Re: my brain is not working on this regimen. what is wrong?

[Guest guest]

I am very suspicious of low tissue cortiosl. You CAN have high cortisol

and tissue resustance to block it, Have oy utried adaptogens? Maybe it

ti time to try Isocort. I cnanot think of another thing that could cause

this unless ferritin is low.

--

Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/RT3_T3/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HypoPets/

[Guest guest]

I have tried adaptogens, but not with 100% consistency. I stopped holy basil

b/c I know it lowers blood sugar, and I have had low (and sometimes sorta high)

blood sugar. I was thinking of going back on rhodiola. I know ashwaganda is

good, but read it can be too stimulating if your adrenals are super bad. I am

taking C (whole-foods based, not synthetic). Also taking some Bs. I was taking

zinc, but am not now.

A while back, I tried Isocort and Cortef. (I know I could be at a totally

different place now.) Isocort made me feel muddied. Cortef was fabulous for a

day and a half and then I felt like absolute hell. I tried it twice. Same

thing, only second time I didn't feel as great at first. My endo at the time

(who is very alternative-thinking) said my adrenals were super " reactive " and go

up and down very easily (based on 24 hour saliva test), so she thought anything

that stimulated them would be bad. Didn't even want me to take licorice at the

time. Though I wonder if LICORICE would be good for adrenals and my low blood

pressure?!?!

QUESTIONS: So, if you have high cortisol and tissue resistance, do you take

cortisol, or do you take adaptogens??!? Can any of my sxs be b/c of HIGH

cortisol?

This is beyond depressing. I hate being the atypical reactor, which I seem to

be. :-(

Thanks, Val. Hope you are well.

>

> I am very suspicious of low tissue cortiosl. You CAN have high cortisol

> and tissue resustance to block it, Have oy utried adaptogens? Maybe it

> ti time to try Isocort. I cnanot think of another thing that could cause

> this unless ferritin is low.

>

> --

> Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV

>

> http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

>

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/

> http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/RT3_T3/

> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HypoPets/

Hi there.

So, now I am swimmy and dizzy and lightheaded, confused and disoriented to the

point that I can't even make a grocery list. I'm not exaggerating at all. These

are the exact sxs I'm trying to get rid of. My worst symptom has been this brain

fog I've had 24/7 for over two years. (Initially, I had blood pressure crashes,

too.) But this feels differently bad - and my functioning level is going down

the drain.

History of trying the T3 only: I was on 1 grain of armour for a long time, then

went up to 2 grains (slowly, titrating 1/4 grain at at time over weeks.) I also

switched to NT and got up to 2 grains. I felt much more muddied in my brain and

just weird. My RT3/T3 ratio was 17 on the 1 grain of armour and then went down

to 11 on two grains. Not sure what that tells us.

Then, I tried going cold turkey and switching just to T3 (18mcg to match what I

got in the 2 grains of NT, and I got this same swimmy, awful, disoriented

feeling that I feel now. So, I went back on 1 grain of NT and stuck with the T3.

I waited a bit, and never fully got back to my regular symptoms I'm used to. Val

had said I have a conversion issue and regardless what it's from, T3 is the fix.

(see below.) So, I started going down 1/4 grain on NT and going up on T3,

monitoring pulse and not being as good monitoring temps, but they run in the

97s.

As of a couple of days:

I dropped my NT to 1/2 grain, in two doses, 1/4 in morning, 1/4 at 2pm

T3 regimen:

8am: 12.5

11: 6.25

2: 6.25

5: 6.25

bed: 6.25

EVERY TIME I TRY TO DROP MY NT, I feel out of my mind, but when I raise it, I

feel muddied. I'm damned if I do, and damned if I don't. I felt disoriented and

a bit revved IN MY HEAD, and not in my body this morning, though that was there

a teeny bit this morning with the newly raised morning dose to 12.5. (My avg.

pulse has been 57, but is now 66.)

No heart palps, etc.

