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I feel better without my Synthroid

Mya Symons

Mya Symons
Messages
1,029
Location
Washington
I am going to go to a Naturopath soon and try to get some natural thyroid hormone replacement. I forgot to pick up my Synthroid prescription and then forgot to take it for more then two weeks. I woke up today feeling better then I have in years. I thought about what was different and that was when I remembered I had forgotten my Synthroid. My thyroid is pretty low functioning. I was up to 150 mcg levothyroxine or 137 mcg synthroid (the doctor said synthroid was more powerful then levothyroxine). So I guess it is very telling that I actually feel better without any synthetic T-4 thyroid hormone at all.


The doctor I am going to see uses desiccated cow thyroid. Has anyone else who also has Hashimoto's disease or a low functioning thyroid ever used desiccated cow thyroid instead of T-4 thyroid hormone replacement such as synthroid and levothyroxine? If so, did your CFS symptoms get better? If you also have fibromyalgia, did those symptoms get better also?
 

Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
I am going to go to a Naturopath soon and try to get some natural thyroid hormone replacement.


Has anyone else who also has Hashimoto's disease or a low functioning thyroid ever used desiccated cow thyroid instead of T-4 thyroid hormone replacement such as synthroid and levothyroxine? If so, did your CFS symptoms get better? If you also have fibromyalgia, did those symptoms get better also?

Slightly off topic in that I use Armour which is desiccated porcine thyroid. I haven't noticed a change in symptoms but my thyroid tests have normalized. I also don't have any negative side effects. I don't have fibro, so can't comment there.

Good luck!
Sushi
 

gu3vara

Senior Member
Messages
339
I tried armour, cytomel + synthroid combo and synthroid alone.

I didn't feel any benefits from t3, it made me feel worse actually. I take synthroid only now.

My theory on this is that maybe the thyroid slowing down is not such a bad thing for PWCs. I could still work while I was slightly hypothyroid. I collapsed badly when I tried to increase my thyroid hormones to normal levels, I guess my body didn't have the resources to function at a higher level because of CFS. Of course, sooner or later, to recover, one have to address the hypothyroidism. So many people with CFS have Hashimoto, could it be a (strange) way to force the thyroid to shut down to preserve energy?
 

pollycbr125

Senior Member
Messages
353
Location
yorkshire
I have hashiomotos im in the UK and at the moment im on 100mcg levothyroxine . Tbh its made no difference whatsoever even though im supposedly back in normal range .

edited to add levothyroxine sorry put the dosage but not the drug
 

Sallysblooms

P.O.T.S. now SO MUCH BETTER!
Messages
1,768
Location
Southern USA
Yes, I take a small about of natural Thyroid also. Hope you get a presciption soon. I have a good compounding pharmacist.
 

Mya Symons

Mya Symons
Messages
1,029
Location
Washington
Hi again. I have Hashimoto's also. So does my sister and so did my mother. Synthroid and levothyroxine never made me feel any better. In the beginning it did not make me feel worse, however. I am noticing that now I am starting to get the joint pain associated with low thyroid. I am still not taking any thyroid hormone. But, so far I do not have the fibromyalgia pain. If I had to choose between the arthritis and the fibro, I would choose the arthritis. Anyway, I am hoping that once I get some natural thyroid medicine I won't have to choose. I have learned a lot about my illness actually by forgetting to take medicine or refill prescriptions. I forgot to fill my valcyclovir and found out without it my involuntary muscle twitching is out of control and I have learned by going off of synthroid, I can wake up feeling like I've slept with less fibro pain. Yea lousy memory. Who knows, maybe it is all a fluke or a coincidence. I hope not though because now I have some leeds to go by.

I wonder if this thyroid doctor I am going to see treats with desiccated cow thyroid because I live in a State with more cows then people (Wyoming)?:D
 

Mya Symons

Mya Symons
Messages
1,029
Location
Washington
I tried armour, cytomel + synthroid combo and synthroid alone.

I didn't feel any benefits from t3, it made me feel worse actually. I take synthroid only now.

My theory on this is that maybe the thyroid slowing down is not such a bad thing for PWCs. I could still work while I was slightly hypothyroid. I collapsed badly when I tried to increase my thyroid hormones to normal levels, I guess my body didn't have the resources to function at a higher level because of CFS. Of course, sooner or later, to recover, one have to address the hypothyroidism. So many people with CFS have Hashimoto, could it be a (strange) way to force the thyroid to shut down to preserve energy?


gu3vara, I have a lot of thyroid antibodies. I think there is either something in the thyroid that the immune system doesn't like or the immune system is overworking itself. When people have HTLV, for example, a lot of times the immune system starts attacking the thyroid. I have also had more then one blood test where there were above normal amounts of B-cells and below average T-Cells. There are higher rates of FMS in people with other autoimmune diseases like Sjogren's and Lupus and there are higher rates in HTLV, HIV and Hepatitis positives. I am not sure about ME. I wonder if the immune system could overreact so much in the case of Hashimoto's that a person would experience over production of B-Cells and oxidative stress? It is treated like it is no big deal, but perhaps it is a bigger deal then they think. I also believe there is something missing in synthetic thyroid hormone that we will never get back and because of that, it might do more harm then good.
 

Mya Symons

Mya Symons
Messages
1,029
Location
Washington
I tried armour, cytomel + synthroid combo and synthroid alone.

I didn't feel any benefits from t3, it made me feel worse actually. I take synthroid only now.

My theory on this is that maybe the thyroid slowing down is not such a bad thing for PWCs. I could still work while I was slightly hypothyroid. I collapsed badly when I tried to increase my thyroid hormones to normal levels, I guess my body didn't have the resources to function at a higher level because of CFS. Of course, sooner or later, to recover, one have to address the hypothyroidism. So many people with CFS have Hashimoto, could it be a (strange) way to force the thyroid to shut down to preserve energy?


gu3vara, I have a lot of thyroid antibodies. I think there is either something in the thyroid that the immune system doesn't like or the immune system is overworking itself. When people have HTLV, for example, a lot of times the immune system starts attacking the thyroid. I have also had more then one blood test where there were above normal amounts of B-cells and below average T-Cells. There are higher rates of FMS in people with other autoimmune diseases like Sjogren's and Lupus and there are higher rates in HTLV, HIV and Hepatitis positives. I am not sure about ME. I wonder if the immune system could overreact so much in the case of Hashimoto's that a person would experience over production of B-Cells and oxidative stress? It is treated like it is no big deal, but perhaps it is a bigger deal then they think. I also believe there is something missing in synthetic thyroid hormone that we will never get back and because of that, it might do more harm then good.