Started Synthroid today, Sept 1, 2013

[August59]

I have taken both and there was no difference in the effect they had on me. My friends doctor will not even prescribe the generic Synthroid.

I can say that the generic that I take has always been by the same manufacturer and I suppose it is possible that one generic might be different from another, but I don't think so.

The key IMO is to make sure you get the correct labs. At least a TSH, free T4, free T3 and the antibodies. Get a Reverse T3 initially, but if it is mid-range I wouldn't worry about it anymore for at least 5 years or some other drastic event.

Just from personal experience get all your hormones checked (if doctor will even do them all) and if you have 2 or more hormones that need supplementing do them one at a time. Adrenals should always come first though from what I understand and it does make since. If you ever need a little bit of cortisol you can always order Isocort from Amazon.com or many nutrition sites. I believe each pill has about 2.5 mg of cortisol, but keep your dosage to no more than 10 mg. and don't take it for more than 6 to 8 weeks and stopping until you have more labs or at least a month.

Stabilizing your hormones take time (plenty of time), but they didn't get that way overnight and if you try to fix them overnight your going to end up spending a lot more money in the long run.

This information is based on what I encountered and it is not intended to take the place of a doctors advice. I was always led to believe that an endocrinologist was the go to specialist here, but it was very wrong in my instance. I found a good MD that was also an Integrative Doctor and things went well.

Good luck and please be as patient as possible.

 

[undcvr]

Hi Roxie r u taking systemic enzymes ? If you are not, you shud be. There are studies that show that systemic enzymes can stop the immune system from attacking itself, specifically thyroiditis. It has many other immune system benefits as well.

 

[roxie60]

Hi Roxie r u taking systemic enzymes ? If you are not, you shud be. There are studies that show that systemic enzymes can stop the immune system from attacking itself, specifically thyroiditis. It has many other immune system benefits as well.

undcvr good timing, I just read a thread under PR Lithium Experiences and the poster mentioned this. I do not know what it is and I'm not taking it, Dr did not mention. I assume this is a supplement??? The poster also mentioned that one might be able to stop thyroid med especially if subclinical. I will need to research. I just got up, sadly feel like run over by a truck again. I hope it wasnt the LO. I had a decent day yesterday, able to feel a little more normal, did some tasks. I did feel a bit hungover after taking the LO yesterday for the first time, I had also accidentally missed my synthroid for the first time. I took the synthroid today at 645A and now at 12N took the LO. I'm hoping the LO will at least help my brain to be clearer, less heavy so I can work on papers (read devotion, termination, NP eval, SSDI forms, bills), not sure the las time I mentioned I HATE DEALING WITH PAPER!!! If you have a link to whatever recomends these enzymes and the reason why I would appreciate it, thx.

 

[roxie60]

I just went over to the other thread I mentioned and it was your thread I had posted @undrcvr, thank you for taking the time to share that info.

 

[undcvr]

What role does Wobenzym® play in the treatment of thyroid disease. Autoimmune hypothyroidism (Hashimoto’s) – the most common cause of hypothyroidism - is a condition that can be somewhat difficult to successfully treat due to the chronic inflammation taking place in that condition. Even after the patient’s hormone levels have been increased back to normal with prescription thyroid replacement, we still see many clinical signs of hypothyroidism.
For instance, even after thyroid hormone replacement, patients can still have elevated cholesterol and triglycerides. However, when patient were given 5 Wobenzym tablets, 3 times a day – in addition to their thyroid replacement – their cholesterol and triglycerides decreased. The patients that were only given thyroid replacement still had elevated cholesterol and triglycerides.
We also noted that taking Wobenzym resulted in a reduction of autoimmune antibodies that attack the thyroid – the anti-TG and anti-TPO antibodies. Since the thyroid is no longer under attack from the immune system, it is able to resume making thyroid hormones that way that it should. As a result, there was also a reduction of TSH levels. As a result, patients that received Wobenzym as part of their therapy were able to lower their dosage of thyroid medication after 3 months. In some cases, the thyroid medication could be completely discontinued.
Based on what we now know, I would say that this is possible because of Wobenzym’s beneficial effect on the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis, - its effect on the thyroid tissue itself – and its effect on the immune system - the elimination of autoimmune destruction of the thyroid.
The pro-inflammatory cytokines that we see in both autoimmune disease and in systemic inflammation have a very detrimental effect on thyroid function on so many levels. If we keep in mind that the first word in the phrase “autoimmune thyroid disease” is “autoimmune” we will have a better understanding of why the immunomodulating properties of Wobenzym® N are so effective in treating autoimmune hypothyroidism.