This protocol makes so much sense to me and I believe in it, but something is

keeping it from working for me. My ferritin is fine, (wasn't, but now is. See

labs below). My cortisol has run HIGH over the years, but I've done all the list

told me to do and it feels okay. I'm not having typical revved symptoms, but my

brain is so much worse. And fatigue is bad since I started doing all this. If

these symptoms are because I need more T3, that doesn't make sense (even if I

do, which I know I do!) because I am giving myself much more T3 than I've ever

had. I could see feeling the same, but not so much worse.

WHAT ELSE COULD BE GOING ON?!??!? I feel totally at a loss and at my wits end.

(FYI: I'm also on .125mg florinef for low aldosterone/ neurally mediated

hyotension/low BP, along with the requisite potassium being on florinef. 10mg

DHEA for low DHEA and 50mg bioidentical progesterone at night for low

progesterone. Off and on, taking sea salt and water. Need to do this more. My

sex hormone labs are off the charts, reading like someone much older than my 47

years. Low vasopressin. Electrolytes were good.)

Here are my last labs and how Val interpreted them, fyi, if that'll help.

10/09 serum on 2 grains NT

FT3: 331 (range: 230-420) pretty high for me!

FT4: 1.1 (range: 0.8-1.8)

RT3: 28 (range: 11-32)

FT3/RT3 ratio: 11 (optimal: 20)

TSH: .06 (range: .40 4.50)

Val, who is awesome, responded as follows:

OK from these labs I woudl first look at ferritin levels. The overly supressed

TSH means your body si not able to utilize thyroid correctly which si shown by

your high RT3 even with a low FT4. Low ferritin isa a common cause of this.

Probabyl the most common cause I have seen. If ferritin is OK then something

else is causing poor cpnversion. High cortils can be that culprit as can LOW

cortisol btu high would be first in my mind as you have tolerated thyroid meds

ot this point. Graphing temps for a weel or two might help sort the cause4 out,

or you may never knwo what the caiuse is. To this day I do not knwo wehat causes

my high RT3 but it si a factoid for me that comes back every time I go bakc ot

ANY thyroid med wiht T4 in it. T3 only is the fix.No matter the cause T3 will

correct the problem as it overrides the conversion issues.

Thanks SO much. (Sorry if I'm rambling.)

~ Carol

>

[Guest guest]

>EVERY TIME I TRY TO DROP MY NT, I feel out of my mind, but when I raise it, I

feel muddied. I'm damned if I do, and damned if I don't. I felt disoriented

and a bit revved IN MY HEAD, and not in my body this morning, though that was

there a teeny bit this morning with the newly raised morning dose to 12.5. (My

avg. pulse has been 57, but is now 66.)

>No heart palps, etc.

I am wondering if you have a very bad case of resistance (been there)

and it's the T2 in the NT that's keeping you functioning as the T3

can't get into your cells yet due to there being too low a level in

the serum.

I was in a similar position, my resistance was so bad that I had

titrated up to 12 grains over a 10 year period and when I started it

took 6 grains spread out for me to feel human.

IF that is the case then getting the T3 levels in your body higher

will overcome that lack while resistance clears, it's a matter of

achieving it without side effects.

There are 3 time constants in NT, weeks from T3, a day or so from T3,

and a couple of hours from T2.

With a low pulse of 66 you can stand more T3 unless there are very

strange things going on.

The conventional approach of replace the T3 and swap cold turky isn't

taking into account the possibility that you are highly resistance to

T3 and hence feeling the T2 more than most people.

My idea thrown into the melting pot, and Val nay well have better

ones, is to stay on your existing dose of NT, increase the T3 until

your pulse comes up to the 80ish mark, and THEN try reducing the NT.

Let us know what happens

Nick

[Guest guest]

Your symptoms and reactions to cortisl sound ot me liek low coritls .

Your HPA shtus down when you take Isocort or HC which si typical of

adrneal fatigue. I do nto see high cortils in these symptoms. I woudl

avoid herbals (liek Holy Basil) that lower cortils exceot maybe at night

and do a regime of Rhodiola in the AM adn Ashwaganda in the afternoon.

