Help with medication

[Guest guest]

Hi All, I have autoimmune disease - diagnosed Hypothyroid last Sept. TSH was

42.TPO antibodies 1300 (0.0 - 60.0)

I've been prescribed levothyroxine which I have taken and then self medicated

the dose up to 150. Doctor now will prescribe this but I still don't feel well,

still cold, tired, dry skin and can't drop any weight to name but a few

symptoms. I also feel that this dose is too high as I get a feeling in my throat

like something is tight around it.

Recent bloods are...TSH 0.27 (0.3 - 5.5) T4 20 (10 - 19.8) and T3 4.6 (3.5 -

6.7)

I guess I thought that with the TSH low and the T4 high the T3 would be higher.

I tried dropping to 125 but felt terrible.

In an ideal world I'd get supportive care from my GP but I cannot accept that at

42 I need to go to bed at 9pm every day for the rest of my life! I'll pay to see

someone privately but reading here endos are hit and miss too. I asked my doc

about T3 and natural thyroid but apparently I must be depressed (still!!!) and

need to be tested (again) for diabetes as my throid treatment is perfect.I know

I can buy T3 online....any advice please.

[Guest guest]

For those with Hashimoto's, you might find life better if you go

on a gluten free diet - this has helped a lot of our sufferers. You may also

have other conditions going alongside that is stopping the thyroid hormone from

working and it is best to get specific mineral and vitamin levels checked to

see whether any of these are too low in the range. A lot of doctors are not

aware of any connection between these and low thyroid, so you might want to

copy off the references here to just some of the research and studies that has

been done to show of the connection with low thyroid. Ask your GP to test your

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

folate, copper and zinc and when the results come back, ask your GP to give

them to you together with the reference range for each of the tests done.

" Low iron/ferritin: Iron

deficiency is shown to significantly reduce T4 to T3 conversion, increase

reverse T3 levels, and block the thermogenic (metabolism boosting) properties

of thyroid hormone (1-4). Thus, iron deficiency, as indicated by an iron

saturation below 25 or a ferritin below 70, will result in diminished

intracellular T3 levels. Additionally, T4 should not be considered adequate

thyroid replacement if iron deficiency is present (1-4)).

1.

Dillman E, Gale C, Green W, et al.

Hypothermia in iron deficiency due to altered triiodithyroidine metabolism.

Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology 1980;239(5):377-R381.

2.

SM, PE, Lukaski HC. In

vitro hepatic thyroid hormone deiodination in iron-deficient rats: effect of

dietary fat. Life Sci 1993;53(8):603-9.

3.

Zimmermann MB, Köhrle J. The Impact of

Iron and Selenium Deficiencies on Iodine and Thyroid Metabolism: Biochemistry

and Relevance to Public Health. Thyroid 2002;12(10): 867-78.

4.

Beard J, tobin B, Green W. Evidence for

Thyroid Hormone Deficiency in Iron-Deficient Anemic Rats. J. Nutr.

1989;119:772-778.

Low

vitamin B12: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18655403

Low

vitamin D3: http://www.eje-online.org/cgi/content/abstract/113/3/329

and http://www.goodhormonehealth.com/VitaminD.pdf

Low

magnesium: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC292768/pdf/jcinvest00264-0105.pdf

Low

folate: http://www.clinchem.org/cgi/content/full/47/9/1738

and http://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/thy.1999.9.1163

Low 

copper http://www.ithyroid.com/copper.htm

http://www.drlwilson.com/articles/copper_toxicity_syndrome.htm

http://www.ithyroid.com/copper.htm

http://www.rjpbcs.com/pdf/2011_2(2)/68.pdf

http://ajplegacy.physiology.org/content/171/3/652.extract

Low

zinc:http://www.istanbul.edu.tr/ffdbiyo/current4/07%20Iham%20AM%C4%B0R.pdf

and http://articles.webraydian.com/article1648-Role_of_Zinc_and_Copper_in_Effective_Thyroid_Function.html

"

If

any of these are low, they will need to be supplemented before thyroid hormone

can be properly utilised at the cellular level. Never allow a doctor to tell

you that your results are within the so called 'normal' range and that

therefore you don't have a problem. We need to know whether your results are at

the bottom, the middle, the top or even outside of the reference range. This is

VERY important.

