Another strategy worth considering is to split your dose throughout the day. An Online Survey of Hypothyroid Patients Demonstrates Prominent Dissatisfaction. special thyroid medication that is formulated to include ALL of the thyroid hormones, active thyroid hormone T3 is what makes thyroid hormone do its job, it usually isn't enough for weight loss by itself. Improvement of depression in a patient with hypothyroidism and deiodinase polymorphism with LT3 Therapy. These hormones (along with probably other enzymes and hormone precursors) are present in the thyroid gland of animals and therefore make it into the pharmaceutical medication as it is prepared. In physiology, we give all of the credit to T3 because it is the most biological thyroid compound floating around in your blood. Reverse T3 = INACTIVE thyroid metabolite that competes with T3 for cellular binding. What happens when Reverse T3 levels are too high? It's theoretically possible that certain patients taking Armour thyroid may experience an "antigenic" reaction. Reverse T3 Treatment Guide + How to Flush it out of Your Body & Start Feeling Better While your thyroid certainly contributes (at least initially) to weight gain, it almost always isn't the ONLY contributing factor. This sort of reaction tends to be rare, provided you slowly increase your dose over time and monitor your serum thyroid levels as you go. Armour thyroid is ranked among a class of thyroid medications known as Natural Desiccated thyroid medications. If you decide that Armour thyroid is worth trying, then how do you dose it? If a patient is hypothyroid, meaning their thyroid gland is not producing enough thyroid hormone naturally, then they must undergo thyroid hormone replacement therapy. I don't practice medicine anymore and instead specialize in helping people like YOU who have thyroid problems, hormone imbalances, and weight loss resistance. Patients: This means that you can never use a "dosing calculator" to simply determine what your dose should be, instead you may need to use a combination of trial and error along with frequent laboratory testing. I mentioned previously that Armour thyroid is more "potent" and more "active" than T4 medications such as Levothyroxine and Synthroid and part of this is because it contains the active T3 hormone but another important part is that it doesn't require as much activation. Armour thyroid is, therefore, a significantly more potent thyroid medication when compared to thyroid medications such as levothyroxine and Synthroid. Check out my free thyroid downloads and resources. Calcium Supplements and Thyroid Absorption: What to Know, Thyroid Supplement Side Effects: What to Expect. I made this point #1 because I think it is probably the most important feature which separates Armour from levothyroxine but it certainly isn't the only one: I've found that these 10 foods cause the most problems for thyroid patients. If you fall into any of these categories make sure you monitor your dose very closely. One problem with Armour thyroid (and NDT in general) is the static dosing in each individual grain of hormone. New research has shown(7) that there are some existing genes known as SNP's that may alter the efficiency of this conversion process. If we could reliably test for these genetic differences we would be able to more easily determine what kind of thyroid medication that each person needs. But did you know that there are other thyroid hormones? I am a former Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (no longer practicing) that now focuses on producing the information you see here while also formulating some of the best supplements on the market (in my HUMBLE opinion) :). If you are transitioning from an existing T4 medication then starting your dose off at about 25% of the maximum and then increasing slowly every few weeks is a safe and effective method. Outcome measures: and I'm proud to say that over 70,000+ people have used them over the last 6 years. So let's talk about the 5 main reasons that patients who make the switch to Armour Thyroid don't lose weight and what you can do to FINALLY lose those extra pounds: One of the biggest issues is that many patients may be undertreated or underdosed. and transmitted securely. Peterson SJ, Cappola AR, Castro MR, Dayan CM, Farwell AP, Hennessey JV, Kopp PA, Ross DS, Samuels MH, Sawka AM, Taylor PN, Jonklaas J, Bianco AC. Biochemical and neurocognitive tests at baseline and at the end of each treatment period were evaluated. 