--

Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/RT3_T3/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HypoPets/

[Guest guest]

Your symptoms and reactions to cortisl sound ot me liek low coritls .

Your HPA shtus down when you take Isocort or HC which si typical of

adrneal fatigue. I do nto see high cortils in these symptoms. I woudl

avoid herbals (liek Holy Basil) that lower cortils exceot maybe at night

and do a regime of Rhodiola in the AM adn Ashwaganda in the afternoon.

--

Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/RT3_T3/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HypoPets/

[Guest guest]

Thanks much for the thoughts and suggestions, Nick.

Another thing I'm noticing is that the night time dose of T3 (just 6.25mcg) I'm

taking at first made me sleep well and now I'm waking up a bit early in the

morning. (Waking up some in the night with warm flushes, but was doing this

before. went away and now it's back. I wonder if T3 impacts sex hormones. Of

course, they all impact each other!)

This morning I was almost jittery. (pulse 69, which is so high for me! I know

I want it up in the 80s.) I'm wondering if the nighttime dose could be

stimulating my adrenals. I used to have real problems waking up super early and

feeling really adrenal-y. But, no anxiety. I'm sure my pulse was low then,

though. (My usual avg. 57.)

If this is the case, maybe it's not good to raise my T3?? Or maybe not take the

night time dose, but in some ways I wonder if it isn't a good thing. Then I

guess it would be to try and stabilize the adrenals. But, I can't function

where I am right now. Wow, this is so confusing to figure out!!

Arrrgggghhhh...

~ Carol

>

> I am very suspicious of low tissue cortiosl. You CAN have high cortisol

> and tissue resustance to block it, Have oy utried adaptogens? Maybe it

> ti time to try Isocort. I cnanot think of another thing that could cause

> this unless ferritin is low.

>

> --

> Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV

>

> http://www.stopthet hyroidmadness. com/

> http://health. groups.yahoo. com/group/ NaturalThyroidHo rmonesADRENALS/

> http://health. groups.yahoo. com/group/ RT3_T3/

> http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/HypoPets/

Hi there.

So, now I am swimmy and dizzy and lightheaded, confused and disoriented to the

point that I can't even make a grocery list. I'm not exaggerating at all. These

are the exact sxs I'm trying to get rid of. My worst symptom has been this brain

fog I've had 24/7 for over two years. (Initially, I had blood pressure crashes,

too.) But this feels differently bad - and my functioning level is going down

the drain.

History of trying the T3 only: I was on 1 grain of armour for a long time, then

went up to 2 grains (slowly, titrating 1/4 grain at at time over weeks.) I also

switched to NT and got up to 2 grains. I felt much more muddied in my brain and

just weird. My RT3/T3 ratio was 17 on the 1 grain of armour and then went down

to 11 on two grains. Not sure what that tells us.

Then, I tried going cold turkey and switching just to T3 (18mcg to match what I

got in the 2 grains of NT, and I got this same swimmy, awful, disoriented

feeling that I feel now. So, I went back on 1 grain of NT and stuck with the T3.

I waited a bit, and never fully got back to my regular symptoms I'm used to. Val

had said I have a conversion issue and regardless what it's from, T3 is the fix.

(see below.) So, I started going down 1/4 grain on NT and going up on T3,

monitoring pulse and not being as good monitoring temps, but they run in the

97s.

As of a couple of days:

I dropped my NT to 1/2 grain, in two doses, 1/4 in morning, 1/4 at 2pm

T3 regimen:

8am: 12.5

11: 6.25

2: 6.25

5: 6.25

bed: 6.25

EVERY TIME I TRY TO DROP MY NT, I feel out of my mind, but when I raise it, I

feel muddied. I'm damned if I do, and damned if I don't. I felt disoriented and

a bit revved IN MY HEAD, and not in my body this morning, though that was there

a teeny bit this morning with the newly raised morning dose to 12.5. (My avg.

pulse has been 57, but is now 66.)

No heart palps, etc.

