Expert: Eric Brandt - 7/23/2009

Question
I am 28 yo female. I had my thyroid out 10 years ago due to nodules on it and being hypo. Was on Synthroid since I was 11 yo and was doing fine with it. I recently got off birth control pills (was on for 10 years) and my tsh was all over the place. I went way hypo, so was put on a higher dose of synthroid, then went way hyper, so was put on a medium dose, still didn't feel good even though my TSH levels fell into normal range. Just started on armour 6 days ago. My doc said no need to ease into the dose, just take 75 mg since it was almost = to the dose of synthroid I was taking. So, needless to say, I was taking 137 mcg of synthroid one day, and the next started taking 75 mg of armour. Should I have slowly built up? I am tired, my neck feels sore, the back of my head toward the back of my neck aches, and feel down. I did not feel like this on the synthroid. I have only been on it for 6 days, but am now having a good experience so far. I am tempted to just get back on the synthroid, however I know it's too soon because I may not be taking enough armour, or may have needed to gradually increased. Not sure yet because it's still too soon to tell. How long should it be until I notice a difference?

Answer
Hi KC,
It can take up to 3 months to build up the thyroid hormone level. It is too soon to assess, but you should also not wait the whole 3 months if you feel lousy. Give it a month. If things do not look like they are on the right track call your doctor for a dosage adjustment.
Thank you for using Allexperts
Sincerely,
Eric Brandt, B.Sc. Pharm