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Desiccated Thyroid and Patients' Experiences: From Synthetic T4 Only to Desiccated Thyroid

Notes

  • The most common brand name for the desiccated thyroid used in the US, the UK, and some other countries is Armour. In Canada, it's just called Thyroid, from the pharmaceutical company Erfa (formerly by Pfizer, and before that, by Parke-Davis).
  • All posts were posted to the newsgroup alt.support.thyroid or the thyroid.about.com forum, which can be accessed via the following links:
  • Not everyone with hypothyroidism does better on desiccated thyroid. However, based on the experiences posted in the newsgroup alt.support.thyroid and in the thyroid.about.com forum, it appears that the majority of people who switch to desiccated thyroid find improvement on it. The purpose of this compilation is to show that there are a lot of people with hypothyroidism who benefit from desiccated thyroid.
  • Some people have more than one entry because they focused on a different aspect of how desiccated thyroid affected them each time.
  • For space reasons, only the most relevant segments of each post are included here.
  • Because of the size of this compilation, it is divided into several parts, as follows:

"Primrose" August 17, 2003 (alt.support.thyroid)

I have Hashi's and I'm taking armour thyroid for it. I did take synthroid to start with, for almost a year, but I continued to be very hypo (all the symptoms continued)...it just didn't help me. The armour is working pretty well for me. Apparently I needed the T3 in it.

"Pharaoh" August 17, 2003 (alt.support.thyroid)

I take Armour which I'm very happy with. I was on Synthroid for awhile and got a terrible allergic reaction. Fortunately, I have an Endo who was willing to switch me to Armour. It's great.

"Coonrad" May 12, 2003 (alt.support.thyroid)

[Writing about research on hypothyroidism and infertility] I also found a post on the thyroid.about.com forums, where a woman discussed her diagnosis of "premature ovarian failure" and resumption of periods after the treatment of thyroid. The money quote, "It was only when my Armour was increased that my periods returned."

...Never once did I encounter a post like "Once I started synthroid, my periods came back again"...or "now that I'm on levoxyl, I have normal cycles."

It was always Armour this Armour that, like one woman who mentioned trying to get pregnant for six years on synthroid, then switching to Armour and getting pregnant twice.

"Karen" May 10, 2003 (alt.support.thyroid)

...my skin has been great since I went on Armour. Very few breakouts. My skin was awful when I was on Levoxyl.

"Theresa" April 27, 2003 (alt.support.thyroid)

I've suffered from some depression when my thyroid first went Kaboom....With a change in doctors and switching to Armour, life is much better.

"jmp" April 24, 2003 (alt.support.thyroid)

I did horribly on T4 only, and finally after getting great support from thyroid.about.com posters, I fired my doctor, got my own blood tests done from healthcheckusa.com and found out I had NO T3 in my body. I found another doctor who told me that I was a non-convertor of T4 to T3 and promptly put me on Armour. Going on 2 years now on 2 grains daily and it changed my life. No more depression, weight loss when I want to and brain fog GONE!

"PHYLLIECA1" December 30, 2002 (thyroid.about.com)

I got Graves back in 1978.... As the Grave's became active again, it was then recommended that I have either surgery or RAI and I chose RAI. During this time I had two biopsies done for fibrocystic lumps that had flared up. I must say that I now have no more lumps while being on desiccated thyroid replacement. NONE.

...It was a big mistake in retrospect to have the RAI treatment...it totally destroyed my thyroid and I was put on what I believed to be the only replacement, Synthroid. I did not feel "right" and every year lamented to my GP but there was always some reason such as "empty nest syndrome" or so he thought....My doctor approved of the x2 increase and T4 was still normal, and I felt the best ever. I speed walked 5 miles a day prior to going to work or golfing 18 holes. Yes I was fit as a fiddle and feeling great.