This protocol makes so much sense to me and I believe in it, but something is

keeping it from working for me. My ferritin is fine, (wasn't, but now is. See

labs below). My cortisol has run HIGH over the years, but I've done all the list

told me to do and it feels okay. I'm not having typical revved symptoms, but my

brain is so much worse. And fatigue is bad since I started doing all this. If

these symptoms are because I need more T3, that doesn't make sense (even if I

do, which I know I do!) because I am giving myself much more T3 than I've ever

had. I could see feeling the same, but not so much worse.

WHAT ELSE COULD BE GOING ON?!??!? I feel totally at a loss and at my wits end.

(FYI: I'm also on .125mg florinef for low aldosterone/ neurally mediated

hyotension/low BP, along with the requisite potassium being on florinef. 10mg

DHEA for low DHEA and 50mg bioidentical progesterone at night for low

progesterone. Off and on, taking sea salt and water. Need to do this more. My

sex hormone labs are off the charts, reading like someone much older than my 47

years. Low vasopressin. Electrolytes were good.)

Here are my last labs and how Val interpreted them, fyi, if that'll help.

10/09 serum on 2 grains NT

FT3: 331 (range: 230-420) pretty high for me!

FT4: 1.1 (range: 0.8-1.8)

RT3: 28 (range: 11-32)

FT3/RT3 ratio: 11 (optimal: 20)

TSH: .06 (range: .40 4.50)

Val, who is awesome, responded as follows:

OK from these labs I woudl first look at ferritin levels. The overly supressed

TSH means your body si not able to utilize thyroid correctly which si shown by

your high RT3 even with a low FT4. Low ferritin isa a common cause of this.

Probabyl the most common cause I have seen. If ferritin is OK then something

else is causing poor cpnversion. High cortils can be that culprit as can LOW

cortisol btu high would be first in my mind as you have tolerated thyroid meds

ot this point. Graphing temps for a weel or two might help sort the cause4 out,

or you may never knwo what the caiuse is. To this day I do not knwo wehat causes

my high RT3 but it si a factoid for me that comes back every time I go bakc ot

ANY thyroid med wiht T4 in it. T3 only is the fix.No matter the cause T3 will

correct the problem as it overrides the conversion issues.

Thanks SO much. (Sorry if I'm rambling.)

~ Carol

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks much for the thoughts and suggestions, Nick.

Another thing I'm noticing is that the night time dose of T3 (just 6.25mcg) I'm

taking at first made me sleep well and now I'm waking up a bit early in the

morning. (Waking up some in the night with warm flushes, but was doing this

before. went away and now it's back. I wonder if T3 impacts sex hormones. Of

course, they all impact each other!)

This morning I was almost jittery. (pulse 69, which is so high for me! I know

I want it up in the 80s.) I'm wondering if the nighttime dose could be

stimulating my adrenals. I used to have real problems waking up super early and

feeling really adrenal-y. But, no anxiety. I'm sure my pulse was low then,

though. (My usual avg. 57.)

If this is the case, maybe it's not good to raise my T3?? Or maybe not take the

night time dose, but in some ways I wonder if it isn't a good thing. Then I

guess it would be to try and stabilize the adrenals. But, I can't function

where I am right now. Wow, this is so confusing to figure out!!

Arrrgggghhhh...

~ Carol

>

> I am very suspicious of low tissue cortiosl. You CAN have high cortisol

> and tissue resustance to block it, Have oy utried adaptogens? Maybe it

> ti time to try Isocort. I cnanot think of another thing that could cause

> this unless ferritin is low.

>

> --

> Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV

>

> http://www.stopthet hyroidmadness. com/

> http://health. groups.yahoo. com/group/ NaturalThyroidHo rmonesADRENALS/

> http://health. groups.yahoo. com/group/ RT3_T3/

> http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/HypoPets/

Hi there.

So, now I am swimmy and dizzy and lightheaded, confused and disoriented to the

point that I can't even make a grocery list. I'm not exaggerating at all. These

are the exact sxs I'm trying to get rid of. My worst symptom has been this brain

fog I've had 24/7 for over two years. (Initially, I had blood pressure crashes,

too.) But this feels differently bad - and my functioning level is going down

the drain.

