PLEASE HELP!!!!
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PLEASE HELP!!!!
| Mon, 09-06-2004 - 10:08pm |
Hi I am Amy and I am 25 years old, just newly diagnosed with Hashimotos thyroiditis and I am on levothyroxine 125mcg and I have tried taking this every different way possible. I work in the health care field and I ask my nurse co workers all kinds of different questions, but none of them could quite answer me, and my question is what is the difference between the med that I am taking verses this Armour drug? I feel really cloudy in my head and I am unsure about my TSH level, I go to the dr on the 10th of Sept, cause I feel anxious and can't sit still, but I have no energy to get up and move. Does that make sense? I can't concentrate on anything, and I get real sleep towards the afternoon, but when I feel sleepy and grogy in the afternoon its like another person has taken over my body, I get real mean and grouchy, I hate feeling this way cause my kids are the ones that I am mean and grouchy with. I yell alot at them and anything sets me off. I take my med at night before bed cause it makes me nauseated. I can't eat during the day if I take it in the morning. I have tried taking it with food and first thing in the morning. I don't know what to do, or the questions to ask my doc. Please help me for the sake of my 4year old and 1 1/2 year old!!!!
With much thanks!!
Amy
Edited 9/6/2004 10:38 pm ET ET by sweetexan

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Hi Amy,
I think the first thing I would check would be the med to see if there is another one that you could take that wouldn't make you feel sick.
Armour thyroid is a natural dessicated thyroid hormone made from pig's thyroid. It contains both T4 - what all synthetic thyroid hormone meds contain, plus T3, the other thyroid hormone your body naturally produces. Most people do quite well on T4 alone but some need the T3,as well. Cytomel is a brand name of T3 that you can take in addition to Synthroid without switching over to Armour. But some people really need to make that switch. But it really sounds to me as if you're overmedicated.
How long have you been taking it? Cathy :)
I would talk to your doctor about it, yes. The brain fog is just a classic symptom. As you get your tsh level to normal range, it should feel better. Mine did. I still feel it every now and then, though, but it's much better. The way your body uses thyroid hormone is that it takes it as it needs it. It's not a steady thing throughout the day and night. A normal thyroid makes more than enough hormone so that when you need it, it's always there. Since we don't make enough, our medication has to do the trick. But sometimes, it's not there when you need it. Perhaps you've had a stressful day and needed more. Perhaps there has just been a big demand for it. Even though there is always thyroid hormone is your system, sometimes there just isn't enough. And you have to wait until you get more into your system. That's why you can sometimes be going along just fine for a few days, and then suddenly crash. It can happen when you are getting your medication adjusted up, or when you're just diagnosed and getting it into your system. So, that's the long answer! Sorry!! yes, talk to your doctor.
The best way to ake your medication is first thing in the morning, on an empty stomach. Dn't eat anything for an hour after and don't take any medication or supplements with it or for an hour after,as well. You can take it at bedtime if you want, as long as you *always* take it at bedtime but that doesn't seem to be working for you so I would switch to morning when you wake up. Most doctors recommend first thing in the AM. If you're drinking tea, you need to think about stopping. Tea containes floride which blocks the absorption of iodine, which your thyroid needs. Soy is also not good for your thyroid so think about stopping any soy milk you might drink, tofu etc. If you take iodine in a multivitamin supplement, you might want to consider stopping that also. While our thyroid needs iodine to convert T3 to T4, which is how our body uses the hormone, we get more than enough in our salt throughout the day and too much iodine can cause an energy fatigue or crash, as well. Some people don't feel it but others are very sensitive to it. Do you know what your TSH level was when you were diagnosed? Cathy :)
Eric
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