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I strongly urge all of you with thyroid issues to research from multiple sources before making a good or a bad judgment about a thyroid medication. I have been in deep research mode since first being diagnosed in 2000 but left untreated by doctors until my thyroid went toxic in late August 2007. My whole family suffers from different thyroid diseases. And not one of us has found full and lasting treatment. Here is a brief synopsis about what I know: All the synthetic T4 replacements, Synthroid included, have been available since the 1970's and have been widely prescribed as the complete treatment for someone with hypothyroidism. Unfortunately the FDA has never regulated the potency of the T4 in the various prescriptions and as a result the synthetic T4 drugs, all of them, have been proven to have inconsistent quantities by batches and from one drug to another. The FDA does not use the TSH marker in their current evaluations and therefore have no quality in their testing. Armour is a brand name for a natural dessicated thyroid of a pig. Dessicated animal thyroid was the very first effective treatment found for treating thyroid disease. The problem with Armour and other dessicated thyroid meds is the delivery of the medication, if taken once daily, will overload your body with T3 and T4 and later in the day you have none and go through a withdrawal. Anyone taking a synthetic T4 needs to add a T3 that can be taken three times a day. Cytomel is a T3 med widely prescribed but has the same affect as taking all the medication at once and later leaves the system without any. The very newest way to prescribe and take T3 is in a slow release, compounded product which can be prescribed from 2 to 20 micrograms and many doctors don't even know this is available. I am waiting to hear from a pharmacist to learn the name of this compound and will report back. These two things, inconsistent amounts of T4 and no addition of T3 are what makes us have residual physical and mental issues even if our thyroid tests are normal. Be prepared to inform yourself so you can speak effectively to your doctors. I highly recommend "The Thyroid Solution" by Dr. Rihda Arem. It is truly rare to find one book with so much current and accurate information.  Dee |
