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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Is There Any Benefit In Switching From Levothyroxine To Armour For Hypothyroidism?

I am 48 years old and was diagnosed with hypothyroidism a little over a year ago. I currently take .75 mcg Levothyroxine per day. Some of the symptoms I had before taking this medication have gone away; however I am still very fatigued, joints ache, weight gain, and I'm having a hard time staying asleep at night. I friend, who has the same condition, is currently taking Armour. She says she has had wonderful results with it. My questions is should I ask my doctor to switch me to Armour and are the benefits better with Armour?
posted on Thu, 13 Feb 2014
Twitter Thu, 13 Feb 2014 Answered on
Twitter Thu, 13 Feb 2014 Last reviewed on
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Hello,
Thyroid gland produces both T4 and T3 hormone.T4 is inactive and has to be converted to T3 for the action.
When you give levothyroxine( T4 ),not all is converted to T3 in some of the hypothyroid patients.If your blood tests show that T3 is inadequate,then you may be benefited by taking armour thyroid as it contains both T4 and T3.
However you must first get your TSH tested to look whether your hypothyroid status is controlled or uncontrolled.
Thanks
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Is There Any Benefit In Switching From Levothyroxine To Armour For Hypothyroidism?

Hello, Thyroid gland produces both T4 and T3 hormone.T4 is inactive and has to be converted to T3 for the action. When you give levothyroxine( T4 ),not all is converted to T3 in some of the hypothyroid patients.If your blood tests show that T3 is inadequate,then you may be benefited by taking armour thyroid as it contains both T4 and T3. However you must first get your TSH tested to look whether your hypothyroid status is controlled or uncontrolled. Thanks