I thought I'd share some information about Armour that was compiled by Dr. Mercola. I think it answers many of your questions...
http://www.mercola.com/article/hypothyroid/treatment.htm?e_cid=20111121_DNL_HTL_thyroid
His advise re FreeT4 and FreeT3 levels mirrors what I've read in thyroid textbooks.
You will also note that he mentions 90mg Armour (1 1/2 grain) to be a common starting dose.
Sure, some people do great with just Armour alone (once it's been titrated up in dose as Dr. Mercola suggests).
You will note that Dr. Mercola suggests that both the FreeT4 and FreeT3 levels be above mid-range.....
.Since Armour is made from porcine thyroid that has a higher proportion of T3 than T4 compared to human thyroid, it makes sense that people taking only Armour will have a proportionately lower FreeT4 level compared to their FreeT3 level.
And, some people will have lingering symtpoms.....those are the people that will benefit from the addition of a small amount of T4.