levothyroxine vs synthyroid vs natural?

-I also posted this on the thyroid forum. But since so many people with lyme also have thyroid issues, I figure it works in both forums.-

I know they are essentially the same, one is just the generic form of the other. But I was talking to my PT whose husband had thyroid problems. She said he noticed a stark difference between synthyroid and the generic form. She was doing well on synthyroid but when they switched to another brand he felt terrible again. She told me to talk to my doctor to getting switched to synthyroid.

did anyone else have experience with this?

Also has anyone who was on synthyroid or other synthetic that switched to the natural version feel? Was it days weeks or months before you felt a difference? Or did you feel a difference?

My husband has been on the synthetic one - T4 only for several years...and tried to switch over to the natural dessicated thyroid - ERFA....had difficulties with it...so is back on T4.

But - he did not give it the amount of time that is necessary (according to some 'experts' on here that have made the switch, and some people on a thyroid forum) - he may try again sometime.
He is on Levothyroxine (synthroid) and, while not ideal...he's doing okay...it is difficult to know what are thyroid symptoms, or what are lyme symptoms...(he tested positive for lyme a few months ago).
I'm sure it's not simple - it's most likely both..

Girlie posted The same website I was going to suggest. I have Hashimotos and have been on levothyroxin, synthroid and now nature throid. I thought I had every side effect in the book when I was on the synthetic thyroid medication but now I'm not sure if it was that or the Lyme symptoms since I was just diagnosed with lyme last week. I do know that I felt a little bit better from nature throid then synthroid or levo.

If you can find a great doctor who can prescribe NDT and knows how up the dose slowly every couple of weeks and get you on the right path I would suggest that route. Although I know plenty of people who are on synthetic medicine will do just fine too.

as a pharmacist, from my experience, Armour Thyroid is the best. I even tried to convince my friend to take Armour, but she tried Synthroid anyway and eventually had to switch to armour due to side effect issues.

The problems people have when switching from Synthroid to a generic and vice versa are caused by the fillers used to make each preparation.

Different fillers mean different rates of absorption. Different rates of absorption mean different levels of effectiveness.

This just doesn't work when trying to manage a disease that requires optimal blood levels of thyroid hormone.

I was started on Levoxyl and my pharmacy filled my first Rx with Mylan generic. I decided to try the Mylan product because I was aware of what needed to happen to have success with generics....and I could save a lot of money.

I did well with Mylan and just make sure my doctor writes "Mylan only" on every levothyroxine prescription.

The same deal applied when I needed T3....I've been successfully taking Paddock Labs generic liothyronine for over 5 years.

I'm not going to try to fix something that's not broken by choosing to try Armour/natural thyroid.

Not everyone does well on Armour/natural thyroid since it's made from porcine thyroid that has different proportions of T3 and T4 than human thyroid.

Armour/natural thyroid is "T3 heavy" and people need T4 just as much as they need T3.

Some people need to add synthetic T4 to their Armour to achieve complete symptom relief.

Since I feel best with my FreeT4 level slightly above the high end of the range, I know I'd need to take T4 in addition to Armour if I ever made the switch.

I'll stick with the devil I know ;)

There have been quite a few post on this in the past. I've had Hashi for 17 years, tried a lot for it.

In a nut shell I think I've tried all thyroid meds available in US and CAN , including different formulations (manufacture changes) in the last 17 years. I can count 12 in my head LOL. Some are not even on the market anymore. Yes , different brands of the same TYPE of thyroid med will have different results in some people, because of the fillers, and if your receptors are "picky eaters".

Like anything start experimenting with the simplest choice. You must give each try a minimum of 6 weeks for accurate labs. You might not feel better till 2-3 months though.

#1 Synthroid or the generic T4, but try higher getting the Free T 4 level in the upper 1/3 of the range. Gp's and many endo's refuse to do this. Find a regular Dr or llmd that will. Sometimes this is all thats needed. No luck? Hows your FT3 level? If they only test TSH- leave now.

#2 No luck with #1? Then add cytomel in its lowest dose 5mcg / into two. Cyto is strong, can rev you up in short time. Still no luck, but not reved up?, then increase and look at FT3 labs.

