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A friend of mine is a traditional medicine doctor (internal medicine MD). She doesn't and never has treated me; she's just a friend. Even she says that Synthroid is not a good choice for most people. According to her, the drug is designed to make your thyroid not function, so that the meds take over completely. This makes it pretty much impossible to ever stop taking it. According to her, this was done by design by the pharmaceutical companies to ensure that each customer needs to be a customer for life. Again, this is just what she told me. She said that it is warranted in some cases, especially people who have had their thyroid removed. The desiccated thyroid is designed to just supplement the thyroid function you have. She says this is a better option for most people.
Sorry, but this is untrue. The reason most people are on Synthroid for life is that their thyroid isn't producing enough or for some people they have had their thyroid completely removed. There are few circumstances where an underperforming (or absent!) thyroid improves to the point where no replacement would be necessary.
Kind of like most diabetics - at least for them some may be able to lessen the replacement of insulin by changing their diet or activity level. But people who are hypothyroid will likely need at least some replacement for life.
Desiccated thyroid versions may work better for some but NOT because of a conspiracy of pharmaceutical companies who have developed Synthroid as a drug for which you have increasing dependency. The "dependency" is purely from within based on how compromised your thyroid is.
Synthroid is NOT a good choice for me but desiccated works. Things really changed for me after menopause, so early 50's...I have no plans to get off my thyroid support, nor blood pressure meds too, unless I'm gone. I struggled with 10 yrs of depression and "knew" in my gut it was sluggish thyroid and FINALLY got support from my D.O. Even 10 yrs of A/D's didn't work. So it was thyroid dsyfunction.
Please do not buy into the "if your TSH is normal you don't have a problem" rhetoric. Find an integrative MD or a functional medicine MD who is willing to run a full panel, including free T3, free T4, reverse T3, and thyroid antibodies. I've been on NDT for years, but for many years before that, I knew I was hypo but could not get a single doc to run a full thyroid panel because my TSH was "normal." By the time I finally found one, things were really bad - T3, free T3, T4, and Free T4 were ALL very low - but my TSH was still in the "normal" range. After a year on NDT (with slow increases so we didn't over do it), my T4 was barely in range and my T3 was still low. It took nearly 2 years to find the correct dosage for my body. If you are having symptoms, find someone who will listen. If if the doc doesn't take insurance (mine doesn't), your quality of life is worth the cost.
Please do not buy into the "if your TSH is normal you don't have a problem" rhetoric. Find an integrative MD or a functional medicine MD who is willing to run a full panel, including free T3, free T4, reverse T3, and thyroid antibodies. I've been on NDT for years, but for many years before that, I knew I was hypo but could not get a single doc to run a full thyroid panel because my TSH was "normal." By the time I finally found one, things were really bad - T3, free T3, T4, and Free T4 were ALL very low - but my TSH was still in the "normal" range. After a year on NDT (with slow increases so we didn't over do it), my T4 was barely in range and my T3 was still low. It took nearly 2 years to find the correct dosage for my body. If you are having symptoms, find someone who will listen. If if the doc doesn't take insurance (mine doesn't), your quality of life is worth the cost.
Thanks for your comments...it took me 10 yrs due to their numbers. It's symptoms Doctors!!!
Sorry, but this is untrue. The reason most people are on Synthroid for life is that their thyroid isn't producing enough or for some people they have had their thyroid completely removed. There are few circumstances where an underperforming (or absent!) thyroid improves to the point where no replacement would be necessary.
Kind of like most diabetics - at least for them some may be able to lessen the replacement of insulin by changing their diet or activity level. But people who are hypothyroid will likely need at least some replacement for life.
Desiccated thyroid versions may work better for some but NOT because of a conspiracy of pharmaceutical companies who have developed Synthroid as a drug for which you have increasing dependency. The "dependency" is purely from within based on how compromised your thyroid is.
That's why she said for MOST people. Of course if you have had your thyroid removed, you need something different. But if your thyroid has any function, there's no reason you can't just take something to make up the difference rather than take over completely.
Yes, I realize that I (and most people) will probably be on some form of thyroid medication for life, but I have been able to lower my dose through things like diet changes. I probably wouldn't have been able to do that if I had agreed to go on Synthroid. I saw 3 endocrinologists. ALL THREE refused to even do the anitbody testing. Just flat out refused. Not a single one of them even mentioned desiccated thyroid meds at all to me. When I brought it up with the last one, she literally asked me why I'd want to do "something crazy like that." Three years later, and my numbers are great, despite being crazy.
Thinking back all the doctors I saw including endos NEVER mentioned desiccated and one endo said your thyroid is fine but have have Fibro and proceeded to sell me his drug therapy for Fibro...he touched around my neck/thyroid area. geeeeeeezzzzzz
It took an OLD D.O. to call in for Armour and without labs etc. He Knew what I needed...started with low dose and up dosed along the way.