Often

the reason why your fT4 is high in the range and your fT3 is low in the range

is because the thyroxine is lying in the blood doing absolutely nothing, with

nowhere to go. So the number remains high. It should be converting to the

active thyroid hormone T3 which every cell in y our body and brain needs to

make them function. The result of the T4 doing nothing means that y our free T3

level remains low, and you feel pretty awful. The TSH remains suppressed

because the pituitary gland, which secretes the thyroid stimulating hormone,

recognises that there is sufficient thyroid hormone in the blood (i.e. T4 of

20) so has no need to secrete any TSH - so that remains suppressed.

Because

of this, you may be better asking your GP for a trial of some form of T3,

either synthetic or natural thyroid extract. If s/he refuses, ask for a

referral to a specialist who knows about the functioning of the greater thyroid

system.

The

feeling tight around your throat I doubt is the medication you are on - but

more likely the antibodies attacking your thyroid gland which causes

inflammation and your thyroid to swell when it is being attacked, often causing

a goitre which you can often feel or see externally, but sometimes, it grows

internally and you cannot see or feel it.

I

have sent you my list of recommended doctors (by our members) who will

prescribe some form of T3, so try to get a referral to one of them, even if you

have to travel. If your GP tells you that you cannot be referred to a doctor of

your choice, then get referred to the hospital where they work, and when you

get an appointment, write to the clinic nurse and tell her you particularly

want an appointment with Dr X and that you are prepared to wait until that

doctor has a clinic.

Is there a possibility you might be suffering with systemic

candidiasis or mercury poisoning caused through amalgam fillings.

Luv - Sheila

Recent bloods are...TSH 0.27 (0.3 - 5.5) T4 20 (10 - 19.8) and T3 4.6 (3.5 -

6.7)

I guess I thought that with the TSH low and the T4 high the T3 would be higher.

I tried dropping to 125 but felt terrible.

In an ideal world I'd get supportive care from my GP but I cannot accept that

at 42 I need to go to bed at 9pm every day for the rest of my life! I'll pay to

see someone privately but reading here endos are hit and miss too. I asked my

doc about T3 and natural thyroid but apparently I must be depressed (still!!!)

and need to be tested (again) for diabetes as my throid treatment is perfect.I

know I can buy T3 online....any advice please.

[Guest guest]

Sheila,

Thank you so very much. I did ask for trial of T3 but was told it is " in range

and perfectly normal " which is what had led me to the internet! I have not got

the doctor list from you yet but I will follow that up when I do. I am

determined to be well and will explore every avenue to get there!

[Guest guest]

- as I keep mentioning, never let doctors tell you that

your results are " in range " and that they are " normal " .

Please get these results and the reference range and post them on the forum so

we can help with their interpretation. Many doctors will tell you that your

results are normal whether they appear at the bottom, the middle or the top of

the range so long as they are 'somewhere' within the range - but they have no

idea exactly where your results should be.

Do remember also that doctors are not allowed to withhold any

information that is in your medical notes under The Date Protection Act 1998.

Luv - Sheila

Sheila,

Thank you so very much. I did ask for trial of T3 but was told it is " in

range and perfectly normal " which is what had led me to the internet! I

have not got the doctor list from you yet but I will follow that up when I do.

I am determined to be well and will explore every avenue to get there!

[Guest guest]

I have sent you my list of recommended doctors (by our members) who will

prescribe some form of T3, so try to get a referral to one of them, even if you

have to travel.

Hi Sheila,

Sorry to bother you but I have not got the list of doctors from you yet. I have

looked in my spam box but nothing. Could you send it to sky152@... as I

know that one works!

Thank you