I have been on all the normal brands..synthroid I find to be most effective..I t has taken me 3 years to get my dose correct. Even when I was in the NORMAL range I felt crappy. My endocronologist (bless him). Finally listened to me and I have felt great for about 6 months. I also take a kelp suppliment I SWEAR by.

I have not checked into Armor but after reading the posts I am going to.

If you do not feel right on your meds DO NOT SHUT UP! Yell and scream until someone listens. Alot of Docs are not very supportive I have found and the payoffs are SOOOO WORTH IT!!!!

I am sorry. I mentioned my Kelp suppliment in my last post.. I should have added that I am NOT telling ppl to take Kelp or other iodine suppliments! MOst ppl have sufficient iodine in the foods we eat..It has just worked for me and you should research, research, research!

I just wouldn't want any one to take it without proper knowledge as Kelp can irritate, or aggrivate your condition!

(sorry I would NOT want to put something out there that might make someone sicker!!)

Many Blessings,
Froggirl

I have been wondering about Armour for a while now.

The epic thyroid story:

• September 1993 (wt. 150lbs) - September 1994 - gained 100 pounds. (wt. 250lbs)
  
  January 1995 - thyroid removed. 100mg Synthroid. Starvation diet (800 calories per day). (wt. 267lbs)
  
  December 1996 - moved to U.S. (wt. 250lbs)
  
  December 1997 - ran out of Synthroid. (wt. 250lbs)
  
  1998 - found Carb addicts (wt. 220lbs)
  
  1999 - Switched to Atkins (wt. 200lbs)
  
  2000-2001 - Slipped off and on Atkins (wt. 230lbs)
  
  Jan. 7 2002- started Atkins with militant fanatism (wt. 250lbs)
  
  October 2002 to February 2003 - Still on Atkins - ran to doctor to get thyroid tested several times. Tested at 5.5 TSH. Demanded to see an endo. Saw endo. Went on 100 mg of Synthroid. (wt. 260lbs)
  
  April 2003 - TSH .6 Still on Atkins (wt. 277lbs)

Is there anyway to test my T3 without going back to my beleagered doctor?

w

Soo...I have been feeling horrid again. I kept looking toward 6/5 because I had a DR appt. (that I had to make 4 months in advance) I got a letter this morning...my appt is cancelled!!! Three more months until my meds get adjusted!!

No matter how many times I adj medications...I have to do it again 6-8 months later!!! wahh wahh feel sorry for me...K, I feel better now...lol. This stuff is just sooo frustrating sometimes. I just know the rest of you have had to be annoyed toooooooo.

I go go go all week then Friday I am in bed by 9pm...and if let alone I would stay there until Monday morning. It just has to get better..I have a few months where I am great...Then another couple where it just sucks.

I guess I have to just wait it out...

Weighting,

Your history sounds truly frustrating, but I can relate to the ups and downs of it.

You need to get your T3 tested in order to gauge your T3 levels. TSH does not test your thyroid at all, but tests your pituitary gland to see how much of the stimulating hormone it needs to release to stimulate your thyroid gland. The more it releases, the slower your thyroid is. This is a good test for someone with a really slow thyroid, but the TSH test cannot tell someone whether their T3 or T4 levels are off balanced.

I'm not a doctor, but from 4 years of research and a good relationship with my own doctor, I know that you need to get T3, Free T3, and Reverse T3 tests performed to get a good estimate as to the level of usable T3 in your system. You really want to get your T3 tested specifically, because T3 is the hormone produced by the thyroid gland that regulates energy & metabolism.

If you get a T3 test, it will tell you specifically your T3 levels. If you get Free T3 tested, it can tell you how much of your T3 levels are available for absorption into your body. You should get both tests done. You could also get Reverse T3, to see how much your body is attacking the T3.

If you are on Synthroid, you are only taking replacement T4 medication. Although the body naturally converts T4 into T3, it does not convert it when replaced by medication.

