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Anyone taking thyroid meds and Adderall? Please help.

GypsyGirl

Senior Member
Messages
165
Location
North Carolina
Hello all,

Long time reader, first time poster.

Last year I was diagnosed with ME/CFS, and just recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism and have begun taking Armour thyroid. I've been medicated with Adderall for ADHD for about four years.

Since starting Armour - about ten days in, and only 15 mg daily - I've noticed Adderall's usual effects are vacillating. Sometimes I need a quarter of the usual dose, other times I need twice as much. And I feel really ~weird~, strung out or more than usual exhausted, sometimes both, plus more general pain (headaches, bone/spinal pain).

Is anyone taking a thyroid med and Adderall? Know of why this might be happening?

I've been scouring the internet for days, but haven't come up with anything. :-/ My guess is that this might be tied to adrenal function, but I don't know what to do about it, nor do my docs. (I have low cortisol even while on Adderall.)

Any ideas would be much appreciated. I was on a low grade, but mostly stable, level of function, and I feel like I'm rapidly backsliding.
 

Sushi

Moderation Resource Albuquerque
Messages
19,935
Location
Albuquerque
Hello all,

Long time reader, first time poster.

Last year I was diagnosed with ME/CFS, and just recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism and have begun taking Armour thyroid. I've been medicated with Adderall for ADHD for about four years.

Since starting Armour - about ten days in, and only 15 mg daily - I've noticed Adderall's usual effects are vacillating. Sometimes I need a quarter of the usual dose, other times I need twice as much. And I feel really ~weird~, strung out or more than usual exhausted, sometimes both, plus more general pain (headaches, bone/spinal pain).

Is anyone taking a thyroid med and Adderall? Know of why this might be happening?

I've been scouring the internet for days, but haven't come up with anything. :-/ My guess is that this might be tied to adrenal function, but I don't know what to do about it, nor do my docs. (I have low cortisol even while on Adderall.)

Any ideas would be much appreciated. I was on a low grade, but mostly stable, level of function, and I feel like I'm rapidly backsliding.

Just a quick thought. Many say that Armour should be given in divided doses--i.e. twice a day because of half-life issues. It is possible that the stimulating effect of Armour is going up and down and thus affecting how you feel on Adderall.

Welcome to the forum! :)

Sushi
 

GypsyGirl

Senior Member
Messages
165
Location
North Carolina
Thank you, Sushi. Those 15mg pills are so tiny; I'm not sure if I can cut them. But I didn't consider the half life of Armour... I'll try strategic timing & see what happens. :)
 

Ema

Senior Member
Messages
4,729
Location
Midwest USA
I would guess it is tied into your low adrenal function as well.

When you say you have low adrenal function already, what does that mean, exactly? Have you had a stim test?
 

GypsyGirl

Senior Member
Messages
165
Location
North Carolina
Ema,
I haven't had the stim test done yet, but I've had several cortisol blood tests throughout the last year. This time last year, I had high cortisol for am/pm. With those tests repeated, my cortisol continued dropping, despite my Adderall dosage being doubled (which should increase cortisol). For example, from an am cortisol blood serum of 22.3 last October, to the same blood draw this October of 7.5. I also developed a lot of symptoms associated with adrenal insufficiency/fatigue.

I've since been reading info from www.stopthethyroid madness.com, Dr. Lam's site, and Dr. William Jeffries' research, and seem to fit the profile of weak adrenals.

I have one specialist/consulting doctor who specializes in "rare and complex" illnesses who was in agreement with the adrenal insufficiency based on other test results. He said that if I don't respond to a thyroid med well, it would most likely be because my adrenals might be too weak. For now, it's a wait and see game.

In the meantime, I've been asking for the ACTH test and a 24 saliva test from my GP - to confirm how my adrenals are doing, and figure out the correct order of treatment plan from there. It's an estimated guess; I don't want to self diagnose.