Armour Thyroid and Fatigue: What Users Say

• Ami...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• April 4, 2022

For Underactive Thyroid "Here we go again! Problematic batches of Armour have started to emerge as of 2021-present. Stop the thyroid madness has reported on it as well. AbbVie/Allergan if you’re reading this, please look into your Armour Thyroid medication, as some component of this new formula is causing problems for a lot of us! Something’s changed for sure, because the new pills look and taste different. I have an old batch from early summer 2021 to prove it, hasn’t made me feel as terrible as these new ones have. Feels almost like a repeat of when NP Thyroid went bad. Dizziness, nausea/stomach issues, bloating, weird head pressure, vision problems, daytime fatigue, nighttime insomnia, anxiety/depression, mood swings, ear ringing, general unwell feeling, etc. Not good!"

• mis...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• November 21, 2019

For Hashimoto's disease "I have had Hashimoto's since 1998. Synthroid never worked for me, so the doctor switched me to Nature-Throid, which worked miracles after only 2 months. When there was a shortage of Nature-Throid, I switched to Armour. I have been on Armour for 5 years. At first, I felt great on Armour, but within the last 1 1/2 years, something has changed. All my symptoms returned in September 2018. I have gained 25 lbs, experienced hair and eyebrow loss, brain fog, and extreme fatigue, etc. I would bet money that Armour has changed the formula again but won't admit it. The pills do not smell or taste the same. Fess up, Armour!! Going to the doctor in 2 weeks to try a different NDT. Stay strong!"

• Abr...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 31, 2021

For Hypothyroidism, After Thyroid Removal "My sister-in-law and I are both on Armour Thyroid and we have both begun to feel draggy, and we've gained weight. I've noticed that Armour no longer has that distinctive scent. Did some research and have found that Allergan, which makes Armour, has been bought by AbbVie, which makes Synthroid. Is anyone else noticing Armour not working anymore? Have to go for blood work and will tell my doc to either switch me to another brand or I will have my meds compounded. I take 60mg 2x/day."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 22, 2015

For Underactive Thyroid "Four years ago, I began taking birth control. After a year of trying to find the 'right' pill, I was experiencing extreme fatigue, mood swings, depression, constipation, skin/hair problems, weight gain, and an inability to lose weight. I stopped the pill and still continued to experience these symptoms. I spent the next few years trying to lose weight and trying to convince my doctor to treat my thyroid. She wouldn't because my TSH level was normal. Two months ago, I found a doctor who prescribes Armour based on symptoms. In one month of taking 25mg of Armour daily, I have regained my health and my life. Fight for your health and ask for Armour. If it doesn't work for you, it's worth searching for a medication that does to feel healthy again."

• Coo...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• April 5, 2023

For Hypothyroidism, After Thyroid Removal "Around four months ago, I noticed that I had started to gain weight and experienced a few other symptoms like fatigue, slightly impaired vision, and a strange eye twitch. These symptoms led me to believe that the formulation of my thyroid replacement medication has changed. I have been taking thyroid replacement medication for 25 years since my thyroid had to be removed due to Graves' disease. Initially, I mostly took Armour medication, but when the FDA banned compounding pharmacies from manufacturing biologicals, I switched to a different medication. Unfortunately, the Armour medication I am currently taking is not working well. To make matters worse, my insurance company suddenly stopped covering the cost of my medication, which they had covered for the past 25 years. While other synthetic medications, such as Synthroid, are available, I have severe side effects when I take them, so I am not able to use them as an alternative. As someone without a thyroid, I am entirely dependent on my medication, and this sudden change has caused me significant stress and anxiety. I have already reached out to my state's Attorney General for help, but I remain unsure about what other options I have available to me."

• J9M...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• January 18, 2013

For Underactive Thyroid "I was first prescribed Synthroid. While my TSH levels came down to 1.9, I still had side effects, like I was permanently cold and fatigued, as well as gained 30 pounds. I changed to Armour, and my feelings of intense cold subsided, my fatigue eased off, and my weight is slowly coming down. My TSH level is down to 0.42!"