Thyroid disease steals your main sleep hormone from the system, causing one to be a light sleeper, at best, insomnia, at worst. That is also the same hormone which, if insufficient in the system, results in estrogen dominance, and the appearance of fibroids.
OP, it's a little puzzling, because your TSH is normal, even perhaps slightly low. Here are some other thyroid symptions:
* Chronically low body temp. (anything below 98.6)
* Chronically high cholesterol
* Chronically low blood pressure
* Extremely painful periods
* Amblyopia (lazy eye)
* Prone to bone fractures
* Blood sugar instability, prone to pre-diabetes
The universal tell-tale sign of thyroid disease is low body temp. If your body temp is normal, you don't have it. Yet, something is causing your fibroid development.
Endocrinologists are not helpful in this regard. If you can afford it, consider finding a doctor who works outside the insurance-based system. They're expensive, but they'll get to the bottom of your health issues. And you have to pay for all the blood tests out-of-pocket as well, but it can be worth it to get a diagnosis and treatment.
For example, you can pay for the test for thyroid antibodies. Insurance will not pay for that, and neither your primary care doc, nor any endocrinologist, will order it, unless your levels are well outside of normal range. A non-insurance doc will, if you want it. Although your T levels don't indicate the presence of antibodies, there seems to be something slightly unusual going on. But take your temperature, and see if it's low. That's a pretty fail-proof diagnostic method. You could also get a hormone work-up, to see if you're low in progesterone, which could explain the estrogen dominance. Progesterone supplementation could address that, if there's no thyroid disease. You could get an adrenal stress index test (a saliva test), to see if you might be in the beginning stages of adrenal fatigue, to explain your intermittent fatigue. This is a test endos do not dispense, and primary care docs who use it are extremely rare.
That's why she said for MOST people. Of course if you have had your thyroid removed, you need something different. But if your thyroid has any function, there's no reason you can't just take something to make up the difference rather than take over completely.
Yes, I realize that I (and most people) will probably be on some form of thyroid medication for life, but I have been able to lower my dose through things like diet changes. I probably wouldn't have been able to do that if I had agreed to go on Synthroid. I saw 3 endocrinologists. ALL THREE refused to even do the anitbody testing. Just flat out refused. Not a single one of them even mentioned desiccated thyroid meds at all to me. When I brought it up with the last one, she literally asked me why I'd want to do "something crazy like that." Three years later, and my numbers are great, despite being crazy.
Because insurance requires them to refuse. Insurance sued my doctor, who was a true thyroid specialist, for ordering too many of those tests. She was shocked, and refused to practice the way they demanded (telling patients they were "fine", even if preliminary results indicated the probably presence of antibodies), so they booted her off their rolls.
Weight loss IS an improvement, therefore if all improvements in symptoms were the same but in addition, those on NDT ALSO had weight loss, then that would be a plus if they were indeed struggling with weight as many with hyPOthyroidism do.
Those with hyPERthyroidism would NOT be taking synthroid or any NDT!!
The dose of NDT is not harder to adjust. With both, you should start at a low dose and slowly ramp up, retesting around 6 weeks or so and reassess symptoms.
As I said in the previous post, NDT has other hormones in it that synthetics do not. It is the lack of other hormones that is causing the swelling.
Your experience is not inferior to mine, or anyone else that takes synthetics and does well on them.
What you fail to realize is that thousands of patients do not do well on synthetics and do very well on NDT.
I took Levo TWICE and failed on it miserably. I said that in a past post too. So why is my experience - which is first hand - inferior to yours? Especially if you've never tried NDT?
If Levo works for you, that's great. But did you ever consider you could actually feel better than you do now with a different med? Food for thought. But hey, it's your body, your life. Do what you want
I never implied that thyroid replacement is being used to treat hyperthyroidism. Too much of any thyroid replacement medication, including desiccated thyroid, can cause symptoms of hyperthyroidism. It may be that some people like being slightly hyperthyroid because they perceive that they are more energetic; however, being hyperthyroid has adverse effects, particularly on the cardiovascular system. That is why I wonder if those who had weight loss on desiccated thyroid were being overtreated.
It is indeed harder to adjust the dose of T3. It has a short half life, which means it needs to be given in multiple doses. Even with twice a day dosing you will get peaks and troughs in blood levels.
I feel completely normal now. I have no hypothyroid symptoms at all. How could I feel "better"?
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheShadow
Some people's minds, once made up, are completely inflexible.
No one is saying that Synthroid is bad, just that desiccated thyroid works better for SOME people. I've had Hashi's for 35 years, so I have a lot of experience with both Synthroid, Levo, Armour, and another brand of dessicated. I will always chose Armour because it works best FOR ME. Use what works best for you, and there is no need to disparage what others use. Armour contains ALL the thyroid hormones, not just T4, so it's not the same as Synthroid. It is similar to taking Synthroid and Cytomel, which my endo tried once. She of course didn't want to give me the Cytomel, so she purposely underdosed me and then said, "Look, no change, it's not working". Uuuuuh yeah, she gave me 1/5 of the appropriate Cytomel dose for the amount of Synthroid I was on. I found this after looking up the proper titration, and then showing it to her. I got another doctor ASAP.