History of trying the T3 only: I was on 1 grain of armour for a long time, then

went up to 2 grains (slowly, titrating 1/4 grain at at time over weeks.) I also

switched to NT and got up to 2 grains. I felt much more muddied in my brain and

just weird. My RT3/T3 ratio was 17 on the 1 grain of armour and then went down

to 11 on two grains. Not sure what that tells us.

Then, I tried going cold turkey and switching just to T3 (18mcg to match what I

got in the 2 grains of NT, and I got this same swimmy, awful, disoriented

feeling that I feel now. So, I went back on 1 grain of NT and stuck with the T3.

I waited a bit, and never fully got back to my regular symptoms I'm used to. Val

had said I have a conversion issue and regardless what it's from, T3 is the fix.

(see below.) So, I started going down 1/4 grain on NT and going up on T3,

monitoring pulse and not being as good monitoring temps, but they run in the

97s.

As of a couple of days:

I dropped my NT to 1/2 grain, in two doses, 1/4 in morning, 1/4 at 2pm

T3 regimen:

8am: 12.5

11: 6.25

2: 6.25

5: 6.25

bed: 6.25

EVERY TIME I TRY TO DROP MY NT, I feel out of my mind, but when I raise it, I

feel muddied. I'm damned if I do, and damned if I don't. I felt disoriented and

a bit revved IN MY HEAD, and not in my body this morning, though that was there

a teeny bit this morning with the newly raised morning dose to 12.5. (My avg.

pulse has been 57, but is now 66.)

No heart palps, etc.

This protocol makes so much sense to me and I believe in it, but something is

keeping it from working for me. My ferritin is fine, (wasn't, but now is. See

labs below). My cortisol has run HIGH over the years, but I've done all the list

told me to do and it feels okay. I'm not having typical revved symptoms, but my

brain is so much worse. And fatigue is bad since I started doing all this. If

these symptoms are because I need more T3, that doesn't make sense (even if I

do, which I know I do!) because I am giving myself much more T3 than I've ever

had. I could see feeling the same, but not so much worse.

WHAT ELSE COULD BE GOING ON?!??!? I feel totally at a loss and at my wits end.

(FYI: I'm also on .125mg florinef for low aldosterone/ neurally mediated

hyotension/low BP, along with the requisite potassium being on florinef. 10mg

DHEA for low DHEA and 50mg bioidentical progesterone at night for low

progesterone. Off and on, taking sea salt and water. Need to do this more. My

sex hormone labs are off the charts, reading like someone much older than my 47

years. Low vasopressin. Electrolytes were good.)

Here are my last labs and how Val interpreted them, fyi, if that'll help.

10/09 serum on 2 grains NT

FT3: 331 (range: 230-420) pretty high for me!

FT4: 1.1 (range: 0.8-1.8)

RT3: 28 (range: 11-32)

FT3/RT3 ratio: 11 (optimal: 20)

TSH: .06 (range: .40 4.50)

Val, who is awesome, responded as follows:

OK from these labs I woudl first look at ferritin levels. The overly supressed

TSH means your body si not able to utilize thyroid correctly which si shown by

your high RT3 even with a low FT4. Low ferritin isa a common cause of this.

Probabyl the most common cause I have seen. If ferritin is OK then something

else is causing poor cpnversion. High cortils can be that culprit as can LOW

cortisol btu high would be first in my mind as you have tolerated thyroid meds

ot this point. Graphing temps for a weel or two might help sort the cause4 out,

or you may never knwo what the caiuse is. To this day I do not knwo wehat causes

my high RT3 but it si a factoid for me that comes back every time I go bakc ot

ANY thyroid med wiht T4 in it. T3 only is the fix.No matter the cause T3 will

correct the problem as it overrides the conversion issues.

Thanks SO much. (Sorry if I'm rambling.)

~ Carol

>

[Guest guest]

Thanks much for the thoughts and suggestions, Nick.