After a year I started getting a lot of viral infections and a TSH was done (first one as the only test prior to that was the T4) As it was less than 1.0 my synthroid was reduced from .2 mg to .15 mg and then down further to .1. Thru the next eight years my dosage was alternated from .125 thru to .100 in search of a stable TSH which didn't happen. I had choking episodes, developed many allergies and felt terrible in general. High blood pressure, high cholesterol among other things, especially constant diarrhea. Of course it was determined that I felt bad because I was depressed. I was prescribed Prozac and as I still believed that the MD meant "he knew everything." It took 8 months for my family to convince me that I wasn't getting better. In the 9 + years and 50 pounds of following the TSH and seeing an Internist, 3 Endocrinologists and a Gastroenterologist and having numerous procedures and tests done. And of course it could NOT have anything to do with the thyroid because the TSH was in the normal range. I was at the point of bare existence. I thank my lucky stars that I had a supportive husband because I couldn't have held down a job to support myself. I couldn't stay awake for more than 2 hours at a time, headaches and leg pain almost 24/7.

...I am now being cared for by a preventative medicine physician not in my medical administrative district. But I WILL be in charge of my well-being. I am on 500 mgs of desiccated thyroid and feel very well.

"Theresa" December 28 and 29, 2002 (alt.support.thyroid)

(Dec. 28) Armour for about 2 years, and LOVE IT!!!

(Dec. 29) I was on Synthroid before....It is so nice to not feel like I am crazy anymore. The Synthroid helped relieve the tiredness, but did nothing for the depression, and brain fog. After being on the Armour I began to feel "normal." My Dr. is very open to all kinds of treatments and uses how one feels and NOT just lab values to make her diagnosis. My first visit to see her I was armed with all the information I could find, from this group, and other places to share with her the benefits of Armour, but before I could show these to her, she explained the whole concept to me.

"JT" December 25, 2002 (alt.support.thyroid)

I had Graves and was nuked about 7 years ago. I tried Synthroid for 3 years straight and after hearing about Synthroid not working for everyone, people on this group told me of Armour. It changed my life and made me feel human again. Believe me I have been through what all of the people here talk about. Knock on wood I have been perfect on all my level checks for over 3 years and I am able to live a normal life now so there is hope for people here.

"Mark" November 7, 2002 (alt.support.thyroid)

My wife just kept feeling worse and worse after a month of 75 mcg of synthroid. She ultimately switched to armour and that went better.

"lovesarmour" October 21, 2002 (alt.support.thyroid)

I too just switched from 137 mcg of Levoxyl to 60 mg of Armour. What a difference!! I no longer have joint pain and I have more energy. I still feel a bit fogy and swell from water retention....It took me 1 1/2 years to find this wonderful doctor who looked at my labs then listened to ME in order to find a solution to my persistent symptoms. I asked my former MD how much Levoxyl he's willing to give me before he would concede that's not working — he just shrugged and wrote a script for more of the same...— see ya!

"Topper" October 11, 2002 (alt.support.thyroid)

I'm now using natural thyroid and it's so much better than synthroid it's unreal.

"BeArLc" August 30, 2002 (alt.support.thyroid)

My LDL fell 80 points when i went from Levo to Armour....

BTW, that was in one month.

"Axncatsm1" August 21, 2002 (thyroid.about.com)

After the birth of my second child, I started going downhill. It wasn't until she was two that I felt crummy enough to do anything about it. Tired, overweight, generally blah. Previously I was the "sparkly" one — life of the party — take-charge person. I gained about 40 pounds and now weighed more than I did when I delivered my daughter.

...several years down the road, I'm crying in the doctor's office, fat and exhausted. He tells me I'm depressed and we start Prozac right away....Fortunately he had the sense to do blood work and we found high TSH and thyroid antibodies and anemia. Synthroid (and iron) to the rescue! Don't remember the dose. I took the Synthroid faithfully and jumped around from depression drug to depression drug — Prozac, Effexor, Paxil, etc. Still not feeling "right."

Due to insurance, I had to change doctors. New blood work, same Synthroid. Discontinued depression medications, not because I wasn't depressed (or anxious), but none of them really seemed to help without leaving me feeling drugged.

For the anemia, I had been taking iron supplements 3X/day. Man, that is nasty stuff! Does awful things to your bowel movements. Blech! Couldn't stand it, so I quit taking them after about 3 months (with no improvement in the anemia). My periods were really heavy and we thought maybe that was contributing to the problem. I had an endometrial ablation done....