You can check out my own journal online at http://diagnosis.4t.com if you are interested in any of this. I have some cites to support some of the thyroid information I posted in this message.

In the meantime, I suggest you check out Mary Shomon's site at http://www.thyroid.about.com and go to her Top Doc Directory to find a recommended doctor in your area.

My e-mail is on my site - feel free to drop me a line if you want. And good luck!

Margie

Hi I have had an underactive thyroid since I was 9. I am 53 now and have taken thyroxine 100g a day and then 150 a day for most of my life.
Interesting reading all this I am so interstered forgot to put dinner on...lol
Better go catch you all later.

Hi Hello Howdy,

This website is great! Only I am extremely confused about the low-thyroid. I was put on 30mcg of Amour. I do not think I was very low. But I have not lost weight at all, and my energy level seems to improve and I am not as cold as before. Will I ever lose weight? How long could this take??? Does anyone know if Gastric by-pass surgery helps those who are over weight and have a low-thyroid? Or any surgery for that matter?


Sure would like to hear about any other way that can speed up this weight loss. I am tried of this weight and I know this is not me that I see in the mirror. HELP!

Hope to hear from someone soon

Raindew

Hey Rain-

I noticed in your profile it said you hadn't read any books. My first suggestion is to pick a plan and read the book for it. You won't believe how helpful that is.

Before you do anything as drastic as gastric bypass, give your chosen plan a really good try. I tried everything to lose weight before lc and I just couldn't seem to lose anything. I am on Atkins and it has really saved me.

I am happy to see that there are others out there just like me. I have had this thyroid problem since birth (I am now 27 years old). I have always had a hard time with my weight. I have read tons of books (including Mary Shomon's) and still my doctors won't but me on anything besides my Levoxyl .225 dose. I have been tired and in a fog for as long as I can remember. I started Atkins on May 5, 2003 and rapidly lost 12 pounds in the first 3 weeks. It is now June 19 and I haven't lost a thing...even gained a couple of pounds. I feel a TON better but it is very frustrating not losing any weight because I am still doing the induction part!!!! I am going to take the Advice of many of you and ask my DR to try me on a T3/T4 prescription....is Armour one of those. It sounds like Armour has really helped with many of you. Not only do I want to lose weight but I want some energy. I'm tired of feeling tired all of the time!!!!

Armour is T3 and T4 together. You can find out more info about this particular drug at www.armour.com.

Synthroid, Unithroid, and Levoxyl are pure T4.

Cytomel is pure T3.

My favorite book on hypothyroidism is not a new book - it's by Dr. Broda Barnes, and was written in the '70's. It has a lot of important points about hypothyroidism - but I think the most relevant to date is that he believed that a temperature below 98.0 in itself is enough to diagnose someone with hypothyroidism.

Good luck finding a solution that works for you. I know how crummy it feels knowing that something is wrong, but not having anyone else validate it. With the information you currently have on thyroid medication and thyroid functioning from the literature you have read, you should be getting your answer soon.

Good luck,
Margie

Hi all:

I am 52 and have been hypothyroid for about 40 years. Until last year the only replacement I had been on was synthroid. I had gained 30 lb. in 6 wks and was eating nothing. After being prescribed replacement, I never could lose that 30 lb. and had to be so careful or I gained.
When the TSH test came out, i really had problems. Everytime the TSH level was low according to blood tests, my dr. lowered my replacement dose. Everytime, I was up 20 lb. + in one to two weeks. I am about 90 lbs. overweight now.
I lived on a vegan form of the Ornish diet for years and lost nothing. For the last year, I've been on Atkins and likewise have lost nothing.
Last summer I went to a new dr. looking for natural thyroid. He did blood tests and put me on natural thyroid. My blood sugar was perfect but insulin levels were out of sight, so he diagnosed hyperinsulinism and prescribed low carb. I was already doing low carb.
I have since gone to a Top Doc from Mary Shomon' s list. He said he could tell just by looking at me that I was still hypo. He upped my dosage of natural thyroid and am now waiting for six week period to be up to do a blood retest. Still no weight loss.
I have a severe spinal disease, orthopaedic and neurosurgeons treat me like trash. They look at my weight and assume that I am not participating in my own recovery. If this wasn't happening to me, I wouldn't believe it either. So, while I am angry and feeled betrayed, I really don't blame them.