#3 Dessicated natural. All US brands use the same dried pig thyroid, as there is only one manufacture in the US. The difference us the fillers used. Armour, Acella NP Thyroid, and both versions of Nature Throid use different fillers and that will have different results in different people. I have used all of the above + the Canadian natural thyroid Erfa.

My body likes the natural thyroid better, Acella is the most affordable of them at Walgreens ($30 month for me). Armour tippled there price in 6 years. Many insurance RX's dont cover natural thyroid at all.

You need to start low and ramp up slowly when starting anything with T3, or you will get sweaty and hyper as your cells try to figure out what to do with this new hormone floating in your veins.

All this takes time and patience, some have it, some dont.

The best one ever for me was a generic natural that the FDA bullied and shutdown in 2008. They bullied Armour and Nature Throid into changing there fillers in 2009 (or close down), they complied and there effectiveness suffered for some people using these brands. They no longer melt in your mouth sublingually for best absorbion, but Acella does, so eating before hand does not matter as long as I swish some water around first. Thats nice because I like to eat a little all day long.

Oh...I forgot to mention something.

Thyroid hormone molecules are too large to be absorbed through skin.

Here's a link for the layperson:

thyroid.about.com/b/2011/05/03/sublingual-thyroid-medication-pill.htm

I know there is much promotion of sublingual dosing of Armour but I honestly think any benefit is psychological and not physiological.

I haven't read the other posts - sorry - but I was on Synthroid for Hashi's and it didn't do a thing for me. I then developed hypothyroidism (because my adrenals came crashing down), and tried synthroid again, and it didn't change a thing for me. My thyroid swelling and symptoms just kept getting worse, until I found a doctor that was willing to prescribe NDT for me.

I seem to have a very touchy thyroid, as if I take/eat anything at all that will interfere with it, my symptoms all come rushing back. Even just one serving of spinach will do this.

Still trying to push my doc for a higher dose, but she's now VERY reluctant - the problem is, she is the ONLY doctor in my area that will prescribe NDT.

There is a difference between Synthroid and the generics. According to the FDA, on average, the difference in absorption between generic and brand name drugs is about 3.5 percent. So, it's completely possible that a certain manufacturer of generic synthroid could be less effective than synthroid itself.

My endocrinologist forbids me from taking the generic version of Synthroid.

Armour was pretty good until the forced FDA filler change (microcrystalline cellulose) in 2009 (same goes for Nature Throid brand).

I used both before and after the change, they dont work as well after the 2009 change for some people now.

Acella NP Thyroid has been on the US market for about 5-6 years. It has similar fillers as the old Armour (dextrose), but is slow to get respect with the "Armour crowd".

That saying "dont knock it till you try it" applies here as well.

Another nice benefit of NP is it absorbs just as well when taken sublingually. I have personally tested it this way comparing symptoms and lab results of ingesting the product and used sublingually. Results were the same with this brand, most likely because of the fillers/binders used. The current formulation of Armour does not work like this, again, because of the filler change.

T3 is absorbed easily, food / protein does not affect T3. Getting the T4 to absorb is the challenge and is affected by the fillers and what's in your stomach. New Armour can result in wider lab test results (span between T3 and T4). The older Armour and the newer NP brand close the gap a little more, which is obviously a good thing.

There is still the challenge of getting your Dr to look at your symptoms instead of your low TSH that is common with natural thyroid products when trying to get your frees up in the range.

NOTE: Synthroid and the generic levothyroxin did nothing for my symptoms, even at high free levels (low TSH). But it is the standard starting point. If it works for someone thats great, and its dirt cheap.

I think I will give this levo a try until my next test in about 4 weeks now. Then I'll talk to my doc about switching to something natural, be it Armour or something else?

Has anyone tried thyroid herbs? Adaptogens like ashwagandha, holy basil, schisandra, etc. I've been trying to read through all the links people have sent, Thank you very much by the way, and I've been reading about adrenal fatigue. But I've also seen there are herbal blends for adrenal support and thyroid support. Any experiences? If so, can I take it with the thyroid meds?

What the heck are T2, T7 and T11? I haven't seen anything on those.

Cheeta-

Dont get overwelmed with this stuff.

We ignore measuring t2, 7 and 11, even though there in humans, pigs and who know whatever else. your GP wont even know what they are. T4 and T3 are the important ones so thats what we measure.