What worked for me

[girlinthesnow]

Another note of caution regarding Armour Thyroid. It made me very ill, I took it for 4 months, never stabilized on it and abandoned it when I became allergic to pork. In my experience there are real quality control issues with it and doses vary wildly from one bottle to the next. It is possible to get a prescription for T3 (liiothyronine),trade name Cytomel, to take alongside a prescription for thyroxine.

The full replacement dose of T3 is 10 mcg. Your dose of T4 will need to be reduced a little to compensate for the added T3. I recommend the book written by endocrinologist Dr Ridha Arem, The Thyroid Solution which is easy to read, accepted by most doctors and readily available. He gives a formula of T4 to T3 ratio.

Good luck with this, it makes a big difference when it is right and is pretty straight forward to sort out.

 

[consuegra]

Michelle,

I am not sure what you mean by "the full replacement dose of T3 is 10 mcg". People take varying amounts of t3, up to 75 mcg and even more.

Thanks,

Chris

http://cfspatientadvocate.blogspot.com

 

[girlinthesnow]

Hi consuegra,

A general rule is 10 to 1 T4 to T3. So 100mcg of T4, 10 of T3. 75 mcg/day is a massive dose. I'd be concerned about hyperthyroid symptoms at that dose. The body can only use so much, when I was on Armour I had a continual crash/ wired cycle. The 'wired' part was excess T3.

 

[Binky123]

I'm not sure if this is still an option, but ashwagandha has been shown to increase thyroid levels. It may have less side effects than direct thyroid hormone supplementation. Ashwagandha also has immunomodulatory effects (increased NK cell activity).

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9811169

- "These findings reveal that the ashwagandha root extract stimulates thyroidal activity"

 

[girlinthesnow]

One alternative therapist I saw was convinced that ME was caused by underactive thyroid, specifically lack of T3. Her source was a website and book by a Dr Lowe. She had me order Armour thyroid from the US and persist with its weird and erratic effects on my body for 4 months, all the while saying the effects were just the lingering effects of a LACK of T3.

Eventually I became unable to tolerate Armour and abandoned it. I asked my GP for a prescription of T3. To his credit he wrote to an endocrinologist who agreed that this was a sensible approach. I take a replacement dose.

No question that underactive thyroid can make you unwell but I am utterly unconvinced that taking an excessive amount of T3 will do any good at all. And there is no way that treating thyroid conditions is a CURE FOR ME.

Effects of hyperthyroidism:Common symptoms and signs of hyperthyroidism

Palpitations
Heat intolerance
Nervousness
Insomnia
Breathlessness
Increased bowel movements
Light or absent menstrual periods
Fatigue
Fast heart rate
Trembling hands
Weight loss
Muscle weakness
Warm moist skin
Hair loss
Staring gaze

The real culprits are the UK medical establishment who are in denial about ME.

 

[*GG*]

Hi consuegra,

A general rule is 10 to 1 T4 to T3. So 100mcg of T4, 10 of T3. 75 mcg/day is a massive dose. I'd be concerned about hyperthyroid symptoms at that dose. The body can only use so much, when I was on Armour I had a continual crash/ wired cycle. The 'wired' part was excess T3.

I was taking 75 mgs of Thyroid Armour and had some blood work done, my Dr reduced it to 60mg. I am now on Thyroid Extract from a compounding pharmacy. I never felt significantly worse or better on the Thyroid Armour or Thyroid Extract (75mg) but take it to help support my Adrenals? and general well being. We are all different, I am still relatively active and work 30 hours a week besides all the other necessities of running/living in a household alone.

 

[Carter Burke]

I live in the UK where it is nearly impossible to get a proper diagnosis of ME. What is left are talking therapies and alternative therapies. I ran the gamut of these for 15 years or so.

Yeah. I was undiagnosed for years and years. They ran me through various psychological tests, got me an occupational therapist, etc. Didn't find any problems or make any headway.

We have got one of (in my honest opinion) the best CFS specialists in the world here though. http://www.drmyhill.co.uk/

You may already be aquainted with them? I don't think she's taking on new patients at the moment, but the website and her team have been all the support I've needed to get me into a good recovery. I ordered the mitochondrial profile test - which was the first *proper* diagnosis and quantification of my symptoms/condition I got - and really the most important step, I think, in my recovery, because seeing the results as they relate directly to energy production/muscle myopathy, I could really get over this idea it was a somewhat psychological probem, or issue of deconditioning, and really rest properly. The team have been there ever since with constant support with re: symptoms, supplements, diet, etc. Can't recommend or thank them enough. I was a *bad* case, by all accounts. I don't think I'd have recovered without a strict protocol and a really serious approach to pacing.