2022 Dr. Westin Childs | Thyroid & Health Supplements That Work Built withGeneratePress and powered by Kinsta. This means that some of you out there are just not very good at converting T4 into T3(8) while some of you out there are incredible at doing it. then you should have your blood work retested and evaluated. And it is these inactive ingredients that may cause certain people to respond well (or not) to these medications due to how they react to these inactive ingredients. Meaning the amount of T3 in each grain of Armour is always the same (this is a good thing from a pharmaceutical and consistency standpoint, but may be a problem due to the inability to titrate individual T3 and T4 doses). Armour thyroid is unique among thyroid medications in that it contains both the active AND inactive thyroid hormones (1). Unfortunately, many patients with hypothyroidism also have gastrointestinal issues including low stomach acid (15). Why Levothyroxine Causes Weight Gain and How to Prevent it, Reverse T3 Treatment Guide + How to Flush it out of Your Body & Start Feeling Better, The Complete Guide to using Nature-Throid for Thyroid Patients, What Your Low TSH Means With Thyroid Medication & Without. Thyrotoxicosis vs Hyperthyroidism: Whats the Difference? All rights reserved. Using the table below you can see that the NDT form of thyroid hormone with the least amount of ingredients is WP thyroid - though this doesn't necessarily mean that it is the "best". So if you are taking 2 grains total each day you might consider taking 1 grain in the morning and then another in the afternoon. The presence of leptin resistance creates hormonal havoc which results in weight loss resistance despite changes to your diet and to the amount that you exercise. Because high levels of reverse T3 can be caused by different factors, the best way to treat it is to identify the cause and focus on that issue. Armour thyroid is a prescription medication that is used to treat patients with the diagnosis of hypothyroidism. Usually caused by increased intestinal permeability (SIBO, SIFO, SIBO, leaky gut, etc. If your leptin is too high - then you should undergo therapies designed to reduce leptin resistance. While Armour does contain some T3 it is possible that your body may actually need more. official website and that any information you provide is encrypted It should come as no surprise then to hear that you don't want high levels of Reverse T3 because it competes for binding with T3 which creates tissue level hypothyroidism or thyroid resistance. One of the biggest (and perhaps more important) question that most patients have when considering Armour thyroid is this: Will Armour Thyroid actually help me lose weight? Some people believe that taking Armour thyroid may cause a "flare up" of existing Hashimoto's disease. Patients can take advantage of this increased potency and may actually feel much better when switching from other medications to Armour thyroid. Results: If your T4 containing medication is too high you may need to decrease your T4 dose and/or increase your T3 dose. Each person will require a unique amount of thyroid hormone but the average dose of Armour thyroid is somewhere between 2-3 grains or 180mg. Reasons to try or consider using Armour thyroid: This is not a complete list but instead focuses on our current understanding of thyroid physiology, genetics, and thyroid conversion and attempts to come up with logical reasons why some patients might feel better on Armour thyroid compared to other medications. HHS Vulnerability Disclosure, Help Chaker L, Razvi S, Bensenor IM, Azizi F, Pearce EN, Peeters RP. 1 grain of Armour thyroid is equal to 60 mg. 60mg of Armour thyroid contains about 38mcg of T4 and 9 mcg of T3. If you can identify and treat these conditions then your body will naturally be able to convert T4 into T3 which is exactly what you want. All of these changes ultimately lead to weight gain. Patients were randomized to either DTE or L-T for 16 weeks and then crossed over for the same duration. Hey! Another strategy that I often recommend is to simply take your thyroid medication at night. As fat cells grow, leptin levels increase. You can read more about my own personal health journey and why I am so passionate about what I dohere. The "slow release" comes from the fact that it is harder to digest and absorb in the body, but this also reduces the overall amount of hormone available in each dosage. I mentioned that Armour thyroid is unique among thyroid medications so let me explain a little bit further here. Since this testing is not mainstream (yet!) Please enable it to take advantage of the complete set of features! While none of these are hard and fast rules they can help you get started. 