New Member advice on hypo and adrenals, not to mention the 'forbidden word' T3 !

[Guest guest]

Okay new to here, so here goes..

Had thyroid 6 years. Wouldnt treat at first, then on usual Thyroxine. Off work 9

wks with sheer exhaustion. tsh always low, even on diagnosis. 1.79. Also have

pernicious anemia. Currently on 125mcg and having hot sweat, body feels run over

by steam roller and sleepy all the time with full hypo symptoms. Did adrenal 24

hr stress test. Stage 3 adrenal exhaustion. Low morning cortisol and low dhea.

Gp sent to hospital, had synacten test - Baseline 321, 30 mins after 654.

Bloods: tsh 0.17 Range 0.35- 5.5), Ft4 13.91 Range 9.0-24.0), FT3 3.7 (dont

know range). ALSO...

IGF1 Insuline Growth factor low 60 Range 94-252), High serum oestridol 215

(range unknown yet, Sex hormone binding globulin 116 high, Range 20 -110.

Have kept basal temp for month which goes down to as low as 34.0 - 35.59 - never

gets any higher.

Went back to dr's yesterday as results - SATISFACTORY and am getting discharged

from Endo. Gave me another note for 4 wks off work with ME & Hypothyroidism.

Asked for T3 - No. Told to take another 25mcg Thyroxine !!!! Feel bloody toxic

as it is. Also know that T3 is supposed to help with ME. Left her with a

copy of my 24 hrs stress test and temp chart, which was not even considered. I

am going to write a letter about T3 and if no job, treat myself. Any ideas

please ..

[Guest guest]

No advice I'm afraid - have just joined myself as am in similar situation. Am on

225 mg thyroxine which seems to do nothing at all. Exhausted all the time, hot

sweats. Doctor will not consider any other tests as say mine are 'satisfactory'

(blood) which never seems to differ no matter how I play around with dosage.

Also will not consider any other medication and says there is nothing wrong with

my thyroid but thinks I have ME! Am at whits end.

>

> Okay new to here, so here goes..

>

> Had thyroid 6 years. Wouldnt treat at first, then on usual Thyroxine. Off work

9 wks with sheer exhaustion. tsh always low, even on diagnosis. 1.79. Also have

pernicious anemia. Currently on 125mcg and having hot sweat, body feels run over

by steam roller and sleepy all the time with full hypo symptoms. Did adrenal 24

hr stress test. Stage 3 adrenal exhaustion. Low morning cortisol and low dhea.

Gp sent to hospital, had synacten test - Baseline 321, 30 mins after 654.

Bloods: tsh 0.17 Range 0.35- 5.5), Ft4 13.91 Range 9.0-24.0), FT3 3.7 (dont

know range). ALSO...

[Guest guest]

Your Ft4 is quite low considering you are on 125 T4 and FT3 is very low (bottom

of range i imagine).

First i would try the extra 25 T4 to bring you up to 150. See how you get on

for 2-3 weeks. In that time you could get some T3 yourself off the net in

readiness if you dont improve.

I was on T4 only and so i self medicated with some T3 and improved a lot, so i

told the endo this and he agreed to give me T3. I think this is the only way to

get some off them. I wrote a letter to make it all official and he wrote back

saying he prescribed lots of patients T3. Prior to this he had put in my notes

i was NOT to be given any T3 as i was a good converter

I had nice high levels of FT3 on T4 only, but i still wasnt well. The T3 seems

to do the trick, but no one seems to know why it works in the direct form. I

didnt have a problem with conversion, but i just couldnt absorb it well enough

it seems.

Any way thats my view on how you should proceed.

>

> Okay new to here, so here goes..

>

> Had thyroid 6 years. Wouldnt treat at first, then on usual Thyroxine. Off work

9 wks with sheer exhaustion. tsh always low, even on diagnosis. 1.79. Also have

pernicious anemia. Currently on 125mcg and having hot sweat, body feels run over

by steam roller and sleepy all the time with full hypo symptoms. Did adrenal 24

hr stress test. Stage 3 adrenal exhaustion. Low morning cortisol and low dhea.

Gp sent to hospital, had synacten test - Baseline 321, 30 mins after 654.

Bloods: tsh 0.17 Range 0.35- 5.5), Ft4 13.91 Range 9.0-24.0), FT3 3.7 (dont

know range). ALSO...

[Guest guest]

Hi Dawn2 (we have another active Dawn)

You say you have pernicious anaemia. Can you let us know what

medication you are taking for that? Can you also let us know exactly what these

SATISFACTORY results were. Your doctor cannot withhold such information form

you. Ask for the figures for your TSH, free T4, free T3 together with the

reference range for each of the tests done and post them here on the forum.