Then I started reading this board. Armed myself with information about Armour and went to doc to ask to switch. "No problem," she told me. WOW, that was easy! What a difference. The brain fog is gone, my hubby tells me that my face looks less puffy, I have more energy. No depression, no anxiety. No success with weight loss, though. Granted, I LOVE ice cream, and don't exercise. I fly a keyboard for a living, so don't burn many calories that way, either. She gave me a scrip for my dose (1.5 gr, I think) and also for the smallest dose so that I can tweak. I'm still playing with it, but consider the switch a success. I think it's terrific that she doesn't go strictly by the numbers. We adjust dosage according to how I FEEL. What a concept!

"Kensyd1" August 16, 2002 (thyroid.about.com)

I have taken Synthroid since I was diagnosed in 1986 and I never felt good! Not one single day. My doctor at the time refused to let me try Armour. He retired and I got a new doctor and he agreed to try Armour. My life is totally different. It was the best thing I have ever done. Gone were the days of endless tiredness, my face was no longer puffy and red, the list is endless and my friends cannot believe the difference and I cannot believe the difference in the quality of my life. I can stay up till 10PM and get up at 6:00am and not have to nap! I have also lost and kept off for a year now 27 pounds. Yes I watch what I eat and exercise. One of the big issues my doctor has with Armour was the rumor that Armour depletes calcium in women. He actually thinks this started at some other drug company? Guess which one? Anyway after being on the Armour for one year I had a bone density test and my calcium is perfect, actually better than they typically see for a person my age (35). I will never go back to Synthroid again. One other note, my test results on Synthroid were all in normal range so remember just because it's normal on paper, doesn't mean you feel normal. Quality of life is just important as the quantity of years!

"GugaFan2" August 15, 2002 (alt.support.thyroid)

I was freezing all the time...wearing a down jacket in the house) until I switched over to armour thyroid which has the T3 in it.

"Flamenca" August 14, 2002 (thyroid.about.com)

I switched to Armour after I had gained 50lbs on Levothyroxine and read on the internet that Armour had worked better for some people. Yes, I had problems trying to convince the doctors to switch me over. They said that I was just depressed and needed to be on anti-depressants. Finally, after begging, they let me switch over to Armour. I had been very active, even more so than before I had gone on Levothyroxine and knew that something was wrong and needed to do something. Once I switched to Armour, the weight came off — just like that. I didn't change my eating or exercise patterns. I went to the doctor just 2 days ago to get my level checked — it is fine.

"Psue" August 14, 2002 (thyroid.about.com)

I was diagnosed as hypothyroid last July and was started on Levoxyl. After a few months, I was switched to Synthroid (my mail-in prescription center didn't have Levoxyl).

I was working out faithfully 3-4 times a week, cutting way back on my calorie intake and fat intake. My TSH was okay, but I still wasn't feeling well, not losing weight and getting very discouraged. My cholesterol was still over 220. Then, I began having some kind of allergic reaction to the synthetics. My throat felt like it was swelling shut every time I took it. I was so discouraged that I quit working out, gave up the diet and practically l gave up.

At this point I asked my doc if she would be willing to switch me to Armour. It's the best thing I could have done. Since the end of May, I have lost 20 pounds (without working out), my cholesterol is at 197 (it's been at least 10 years since it was that low), and I feel like myself again. The eczema and acne have disappeared and I can think logically again. I have energy to get things done, play with my kids and actually feel like socializing again. It's helped turn me into me again.

I will fight tooth and nail to stay on Armour. It's been an answer to prayer for me.

"Jen" August 14, 2002 (thyroid.about.com)

Here's my story. Had miscarriage August 2000. Spent late 2000 and early 2001 exhausted, gaining weight fast, put on over 20 pounds. Fall 2001 i decided to look into it.

No doctor in the UK would treat me because of my TSH of 1.61. I found a private doctor who would, and subsequently got kicked out of my NHS surgery. I was put on 100mcg of Thyroxine.

Tonsils came out in Nov 2001, and my thyroid / adrenal problem got worse. I nearly died after my surgery because of adrenals and had to stop the thyroxine in order to get better.