• Jan...
• September 17, 2019

For Hashimoto's disease "I took this medicine, Armour Thyroid, prior to 2015 with excellent results. Six weeks ago, I went back on it because NP Thyroid had been reformulated. I had a bad reaction to Armour, both the 45 mg and 90 mg tablets. I could no longer get up in the morning, took naps at 2, had a severe rash on my fingers and scalp, felt anxious, depressed, and was not sleeping. I am in adrenal fatigue and can’t think straight. I don’t know if these reformulations are a way to push people towards synthetic medications, or if some new fillers have been added, or if the pig thyroid is being processed differently. My main concern is that my symptoms became much more pronounced within days of taking it, to the point where I could not function at 20% of my prior activity level. Also, the medicine seemed to be very uneven in consistency, I had several pills that almost made me feel like I was speeding, while 95% of the other ones put me in bed. TSH, which had been in the normal range for 11 years, plummeted to the edge of 0."

• wha...
• February 26, 2016

For Underactive Thyroid "I've been taking Armour for several years now. Somewhere along the line, all of my symptoms such as constipation, weight gain and trouble losing weight, hair loss, trouble falling asleep despite being extremely tired, low energy, headaches, brain fog, etc., came back with a vengeance. My endo sees nothing wrong with my labs and tells me it must be something I'm eating. I went along with this theory until one day I went online to find out why my prescription cost went up so much. Much to my surprise, I stumbled across many others like me complaining of symptoms coming back despite lab work being in range. Everyone noticed the changes came about when Forest sold! I'm switching doctors and hope to find another medication!"

• Ann...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• August 31, 2019

For Underactive Thyroid "I was on Armour for several years after still feeling horrible on Synthroid. At first, I felt better, then the last 2 years my TSH kept inching up, and I went through menopause. I also started experiencing horrible body aches (told I had fibromyalgia) and joint pain like I had arthritis. I gained 25 lbs in a year and extreme fatigue. In January, I was told I was in menopause at 43. I saw a new endocrinologist in June. She switched me to Tirosint and said all my symptoms were from Armour, the dosing was inconsistent. According to her, not every pill has the same levels. I switched to Tirosint and all the body aches stopped. No more being in pain! However, my menstrual cycle returned after 3 years of no periods. Now I am starting birth control pills since the bleeding won’t stop. I believe Armour put me in menopause."

• Mis...
• May 8, 2011

For Underactive Thyroid "Over 13 years, I was on different synthetic thyroid medicines. About 5 years ago, I started having problems with diarrhea, constipation, and fatigue. Then two years ago, horrible aches and pains, very low temperature. I felt I was dying. I pointed out to my doctor abnormal T3s and T4s, which he never noticed. After taking every diagnostic test and even CT scans, I was finally prescribed Armour Thyroid. I have my life back again. Unbelievable."

• cso...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 11, 2012

For Hypothyroidism, After Thyroid Removal "I had Graves' disease 20 years ago, and my thyroid was burned out with irradiated iodide. I was put on Synthroid daily and gained almost 80 pounds over the years. I had all the bad headaches, fatigue, water retention, brain fog, etc. Finally, I started working for a functional medicine doctor who specializes in bioidentical hormone treatment. I signed up, and we switched me over to Armour. I have only been taking it for about a week, and I am already starting to feel better. I will report back in another week to say how I am feeling."

• Sic...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 4, 2020

For Hashimoto's disease "I have been on Armour 180mg almost 11 years. I tried Synthroid first. My TSH was 195, I was 26. When I started, it put me into a major craze. I still don’t know what. It felt like I had bugs crawling in my skin, and I can’t stress enough how horrible it was. I feel like the last 10 years of my life are a blur. I just kind of tolerated it, I lost the weight I gained. Way too terrified to try any other medication after what I went through, I just dealt with it. Fast forward to 2019, I feel terrible despite my TSH actually being a little hyper because of suppressing my goiter. I got from my TSH being 195. I now have gained 50 pounds, my hair is now falling out again. I’m sore everywhere. I barely get out of bed, I can’t think or remember anything. My vision is rapidly declining. I am in such bad shape that I’m actually going to the doctor to ask him to switch me to a T4-only medication to see if this helps. I can’t take being bedridden anymore, it’s got to the point where I cannot even work anymore."

