Guest guest Posted August 14, 2009 Report Share Posted August 14, 2009 - Do you have any thyroid tests you can post? What about free T3 and free T4? TSH? The fast weight gain and needing to stay on top of it with exercise is too low thyroid for me. Recently I left out of Ga. to live in Texas for the summer. When I left my thyroid was optimized. Felt really good. When I got to Texas and encountered 105 degree heat I was forced to lower my thyroid dose significantly. Shortly there after I started with the weight gain, needing more exercise, chin hairs surfacing and bad hair loss in the bang area/top of head area. I did not change my T dose at all. . Also, interestingly enough, my E stayed the same too, which is high- 450- 500. For me chin hairs are DHT in action. So high E did not protect me from the increased 5AR activity from too low thyroid. I use .6 mg of T cream a day and my total T is low at 20, free T of 1.2. I have discovered a distinct connection with raised DHT and suboptimal thyroid levels. When my thyroid is high enough I have no chin hairs and my weight stays normal without an excess of effort to keep it that way. When I was on SRT3 I didn't get a full dose from it at all. It took 125 mcg for me to respond well. I think the 5AR enzyme is more active with too low thyroid. To my thinking DHT is stepped up as the power-horse when T3 is too low OR there is tissue resistance for some reason. Google around. Am traveling at the moment so am unable to access my research. When I get back home I will see if I saved anything on 5AR activity with low thyroid. AG > > Hi there, > > This question is directed to Atlanta Girl, (but if anyone else has any advice please chime in). I have been looking at some of your older posts and you seem to know a lot about what affects DHT. I have been on 75 mcg SR T3 for a couple of years and have been dealing with elevated DHT. I believe you mentioned that high T3 increases aromatase activity but on the other hand being hypo will increase 5AR activity. > > My E levels are ok, but certainly not high, and DHT is above range. T is 49 on day 3 of cycle (supposedly it is highest at this point- have been tested other days and it is only 22). Could these tests indicate that I may actually need even more thyroid? I have good energy/sleep cycles but seem to put on weight very quickly and easily if I don't diet and exercise (ie eat like a normal person instead of strictly cutting out all sugars). Otherwise no hypo symptoms. > Also remember something about IGF-1 levels being a little low, but that was before starting thyroid, no idea where that stands now. Anyone know how that ties into everything? > Any information you can think of that might elucidate this situation would be very helpful. > Btw, I'm 28, not taking any hormones but T3. > Thanks so much, > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 14, 2009 Report Share Posted August 14, 2009 - Do you have any thyroid tests you can post? What about free T3 and free T4? TSH? The fast weight gain and needing to stay on top of it with exercise is too low thyroid for me. Recently I left out of Ga. to live in Texas for the summer. When I left my thyroid was optimized. Felt really good. When I got to Texas and encountered 105 degree heat I was forced to lower my thyroid dose significantly. Shortly there after I started with the weight gain, needing more exercise, chin hairs surfacing and bad hair loss in the bang area/top of head area. I did not change my T dose at all. . Also, interestingly enough, my E stayed the same too, which is high- 450- 500. For me chin hairs are DHT in action. So high E did not protect me from the increased 5AR activity from too low thyroid. I use .6 mg of T cream a day and my total T is low at 20, free T of 1.2. I have discovered a distinct connection with raised DHT and suboptimal thyroid levels. When my thyroid is high enough I have no chin hairs and my weight stays normal without an excess of effort to keep it that way. When I was on SRT3 I didn't get a full dose from it at all. It took 125 mcg for me to respond well. I think the 5AR enzyme is more active with too low thyroid. To my thinking DHT is stepped up as the power-horse when T3 is too low OR there is tissue resistance for some reason. Google around. Am traveling at the moment so am unable to access my research. When I get back home I will see if I saved anything on 5AR activity with low thyroid. AG > > Hi there, > > This question is directed to Atlanta Girl, (but if anyone else has any advice please chime in). I have been looking at some of your older posts and you seem to know a lot about what affects DHT. I have been on 75 mcg SR T3 for a couple of years and have been dealing with elevated DHT. I believe you mentioned that high T3 increases aromatase activity but on the other hand being hypo will increase 5AR activity. > > My E levels are ok, but certainly not high, and DHT is above range. T is 49 on day 3 of cycle (supposedly it is highest at this point- have been tested other days and it is only 22). Could these tests indicate that I may actually need even more thyroid? I have good energy/sleep cycles but