Another thing I'm noticing is that the night time dose of T3 (just 6.25mcg) I'm

taking at first made me sleep well and now I'm waking up a bit early in the

morning. (Waking up some in the night with warm flushes, but was doing this

before. went away and now it's back. I wonder if T3 impacts sex hormones. Of

course, they all impact each other!)

This morning I was almost jittery. (pulse 69, which is so high for me! I know

I want it up in the 80s.) I'm wondering if the nighttime dose could be

stimulating my adrenals. I used to have real problems waking up super early and

feeling really adrenal-y. But, no anxiety. I'm sure my pulse was low then,

though. (My usual avg. 57.)

If this is the case, maybe it's not good to raise my T3?? Or maybe not take the

night time dose, but in some ways I wonder if it isn't a good thing. Then I

guess it would be to try and stabilize the adrenals. But, I can't function

where I am right now. Wow, this is so confusing to figure out!!

Arrrgggghhhh...

~ Carol

>

> I am very suspicious of low tissue cortiosl. You CAN have high cortisol

> and tissue resustance to block it, Have oy utried adaptogens? Maybe it

> ti time to try Isocort. I cnanot think of another thing that could cause

> this unless ferritin is low.

>

> --

> Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV

>

> http://www.stopthet hyroidmadness. com/

> http://health. groups.yahoo. com/group/ NaturalThyroidHo rmonesADRENALS/

> http://health. groups.yahoo. com/group/ RT3_T3/

> http://groups. yahoo.com/ group/HypoPets/

Hi there.

So, now I am swimmy and dizzy and lightheaded, confused and disoriented to the

point that I can't even make a grocery list. I'm not exaggerating at all. These

are the exact sxs I'm trying to get rid of. My worst symptom has been this brain

fog I've had 24/7 for over two years. (Initially, I had blood pressure crashes,

too.) But this feels differently bad - and my functioning level is going down

the drain.

History of trying the T3 only: I was on 1 grain of armour for a long time, then

went up to 2 grains (slowly, titrating 1/4 grain at at time over weeks.) I also

switched to NT and got up to 2 grains. I felt much more muddied in my brain and

just weird. My RT3/T3 ratio was 17 on the 1 grain of armour and then went down

to 11 on two grains. Not sure what that tells us.

Then, I tried going cold turkey and switching just to T3 (18mcg to match what I

got in the 2 grains of NT, and I got this same swimmy, awful, disoriented

feeling that I feel now. So, I went back on 1 grain of NT and stuck with the T3.

I waited a bit, and never fully got back to my regular symptoms I'm used to. Val

had said I have a conversion issue and regardless what it's from, T3 is the fix.

(see below.) So, I started going down 1/4 grain on NT and going up on T3,

monitoring pulse and not being as good monitoring temps, but they run in the

97s.

As of a couple of days:

I dropped my NT to 1/2 grain, in two doses, 1/4 in morning, 1/4 at 2pm

T3 regimen:

8am: 12.5

11: 6.25

2: 6.25

5: 6.25

bed: 6.25

EVERY TIME I TRY TO DROP MY NT, I feel out of my mind, but when I raise it, I

feel muddied. I'm damned if I do, and damned if I don't. I felt disoriented and

a bit revved IN MY HEAD, and not in my body this morning, though that was there

a teeny bit this morning with the newly raised morning dose to 12.5. (My avg.

pulse has been 57, but is now 66.)

No heart palps, etc.

This protocol makes so much sense to me and I believe in it, but something is

keeping it from working for me. My ferritin is fine, (wasn't, but now is. See

labs below). My cortisol has run HIGH over the years, but I've done all the list

told me to do and it feels okay. I'm not having typical revved symptoms, but my

brain is so much worse. And fatigue is bad since I started doing all this. If

these symptoms are because I need more T3, that doesn't make sense (even if I

do, which I know I do!) because I am giving myself much more T3 than I've ever

had. I could see feeling the same, but not so much worse.

WHAT ELSE COULD BE GOING ON?!??!? I feel totally at a loss and at my wits end.

