I sought permission from Janie on the American Natural Thyroid Hormone site to post this here as I think many members here will benefit. Thank you, Janie.
The following are the most common mistakes people make who have switched to Armour/Naturethroid/Thyroid-S, etc:
1) STICKING WITH TOO LOW A DOSE
This happens OFTEN here among folks.
For example, I once thought that 2 1/4 grains was my optimal dose because
I had SO much better energy and other improvements! I was wrong. I inched
my way up, 1/4 grain at a time, holding each raise a few weeks, to 3 1/4
grains-and voila. Even MORE benefits and no hyper. I am now at 3 1/2
grains, which appears to right at the top for me.
2) THINKING THEY ARE ON TOO MUCH BECAUSE OF HYPER SYMPTOMS
Granted, someone
CAN get too high with Armour, and they notice it with a fast heart rate,
or temp higher than 98.6, or pulps, or high anxiety. It's then time to
decrease a bit. But often, the cause of hyper-like or strange symptoms
is more the result of sluggish adrenals, which is QUITE common, or even
a low Ferritin. Get those checked (24 hour adrenal test, and a blood Ferritin
test) before assuming you were on too much. Additionally, if you raise
too quickly, or in too large a dose raise, your body can overreact, making
you think you were on too much. The solution is to go back where you were,
and go up in smaller increments, such as 1/4 grain.
Occasionally, you will find someone who takes their natural thyroid all at once in the morning and say they do fine. But, most folks will notice much better results by multi-dosing. I, for example, take 2 grains in the morning, one grain by 1 pm, and 1/2 grain by 2-3 pm. Multi-dosing better imitates what your own thyroid would be doing. You also get that free T3 peak when you need it--during the day. Some folks are also taking a little when they go to bed, and it helps them sleep! 4) FAILING TO TAKE ARMOUR SUBLINGUALLY.
Don't get me wrong; you CAN have success with swallowing Armour (and other brands taste horrible if you don't!!). But, you can note even better success if you do your Armour sublingually, i.e. placing the tablet between your inner cheek and gum, or under your tongue...and forgetting about it.
5) SWALLOWING NATURAL THYROID WITH ESTROGEN, CALCIUM or IRON
Oestrogen, calcium and iron BIND some of the thyroid hormones and make
them unusable. So, it’s wise to avoid swallowing iron, calcium and
oestrogen at the same time you swallow your natural thyroid. (Again, another
reason to do sublingual for Armour, and for the other natural thyroid
if you can STAND their taste!
6) STAYING ON A STARTING DOSE TOO LONG
When first starting on Armour or any natural thyroid product, it can be
wise to start on a dose at-or-lower-than one grain to allow your body
to adjust to that direct T3. BUT . . . it's UNWISE to stay on that low
dose much longer than 2-3 weeks. Why? Because your hypo can return with
a VENGEANCE. My first doc kept my on my 3/4 grain starting dose for 9
weeks, and I certainly noticed it with achiness and the feel-bads. BAD
move!!
7) THINKING ARMOUR IS NOT WORKING WHEN SOMETHING ARISES
Armour contains
direct T3, and the T3 can aggravate certain conditions initially. When
this happens, just hold the dose and give the reaction time to go away.
One gal felt she got "itchy", and she was so determined to blame
Armour that she got off, left the group, got back on synthetic thyroxine,
and is STILL itchy.
8) ADDING T4 or T3 to ARMOUR TOO SOON!
Most folks do perfectly fine on
Armour alone, especially when they have taken the time to find their optimal
dose, which is often at or over 3 grains. But some folks feel the need
to add either T4 or T3 to their natural thyroid dose to achieve a certain
result, which is fine. BUT . . . often it's added WAY too soon (such
as 3 grains and LESS), and you MISS OUT on the benefits of the T4, T3,
T2, T1 and Calcitonin. Instead, if they had simply upped their Armour
more, they might have gotten the results they desired. If, after you get
up to 5-6 grains, and you still have a free T3 too low, or it's high but
you have poor results, then it's time to consider adding T3 to your natural
thyroid.
9) GOING UP WITH DOSAGES WAY TOO FAST
I'll never forget him. He was on
Shoman's thyroid site. He got on Armour. One grain, then 2 grains, then
3 grains, then 4 grains, then 5 grains, then 6 grains. But the problem
was, he did this within 4-5 weeks!!! OUCH!! He was majorly overdosed with
symptoms to match. He had to stop for a few weeks...then resume again
at the one-grain and do it the right way. Namely, after you are on your
starting dose, it's usually OK to go up 1/2 grain or so at a time every
2-3 weeks. BUT.... when you get up
to 2-3 grains, it's time to hold each dose at least 4-5 weeks to allow
the build-up of the T4, and to see it's conversion to T3 results!
10) PAYING TOO STRICT ATTENTION TO LABS
Labs are interesting, and labs
are good adjuncts to the full spectrum of dosing. BUT . . . SYMPTOMS are FAR
MORE IMPORTANT. If you have a very suppressed TSH, and/or a high free
T3, yet, you still have symptoms; don't get stuck on black marks on a
piece of paper.
11) THINKING YOUR DOC KNOWS MORE THAN YOU DO
Now let's get this straight:
a doctor went to medical school. A doctor gets continuing education. A
doctor has a lot of knowledge. We appreciate that! BUT . . . that does NOT
take away from your OWN knowledge and your OWN intuitive sense about your
body, about what works, about what doesn't work...no matter what that
doc says. In fact, the very reason this site exists is because WE have
become educated!! Read, read, read, and trust your own body and your own
wisdom.