2021 Oct 21;106(11):e4400-e4413. How do you know if you are someone who needs more T3? If you've been experiencing any of these symptoms then you should have your blood work retested and evaluated. Using this conversion you can see how many people may end up under-treated. In some patients dropping Armour thyroid total dosing and adding T3 can be sufficient to improve symptoms and provide improved weight loss without causing negative symptoms. Take Armour thyroid on an empty stomach. As an example Armour thyroid is known to contain both methylcellulose and dextrose and these inactive ingredients are notoriously difficult for some patients to digest and break down. For various reasons, physicians may be relying on tests that may not accurately identify the status of thyroid hormone in the body. Epub 2011 Aug 24. DTE therapy may be relevant for some hypothyroid patients. This resource is dedicated to helping people with thyroid problems, hormone imbalances, and weight loss problems get the help that they need. Your body lives in harmony and functions optimally when it can create the amount of T4 and T3 that it needs on a daily basis. These symptoms tend to be unique in the sense that they are NOT caused by the active thyroid hormone but instead caused by the other "stuff" that the medication is formulated with. An official website of the United States government. Patients with leptin resistance generally require aggressive treatment to reverse leptin levels to help with weight loss. In general, the higher Reverse T3 the more hypothyroid you will feel and the less active thyroid hormone is in your body (unless the Reverse T3 is compensatory due to supraphysiologic levels of free T3). Even if you assume that T3 is 3x more potent (which isn't the best indicator of biological activity in the body) then you still come up short with this conversion - let's break down the math: 9 mcg of T3 x 3 = 27 mcg of T4 "equivalents" in each grain of Armour thyroid, 38mcg + 27mcg = 65 mcg of T4 "equivalents" in each grain of Armour thyroid total. eCollection 2021. You can read more about this idea in detail here. The Dangers of Using Phentermine for Weight Loss. The real question is what do you do about it? And these patients may simply do better on traditional T4 medications. While Armour Thyroid is a great medication (that will probably help reduce your symptoms even if it doesn't help you lose weight) it usually isn't enough for weight loss by itself. While it's true 1 grain of Armour thyroid contains the same amount of active thyroid hormone (T3 and T4) as a grain of WP thyroid or Naturethroid - these medications differ in the inactive ingredients that they contain. Again it's not the difference in the concentration of thyroid hormone in each individual medication but most likely a reflection of digestion and absorption. This underdosing may have the unintended consequence of exacerbating (at least temporarily) hypothyroid symptoms. It's also important to note that many providers aren't as comfortable dosing Armour Thyroid as they are levothyroxine and so they will intentionally under dose patients because they are concerned about side effects. Why this happens is a long story but the short version is that your thyroid is probably only contributing to about 10-20 pounds of extra weight you may be carrying right now. Some studies even suggest(11) that temporary supraphysiologic dosing of T3 may help to overcome these hormone imbalances, provided it is used safely and correctly. This exact process is what happens when patients take Sustained release T3. Conclusion: government site. Because T4 has the option to turn into T3 or Reverse T3 we need to concern ourselves with what causes the body to preferentially create more reverse T3. The actual thyroid hormones from the porcine derived thyroid gland are EXACTLY the same as the ones your body produce but, as we stated previously, Armour also contains other inactive ingredients that may cause issues when ingested by humans. If this sounds confusing, don't let it be: Armour thyroid (and other forms of Natural Desiccated thyroid) contain fixed ratios of T4 to T3. Because Armour thyroid contains T3 it can directly bypass this conversion process which allows the body to use some of the thyroid hormone immediately after ingestion. The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the Most conversion charts will show that 100mcg of T4 = 1 grain of Armour thyroid. Shakir MKM, Brooks DI, McAninch EA, Fonseca TL, Mai VQ, Bianco AC, Hoang TD. If you have high levels of insulin - your focus should be on reversing this condition. PMC Armour thyroid can be dosed in milligrams or in grains and it's important to understand the difference. You won't be able to lose weight unless all 5 of those areas have been addressed and reversed (if necessary). Armour Thyroid and Weight Loss - Will it Help you? This is actually quite important because the active thyroid hormone T3 is what makes thyroid hormone do its job. 2004 Jun;60(6):750-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2265.2004.02050.x. If you are taking 1 grain of Armour thyroid but you take it with a meal, it's possible you may only be absorbing 70% of that 1 grain. I'm Dr. Westin Childs. If you are naive to thyroid medication (meaning that you have never tried thyroid medication before) then starting off at 15-30mg and titrating slowly up every few weeks may also be appropriate. #1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/909397, #2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4267409/, #3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4980994/, #4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12915350, #5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK285547/, #6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28192176, #7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3509195/, #8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6479377, #9. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/402379, #10. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/118651-overview, #11. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16883675, #12. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3205882/, #13. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4069066/, #14. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3608008/, #15. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7435122, #16. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21149757, Doctor photo created by freepik - www.freepik.com, The Complete List of Menopause Symptoms + How to Diagnose it, Complete List of Hypothyroidism Symptoms with Checklist and Lab Guide, Why Treating Hypothyroidism as a Chronic Disease Is Incorrect, How & When to Use Progesterone Pills (Prometrium). We conducted a randomized, double-blind, crossover study at a tertiary care center. Activation or conversion are both words for the same process: The turning of inactive T4 into active T3. So how does this relate to Armour thyroid? Careers. Want to know why I'm so passionate about these topics? Not all forms of Natural Desiccated thyroid are created equal. Armour Thyroid vs Levothyroxine & Synthroid. A more accurate conversion process may look something like this: A couple of important points when considering this information: If you are transitioning from a T4 only medication do NOT start yourself off at the maximum dose of Armour. It's important to remember that Armour thyroid comes from an animal and animal tissue is considered "foreign" to your body. Maca and Your Thyroid: Harmful or Helpful? In some cases, this may be as easy as adding a small dose of T3, in others, it may mean switching to individual T4 and T3 prescriptions. The primary difficulties come when transitioning from an existing thyroid medication over to Armour thyroid. Calculating these ratios is important because it can help you determine if your efforts are on the right track and whether or not your medications are working. Taking your medication at night offers several advantages: First is that you don't have to worry about taking it on an empty stomach because most people generally don't eat right before bed. And second is that taking your thyroid hormone in the evening may actually improve absorption because the GI tract tends to be slower in the evening (16). If you suffer from chronic inflammation then you may need to address whatever issue is causing inflammation in your body. When you have leptin resistance (13) the exact opposite happens: your body thinks you're starving so it decreases metabolism and increases appetite (even though you have plenty of fat). There were no differences in symptoms and neurocognitive measurements between the 2 therapies. In general patients with GI related issues may do better on WP thyroid or Tirosint which both have fewer inactive ingredients and absorption tends to be better. This process is controlled by various factors including your genetics so it may come as no surprise that some people are "better" at converting thyroid hormone than others. This change is not necessarily indicative of the failure of Armour thyroid but more a failure with the conversion and dosing process. Two Cases of Armour Thyroid Interference in Thyroglobulin Monitoring for Thyroid Cancer. But remember that each grain of Armour thyroid only has 38mcg of T4 and 9 mcg of T3. Calcium and iron are notorious for binding to and preventing the absorption of thyroid hormone, but this can also occur with other supplements. #2. 