I continued to be sick despite being on thyroxine. I still had all the symptoms especially the unstoppable weight gain and swelling. I was brain fogged, i slept 12 hours a day and it wasn't enough etc.

By Christmas 2001 i was reduced to eating every 45 minutes, weeing that often as well, and being shaky, adrenaline pumped 24/7, exhausted, had gained over 30 pounds since it had all started, and still had almost all my symptoms on Thyroxine only.

By Feb 2002 I had finally decided to go private again, since the NHS was useless, and got Dr Skinner to help me. He put me on Armour thyroid and adrenal support.

My life turned around. Today i am on 3 grains of Armour, 15mg of hydrocortisone, and I am fit as a fiddle. Last weekend I spent Saturday night playing football on the beach at Weston Super Mare, and had a good night. I'm working on the weight loss, and the hair still is falling out some, but the rest is sorted.

I don't know what i would do if i didn't have Armour to keep me going, I feel better than I did at 19 years old.

"Agitrons" August 13, 2002 (thyroid.about.com)

I was on Synthroid for over 3 years for Hashimoto's, my TSH test was generally in the low ranges, around .14 (.4 to 4.2 was normal). My face was puffy, my energy low, I slept fully 9 hours plus naps, I was often constipated and had no "sparkle" to my sense of self. I also was diagnosed with colitis and PCOS. Both of those diagnoses I find questionable but feel worth mentioning.

Determined to feel better I tried two more endocrinologists who refused to switch me to Armour. I paid over $2,400 out of pocket to an alternative doctor listed as a Top Doc on this web site to obtain my prescription which thankfully my gp renews. I have been on Armour for 1 year. Within 6 weeks everyone commented on how much better I looked, told me I had lost weight (I hadn't). My mental acuity is sharper, I feel more alert. Most significantly for me my face is no longer puffy.

"SB" August 12, 2002 (alt.support.thyroid)

I limped for 4 years, was diagnosed with hypothyroidism at the end of 1996, [and] I was probably on Synthroid until August of 1997 at which time I switched to Armour thyroid because Synthroid did nothing for me. After 4 months on 3 grains of Armour, and it may have been less, my foot pain went away. It had initially been called "plantar fasciitis" by the podiatrist, when I told him it went away on Armour he said that low thyroid caused all kinds of nerve problems, and that implied it had been thyroid neuropathy.

"JW" June 30, 2002 (alt.support.thyroid)

I am currently on Armour thyroid (which has T1,T2,T3 and T4). Feeling soooooooo much better!

"Linda" June 29, 2002 (alt.support.thyroid)

I lost 35 pounds on synthroid after my total thyroidectomy several years ago. I also had changed my diet radically, eliminating yeast, wheat, sugar, dairy products for a number of months on the recommendation of my naturopath. I never balanced my thyroid in 2 years juggling on synthroid and eventually moved on to a doctor who started me on desiccated thyroid and I gained back 9 lbs. I feel and look better for it. My diet has changed slightly; adding a small amount of dairy and natural sugars. Synthroid did not agree with me, and although I was glad to drop some weight, the loss on synthroid was not healthy. This was a personal sensitivity to me....with my thyroid levels under control, I am in a healthy weight range and don't have to struggle to keep it there.

"GugaFan2" May 30, 2002 (alt.support.thyroid)

For me, being on the armour thyroid which has the T3 in it, the aches and pains have improved quite a bit. I used to practically live at the chiropractor's (for years! I could never "hold" an adjustment), but since I've been on the armour and reached a certain dose I haven't needed to go to the chiro at all. I still have some points of pain ("tender points") which my dr. thinks I developed from bearing up against pain for so long that I developed a kind of body armour as a defense, and I'm trying to massage those now. This is just my own experience. I'd been on Levoxyl before that but nothing changed for me on that med.

