The end finally came for the thyroid medication study. I got a letter in the mail and everything, thanking me for my participation. Looking back I have to say that it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. Switching thyroid medication/doses is never easy and doing it so many times in the span of 6 months or so was draining.
My conclusion: I was on Armour and Synthroid. By far the Armour made me feel better and increased my memory. I don't know if it works that way for every single person but it was for me. My thoughts on it are Synthroid is only the thyroid hormone 4. A fully functioning thyroid turns the T-4 into the other thyroid hormones. If your converting function doesn't work properly you then will have enough T-4 but not enough of the other thyroid hormones. Armour because it is actual dried up ground up thyroid from pigs it contains all the thyroid hormones and no converting is needed.
My cholesterol went down on the Armour. My hands and feet are warm for the maybe the first time in my life. My brain also seems to be clearer, making my memory seem to work better. It seems to me that I can make the decision on how to make a plan to remember things. The memory test included a board with squares and you have to remember the shapes in the grid and where on the grid those exact shapes were located. Too much information to record in your brain at one time no matter how good of a memory you have. So on the Synthroid my brain went "tilt" and I could barely remember anything. On the Armour I could decide to remember the shapes and not the exact location. My accuracy was much better on the Armour.
I am glad I was able to participate in the research study comparing the two medications. It was truly amazing to me that no one has ever done a study to see what the memory/cholesterol/and personal reactions were to the two generally well known, long term used medications. In conclusion for me anyway the inclusion of all the thyroid hormones makes a marked difference in how I feel. I would not want to go back on an only T-4 based medication again. I have been put on the Armour since the end of the study and intend to stay on it for the duration.
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2 comments:
Hi Dawn,
I just made a Google Alert to email me about things that come up on the web with the words "thyroid study." I have a thyroid support Facebook page and write about thyroid issues occasionally. Can you tell me where this study took place of which you speak that compares NDT to Synthroid?
Thank you for participating in it, btw, for the benefit of all of us. It certainly is not easy, can very much affect the quality of life during transition. Have been there.
Kit in St. Louis
It was done at Walter Reed National military medical center in Bethesda. I doubt it has concluded or has been published yet. This is simply my experience.
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