• all...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 11, 2019

For Hashimoto's disease "I was on Levothyroxine for 20 years and no problems. I maintained trim weight with long-distance mile runs, the meds, and somewhat healthy diet. And then after a big move to Florida (stress), menopause in full swing, and other stress, everything changed big time. Gained 50 lbs, terrible body cramps, hair loss, sluggish, swollen face, pain in my feet when I first woke in the a.m. and couldn't run anymore. I was told over and over my thyroid numbers were fine, and then I came on here and read and deduced I had to force the doctors to listen to me and not vice versa. I have now been on Armour for only one week. I have been able to start running, I have lost 10 lbs already, and I am very hopeful the other 40 will happen in time. Still learning about iron meds and other numbers in blood to watch and take supplements. Hoping I can have even more success to report."

• Nic...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 6, 2021

For Hashimoto's disease "Progressively got sicker on Armour Thyroid. Abdominal pain and bloating, back pain, brain fog, headache in the morning, dizzy, blurry vision, extreme fatigue, pale skin, weight gain (10 lbs - thin my entire life - never had weight issues), high cholesterol. I've never felt so ill. I finally put 2 and 2 together, stopped taking the meds, and within two days, I started feeling better. I lost 5 lbs in one week and feel like my old self again. Today was the first day in 5 months that my stomach didn't hurt."

• Rad...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 1, 2022

For Underactive Thyroid "Problematic batches of Armour! I have started in 2009 to present Dosage- 60 mg. Allergen, if you’re reading this, please look into your Armour Thyroid medication, as some component of this new formula is causing problems for a lot of us! Something’s changed for sure, because the new pills look and taste different. I have filled at 1/2/2021 to prove it, hasn’t made me feel as terrible as these new ones I have. I feel nausea, stomach issues, bloating, diarrhea, weird head pressure, vision problems, daytime fatigue, nighttime insomnia, mood swings. Finally figured out it was Armour that was making me so sick. My doctor wants me to stop, and once I stopped, I am completely fine, and the sad part is this prescription filled at Costco Pharmacy, and they don’t want to notify or deal with the pharmaceutical company. Allergan, you guys need to investigate this. FDA needs to be involved as well, terrible product! I do not recommend this medicine, it is not good!"

• lrw...
• March 7, 2014

For Underactive Thyroid "I have been on Armour since October '13. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I have steadily gained weight ever since I started-20 lbs. It has not helped with my cold hands or feet, dry skin, or fatigue. My hair has stopped falling out so badly, but that is about the only good thing I can say about this. Also, I'm not sure if it's related, but I've had a serious worsening of lower back pain since starting this."

• JB2...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 7, 2017

For Hashimoto's disease "I've been on Armour forever, but in the last year, I found my dosage going up to 150 plus Liothyronine at 30 mcg/day and all of these horrible symptoms coming back and new ones that I at first thought were lifestyle-induced due to a career change and a move. That was until I found out that Forrester Laboratories was bought out by Allergan in 2015, and the same issues from the 2008-2009 reformulation are being reported in mass numbers...everything from lab issues, high increases in dosages, chronic fatigue, vision issues, skyrocketing co-pays to hair loss, etc. I checked my bottles this weekend and realized that they all read Forrester/Allergan and will be researching new natural options and speaking with my doctor on Monday!"

• Anonymous
• September 11, 2009

For Underactive Thyroid "I was prescribed Armour Thyroid after trying Synthroid and finding out it didn't work for me. With Synthroid, I actually felt worse: nausea, no appetite, even more tired, but Armour Thyroid was such a relief and made me feel normal again. It made my hair stop falling out at such an alarming rate and helped my weight stabilize. I actually have energy to do things now! I have been told by my pharmacist though that Armour Thyroid is no longer being made. I have to try to switch to another natural thyroid medication, and I'm not sure what my doctor will be giving me. I hope my testimonial on the effectiveness of this medication, in combination with everyone else's, might show how good this medication is and bring it back."

