How to Convert Armour Thyroid to Levothyroxine

The thyroid is a gland in the neck that produces hormones in charge of regulating the body's metabolism and temperature, among other functions. When the thyroid malfunctions, it may be regulated with thyroid replacement therapy, a natural (Armour Thyroid) or synthetic (Levothyroxine) daily medication that mimics thyroid's functions in the body. Each medication has different doses, so caution must be taken when switching from one to another. This may be required when a medication is in short supply or discontinued, or when the body doesn't respond well to a specific drug.

Things You'll Need

• Armour Thyroid
• Levothyroxine

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Instructions

• 1

  Calculate the dosage that your current level of Armour Thyroid and translate it to Levothyroxine: (15 milligrams of Armour Thyroid is .025 milligrams of Levothyroxine; 30 mg of AT = .05 mg of LV; 60 mg of AT = .1 mg of LV; 90 mg of AT = .15 mg of LV; 120 mg of AT = .2 mg of LV; 180 mg of AT = .3 mg of LV).

• 2

  Multiply higher doses of Armour Thyroid by Levothyroxine. For example, Armour Thyroid has pills with 200 or 300 milligrams. Levothyroxine does not have a single equivalent match to this, so patients would calculate extra pills. Someone who takes 300 milligrams of Armour Thyroid would take .5 of Levothyroxine (.1 milligram = 60 milligrams). The patient may take 1.5 of the .3 milligram version of Levothyroxine (cutting the pill).

• 3

  Visit your doctor or endocrinologist to determine the best way to convert the medication. For some conversions (such as the example above), there is no exact way to get the pills to match up. The doctor will run blood tests to ensure your health is satisfactory as the new medication works its way through your system.