(FYI: I'm also on .125mg florinef for low aldosterone/ neurally mediated

hyotension/low BP, along with the requisite potassium being on florinef. 10mg

DHEA for low DHEA and 50mg bioidentical progesterone at night for low

progesterone. Off and on, taking sea salt and water. Need to do this more. My

sex hormone labs are off the charts, reading like someone much older than my 47

years. Low vasopressin. Electrolytes were good.)

Here are my last labs and how Val interpreted them, fyi, if that'll help.

10/09 serum on 2 grains NT

FT3: 331 (range: 230-420) pretty high for me!

FT4: 1.1 (range: 0.8-1.8)

RT3: 28 (range: 11-32)

FT3/RT3 ratio: 11 (optimal: 20)

TSH: .06 (range: .40 4.50)

Val, who is awesome, responded as follows:

OK from these labs I woudl first look at ferritin levels. The overly supressed

TSH means your body si not able to utilize thyroid correctly which si shown by

your high RT3 even with a low FT4. Low ferritin isa a common cause of this.

Probabyl the most common cause I have seen. If ferritin is OK then something

else is causing poor cpnversion. High cortils can be that culprit as can LOW

cortisol btu high would be first in my mind as you have tolerated thyroid meds

ot this point. Graphing temps for a weel or two might help sort the cause4 out,

or you may never knwo what the caiuse is. To this day I do not knwo wehat causes

my high RT3 but it si a factoid for me that comes back every time I go bakc ot

ANY thyroid med wiht T4 in it. T3 only is the fix.No matter the cause T3 will

correct the problem as it overrides the conversion issues.

Thanks SO much. (Sorry if I'm rambling.)

~ Carol

>

[Guest guest]

This and/or cortisol issues that Val mentioned both make sense to me.

Even with low pulse and no major heart palps, I can feel jittery/wired. I

wonder if it's because my heart has been underfunctioning for so long. (Today

for the first time ever, I'm having chest pains, but I tend to underreact to

things, so I've just sorta let them be. They feel a bit creepy though.)

I feel mindful about blowing out my adrenals, so maybe I need to borrow some

money to get another cortisol lab done. Or, I maybe just do temps, though my

thermometer is not mercury. (It's glass and non-mercury, not sure what they

use.)

As I said, right now if I go up or down it leaves me so disoriented and my brain

truly can't work well at all and I feel like I'm in a surreal dream all the

time, like someone has drugged me. I can tolerate a LOT, and have, but this is

so funky. I had to cancel work again. Egads!

>

> >EVERY TIME I TRY TO DROP MY NT, I feel out of my mind, but when I raise it, I

feel muddied. I'm damned if I do, and damned if I don't. I felt disoriented

and a bit revved IN MY HEAD, and not in my body this morning, though that was

there a teeny bit this morning with the newly raised morning dose to 12.5. (My

avg. pulse has been 57, but is now 66.)

> >No heart palps, etc.

>

> I am wondering if you have a very bad case of resistance (been there)

> and it's the T2 in the NT that's keeping you functioning as the T3

> can't get into your cells yet due to there being too low a level in

> the serum.

>

> I was in a similar position, my resistance was so bad that I had

> titrated up to 12 grains over a 10 year period and when I started it

> took 6 grains spread out for me to feel human.

>

> IF that is the case then getting the T3 levels in your body higher

> will overcome that lack while resistance clears, it's a matter of

> achieving it without side effects.

>

> There are 3 time constants in NT, weeks from T3, a day or so from T3,

> and a couple of hours from T2.

>

> With a low pulse of 66 you can stand more T3 unless there are very

> strange things going on.

>

> The conventional approach of replace the T3 and swap cold turky isn't

> taking into account the possibility that you are highly resistance to

> T3 and hence feeling the T2 more than most people.

>

> My idea thrown into the melting pot, and Val nay well have better

> ones, is to stay on your existing dose of NT, increase the T3 until

> your pulse comes up to the 80ish mark, and THEN try reducing the NT.

>

> Let us know what happens

>

> Nick

>

Hi there.