http://www.systemicenzymesupport.org/faq/hormones.htm

Please note: I do not endorse Wonbezym in fact I almost despise it. The benefits of systemic enzymes are Not exclusive to Wonbezym but are available from all such enzymes at times even at 1/4 of the price of Wonbezym

Lithium Orotate is really very very cheap, you have been conned by your doctor. Very sad. ​

One thing to bear in mind regarding synthroid is that most pple with CFS actually need T3 and not T4. It is the conversion to T3 that is disrupted. Thyroid glandular extracts have real amounts of T3 in them. Having said that the underlying issue here is a thyroid that is under attack by the immune system, that cycle needs to be broken. ​

 

[roxie60]

I appreciate the comment and the need for T3 comment has my attention. If I needed T3 instead of T4 (synthroid) would not my FT3 number been lower to indicate a need for T3?

I'm not disputing just on a journey to try and understand all of this.....

 

[Little Bluestem]

If I needed T3 instead of T4 (synthroid) would not my FT3 number been lower to indicate a need for T3?

I think so. What you want to watch is that as your T4 goes up, your T3 does too.

 

[undcvr]

I know nothing about T3 lvls tried for over a year to get it tested for but it is supposedly a very very expensive test that my doc sees no reason to authorise and my insurance won't pay.

I am talking about the direct test for T3 and not the T3 reuptake test which is very common but apparently won't show u the same info. Idk.

I do know that at one point Thyroid Glandular supplements gave me my energy back and if u believe their packaging saying that it is T4 free then the only other thing in there that can work is the T3.

 

[roxie60]

I know nothing about T3 lvls tried for over a year to get it tested for but it is supposedly a very very expensive test that my doc sees no reason to authorise and my insurance won't pay.

I am talking about the direct test for T3 and not the T3 reuptake test which is very common but apparently won't show u the same info. Idk.

I do know that at one point Thyroid Glandular supplements gave me my energy back and if u believe their packaging saying that it is T4 free then the only other thing in there that can work is the T3.

FT3 (Free T3) just another thyroid test. Synthroid (and the generic version I take) is just a T4 replacement but that is suppose to them make your body gen T3 and raise TSH or so I understand so far.

 

[undcvr]

No i think it is a very separate and distinct step. Raising T4 lvls which works extracellularly does not automatically mean that your T3 (intracellular) thyroid hormones will go up. That is why you need to test separately for T3 itself. Certain enzymes that do the conversion might not be working well, again the need to supplement Selenium.

 

[overtrain]

I understand guys your point about more T3 needs more Cortisol but what can i do, the Endocrinologist saw 3 what looked kinda low Cortisol values over less than 3 weeks (3.7, 2.1 and 5.2 (the last one is the day we did the stim test, I did not fast and it was almost 12noon). For whatever reason she is not considering the first two as valid (even though same lab tested those and the one she had drawn). I point blank asked her about adrenal insufficiency and she said my adrenals were fine based on the STIM test. Without a job and healthcare I'm not going to be able to keep seeing these Drs anyway. It distresses me but right now having trubs focusing or making a plan.

can you do your own 24 hour home saliva test? a saliva test is the sole method that shows exactly what your cortisol, t3, etc is doing over time. i was in the same boat as you, told my low cort was normal... i also did urine test, which showed out of scale low cort and still told i was fine. the saliva test proved What my cort is doing WHEN it is doing it. i spiked at midnight, just as i tried to tell every doc i saw. the stim test is a joke imnho. mine wasnt even performed right. and for some, like me, even thinking of dealing w a doc office raises my cort, much less the studies-proven spike in cort occurring whenever a needle is stuck in an arm.

check out site: stopthethyroidmadness.com. tons of relevant, REAL, up to date info there. its sad to know more than the endo i saw, but i do. --good luck

ps you can get hydrocortisone creme or liquid at any groc store, etc, as well as Isocort in a store or online. Isocort is plant derived cortisol. Hydrocort can build up in tissues so im careful how much i use & where on the body.

 

[overtrain]

I have taken both and there was no difference in the effect they had on me. My friends doctor will not even prescribe the generic Synthroid.

I can say that the generic that I take has always been by the same manufacturer and I suppose it is possible that one generic might be different from another, but I don't think so.