"LP" May 14, 2002 (alt.support.thyroid)

I was taking Synthroid for about 2 years and still feeling bad (fatigue, brain fog, couldn't lose weight, depressed, etc.) when I finally decided that I should feel better than I did. I am 33 and I felt 73. I started doing research on the internet, and reading this newsgroup, and took all this information I had to a different GP in the same practice where I was going. My TSH was 4.3, which she called "normal," but I read that many people find that their symptoms subside when their TSH is between 1-2. I also learned that many people feel better when taking a combination of thyroid hormones either by taking Synthroid (or another T4 replacement) and Cytomel (a T3 replacement) or by taking Armour (a natural product with T4 and T3). I told her I wanted to try this, and she said she didn't know enough about it, and referred me to an endocrinologist. It was the best thing that could have happened to me! He ran some additional tests, and found that I had high levels of thyroid antibodies (Hashimoto's Thyroiditis), and my T4 and T3 levels were too low....He also agreed that my TSH should be lower. Most of all, he said that since I still had symptoms, I clearly needed a higher dose of T4 replacement and/or a T3 replacement. I've been on Armour Thyroid for 6 weeks now, at double the equivalency to the Synthroid dose I was taking, and I feel better, and my TSH is down to 1.8. I've lost 3 pounds with no change in diet (I already eat a healthy, low-fat diet).

"Kubek Crew" September 3, 2001 (alt.support.thyroid)

My Endo brought me down to 2.? TSH, any more Synthroid at that point would have put me too close to hyper range. It still didn't address my symptoms. I went back to about.thyroid. I'm on Armour now and things are improving.

"Adamec" July 18, 2001 (alt.support.thyroid)

I have noticed (and so has my husband!) that since I started on Armour thyroid, my skin has become much smoother and softer. I can throw away my skin lotions.

"Cwsjsky" July 13, 2001 (alt.support.thyroid)

I was on Synthroid for several years and felt terrible. In 1995 I convinced my Medical Care giver to try Armour thyroid. It was like night and day. I could finally function. Only problem is I was put on too much Armour and developed other problems later. If you are on .1 Synthroid or other brand, the equivalent in Armour is 60 mg. I was on 90 mg for several years before I found out it was too much. But the Armour works better for me. No brain fog, and feel more normal.

"Adamec" July 2, 2001 (alt.support.thyroid)

One BENEFIT [to the new dose of Armour] is that when I go to bed at night, I fall asleep immediately and sleep all night. I was having terrible problems with insomnia before and waking up 3-4 times a night. I also feel much less anxious and much more confident than I felt on Synthroid.

And oh yes, another MAJOR benefit, one I can't believe I forgot, was that my headache problem is drastically improved. I have had one severe headache since starting the Armour several weeks ago. On Synthroid, I had to take Fiorcet daily or at least every other day, because of the awful headaches.

"deb" July 5, 2001 (alt.support.thyroid)

I was getting sinus infections every few months. Guess what? They went away after I was put on armour and finally got my T3 levels up!

"LS" March 4, 2001 (alt.support.thyroid)

How did you feel on your dose of Armour compared to the synthroid? Did you get the improvement that you were looking for? Mentally, I have noticed a great improvement and hopefully as my dose is increased, my joint pains will decrease and stamina increase.

"Lori" January 16, 2001 (alt.support.thyroid)

Yes what a difference since I switched from Synthroid to Armour! It is going on 3 months now for me. I feel 100 per cent better. I am up to 3 grains of Armour, they are big honking pills tho. I noticed I thought I could read small print better. I have 20/20 vision otherwise. I don't feel as cold as I used to either.

"LuvARabbit" January 3, 2001 (alt.support.thyroid)

I was depressed for over 10 years...stared at the walls or slept, and became a real "loner." I don't feel depressed since I've been on armour thyroid a while (it has the T3 in it).

"Theresa" December 14, 2000 (alt.support.thyroid)

I've been on Armour for a little over six weeks. Gladly I sit here and type that I've faced some serious moments these last 2 weeks that I know if I'd still been on Synthroid I would have been a complete basket case by now...I made it though these couple of things with my chin held high 98% of the time and felt clear about my feelings during both situations. I have still had some of those moments where I can't complete a sentence or remember a name of something very familiar.....but for the most part the fogginess is disappearing as well as the depression. I'm still being regulated and am looking forward to my next visit with the Dr.

"AG" December 14, 2000 (alt.support.thyroid)

For me, when the armour finally kicked in, I knew it immediately because my head was clear. I felt like I could survive the stressful situation that I was in. I was no longer a zombie. And my 'edge' was back. But it took 6 weeks to start to feel better.

