http://www.ei-resource.org/ 2514-460 http://www.ei-resource.org/treatment-%11-medications/thyroid-medication/desiccated-thyroid-%11-thyroid-extract-(armour,-naturethroid,-westhroid)/ I feel great on compounded version of armour but it gives me hives, I wanted to let folks know that there is a down side to it and not everyone can take it. I am very upset I am allergic to it. I have changed the filler 3 times so it is not the filler. ]]> Fri, 22 Jan 2010 11:45:32 +0000 2502-355 http://www.ei-resource.org/treatment-%11-medications/thyroid-medication/thyroxine-%11-t4-(levothyroxine,-synthroid,-levothroid-etc)/ Although I had almost every single symptom and a family history of hypothyroidism my doctors wouldn't treat me until I reached '10' [for TSH] on their stupid scale. I put on 3 stone, had symptoms too numerous to mention and thought I was going crazy! On the 2nd September 2008, I finally reached this goal, then and only then did they say "You will be glad to know we can treat you now." I was angry, disgusted and seething but took my T4 gladly at first; they made me very ill while I took them for seven months, until I'd really had enough of all the debilitating symptoms. Read my full story on the blogs! I felt so miserable, I wouldn't recommend it to my to anyone other than my Ex Doctor just so he could feel how utterly down I was in the dark, empty, lonely, black hole I call Levothyroxine! Denise Belgacem ]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:08:20 +0100 2514-354 http://www.ei-resource.org/treatment-%11-medications/thyroid-medication/desiccated-thyroid-%11-thyroid-extract-(armour,-naturethroid,-westhroid)/ What wonderful stuff after just a few days I could feel me coming back even though the endocrinologist said I would have a placebo effect. I never felt well not even for one day on the other stuff. Read my full story on the blogs! I have been on Armour now since the 21st March 2009 and still feel great and I have lost over a stone in weight! However just as I am feeling great I get this awful, totally devastating E-mail bulleting from Mary! They have changed the formula of Armour and it's making people ill, not working as good, apparently the new tablets are crumbly! I could cry I feel so well and they are taking my health away from me God dam Forrest Laboratories! But life is forever an adventure and may be I will now have to look for an alternative, at least I know to stay away from the black hole they call Levothyroxine. Don't be scared to take a chance, just remember it's no chance if you don't take it! Denise Belgacem ]]> Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:22:47 +0100 2514-318 http://www.ei-resource.org/treatment-%11-medications/thyroid-medication/desiccated-thyroid-%11-thyroid-extract-(armour,-naturethroid,-westhroid)/ I tried Armour thyroid after having no success with thyroxine. I suspected it would be more effective given that it includes the full range of thyroid hormones. Unlike conventional thyroid medications (e.g. levothyroxine) which only contain thyroxine (T4) Armour also contains 9mcg T3 along with 38mcg T4 per 60mg tablet (referred to as one 'grain'). T3 is the active hormone which communicates the message to the cells. One reason people prefer to use desiccated thyroid extracts like Armour is because they don't respond to T4 alone. One possible reason being an inability to convert T4 to T3 in the body. I suspected this might be the case with me given nutritional deficiencies (particularly selenium). I only took Armour for around 6 weeks but found the results were a little disappointing. I did notice an improvement in mental alertness and energy where there had been none with thyroxine medication but I had expected more. I started with 60mg (1 grain) for 2 weeks then increased this to 120mg (2 grains) for a further 4 weeks. It's likely I may have needed to be on Armour for longer and made more dose adjustments but I certainly didn't respond to the treatment as I had expected. I know a lot of others do do very well so individuality certainly plays a role. I did much better on T3 medication (Cytomel) so please see that review. ]]> Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:02:56 +0000 2503-316 http://www.ei-resource.org/treatment-%11-medications/thyroid-medication/triiodothyronine-%11-t3-(liothyronine,-cytomel,-timed%11release-etc)/ After finding thyroxine (T4) to be totally ineffective it was not until years later that I tried T3 (in the form of cytomel) and the results couldn't have been more different.

T3 is very fast acting once ingested and only 15 minutes after taking a 5mcg dose (which is small) I felt my mood beginning to brighten after years of depression and a lack of enjoyment in life.

On T3 I feel like myself again. I am able to find enjoyment in things, I am more focused and can think clearly, and generally have more mental energy. My physical energy is also improved.

The effects on mood and mental function are not surprising given that the brain has a high concentration of receptors for T3 which is needed to trigger the manufacture and release of major neurotransmitters including serotonin and the catacholamines (dopamine, noradrenaline/norepinephrine).

It is important to make sure that adrenal function is good before taking T3 as it can be over-stimulating when adrenal fatigue is present and make things worse in the long-run. Since T3 is short-lived in the body it is also a good idea to use a timed-release version so blood levels remain constant (otherwise regular doses are required and blood levels fluctuate which isn't the best situation).

I would recommend T3 therapy to anyone suffering from hypothyroidism, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and depression where standard treatments (thyroxine, antidepressants etc) have failed. ]]> Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:02:41 +0000 2502-315 http://www.ei-resource.org/treatment-%11-medications/thyroid-medication/thyroxine-%11-t4-(levothyroxine,-synthroid,-levothroid-etc)/ I developed chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) aged 11 and later in my teens had my thyroid function tested by a ME/CFS who suspected low thyroid function may have been contributing to my condition. My thyroxine levels came back borderline low so I was given thyroxine medication which I took at a dose of 25mcg, increasing to 50mcg, over a period of a few months. I noticed no effects from the thyroxine tablets at all. There were also no side-effects to report however. Years later I was given T3 medication. T3 is the active form of thyroid hormone where thyroxine is seen more as a storage form. The T3 produced very positive results very quickly. I'd therefore advise anyone with similar health concerns to myself to get comprehensive thyroid testing that includes T3 levels and to ask for T3 medication (or natural thyroid extract) to be added to their treatment if thyroxine alone is not effective or only partially so. ]]> Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:18:44 +0000