The key IMO is to make sure you get the correct labs. At least a TSH, free T4, free T3 and the antibodies. Get a Reverse T3 initially, but if it is mid-range I wouldn't worry about it anymore for at least 5 years or some other drastic event.

Just from personal experience get all your hormones checked (if doctor will even do them all) and if you have 2 or more hormones that need supplementing do them one at a time. Adrenals should always come first though from what I understand and it does make since. If you ever need a little bit of cortisol you can always order Isocort from Amazon.com or many nutrition sites. I believe each pill has about 2.5 mg of cortisol, but keep your dosage to no more than 10 mg. and don't take it for more than 6 to 8 weeks and stopping until you have more labs or at least a month.

Stabilizing your hormones take time (plenty of time), but they didn't get that way overnight and if you try to fix them overnight your going to end up spending a lot more money in the long run.

This information is based on what I encountered and it is not intended to take the place of a doctors advice. I was always led to believe that an endocrinologist was the go to specialist here, but it was very wrong in my instance. I found a good MD that was also an Integrative Doctor and things went well.

Good luck and please be as patient as possible.

Current research says to amp up right away with far more than 10mg Isocort a day. just fyi. I know you're you posted about your own exp., but I wonder if you tried more mg on any given day, and if it made you feel worse, better, or no different. Good luck!

 

[August59]

Current research says to amp up right away with far more than 10mg Isocort a day. just fyi. I know you're you posted about your own exp., but I wonder if you tried more mg on any given day, and if it made you feel worse, better, or no different. Good luck!

I initially started on hydrocortisone 5mg tablets. I took 2 in the a.m. and 1 around 2 or 3 o'clock for a total of 15 mg and stayed on this for maybe 8 to 10 months as I remember now it was a little longer than Dr. Black at Hunter Hopkins Center wanted me on it. I bought a pill cutter and lowered it down by 2.5 mg a day every 2 weeks. Somewhere while I was still on 5 mg a day I ran out and Dr. Black was more than willing to write another prescription, but I decided to use the Isocort to wean down the rest of the way. I did not have any problems when I took my last dose as I was sort of on an upswing anyway, so the timing could not have been better.

The last cortisol test I had, which was about a year ago had my cortisol a little below the 8am range and it rose from there to a little above the 12pm range and it flatlined all the way through my 12am sample. So, my cortisol was dropping somewhere through the night and did not rise again until after 8am and before 12pm. It was still low in the morning as it was when taking hydrocortisone, but when I started hydrocortisone it was low across the board. Now, after 8am it goes high and stays there the entire day and through the night, which is not helping my sleep for sure. I'm going to test it one more time and if it is still the same I'm going to try some phosphatidylserine in the afternoon and at bedtime for 6 months then retest to see if any changes occur.

Isocort changed completely around the first of 2011 and became a plant based (Wild Yams) supplement, but still claims that each pellet has 2.45mg of cortisol per pellet. I can see if someone's adrenals were depleted and was not making hardly any cortisol that ramping up quickly on Isocort would make sense. I know there are a couple of doctors with published books that would have you start hydrocortisone and start at 30mg a day as they claim in there book that anything less than 40mg will not suppress the feedback loop. I think that you have to take into account what your body is making and subtract that from 40mg and start there, but I did not want to push the envelope on this as some people may have a feedback loop setpoint at 40 mg while the next person may have a setpoint at 30mg as I no everyone cannot be the same.

When I went on the hydrocortisone, 3 to 4 years ago we just decided to start out 15mg to give me some breathing room and there were several days and even a full week I just felt like I needed to go up to 20mg per day and Dr. Black said go for it as we had left some breathing room in the dosage. She didn't want me on it no more than 6 months without taking a 2 month break. It worked well for me and I'm glad of the conservative dosing. I don't believe I had one bit of problem discontinuing the hydrocortisone and wouldn't hesitate using it again since it has been 2 years since the last time I used it.

 

[seansee]

I used to take Synthroid and i'm pretty sure it made my illness worse. After about a year of being on it during a remission phase i was gradually getting sicker, and sicker, until I flared back up into a full blown episode. My new doctor got me off it immediately and the icky feelings(nausea, weird heart beat, and other such uncomfortable symptoms) died down over time. I have ridiculously high cortisol levels that the old doctor hadn't tested for..so that probably didn't help a dang thing.
Also, gained weighed on the stuff instead of loosing, which didn't make me like it even more, haha.

Doesn't thyroid increase cortisol levels?