"24028" November 30, 2000 (alt.support.thyroid)

Armour made a lot of aches and pains go away for me. (Levoxyl did not.)

"Lori" November 19, 2000 (alt.support.thyroid)

I too have a problem once a in awhile with talking. I have been on Armour a month after switching from Synthroid. It is like night and day. I feel so much better.

"ArubaCDM" September 28, 2000 (alt.support.thyroid)

Hey, I spent many years in synthetic hell. Since the change, I live life, I have a sense of well being and even when the chips are down, I can say I feel good — and I'm menopausal, go figure. When it came to the switch, I told my MD that I was willing to except the responsibility of taking that dirty stuff. Guess what...he is now an Armour believer. There is hope for the medical profession if they can get past the "drug detailers" and propaganda.

"AG" August 26, 2000 (alt.support.thyroid)

My endo did...laughed at me for suggesting such a ridiculous thing. But the joke was on her. I finally forced her to put me on some sort of T3 — which was Armour, as she doesn't believe in a synthetic T3. And six weeks later, I woke up a new person. It hasn't fixed all the problems, but I am able to handle so much more now than I could a year and a half ago.

"Valerie T" July 27, 2000 (alt.support.thyroid)

Hi, I just moved, left an X that called me fat & lazy, convinced my DR after 10 long years of begging to switch me to Armour, and I am beginning a FANTASTIC new life! Can you tell I feel wonderful? I am finally losing weight, I just switched about 2 weeks ago, so this is much better than I had anticipated, and the energy...like dropping 20 years of old age!

"Kari" April 27, 2000 (alt.support.thyroid)

I took synthroid for 15 years. Within 2 weeks of starting amourthyroid, I went from sleeping 10 hours a day with a nap to sleeping 8 hours with no nap, colors seemed brighter, my mood was happier and more alive, people were not having to finish my sentences because I was forgetting words, I stopped delegating work to others (because now I had the energy to do it myself), I stopped dreading outings because of worry of whether I would have energy or not to attend, the only drawback I can think of is I stopped reading so many books (I have energy for other activities).

"JW" February 27, 2000 (alt.support.thyroid)

I have grave's and had the RAI 4 years ago. I tried Synthroid for 2 and a half years and even with the proper levels in my test still felt horrible. I have been on Armour/ 105 once a day for a year and a half and feel great!!

"ADM" February 12, 2000 (alt.support.thyroid)

On my first week of desiccated thyroid, I was on my way to the library. I looked up at the sky (it was dusk) and I could see all these different colours of blue. I thought "Oh my good is this the beauty I've missed".

"HW" February 12, 2000 (alt.support.thyroid)

I have graves and was nuked 4 years ago. I was put on Synthroid and for 2 years even with normal test results felt horrible. I then talked them into trying me on Armour thyroid replacement and after a little adjusting, felt like a human again.

"ADM" February 6, 2000 (alt.support.thyroid)

I've been on it [desiccated thyroid] for about 10 days, and I'd like to bless all of you. In 10 days, my eczema is almost gone, my insomnia is gone and I'm sleeping deeper. In fact my restless leg syndrome is less frequent and annoying. I've had acne since age 9 (about the same time some of my symptoms started showing). My acne cleared up, but scarring and breakouts never stopped, well in 10 days my skin softer, and my pores are smaller. I have so much more energy. I don't get tired til the evening when everyone else does. Best of all, it's like my brain is back! I don't ever remember my head feelings this clear even when I was teenager, long before my diagnosis. I think perhaps I've been suffering with thyroid disease a lot longer than I thought. As well, my emotions are more balanced...and my hands are actually warm in some parts of the day. So I am one happy 23 year old woman right now. If this is the 10th day of treatment, I can't wait to see the results of 20. :)

"Sheryl" November 21, 1999 (alt.support.thyroid)

I was hypothyroid and on Synthroid from '92 to '98 when I got so sick I could not function. Changed to Armour thyroid (has T3 and T4) in '98 and am slowly getting my life back. My sister also did not do well on just Synthroid and had to be switched to T3 and T4 — then got better. Some people need both T3 and T4.