Guys I am having some thyroid testing done (TSH, Free T3, Free T4) and I want to know, should I take my Armour (Combo of T4, T3, T2, T1, etc) the morning of the test before the blood is drawn or wait to take it till after? Thanks.
Mr.50
Mr.50
Are you under the care of a physician and being prescribed this medication?
If you are wanting real results you need to come off the armour. If it's a low dose you shouldn't have much of a problem but if you're dosing a bit more you may want to reschedule your appt so you don't go in there with seriously low thyroid either. My doc referred me to nuclear medicine when mine was off which required me to eat certain foods etc before getting it checked for the final time.
So you're wanting to see where you are with being on this replacement...Gotcha. I would not dose the morning of. I may be missing the mark here(which is known to happen) but with the halflife of t-3 The previous day would be plenty to be in the system.
My Dr. told me not to take Armour before the blood test and my wifes Dr. told her the same thing.
Phil
Well, let's think this through for a second. Why are we running the test? To find out what current dosing is achieving in the bloodstream.
So, how can we see how much of the drug is finding its way into the bloodstream if you do not take the drug?
Makes dose titration kinda difficult, doesn't it?
I hear yea but this is what the Dr. wants why I have no Idea maybe they are not as good at reading labs most I am finding are not they for get the test is based on a bell curve. They go by your in the normal range so your OK. We see this all the time guys are low normal on T but there levels are only normal for a man 85 yrs old but to most Dr.'s your in the normal range so you must be Depressed. Here is a good cut & paste on this.Well, let's think this through for a second. Why are we running the test? To find out what current dosing is achieving in the bloodstream.
So, how can we see how much of the drug is finding its way into the bloodstream if you do not take the drug?
Makes dose titration kinda difficult, doesn't it?
I agree Dr. John but i thought that because of the absorbtion and half like of the T3 in Armour it might give artificially high results if take too close (or just the right/wrong amount of time) to the time the blood is drawn rather then an average or truely representative value of T3 in the blood for most of the day.
So are you saying that your reccomendation is to take the Armour in the morning on an empty stomach before going to get the blood drawn?
Mr.50
She says its so he can make sure that her levels are stable throughout the day, and that enough medicine is actually getting into her bloodstream to help out. This way he knows if he needs to increase the dose or lower it depending on her test results and basal temperature each morning 2 weeks prior to the blood test.What exactly is he testing then? IOW, what question does the lab result answer?
This strategy makes absolutely no sense. If she is not on the medication, OF COURSE it would like she needs (more) medication.
That's the way I do it.
I run a TSH, fT4 and fT3.
Well, let's think this through for a second. Why are we running the test? To find out what current dosing is achieving in the bloodstream.
So, how can we see how much of the drug is finding its way into the bloodstream if you do not take the drug?
Makes dose titration kinda difficult, doesn't it?
Armour Thyroid – Frequently Asked Questions
From Armour Thyroid website
How and when should I take my Armour® Thyroid?
ANSWER
Armour Thyroid should be taken as your doctor or other healthcare professional prescribes. Typically, treatment consists of a specific dose taken daily, usually once in the morning.
I would reason like this:
1. Armour Thyroid is taken once every 24 hrs
2.You want to know (mostly) your FreeT3 level, with T3 having somewhat short half life, its bood level fluctuate.
3. After taking a pill, assume, your FreeT3 level rises 25% of the time, then stays level 50% of the time and then it lowers for 25% of the time. That is: 6hrs, 12hrs, 6hrs
4. You want to make a blood draw when FreeT3 is level
5. Couple days before the blood draw, adjust you Armour Thyroid taking time (plus/minus few hrs) accordingly
6. You probably won't go wrong with 3hrs (rise), 18hrs (level), 3hrs (lowering), so your window is that much bigger.
------------------------------------------
It would help to know half life of T3 in the body after Armour Thyroid is taken.
All this may be a splitting hairs.I am not trying to start anything here but this is a cut & paste from one the biggest Thyriod web sites.
We have found it wise NOT to take our Armour before we do our scheduled labs. Why? Because the direct T3 peaks within a few hours after we take our Armour, causing our free T3 to look high and give a false impression of hyper.
Phil
All this may be a splitting hairs.
If daily FreeT3 variations are large then time of blood testing is important.
But if it is that important then may be it is also good idea to take Armour Thyroid twice daily to have more steady levels.
I do not have real info, just guessing.
Most of the people at the sites do take there Armour 2 - 3 times a day for this reasion.All this may be a splitting hairs.
If daily FreeT3 variations are large then time of blood testing is important.
But if it is that important then may be it is also good idea to take Armour Thyroid twice daily to have more steady levels.
I do not have real info, just guessing.
If you say it then in my mind it is true your much better then any Dr. I have ever seen in my life.I'll start something. LOL.
My guys tell me when they take the Armour, and I look on the lab report to see when the draw was. Loosely predicting by the PK's of the T3, AND patient response, helps us adjust dose.
Here's the simple, undeniable point: you cannot dose a drug by lab testing if you did not take the drug!
This is essential as we rely upon FreeT3 as the most important assay.
Here is my DR. "Well Phil your labs look dam good then I say but I don't feel all the great then the Dr. says you labs don't show this and the beat goes on." They broke the mold after you were born.If you do that, then T3 will be low, giving the impression of being under-treated.
Of course, if the doc actujally lifts his/her eyes from the lab printout long enough to ask how the patient is feeling, lots of important info can be garnered.
Going back to when to draw blood for test;Yup. Free T3's half-life is about 7 hours. 7 days for T4/7 hours for T3. Take the Armour first thing in the morning, then again mid-afternoon. Later can keep you up at night.
I see my Dr. this Tue. and I will ask him how he feels about this again.Going back to when to draw blood for test;
basing on 7 hrs T3's half life,
theoretally,
I would say 3.5 hours after the Armour Thyroid was taken.
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