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Anyone else experience this?

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Thyroid Disorders
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Hashi2013
New Member
Joined : Aug 2013
Posts : 2
Posted 8/13/2013 4:31 PM (GMT -8)
Hello! I have recently been diagnosed with Hashimotos. I had been treated for hypothyroidism since 2006 and never had any other tests done other than the standard TSH test..until recently. An ultra sound of my thyroid determined that I had Hashimotos. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone has experienced cold sore out breaks when their thyroid isnt optimized? I recently switched from 175mcg of Levothyroxine to 60mcg of Armour. I am due to get my blood work done next week to see where my numbers are. I am positive that the Armour will need to be increased. The Levothyroxine was not working for me. I had severe aches/pains, brain fog and memory loss, anxiety, vision impairment, severe lack of energy, etc. So I asked to switch to Armour and within four weeks I noticed a major difference! My joint pain was gone, my energy level was better, the brain fog decreased, anxiety wasnt nearly as bad. But one thing that I have had is more cold sore outbreaks than usual. I only get two a year, but since I switched to Armour, I no sooner get rid of one and another appears. You can imagine the embarrassment I feel when I get them. I have had them since I was little, and I dont remember how I got them. I have tried to research if there is any link to the two (not the cause obviously, but can a thyroid problem cause an outbreak) and have been unsuccessful, so I figured I would ask others if they have experienced this as well. Thanks for reading!
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hypoHashi
Veteran Member
Joined : Jul 2012
Posts : 800
Posted 8/19/2013 1:22 AM (GMT -8)
Hi,
What were your results when on 175 mcg/day levo? it is very likely that the medication was not optimized for you, and this is what caused your symptoms, 175 mcg/day is a high dose.
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Hashi2013
New Member
Joined : Aug 2013
Posts : 2
Posted 8/19/2013 5:01 AM (GMT -8)
OMG! I meant 75mcg! Sorry about that. Thanks for replying though!
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kim123
Veteran Member
Joined : Jul 2006
Posts : 1201
Posted 8/24/2013 4:54 PM (GMT -8)
How did you ever find a doctor to let you use Armour with Hashi's? My doctor insists it won't help me and will just increase my antibodies. :/ Any others out there who take Armour with Hashi's?
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Swimom
Veteran Member
Joined : Apr 2006
Posts : 1732
Posted 8/29/2013 9:27 PM (GMT -8)
I can't speak as to getting cold sores (sorry) but I do know Armour is the only thyroid medication that has even remotely worked for me and I have Hashi's.

After a decade of using every replacement on the market only to wind up in the same out of control situation, I ended up in an ER on a holiday with an acute onset of strep and a huge, swollen thyroid. A scurry of Docs were called in to give their opinion, including an endocrinologist. I was informed that it was either the worst runaway thyroid she'd seen in a long time...or it was cancer. I was sent on my way with antibiotics and told to stop taking the levothyroid and return in a week to her office. The first thing she wanted to know was the history of course. I told her my GP kept insisting he could manage my thyroid and would not hear of sending me to an endo (gotta love HMO's). I gave her a list of all the different brands and doses of T4's we had tried and when asked, told her, no, he had never tested my T3 to my knowledge. A biopsy was done to confirm and rule out. Hashi's yes, cancer, no.

Long story short; turned out to be a run away thyroid because I have a T3 conversion disorder. No T4 alone was going to help. Duh! Armour was prescribed and voila! I responded fairly quickly until the good old HMO insisted on generic forms which set me back right to the beginning repeatedly. I had to go back to Armour and only Armour. For a while it was off the market and of course...another 2 year set back. T3-T4 separately didn't work either. What a pain. Literally! Thought I was just plain out of luck and would end up exhausted and miserable with a head full of fog 24/7.  All that could be done was to continue trying different medication ideas. Nothing but nothing was working.

Happy ending; Armour came back on the market.. The Endo asked if I wanted to try it again about 18 months ago. No hesitation from this lady! Had to order it special but it was worth the few days wait. The new formula works better than the original did, keeping me pretty stable most of the time these days.

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kim123
Veteran Member
Joined : Jul 2006
Posts : 1201
Posted 8/31/2013 5:11 PM (GMT -8)
Swimom -glad to hear it. I am taking Levothyroxine. My dr will NOT prescribe Armour, even though I am a natural drug believer at heart. If it's my body and my symptoms, why won't a doctor let me decide what's best for me?!!
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Radon
Regular Member
Joined : Aug 2013
Posts : 27
Posted 9/12/2013 6:33 AM (GMT -8)
Armour is the only thing that helped me get rid of aches and dry skin and falling out hair, and I have Hashi's. I know the thyroid page on about.com has a great listing of docs - that's where I found my last 2.
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Bb3355
New Member
Joined : Sep 2013
Posts : 4
Posted 9/18/2013 3:48 PM (GMT -8)
You give me hope just switched to Efra from synthroid ..only day 10 and no difference in symptoms yet. It is such a waiting game. Bb
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