Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Armour Thyroid medicine

I have been taking Armour Thyroid medicine since my Physical Trainer who is originally from Germany and who trained there as a Physician's assistant told me that my symptoms mirrored her own and that she was hypothyroid too. So, after not being diagnosed for about 20 years (likely I began to become hypothyroid because of having once had giardia in 1985-6 from India and Nepal. Giardia protozoa attack your intestines because their favorite food is gluten sugar from wheat. So, this makes a person allergic to gluten. This in turn over time creates your immune system attacking your thyroid glands which makes a person hypothyroid. So, I likely had problems for about 20 years before my physical trainer actually diagnosed the problem. I was really happy to get this diagnosed with a T3 and a T4 blood test which confirmed what she had said.

So, if you have ever had giardia it is very likely that you will become hypothyroid unless you immediately give up all gluten in wheat, barley and oats.

So, my trainer took Armour thyroid. This comes from pigs from their thyroid glands when they are slaughtered. However, my trainer told me that there were side affects to every other thyroid medication but none at all with Armour thyroid. So, even though I didn't like pigs dying so I could get a medicine and have them be eaten still when I took it with no side affects at all I also felt like I did when I was about 20 to 25 in my mind. I really liked the young thinking and young feeling I got when taking Armour thyroid. However, I didn't learn about the connection to Giardia until March 2013 when I gave up all Gluten from wheat, oats and barley so I wouldn't get an auto-immune disease which is what happens next. You aren't as likely to die from being an undiagnosed Hypothyroid case unless you get pneumonia and die from getting bronchitis all the time during the winter because of your hypothyroid condition. But feeling cold, not able to feel warm, feeling confused and depressed a lot isn't any fun from being an undiagnosed hypothyroid person.

So, if these are your symptoms be sure to get a t3 and t4 blood test and if you are hypothyroid try Armour thyroid which is available now again in the U.S. (for several years I had to buy it online from Canada through a doctor's prescription until this year.)


One of the problems I have been having lately is in regard to dosage. As time moves forwards often you need to slowly raise your dose of Armour thyroid. When I first started I took only 20 mg tablets in 2008 but now I'm up to about 100 mg tablets. As I slowly increased my dosage I did so when I noticed I was starting to get depressed. Then when you raise your dose you have to be careful because too much won't allow you to sleep at all but too little might make you very depressed. So, finding the right balance whenever you slowly increase your dose can be difficult. when you are at a lower dosage even raising is 2.5 to 5 mg might be a lot. But now I was at 90 for about 6 months I raised it all at once about 10 mg and couldn't go to sleep until about 4 am the next morning. But then the next day when I took that dose I was able to get to sleep at midnight. Since my normal sleep time is somewhere between 9pm and midnight depending on what I have to do the next day I realized I could stay on this dose now of about 100 mg. However, the first day I took this I went to see "The Mortal Instruments" and it scared me because of the higher dose affecting my emotions and hormones. So, when you up your dose expect to feel altered in various ways until you find the right dose for you now. Also, there is a blood test you can take to see if you are in a good range of thyroid as well if you want to double check.

Also, you need a doctor because armour thyroid is a prescription medicine and one of the effects of too much of it is sort of like too many cups of coffee. But, because thyroid affects all your hormones having too much or too little affects all aspects of your life and thinking and actions. But, it usually isn't fatal like diabetes can be if it isn't diagnosed quickly. But, if you suspect you are hypothyroid get a t3 and a t4 test. And if you ever have had giardia definitely have these blood tests just to make sure.


note: when I checked with Canadadrugs.com I found these available doses

Related Drug Names
Armour Thyroid 2 grain 120mg and/or Equivalents Armour Thyroid
Armour Thyroid 1/4 grain 15mg and/or Equivalents Armour Thyroid
Armour Thyroid 1 1/2 grain 90mg and/or Equivalents Armour Thyroid
Armour Thyroid 1 grain 60mg and/or Equivalents Erfa Thyroid
Armour Thyroid 1/2 grain 30mg and/or Equivalents Erfa Thyroid

However, when my doses that were needed were in between these doses I cut 30 mg tablets sometimes into 3 or 4 pieces to get the right dose. For example, now I'm at 100 mg for the last week so I take one 30mg tablet and cut it in 3 pieces and then take one 90mg tablet. Finding the right dose is very important because too much will keep you awake for days or harm you and too little will make you depressed and confused and cause many other mostly non-fatal problems in your life. So, finding a dose that is right for you takes some time. then over time likely you will need a slightly higher dose and you will have to find what is best for you again.

Also, you can buy Armour thyroid in the U.S. again I noticed this year at somewhat cheaper prices than having it sent all the way from Canada. However, the ones from Canada are more tasty because I think they put sugar in them too.

Also, remember if this medicine works for you that this medicine has no side effects at all. Like I said when I started taking Armour thyroid tablets around 2006 I believe, I felt immediately like I was 20 to 25 in my mind. In other words I felt mentally young again which was wonderful.

Note: as of June 26th 2018: I had to give up being gluten free in 2015 when i was diagnosed as being Pre-diabetic. I realized that the higher sugar conversion from rice flour (used in rice bread and rice crackers and rice pasta and rice pizza crusts was one of the culprits along with the fructose in Fruit juice that put me over into becoming pre-diabetic which I was pretty upset about for awhile.

So, I realized I had to stop being gluten free in order to stay alive at this point (it's all about priorities).

Even though I experience much more pain in my muscles since I started eating gluten again my pre-diabetic state I have been able to maintain just through diet and not ever drinking fruit juice. So, I limit myself to one large fruit a day which can be a banana, an apple or a mango  or an orange. I just never juice them because that concentrates the fructose so it is then like drinking a 6 pack of beer so I'm not really safe to drive a car at that point.

I first found out in january 2015 while I was snorkeling on the big island on the Kona side at places like Two step where the Kahunas and Hawaiian Kings went into the waters in historical times that I couldn't drink so much mango juice and Pog (passionfruit orange and guava) drink which is popular in the islands along with portugese Sweet Bread which I often buy in uncut loaves and drink POG with. But all the fruit juices and on top of that eating mangoes and papayas put me sort of in a stupor before I was diagnosed with Pre-diabetes. So, just to pack to get on the plane back to San Jose from Kona I had to stop drinking fruit juice for 48 hours in order to pack my things even then.

So, giving up being gluten free was pretty upsetting and also giving up fruit juices but necessary if I wanted to stay alive and be healthy and keep traveling the world snorkeling and skiing with my friends and riding my dualsport motorcycle off road into my 70s.

But, so far I made it to 70 so this is good.

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