A few weeks ago, I blogged about my unsuccessful attempt at taking the T4 only medication, Levothyroxine, and my previous difficulties with Armour thyroid. To read that post, click here.
I received numerous responses to that article via Facebook, blog comments, Instagram and Twitter, all offering some exceptional advice. I had a follow-up appointment with my local LLMD and I presented him with some of the ideas you, the readers, had given me. After reviewing my labs, he agreed that I would indeed benefit from thyroid replacement and that Nature-Throid would be an excellent option for me to try.
I had to special order Nature-Throid from the pharmacy. Because it was over a weekend, it took 4 days for the medication to arrive. I began by taking half of a 1/4 grain tablet. This amounts to an initial http://www.health-canada-pharmacy.com starting dose of approximately 8.125mg. I am on day 4 of the medication and although I do feel a slight surge in energy and perhaps jitteriness, it has been tolerable thus far. I stumbled upon a wonderful website called ThyroPhoenix that discusses the benefits of taking enough time to allow your body to absorb the thyroid before increasing to the next dose. My plan is to stay at 8.125mg for the next 4-6 weeks and reevaluate at that time how I feel. I feel very content with going at my own pace on this medication. Slow and steady usually ends up being the best approach for me.
Many thanks for all the wonderful suggestions that were given to me regarding this part of my treatment!!
Nature-Throid
Good luck with it! That might be my next thing tro try … Armour is making me a bit crazy. Well, sometimes. Sometimes I still just feel hypo. That ThyroPhoenix site is great. Thanks for sharing.
So far so good Miss Diagnoses. Today was day 7 and I feel like it’s getting easier to tolerate. I like that ThyroPhoenix site a lot too. I feel like it really helped me to understand that my body needs time to adjust to the meds, especially if you have been hypo for awhile. I marked 4 weeks on the calendar and will see how I feel at that point. If it seems fine, then I may increase it to a full 1/4 grain. I did not do well on Armour. I was nervous, jittery, sweaty. Just never felt right on it. How long have you been taking it?
Since February or March, I think. I have not lost any weight but my brain fog is a little better. However, I am a much angrier person on Armour! Seriously … becoming a sterotypical obnoxious New Yorker.
I actually felt very irritable on Armour as well, so I can relate. That is part of the reason why I just stopped it in 2011. Nature-Throid is not doing that to me. It’s been a week a so far so good. I know the dose is low, but the fact that I am tolerating it at all is quite the miracle. Would your doc let you switch? It’s worth a try.
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Hi,
I am in same predicament. After 20 years thyroid med is making me crazy and i cannot tolerate any any more. I think I may have Lyme and Ive down a lot of healing stuff this year like methylation and may have activated bug killing. All I know if thyroid med is needed but simultaneous makes me feel terrible – like a pnacik attack, spaced out, blurry visions, red eyes, shivery, jittery.. Its awful. I feel it must be lyme or a herd related reaction though but no idea what to do. Ive tried every brand going – all the same. I just wondered how your plan went?
Thanks
carly
Hi Carly. I am so sorry you are having such a hard time with your thyroid as well. I decided to try a full grain of Nature-Throid instead of a combo of Nature-Throid and Levothyroxine. I just increased the Nature-Throid dose a few weeks ago so it’s a bit hard to say right now. I don’t feel a difference yet. I will redo blood work in about 3 weeks or so. I will definitely post a future update when I have those results. Hopefully, I will see and feel some positive changes soon!
Hi, Any update? Im up to 1 grain nature thyroid but its still hell. I keep feeling like I need more (feedback loop likely) but when i raise – even an 1/8th grain dose – I get the same awful side effects. I keep hoping ill reach a dose I can stay at but it hasn’t happened yet. I also get terrible anxiety (in a diff way) off meds as my thyroid goes way too low so coming off isn’t an option. Im stilt dying to figure out the pathways that may be affected by taking thyroid med and where it is causing an imbalance in other hormones or neurotransmitters? Would love some more opinion.
Hope you’re ok
I asked my LLMD about similar symptoms. He recommended working on my adrenals (which I already do and have for years) instead of increasing my thyroid. He recommended cordyceps and said it works differently than other adaptogens (which I can’t take). I haven’t gotten around to purchasing it yet, but I think I might give it a try when I buy my next round of supplements. Since the thyroid and adrenals work together, there is a possibility this could help. I know it’s a frustrating challenge to put all these puzzle pieces together.