So, now I am swimmy and dizzy and lightheaded, confused and disoriented to the

point that I can't even make a grocery list. I'm not exaggerating at all. These

are the exact sxs I'm trying to get rid of. My worst symptom has been this

brain fog I've had 24/7 for over two years. (Initially, I had blood pressure

crashes, too.) But this feels differently bad - and my functioning level is

going down the drain.

History of trying the T3 only: I was on 1 grain of armour for a long time, then

went up to 2 grains (slowly, titrating 1/4 grain at at time over weeks.) I also

switched to NT and got up to 2 grains. I felt much more muddied in my brain and

just weird. My RT3/T3 ratio was 17 on the 1 grain of armour and then went down

to 11 on two grains. Not sure what that tells us.

Then, I tried going cold turkey and switching just to T3 (18mcg to match what I

got in the 2 grains of NT, and I got this same swimmy, awful, disoriented

feeling that I feel now. So, I went back on 1 grain of NT and stuck with the

T3. I waited a bit, and never fully got back to my regular symptoms I'm used

to. Val had said I have a conversion issue and regardless what it's from, T3 is

the fix. (see below.) So, I started going down 1/4 grain on NT and going up on

T3, monitoring pulse and not being as good monitoring temps, but they run in the

97s.

As of a couple of days:

I dropped my NT to 1/2 grain, in two doses, 1/4 in morning, 1/4 at 2pm

T3 regimen:

8am: 12.5

11: 6.25

2: 6.25

5: 6.25

bed: 6.25

EVERY TIME I TRY TO DROP MY NT, I feel out of my mind, but when I raise it, I

feel muddied. I'm damned if I do, and damned if I don't. I felt disoriented

and a bit revved IN MY HEAD, and not in my body this morning, though that was

there a teeny bit this morning with the newly raised morning dose to 12.5. (My

avg. pulse has been 57, but is now 66.)

No heart palps, etc.

This protocol makes so much sense to me and I believe in it, but something is

keeping it from working for me. My ferritin is fine, (wasn't, but now is. See

labs below). My cortisol has run HIGH over the years, but I've done all the list

told me to do and it feels okay. I'm not having typical revved symptoms, but my

brain is so much worse. And fatigue is bad since I started doing all this. If

these symptoms are because I need more T3, that doesn't make sense (even if I

do, which I know I do!) because I am giving myself much more T3 than I've ever

had. I could see feeling the same, but not so much worse.

WHAT ELSE COULD BE GOING ON?!??!? I feel totally at a loss and at my wits

end.

(FYI: I'm also on .125mg florinef for low aldosterone/neurally mediated

hyotension/low BP, along with the requisite potassium being on florinef. 10mg

DHEA for low DHEA and 50mg bioidentical progesterone at night for low

progesterone. Off and on, taking sea salt and water. Need to do this more. My

sex hormone labs are off the charts, reading like someone much older than my 47

years. Low vasopressin. Electrolytes were good.)

Here are my last labs and how Val interpreted them, fyi, if that'll help.

10/09 – serum – on 2 grains NT

• FT3: 331 (range: 230-420) pretty high for me!

• FT4: 1.1 (range: 0.8-1.8)

• RT3: 28 (range: 11-32)

• FT3/RT3 ratio: 11 (optimal: 20)

• TSH: .06 (range: .40 – 4.50)

Val, who is awesome, responded as follows:

OK from these labs I woudl first look at ferritin levels. The overly supressed

TSH means your body si not able to utilize thyroid correctly which si shown by

your high RT3 even with a low FT4. Low ferritin isa a common cause of this.

Probabyl the most common cause I have seen. If ferritin is OK then something

else is causing poor cpnversion. High cortils can be that culprit as can LOW

cortisol btu high would be first in my mind as you have tolerated thyroid meds

ot this point. Graphing temps for a weel or two might help sort the cause4 out,

or you may never knwo what the caiuse is. To this day I do not knwo wehat causes

my high RT3 but it si a factoid for me that comes back every time I go bakc ot

ANY thyroid med wiht T4 in it. T3 only is the fix.No matter the cause T3 will

correct the problem as it overrides the conversion issues.

Thanks SO much. (Sorry if I'm rambling.)

~ Carol