The levo fizzel is a known, given a higher dose feel good for a few weeks to then feel like you have gone over a cliff sort of thing. I don't think in general much notice is taken of it, except by us.

I was in the position of adversely reacting to the liquid levo, it burned as I swallowed. I'd had problems with the NHS pills years before and refused to take them because my physical abilities were reduced. Which is why I have as many problems as I do. Again I was told there was nothing else I could have.............. So no medication. But the doctor told me I needed something but could not offer me anything himself but he could test why I had the issues with the liquid!!!!

Fortunately I'd already made contact with a Clinical Nutritionist with a Medical degree, we were already working on inflammation after blood tests etc. She was able to offer NDT in a food supplement capsule, we were able to achieve a dose close to the t4 I was on. Its not exactly the same as Armour. I'm also using pituitary support because of my history. I'm a few week in on both, started the thyroid support, two weeks later half a dose of the adrenal, full dose at two weeks. I'd been without medication for a week and felt as if I was in free fall then as soon as I took the first pill it took up the slack and now I'm feeling much better, have a way to go but at least I'm on the bus at long, long last and not in limbo which was how I felt on levo.

I hope you are able to get the tests you deserve, t4, t3 reverse t3 because not all t4's necessarily change to usable t3 in every one. There are other tests which are helpful. Tsh on its own is a poor indicter. You may need to find another doctor and/or endo. I think NDT is more readily available in the US. STTM, Stop the thyroid madness, site does have a list of US Doctors who have a reputation for assisting thyroid persons in their most effective way. I hope they have someone reasonably close to you. Best of luck, I hope you will be able to make a case for yourself if this is what you want. It will probably help that you are a man, possibly a more interesting prospect to treat.

A caveat Some people find themselves feeling better on t3 only. Paul Robinson, a Brit wrote a book on his experiences and how he worked his way to this prescription with the help of a very special UK doctor.

I switched from Levo to Armour. I had the levo fizzle (thanks Fuzzipeg for that term) for several years before I did some research and realized that I had options (Stop the Thyroid Madness was one of the key sites). So I switched to Armour a few years back. The key is finding a doctor/endo who is willing to dose based on symptoms, not merely on tests - I've had to adjust my own dosage to get somewhere close to ideal feeling (yeah I know, shame on me). But even on a subpar dosage, Armour helps far more than levo does for me.

At the beginning of this year I was facing possibly having to go back on levo (insurance reasons, see my post for more) - I messaged the doctor and went in to an ARNP to make it clear that that was not happening without a T3 med in addition. Even that would have been less than ideal because Armour also has T1 and T2, as it is derived from animal origins (porcine for Armour, some others use bovine due to dietary restrictions).

I do recommend getting free T3 and T4 tested alongside the TSH. They are better indicators of how the thyroid is actually functioning. TSH levels measure how much of that particular hormone the pituitary gland produces to spur the thyroid into action - so you can see why it might not be the best measure of thyroid health.

It is very common for people with the most common form of hypothyroidism (Hashimoto's thyroiditis) to have some symptoms of hypothyroidism years before the TSH numbers indicate it, but if the doctor tests T3 and T4 in addition to TSH, they might get diagnosed and treated far earlier. Personally, I've shown symptoms (constant coldness and poor nail health) since I hit puberty - when I was finally tested at 18 (because my new doctor noticed that my thyroid was swollen - big hint there that something was up) I showed normal TSH. A few years later I went in after a significant and unexpected weight gain, and asked that they test again - voila, my numbers were finally clinically diagnosable.

Feel free to message me if you want to know more about my thyroid history or about the treatment options - I may not be a doctor, but I have done quite a lot of research on this subject.

I tried switching from Levo 187 to armor last fall. I went in for my blood test 2 days before Xmas and the doc called me left a message OMG you must feel like crap go to the pharmacy and pick up your old prescription! I did and yes. I did feel like crap. I was bummed but synthetic works ok for me

NDT (Armour or other desiccated thyroid hormome brands) can take a while to get used to. This is especially true if your adrenal glands are not functioning properly. Go slowly, is my advice from experience. Don't accept big dose increases. Go for very small increments. This will help your body become accustomed to the new hormones.

I never felt well on Synthroid and Cytomel because they gave me terrible foot cramps, all night long sometimes. I feel much better on my desiccated thyroid hormone -- but it took me a year before the side effects faded completely.

I prefer the way I feel on Armour. I was on levothyroxine for a few years and only felt so-so. The bigger issue for me way interaction with hormonal birth control (first oral contraceptives, then Mirena IUD). Eliminating outside hbc allows my thyroid meds to better eliminate hypo symptoms.

I tried Armour about ten years ago after reading about. Was on it for about a year. It didn't work for me. I switched back to a synthetic T4 and added a synthetic T3. My TSH didn't change much from the levo to the levo + cytomel, however, I felt so much better. Symptoms lessened greatly.