2) If you fall into one or more of the categories listed above AND you are taking T4 medication (including Armour thyroid, but especially T4 only medications like Synthroid or Levothyroxine) then your medication may be contributing to your inability to lose weight. Armour thyroid is special when compared to levothyroxine because it contains at least two types of thyroid hormone: T4 and T3. ), (Please don't stop taking these medications if you are on them, but consider discussing options with your Doctor), 1 grain = 60mg = 38mcg of T4 and 9 mcg of T3. Instead, it may be possible that they would do much better by switching to a different formulation rather than switching back to T4 medication. This approach will help you achieve long lasting results and help improve your symptoms more than any other. If you use the calculation above then 2 grains is equal to 120mg of Armour thyroid or 130mcg of T4 equivalents (if you convert the 18mcg of T3 into T4). Design and setting: Let's recap this information because it can be confusing: The healthy thyroid gland naturally produces about 80% T4 thyroid hormone and about 20% T3 thyroid hormone(4) each and every day. Are you taking Armour Thyroid? J Clin Endocrinol Metab. It would be silly of us to assume that simply because we don't know what they do or how they work that they are unimportant, but that is kind of the mentality that we have when it comes to the human body. Armour thyroid is a special thyroid medication that is formulated to include ALL of the thyroid hormones - both biologically active and biologically inactive forms. (former Osteopathic Physician). Thyroid hormone can bind to certain substances which may reduce the dose of thyroid medication that is delivered to your body. This content is strictly the opinion of Dr. Westin Childs and is for educational and information purposes only. If you are taking 2 grains of Armour thyroid then you are taking 120mg. Metabolic effects of liothyronine therapy in hypothyroidism: a randomized, double-blind, crossover trial of liothyronine versus levothyroxine. 2022 May 19;8(1):30. doi: 10.1038/s41572-022-00357-7. Our objective was to investigate the effectiveness of DTE compared with L-T in hypothyroid patients. In the subgroup analyses, those patients who preferred DTE lost 4 lb during the DTE treatment, and their subjective symptoms were significantly better while taking DTE as measured by the general health questionnaire-12 and thyroid symptom questionnaire (P < .001 for both). Use of Thyroid Hormones in Hypothyroid and Euthyroid Patients: A 2020 THESIS Questionnaire Survey of Members of the Swedish Endocrine Society. 2011 Nov;96(11):3466-74. doi: 10.1210/jc.2011-1329. In reality, it may be more accurate that the patient was underdosed which resulted in a hypothyroid state and a subsequent increase in the TSH. Bethesda, MD 20894, Web Policies But emerging research(6) is showing that these compounds are still important nonetheless, even if we don't completely understand what they do or how they work. eCollection 2021. This may result in decreased absorption of thyroid hormone or cause a "delayed" release of the medication into the blood stream. As a result patients with a "sluggish" thyroid often experience symptoms such as weight gain, fatigue, cold extremities, constipation and so on. This means that when transitioning from T4 only medication to Armour thyroid many patients are usually under treated, especially if physicians rely solely on the TSH as an indicator of thyroid status in the body. If you aren't familiar with Reverse T3 please read this article. Your temperature will drop, your metabolism will drop and your appetite will increase in an attempt to compensate. 2 grains of Armour thyroid = 120 mg of Armour thyroid = 76 mcg of T4 and 18mcg of T3. I've even had patients who report that when they switch to Armour thyroid their TSH increases and the physician then states that Armour thyroid is unreliable. Because the conventional treatment for patients with hypothyroidism is to supplement with only the inactive thyroid hormone T4. High levels of reverse T3 may lead you to experience weight gain, a slower than normal metabolism and other hypothyroid symptoms. Ahmed ZS, Sherin RPV, Fonseca TL, Hoang TD, Shakir MKM. After all - If weight loss were that simple, then Doctors would be prescribing low doses of Armour to every patient! Learn which foods you should absolutely be avoiding if you have thyroid disease of any type. I've outlined how to treat leptin resistance in this article. Epub 2018 Apr 5. Patients previously treated with desiccated thyroid extract (DTE), when being switched to levothyroxine (L-T), occasionally did not feel as well despite adequate dosing based on serum TSH levels. As you probably know hypothyroidism is a condition in the body which results in a decreased production or utilization of thyroid hormone in the body. Case Rep Endocrinol. Five variables were predictors of preference for DTE. Disclaimer, National Library of Medicine 2022 Apr;18(4):230-242. doi: 10.1038/s41574-021-00625-8. How do you know if you have Leptin resistance? Check out my own personal health story. No matter how you look at it though there may be some individuals who benefit from the "extra" thyroid hormones T1 and T2 that come with the whole Armour thyroid package. It may be no wonder why some patients who "transition" to Armour thyroid often feel symptomatically worse during the transition.
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