RE: Re: massive hair loss on synthroid and ramipril,help please

[Guest guest]

Hello Jeff, and welcome to our forum where I hope you get all

the help and support you so obviously need. You certainly have been through the

wringer and I think the doctor who allowed you to carry on for over 3 years

suffering the symptoms of hypothyroidism because your TSH did not go above 5.0

should be shot. This is cruelty in the extreme. Has he no capability of

assessing your symptoms, signs, family history, temperature etc. or isn't he

even aware that being diabetic can be a cause of hypothyroidism. Aghhhh! That's

too much work and brain juice - they play it easy and leave it up to the

results of TSH testing to tell them whether you really are suffering or not.

Did they never test your free thyroxine (fT4) of free triiodothyronine (fT3) in

all of that time? Was this your GP that left you suffering or your

endocrinologist. If the latter, I would make doubly sure that I did not go for

a consultation with him again. You can choose your own endocrinologist,

especially if the one in your area is a diabetes specialist who knows little

about thyroid disease. In this case, you need somebody who understands all the

workings of the greater thyroid system.

It does sound a\s if the levothyroxine is doing nothing for you,

but thyroxine is a prohormone, it has little activity until it converts to the

active thyroid hormone T3. It is T3 every cell in your body and brain needs to

make them function. It is likely you, like tens of thousands of others, are

unable to convert T4 into T3. Muscle aches are also often caused because the

active thyroid hormone T3 is low and often reduce dramatically when you start

using either synthetic T3 or natural thyroid extract that contains T4, T3, T2,

T1 and calcitonin for the bones.

What I would do is to write a letter to your endocrinologist and

take it with you so you can go through all the points in it with him during the

consultation. Ask him to place the letter into your medical notes.

You should list your symptoms and signs (check these against

those in our web site www.tpa-uk.org.uk

). List all the medications you are taking including supplements you have

bought. List the tests you wish to be done which, for thyroid function should

be TSH, free T4, free T3 and ask for tests to see whether you have antibodies

to your thyroid. He probably will tell you that you don't need free T3, but

argue that you need to know yourself whether you are converting or not and as

you would like a trial of Liothyronine (T3), either adding to your T4, or T3 on

it's own, you need to know whether your present reading for free T3 is low.

Then list the following and tell him again, that you have learned that if any

of these are low in the reference range, no amount of thyroid hormone can get

into the cells - ferritin, vitamin B12, vitamin D3, magnesium, folate, copper

and zinc. At this point, ask that the results and the reference ranges are sent

to you so you can post them here on the forum. No doctor is allowed to withhold

your results from you. We ask that you post them here because doctors know

little or nothing about reference intervals and results. So long as they see

your results are within the range, they often tell you that you don't have a

problem. How wrong they can be.

You could go through your drugs/supplements and see what could

be the cause of your symptoms, e.g. Ramipril and your hairloss and stomach

problems etc.

Go to our FILES section which you will find on the Home Page of

this forum web site http://health./grouop/thyroid treatment

and scroll down to NHS Information for Patients (I think!) and in that folder, you

will find a document 'First visit to endocrinologist'. Read the information

there and pick up some ideas. Write down any questions you want to ask and take

pen and paper with you. If possible, go with a friend or family member because

doctors do appear to give your problem more attention if there is a witness.

No, we don't use Synthroid over here in the UK, that is a US

brand name of synthetic thyroxine.

If your endocrinologist argues that there is no need for T3,

then take a copy of the following document with you http://www.tpa-uk.org.uk/resp_bta_t4t3.pdf

.. The BTA wrote a statement about T4 only versus T4?T3 combination therapy

which is both misleading and in parts, incorrect. This rebuttal covers all the

reasons why some people DO need T3.

Getting heart flutters when trying to increase your levothyroxine

could be because you may be suffering with low adrenal reserve. Go to the

'Medical Questionnaires' Folder, again in our Files Section and do those

questionnaires and see how you score and let us know. Again, if these

conditions need treating, any thyroid hormone you are taking is likely giving

you symptoms of toxicity until they are treated.

Not sure whether any of this will help, but hope it does and

good luck on Tuesday.

Luv - Sheila

> i have an appointment with my endocronologist on tuesday (dr M*****)

> and id like to have more info about going on T3 and getting off ramipril.

they do not do non synthroid over here do they? (im in essex,england) but i

heard they do thioronine,dont know if i spelled that correctly,would that help

with synthroid? im getting terribly depressed about the hairloss,in the last 3

weeks is falling out more than ever,really noticably and my stomach is worse. i

had a full set of blood works done 2 weeks ago for my appointment, is there

anything i should look for to help? sorry for the long message but i needed to

get it all out there, any help would really be appreciated as im at my wits

end, many many thanks

>

also id like to add that im on 100mcg of levothyroxine and 2.5g of ramipril,

ive been on 150mcg of levothyroxine but was getting heart flutters so lowered

it to 100 and they have stopped, thank you

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WHY ISN'T LEVOTHYROXINE WORKING.doc