DEAR DR. ROACH: About 35 years ago, a renowned Beverly Hills internist prescribed Armour Thyroid for me. At the time, I was burned out in a highly stressful job and would get bronchitis, usually twice a year. Although my thyroid was in the low-normal range, he felt it would boost my metabolism and improve my resistance to colds. It did. I am now retired and have not seen this doctor for over a decade. I recognize that I can’t just quit taking a thyroid supplement, but is there a danger in continuing to take Armour Thyroid? Would I be better served by a synthetic version? — F.L.
ANSWER: The use of thyroid replacement for people who have symptoms of low thyroid but whose lab tests are normal or equivocal is common but generally discouraged by experts. There are many reasons, apart from low thyroid hormone levels, to have symptoms such as fatigue or to get occasional infections. Chronic stress by itself certainly can predispose one to infection. Sometimes people get better with this treatment, but whether they have truly low thyroid levels or whether it is a placebo effect may be impossible to know. For the full article click here
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