Re: Re: meds to take or not, revisited

January 16, 2007

Hi E

What seems to make the most sense to me – and it is my humble opinion is that the docs really do need to see us ON the meds and not by skipping them.

The time I did this it was not an “oops” - I had two docs order thyroid panels a day apart — so I took one day and not the next.

I also alter it each time I go for my med check – one time take it, one time not — same results almost to the exact decimal point.

Could be just me – who knows?

What I do know is that I would want the doctor to see how my body is processing the med and once

I am treated and now how it’s doing when I deprive my body of the prescribed replacement.

BTW, what did you decide on your couch?

How’s your new doggie?

Sue

JUDY/Sue:

Woulnd't that be a cute name? judy-sue....? LOL

At any rate.... what I pick up on here, is that one

thing you never know...since bloods are but a

snap-shot in time..is what was going on before it they

got taken.

STUFF happens in the blood.....and you can still feel

okay...even when a big change as taken

place...verified by bloods. The saturation may still

be in the cells...and in the tissues. THERE is a lag

time...in or out of the cells compared to the bloods.

January 16, 2007

This makes a lot of sense to me and I always took my T4 on the morning of the test. Since it's not fasting, unless I had other things done, I wouldn't necessarily go in the morning anyway. My concern would be taking my Armour at 6AM and then having the blood drawn at 8AM. I'm thinking that the direct T3 would taint those results too as folks say that it peaks about 3 hours in and make me look hyper. I'm so confused arggg... Judy

What seems to make the most sense to me – and it is my humble opinion is that the docs really do need to see us ON the meds and not by skipping them.

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January 16, 2007

Sue, what if you're having fasting tests at the same time, like lipids? Would you still take it in the morning? I was fasting for all of the other tests, so it was confusing to me and I just didn't take them. I've also just been taking it once in the morning, so it would have been about 26 hours by the time they did the draw... Judy

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January 16, 2007

It is confusing, I know

If you don’t take your meds, I would tell the doc so they know in case the results are drastically different.

Sue

This makes a lot of sense to me and I always took my T4 on the morning of the test. Since it's not fasting, unless I had other things done, I wouldn't necessarily go in the morning anyway. My concern would be taking my Armour at 6AM and then having the blood drawn at 8AM. I'm thinking that the direct T3 would taint those results too as folks say that it peaks about 3 hours in and make me look hyper. I'm so confused arggg... Judy

What seems to make the most sense to me ˆ and it is my humble opinion is that the docs really do need to see us ON the meds and not by skipping them.

January 16, 2007

Yes, I take all my meds with fasting bloodwork — it’s just food and drinks that are a no-no or so I am told.

I have taken my meds 2 hours before blood and not at all the day of and no change — been this way for four years.

The true test was when I did it 24 hours apart – once with meds and once without –

that was a nifty deal when my endo and GP both ordered thyroid panels and I didn’t say nuthin’ cuz I wanted to see for myself

Sue

Sue, what if you're having fasting tests at the same time, like lipids? Would you still take it in the morning? I was fasting for all of the other tests, so it was confusing to me and I just didn't take them. I've also just been taking it once in the morning, so it would have been about 26 hours by the time they did the draw... Judy

January 17, 2007

Hi everybody,

I'm trying to understand this hemming and hawing about whether or not to

take meds before a blood draw. Where I live, all blood draws are taken on an

empty stomach (unless told otherwise) - no meds, no food, just a sip of

water - because what you eat can affect the results and make them falsely

high/low. And, whether you want to believe it or not, this does tell you how

you are doing on your meds and whether you need an increase/decrease. It has

always worked this way. It has successfully worked this way for a long time.

If you take your hormones before the draw, all it is going to tell you is

that you've taken your hormones. And we already know that, don't we. Look at

it this way, if you fill a 5 fluid ounce glass with water before measuring

the volume, the result will be 5 fluid ounces. But we knew that, anyway.

What we won't know is how much is going to be drunk (used) and how much is

going to be left in a few hours. Or, more importantly, if there's going to

be enough left to live comfortably and healthily on until the next dose.

Having said that, Sue, your little experiments are too arbitary and

uncontrolled to prove anything. We don't know how long before the draw you

took your meds. How you took them. Was it straight T4 ? T4 and T3 ? Armour ?

No, I don't want to know, I'm just expounding a theory. All these parameters

would have to be standardised and controlled over a long period of time -

and with a far larger test group than just one person - before we could come

to any conclusions. And the danger of your method is that one day you might

take your hormone in a certain way, and at a certain time, that will send

your levels rocketing sky high and you'll find yourself with an unexpected,

unwanted, and unhelpful reduction in dosage. Especially as most docs don't

know what the hell they're looking at anyway !

Good luck, Lili

>

>Reply-To: The_Thyroid_Support_Group

>To: The_Thyroid_Support_Group >

>Subject: Re: Re: meds to take or not, revisited

>Date: Tue, 16 Jan 2007 16:30:18 -0600

>

>It is confusing, I know

>If you don¹t take your meds, I would tell the doc so they know in case the

>results are drastically different.

>Sue

>

> >

> > This makes a lot of sense to me and I always took my T4 on the morning

>of the

> > test. Since it's not fasting, unless I had other things done, I

>wouldn't

> > necessarily go in the morning anyway. My concern would be taking my

>Armour at

> > 6AM and then having the blood drawn at 8AM. I'm thinking that the

>direct T3

> > would taint those results too as folks say that it peaks about 3 hours

>in and

> > make me look hyper. I'm so confused arggg... Judy

> >

> > What seems to make the most sense to me – and it is my humble opinion is

>that

> > the docs really do need to see us ON the meds and not by skipping them.

> >

>

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January 17, 2007

I think that is the whole point for us who take Armour thyroid. We all know that we get a rush of T3 in the system within the first few hours, so if the labs are taken then, the T3 will undoubtedly look too high, especially, as you say, because most doctors know how to take that into consideration.

And the danger of your method is that one day you might take your hormone in a certain way, and at a certain time, that will send your levels rocketing sky high and you'll find yourself with an unexpected, unwanted, and unhelpful reduction in dosage. Especially as most docs don't know what the hell they're looking at anyway !

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January 17, 2007

Lili,

Please be careful with statements you make.

If somebody doesn’t take their blood pressure meds before a draw based on what you just wrote, it can be VERY dangerous.

We had a friend do that last year, and he ended up hospitalized.

Please --- speak carefully everyone.

No doctor — and I have asked every single one of them — says to have an empty stomach for a blood draw UNLESS specifically requested for lipids, etc.

PLEASE remember this is a sharing board, not a medical advice board.

Thanks,