Guest guest Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 I have taken synthroid for almost 13 years. I am presently on 75mg a day. How old are you? I have found that if my thryoid is messed up I am tired, very moody, sometimes depressed and various other problems. When I was of the age to have a monthly period that was affected as well. A messed up thryoid can also affect your hair growth or even cause it to fall out. I routinely about every 2 weeks have my blood levels tested for all of the things you detailed. That is because of all of my other conditions. If you are on the low side of normal they often will put you on a low dose of thryoid and that is what 25 mg is, you can't get much lower, just to see if it helps with the symptoms. If I were you I would find out why they did not run the other tests you mentioned, many docs just don't run them for various reasons, some insurance will not pay for them any more. If it is that you are on the low end of normal I would simply tell them you don't want to take the med until you are in a lower number. You mayfind however that taking just that will make a world of difference in how you feel. Gwen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 > > Hi all, > I would like to hear some opinions from people who have experience with thyroid problems. Hi Marita, My thyroid was almost shut down a few years ago. I'm on levo**** (can't remember the whole name) to get the numbers up. I'm at 1.74 now and it has made a difference for me. My doc 'wonders' aloud whether to increase the meds- neither of us enjoy piling on the pills! It's good to hear from you again. I wish it was because of better/good news! GBY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 Hi Gwen, >> I have taken synthroid for almost 13 years. I am presently on 75mg a day. How old are you? << I just turned 43. >>I have found that if my thryoid is messed up I am tired, very moody, sometimes depressed and various other problems. When I was of the age to have a monthly period that was affected as well. << I haven't had a problem with any of the above, well, not any more than usual, anyway. I have always been able to sleep pretty much anytime, which I am really thankful for, but I'm not excessively tired. >> If you are on the low side of normal they often will put you on a low dose of thryoid and that is what 25 mg is, you can't get much lower, just to see if it helps with the symptoms. << My numbers are on the high side, not on the low side. Normal range is between 0.40 - 5.00 and mine was at 4.07. >> If I were you I would find out why they did not run the other tests you mentioned, many docs just don't run them for various reasons, some insurance will not pay for them any more.<< I will ask her that on Thursday. I don't want to get on meds unless I absolutely have to. I heard that once put on thyroid supplements, the thyroid glands stop working altogether and rely on supplementation. Marita Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 Hi , >> My thyroid was almost shut down a few years ago. I'm on levo**** > (can't remember the whole name) to get the numbers up. << I'm at 1.74 > now and it has made a difference for me. My doc 'wonders' aloud > whether to increase the meds- neither of us enjoy piling on the > pills! << So are you hypothyroid or hyperthroid? I'm confused with those numbers, to be honest. Hopefully on Thursday I'll get some answers. >> It's good to hear from you again. I wish it was because of > better/good news!<< Thank you, I wish, too. My foot isn't getting any better, either. It's been 2 months now and I'm hesitant about making another appointment with the podiatrist, as he didn't seem to know what to do with me other than have me rest my foot, do contrast baths, and take an NSAID (which I'm not taking anymore, either, since it didn't make a difference at all). Marita Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 From what you have said, your being on thryoid makes no sense to me either. Wonder why they thought you needed it? I am someone who will not take a med unless I need it. I take so many I certainly do not want to take more than I need to. Please let me know what you find out. This interests me! Gwen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 That's not true. If that happened it would show up in the blood work. I have been taking .125 of Synthroid for years and have remained stable. My thyroid still functions although at a lower level than normal. There aren't any side effects to taking the supplement if it is the correct dosage for you. However, there are some serious side effects to having low thyroid and not treating it. SusieQ I heard that once put on thyroid supplements, the thyroid glands stop working altogether and rely on supplementation. > > Marita > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 2, 2006 Report Share Posted March 2, 2006 Hi Gwen, > >From what you have said, your being on thryoid makes no sense to me either. Wonder why they thought you needed it? I am someone who will not take a med unless I need it. I take so many I certainly do not want to take more than I need to. Please let me know what you find out. This interests me! << Okay, I just got back from my appointment with the PA. I had done a lot more research yesterday and found out that according to experts in the endocrinlogy field (can't remember the actual name of the organization) the normal range of the TSH test should be lower than it still is. My TSH was at 4.07 and they recommend supplementation above 3 IF the patient has symptoms. So, that explains the reason why she wanted me on a supplement. , I did understand correctly, the higher the TSH comes back at, the lower the thyroid function. TSH stands for Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, meaning the more of this hormone is needed to stimulate the thyroid function, the lower the thyroid function, which makes sense. HA! Maybe I will finally be able to lose some weight, I've been exercising religiously for over a month and haven't lost a thing, how frustrating! I did talk her into prescribing a natural thyroid supplement as I feel more comfortable trying that first. I know this is a controversial subject and my pharmacist said that the synthetic supplements are better for you, but to be quite frank, I don't believe it and need to find out for myself whether the natural supplement will work for me or not. I know now that I overreacted and I'm glad I made another appointment to talk to her. People have asked me many times why I even bother seeing a PA, well, I have to say that she has been good to me and she is willing to LISTEN to me. I have never found a doctor that was like her, so I'm sticking with her for now....:-) Marita in Montana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 3, 2006 Report Share Posted March 3, 2006 Yes, you got it right. TSH is a more reliable indication of thyroid function than actual hormone levels because when TSH levels are very high your thyroid hormone levels can actually be in the normal range. However, it means your thyroid isn't functioning properly and you will still need supplementation. My TSH was 7 something and I had normal hormone levels. But, since I was wearing sweaters in July (I live in Florida) and my hair was falling out my doctor didn't hesitate to put me on Synthroid. SusieQ TSH stands for Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, meaning the more of this hormone is needed to stimulate the thyroid function, the lower the thyroid function, which makes sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 3, 2006 Report Share Posted March 3, 2006 >> Yes, you got it right. TSH is a more reliable indication of thyroid > function than actual hormone levels because when TSH levels are very > high your thyroid hormone levels can actually be in the normal > range. However, it means your thyroid isn't functioning properly and > you will still need supplementation. << I started with the lowest dose of a natural supplement and am hoping that it will work for me. >> My TSH was 7 something and I had normal hormone levels. But, since I > was wearing sweaters in July (I live in Florida) and my hair was > falling out my doctor didn't hesitate to put me on Synthroid. << The only symptom that I have is the fact that I have gained so much weight in the past year (I quit smoking) and now I don't seem to be able to lose anything even though I'm riding my exercise bike religiously. I do have other possible symptoms, but I was also put on an anti-depressant, so I'm not sure whether the other symptoms were from low thyroid or from depression. Marita in Montana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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