• Nac...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 30, 2016

For Hypothyroidism, After Thyroid Removal "On Synthroid for a year post-subtotal thyroidectomy in 2002, gained 17 lbs in just a few months, hair fell out, felt miserable. Switched to Armour in 2003 and got my life and health back. Compounded thyroid is cheaper, so I started using that with no issues until last year, when I was no longer able to get my compounded thyroid as I'm now in the U.K., which only compounds thyroid for animals, not humans. Back on Armour last year and the weight started creeping back up, fatigue set in, cold at night, all the hypo symptoms came back despite my labs looking great. I put on 8 lbs in three months! Switched to Nature Throid and the weight is coming off again, and I feel normal. Forrest Pharma pulled a Martin Shkreli."

• sti...
• December 14, 2015

For Hypothyroidism, After Thyroid Removal "It took a full 15 months of treatment plus adding a low dose of an antidepressant and topical progesterone for me to see the full benefits of Armour. I became hypo shortly after menopause, experiencing severe fatigue, sleepiness, a 9 lb weight gain in spite of poor appetite and low calorie intake, dry thinning hair and nails, depression, coldness, no libido. My face took on the typical dull thyroid expression with pudgy features and the outer third of my eyebrows missing. I had high cholesterol, yet my TSH showed normal at 1.9. My GP just said to 'watch it' while I grew progressively worse. After 15 months on Armour, I've finally settled on the right dose and I feel young and great again!!"

• Iju...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 13, 2016

For Hashimoto's disease "I switched from Synthroid to Armour last year and felt better for the first couple of months. I've had an on-again, off-again scalp itch/rash that I could not figure out for the life of me. About 6 months into Armour, I was overwhelmed by all my symptoms: fatigue, depression, low libido, joint pain, and the scalp itch/rash just would not go away. My endo let me try a 30-day supply of Tirosint, and the rash went away, and I felt so much better. Just to test my theory, I went back to Armour after the 30 days. Very quickly, I realized it was DEFINITELY the Armour, and I'm going back to Tirosint. Armour is SO much cheaper, but not worth it!"

• trl...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 20, 2015

For Underactive Thyroid "I was just diagnosed with underachieving thyroid. My labs have been low for quite some time. Trying to heal my leaky gut in hopes of getting my thyroid issues better. Well, after working on it for 6 months with a Functional Medicine NP, it wasn't better, so I just started Armour 30mg. Today is day 1 for me. Hoping many of the symptoms I suffer will get better. I really don't want to be on this. The symptoms I have are early a.m. waking, low sex drive and anorgasmia, cold but sweating, fatigue, muscle loss, muscle weakness, dry skin, thinning hair."

• Hor...
• October 18, 2021

For Underactive Thyroid "I started Armour Thyroid 60 mg about 2 months ago, and what has unfolded has been absolutely terrible. While my thyroid levels went up and I lost 10 lbs, I also had serious side effects including debilitating fatigue, tremors, anxiety, heart palpitations, syncope, and vision problems. I went downhill so fast doctors were convinced I had a pituitary tumor, which according to the MRI I don’t. I took myself off the medication, and I have slowly begun to feel more like myself again. My sister took Armour Thyroid before it was reformulated and loved it, she even went to Canada to get it when it was no longer available in the US. When it did become available, she got it right away and had terrible side effects as well. She went off it and now takes ERFA and is happy with it."

• Iga...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• April 22, 2016

For Hashimoto's disease "Synthroid did not help: zero improvement in quality of life and bad side effects. Have been through all possible medications, none helped, same story as Synthroid. Am now on Armour, 3 grains. Doesn't help at all and gives me side effects: weight gain, hair loss, difficulty sleeping, hyperpigmentation, no patella reflex, brain fog, extreme fatigue, etc. In fact, I feel better, and most of the signs/symptoms are lessened if I take *nothing*, even though my TSH is 90 and my T4 and T3 are undetectable (i.e., no T3 nor T4 in my body). I overwhelmingly prefer taking nothing as that gives me the best quality of life (albeit a pretty poor quality of life). I take medication, Armour, (and suffer) only because my doctors insist that I take medication."