Unfortunately, doctors will only treat Either 's Disease

(too little or no cortisol secretion) or Cushing's Syndrome (too high a level

of cortisol secretion) but will not treat low adrenal reserve, which, when you

think about it is actually quite appalling, because this is the stage leading

up to 's disease. In other words, is it doctors who are causing their

patients to suffer with 's disease because they fail to recognise the condition

leading to that final stage?

You may well have to take both your adrenal and thyroid health

into your own hands if you are to get better. But first, write a letter to your

GP and tell him that you are no longer prepared to put up with such symptoms

and ill health without getting a proper diagnosis and started on the correct

treatment.

First, list all of your present symptoms and signs. Check these

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

under 'Hypothyroidism' and then click on 'Symptoms and Signs'.

Next, list your basal temperature taken before you got out

of bed in a morning and before having anything to eat and drink.

Next, list the results of your thyroid function tests and be

assertive in saying that your free T4 of 13.91 for somebody taking levothyroxine

is too low, and that it should be in the upper third of the reference range,

and that y our free T3 of 3.7 is right at the bottom of the range, and that

this too, should be in the upper third of the range. Tell them that you are aware

that the active thyroid hormone is T3, and that it is T3 that every cell in your

body and brain need to make them function and not T4 and that you want a trial

of T3 to see if that helps and that he will find Liothyronine (T3) is in the

British National Formulary as a thyroid hormone that can be prescribed to those

suffering with hypothyroidism. If he is not willing to give you a trial, that

you would like a referral to an endocrinologist of your choice for a second

opinion.

To this end, I have sent you a list of our doctor who prescribe

using some form of T3 if their patients don't do well on T4-only.

Ask for the following specific blood tests to be done to see if

any of these are low in the reference range and let your doctor know that

should any of these be low, no amount of thyroid hormone can be fully utilised

at the cellular level until whatever is low has been supplemented@ iron,

transferrin saturation%, ferritin, vitamin B12, vitamin D3, magnesium, folate,

copper and zinc.

In case your GP tries to tell you there is no association

between these vitamins/minerals and low thyroid, then copy out the attached

document that shows just a few of the references to the research/studies done

that show there is a connection. Ask that your GP make these results available

to you when they are returned, together with the reference range for each test

done and then post them on this forum, so we can help with their

interpretation.

Last, ask for your letter of requests to be placed into your

medical notes for future reference, and ask for your GP to confirm in writing

that this has been done.

Good luck

Luv - Sheila

Went back to dr's yesterday as results - SATISFACTORY and am getting discharged

from Endo. Gave me another note for 4 wks off work with ME &

Hypothyroidism. Asked for T3 - No. Told to take another 25mcg Thyroxine !!!!

Feel bloody toxic as it is. Also know that T3 is supposed to help with ME. Left

her with a copy of my 24 hrs stress test and temp chart, which was not even

considered. I am going to write a letter about T3 and if no job, treat myself.

Any ideas please ..

1 of 1 File(s)

LOW MINERALS AND VITAMINS AND THE THYROID CONNECTION.doc

[Guest guest]

moderated to remove most of previous messages already read. Please check you

have done this before clicking 'send' and leave just a small part of what you

are responding to.

lLuv - Sheila

___________________________________________

Wow, Thanks Sheila !

Well I am on 8 wkly b12 injection.

My Short Synacten test was Baseline 321 and post 30 mins - 654. There is no

range on the paperwork written ??

I have been taking my basal temperature for over a month and did take the gp a

copy along with my 24hr cortisol test - She never acknowledged this. My Basal

temp goes as low as 34.0 fluctuating only as high as 35.59. As I say the endo

that I saw has discharged me and the gp stated she would contact him to see

about T3. I then got a call from the receptionist to say, that she hasnt been

able to contact him, in the meantime up my thyroxine by 25mg. Bearing in mind

it takes 4-6 wks for any improvement, (if any were to be made). I need to get

back to work asap or Im gonna lost my job. I am going to write a letter, and

will get T3 by whatever means, then look at the adrenal side.

Its something when you have to fight for medication and treatment when you

hardly have the energy to get out of bed !!

Thanks

Dawn2

>

> You say you have pernicious anaemia. Can you let us know what medication you

> are taking for that? Can you also let us know exactly what these

> SATISFACTORY results were. Your doctor cannot withhold such information form

> you. Ask for the figures for your TSH, free T4, free T3 together with the

> reference range for each of the tests done and post them here on the forum.