Yes, some people are inflexible, including those who will insist that anyone new to thyroid replacement therapy absolutely, unequivocally will do better on desiccated thyroid, like some posting in this very thread.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CarnivalGal
A friend of mine is a traditional medicine doctor (internal medicine MD). She doesn't and never has treated me; she's just a friend. Even she says that Synthroid is not a good choice for most people. According to her, the drug is designed to make your thyroid not function, so that the meds take over completely. This makes it pretty much impossible to ever stop taking it. According to her, this was done by design by the pharmaceutical companies to ensure that each customer needs to be a customer for life. Again, this is just what she told me. She said that it is warranted in some cases, especially people who have had their thyroid removed. The desiccated thyroid is designed to just supplement the thyroid function you have. She says this is a better option for most people.
Any thyroid replacement will suppress any remaining thyroid function. Your friend needs to go back to school.
Last edited by suzy_q2010; 06-23-2017 at 12:57 PM..
Thyroid disease steals your main sleep hormone from the system, causing one to be a light sleeper, at best, insomnia, at worst. That is also the same hormone which, if insufficient in the system, results in estrogen dominance, and the appearance of fibroids.
OP, it's a little puzzling, because your TSH is normal, even perhaps slightly low. Here are some other thyroid symptions:
* Chronically low body temp. (anything below 98.6)
* Chronically high cholesterol
* Chronically low blood pressure
* Extremely painful periods
* Amblyopia (lazy eye)
* Prone to bone fractures
* Blood sugar instability, prone to pre-diabetes
The universal tell-tale sign of thyroid disease is low body temp. If your body temp is normal, you don't have it. Yet, something is causing your fibroid development.
Endocrinologists are not helpful in this regard. If you can afford it, consider finding a doctor who works outside the insurance-based system. They're expensive, but they'll get to the bottom of your health issues. And you have to pay for all the blood tests out-of-pocket as well, but it can be worth it to get a diagnosis and treatment.
For example, you can pay for the test for thyroid antibodies. Insurance will not pay for that, and neither your primary care doc, nor any endocrinologist, will order it, unless your levels are well outside of normal range. A non-insurance doc will, if you want it. Although your T levels don't indicate the presence of antibodies, there seems to be something slightly unusual going on. But take your temperature, and see if it's low. That's a pretty fail-proof diagnostic method. You could also get a hormone work-up, to see if you're low in progesterone, which could explain the estrogen dominance. Progesterone supplementation could address that, if there's no thyroid disease. You could get an adrenal stress index test (a saliva test), to see if you might be in the beginning stages of adrenal fatigue, to explain your intermittent fatigue. This is a test endos do not dispense, and primary care docs who use it are extremely rare.
Hypothyroidism usually causes excess sleepiness, not insomnia. Hyperthyroidism can cause difficulty sleeping, but not because it "steals your main sleep hormone".
Thyroid disease does not cause painful periods or amblyopia. Source for those statements?
The internet thyroid gurus who advocate measuring body temperature often suggest using a reading taken under the arm. Since those readings are always lower than core body temperature by 0.5 to 1.0 degree F, that pretty much guarantees that a lot of healthy people will have readings less than 98.6 - which is an average temperature, not a minimum one. Body temp varies during the day, is lowest while sleeping, and increases with physical activity.
Women who are having normal, ovulatory menstrual cycles will have a lower resting body temperature, taken orally, immediately after waking up, in the early part of the cycle. After ovulation, progesterone is produced and resting temperature goes up. That is the the reason measuring morning temps can be used to see if a woman is ovulating. Here is a sample chart from an actual cycle. note that before ovulation all readings are less than 98 degrees.
Body temperature cannot be used to diagnose thyroid disease.
Estrogen can make fibroids grow, and they often shrink after menopause, but women with normal menstrual cycles and normal estrogen levels can have fibroids. It is not a matter of too much estrogen or too little progesterone. In fact, both estrogen and progesterone are involved in growth of fibroids, and progesterone blocking drugs can shrink them.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth
Because insurance requires them to refuse. Insurance sued my doctor, who was a true thyroid specialist, for ordering too many of those tests. She was shocked, and refused to practice the way they demanded (telling patients they were "fine", even if preliminary results indicated the probably presence of antibodies), so they booted her off their rolls.
"Insurance" would not "sue" a doctor for ordering too many tests of any kind. "Insurance" might drop a doctor from its panel of preferred physicians if that doctor ignores the medical indications for ordering those tests. Did your doctor share how many of the tests she ordered came back completely normal?
You can get any test you want if you are willing to pay out of pocket. Just pay at the lab and do not give insurance information
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