seem to put on weight very quickly and easily if I don't diet and exercise (ie eat like a normal person instead of strictly cutting out all sugars). Otherwise no hypo symptoms. > Also remember something about IGF-1 levels being a little low, but that was before starting thyroid, no idea where that stands now. Anyone know how that ties into everything? > Any information you can think of that might elucidate this situation would be very helpful. > Btw, I'm 28, not taking any hormones but T3. > Thanks so much, > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 16, 2009 Report Share Posted August 16, 2009 AG, Thank you so much for you reply!! That's really fascinating that there is a connection there.. btw DHT and thyroid. I have googled till I can't google no more and haven't been able to find anything. My last properly done thyroid test was taken over a year ago. I did have one done a couple of months ago, but I didn't know I was going to have it and took my thyroid that morning... apparently the doctors here in Germany don't warn you not to take it right before a test (and if you explain that you take T3 instead of synthroid they look at you like you're from outer space). I haven't actually seen the results of that test but my older lab from April of 2008 I believe was free T3 363, T4 just below range and TSH totally suppressed - was 0.08 I think. The SRT3 is really weird - I have the same issue as you - very sensitive to weather changes, but I also seem to go through long phases of feeling like I'm on a bit too much to feeling quite normal but gaining weight easily. I always wonder if this is some sort of fluctuating tissue resistance or Reverse T3? I really wish there was real research on this subject. I know Dr. Lowe works on this, but it seems like everyone is either in the reverse T3 or tissue resistance camps (that is pertaining to folks like me who prior to treatment had normal T3's and T4's with major hypo symptoms- i believe they call this euthyroid sick?). Somehow I think it is possibly a combination of the two issues, or perhaps something to do with heavy metal toxicity/receptor damage or even candida, or something we just don't know about yet- maybe some type of viral infection. Whatever it is, it seems to fluctuate which makes T3 replacement tricky. Would be great to be able to get at root causes instead of doing all this band-aid therapy. Honestly I haven't noticed a difference with the chin (and nipple!) hairs depending on hypo/hyper state. The trend just seems to be gradually more and more appear over time- and darker and thicker ones. But I will try to pay closer attention, taking my thyroid-state into consideration. My mom didn't start with these until she was much older. I'm not growing a goatee yet but they are definitely there and only appeared since I've been on the T3 come to think of it. Hmm. Though before starting T3 I was a complete mess in most other ways. My old doctor who started me on SRT3 said that a lot of people don't get optimized until over 100 mcg. Though at the time I felt like I hit the ceiling at 75 mcg. Did you switch from SRT3 to something else? Is that when you noticed DHT problems? At some point I tried cytomel and it was like a roller-coaster nightmare. The SR stuff keeps me pretty even, though its very hard to modify the dose if need be. I know the jury is still out there on Reverse T3 but it still makes me scared to try T4 products- don't want to shoot myself back into hypo-land- or seriously excessive DHT-land ;-) ! Anyway, thanks again for your reply --- am very curious to know more about the thryoid-5AR relationship, when you get a chance. At least it would be great to know that there is some other way to modify 5AR activity without taking E-blocking saw palmetto. cheers, christina > > > > Hi there, > > > > This question is directed to Atlanta Girl, (but if anyone else has any advice please chime in). I have been looking at some of your older posts and you seem to know a lot about what affects DHT. I have been on 75 mcg SR T3 for a couple of years and have been dealing with elevated DHT. I believe you mentioned that high T3 increases aromatase activity but on the other hand being hypo will increase 5AR activity. > > > > My E levels are ok, but certainly not high, and DHT is above range. T is 49 on day 3 of cycle (supposedly it is highest at this point- have been tested other days and it is only 22). Could these tests indicate that I may actually need even more thyroid? I have good energy/sleep cycles but seem to put on weight very quickly and easily if I don't diet and exercise (ie eat like a normal person instead of strictly cutting out all sugars). Otherwise no hypo symptoms. > > Also remember something about IGF-1 levels being a little low, but that was before starting thyroid, no idea where that stands now. Anyone know how that ties into everything? > > Any information you can think of that might elucidate this situation would be very helpful. > > Btw, I'm 28, not taking any hormones but T3. > > Thanks so much, > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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