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Originally Posted by girlbug2
Was your GP willing to order the thyroid tests or did you have to get a referral to an endocrinologist for that?
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My GP did test for the thyroid antibodies, which came back positive, indicating hashimoto's. She was willing to treat me with synthroid, but when I expressed a preference for trying Armour she said "no way" and referred me to an endocrinologist to get me off her back.
But the endocrinologist was the *WORST* and from what I've read from other thyroid patients the last person on earth you want to see if you suspect thyroid issues is an endocrinologist. She was totally Big Pharma all the way, and would not even *CONSIDER* any medication but Synthroid or other synthetic T4 thyroid medications. My total cholesterol was 280 when I first went to her, and she was rabid to put me on statins! We had terrible arguments about it every time I went as even after I was put on Levoxyl (synthethic T4) my total cholesterol kept rising each visit - from 280 up to 290 to 295.
I told her that from all I had read a cholesterol reading like that was indicative of faulty thyroid, probable issue of impaired T4 to T3 conversion as cholesterol is regulated by the T3, and if you give only T4 to a patient who has that problem the cholesterol will never drop. She just totally pooh-poohed that and told me it was flat-out ridiculous and that Armour was *dangerous* and taking it would have no affect on my cholesterol, and I was being stupid to believe stuff I read on the internet! I don't want to see an endocrinologist ever again after that experience!
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Originally Posted by girlbug2
How hard was it to find a physician who was willing to treat you with Armour dessicated thyroid--meaning, is it something outside mainstream medicine that MDs are typically leery of trying?
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It was not that easy. It clearly does seem to be outside the mainstream of medical practice. I finally found a holistic nurse practitioner who prescribes Armour. She's about an hour away from where I live right now, but many people travel much farther to find someone who will treat them, even to other countries! I'll be moving to Florida later this month, about 1000 miles away from her, but she is still willing to treat me remotely via phone and email as long as I make at least one visit to her each year. She *does* test both free T3 and free T4 as well as ferritin levels and antibody testing.
She does NOT take any insurance, but paying out of pocket is so worth it to me. It seems that most of the best thyroid practitioners don't take insurance, probably because the best thyroid medicine is not mainstream. Was it here I read of the woman who said her doctor told her he was forbidden to prescribe Armour to her by his commanding officer (military doctor clearly)? So not always easy to find. But you might find some ideas at
http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com. Or if you look for NeanderPam here in these forums, she is a wealth of thyroid information and might know of someone to see in your area.
But look at me - basically a 100 point drop in total cholesterol after just 6 weeks on Armour. And I'm not the only one. Scarlet on the forums here had a similar dramatic drop in total cholesterol too, and at least one other person here whose name I forget said the same thing.
If you can't find a doctor who will run the appropriate tests you can order them yourself at a reasonable cost. See
http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.co...mended-labwork/ for details. At least then you'd know where you stood. You could post results in the thyroid section here for help interpreting them.
Some comments from people at the stoptheythyroidmadness website:
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In the old days before the advent of the TSH lab test and synthetic hormones, hypothyroid patients were actually dosed according to their cholesterol levels (and basal temperature).
Because according to Dr. Barnes and Dr. Peatfield, high cholesterol is SYNONYMOUS with low thyroid function!
You can also see in this information WHY we are essentially left untreated: patents for thyroid drugs have either lapsed long ago, or they are not patentable (being a natural substance), and thyroid drugs are cheap! But statins make the pharmaceutical companies rich!
So there is no incentive neither for more research nor for better treatment – on the contrary, only the permanently sick are a source of revenue!
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I have been on Armour now for little over a year. I am at 270 mg (4 1/2 grains) and feel great. I have much more energy than I ever did before. I have started walking and go to Curves regularly. My cholestral has gone from 325 to 199 while on Armour, so far. I have lost 15 lbs and trying to lose more. My periods are back to regular monthly cycles–at the worst of my hypothyroid, I never knew when and if it would come. I tried the Synthroid for a few months and was not getting better even though my DR (old one ) told me I was fine. Just “needed more exercise” and “eat better”. Got a new DR, started Armour and now I am better!
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Lipitor is the best selling drug in the world. But for the first half of the 20th century, desiccated thyroid was the standard treatment for high cholesterol. Elevated cholesterol and triglycerides are one of the myriad symptoms of hypothyroidism. Dr. Barnes’ book included a chapter entitled “The Demise of the Cholesterol Theory.” Desiccated thyroid normalized cholesterol and triglycerides in 95% of the patients Dr. Barnes treated.
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Hopelessly confused--explain my numbers?
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