sorry for rambling on so, but maybe my family dr. is right, maybe this is genetic and no one has the answer. Maybe some of us will never lose weight. My last back surgery, I was on fluids only for 5 days and gained 2 lbs. I didn't eat the jello ( animal product), just lived on IV and water.

melanie

Melanie,

Don't give up hope. It's good that you've visited a doctor recommended off of Mary's site - maybe the increased meds will make a difference.

Reading all of your symptoms, though, it sounds so much like my mother's - and she was suffering for 12 years without medication, and then for 20 years while on Synthroid. It wasn't until she started taking T3 in combination with T4 that she noticed a difference. My mom went from weighing over 160 pounds to weighing in just last week at 120 pounds in one year. And it was not a result of a change in diet - it was due to her being put on new medication.

I don't know what your situation is, but I highly suspect that you just haven't found the doctor yet that can help you. It can be a pain trying to find someone who can work with you, but once you do it is worth it.

Don't give up. Perhaps you just need to try another doctor on Mary's site. Or, discuss alternate thyroid treatment plans with your recent doctor. See what his or her thoughts are on T3.

Margie

http://diagnosis.4t.com

Wat tooooooooo long we have been accepting what ppl tell us!! The facts are out there. 1234 Dr's tell you to stop eating again GO TO THE 5TH!! I have taken alot of medical advice and got nothing...but i tryed! The one that finally worked has me at 50% we are working on a little more at a time... As much as I am frustrated..I am SO blessed to have gotten this far...Keep it up!!

Dear Margie:

Thank you for your response. I am really feeling hopeless about this and frustrated.
I was taking cytomel before I went to this doctor, but his focus is natural, botanicals when possible, and drugs if need be. That is why Thyroid was fine with him. He hasn't ruled out cytomel, just asked me to stop it to get a base line with the Thyroid. I assume he would prefer just thyroid (armour in the U. S.). My family dr. prescribed the cytomel at my request, but wasn't comfortable with it because my TSH was so low and I was already taking three 60mg. tablets of thyroid per day. He pointed out that thyroid has natural T3 in it, unlike synthroid. So, the compromise was that I drop the dosage of Thyroid to two tablets and take one of cytomel. It changed nothing. i guess I knew the three tab dosage would do nothing with this new doc as I have already done that. The six weeks on this replacement is about over and I will go for a blood test and then back to him. Perhaps he will add the cytomel back. Maybe, different brands are more effective for different people. I am feeling hopeless about this.

I am in need of a back surgery and not one doctor will even see me. Part of the problem is that I have already had so many back surgeries, but really my weight is a huge issue. I am losing the use of my legs and living on codeine. It is unbelievable to me that so much attention is given to underweight and so many assumptions are made about overweight. I know you all have heard this before, but the response is never to get to the bottom of the problem and find out why I can't lose, it is always that I must be overeating and lying about it.

Thanks, Melanie

I have have Hypothyroidism due to Hashimoto's Disease. I was diagnosed about 10 weeks ago with a TSH of 59.5 and my antibodies (the ones that are killing my thyroid) were close to 6000 (should be less than 36 or so).

Anyway, my doctor put me on Synthroid right away and it did nothing. I only took it for 2.5 weeks (I know that isn't very long) before I blatently just stopped taking it. I was having a pretty bad emotional reaction to having the disease - after being a holistic health nut all my life. I had every Hypothyroidism symptom in the book... life was AWFUL!

I got a new Doctor who put me on Armour - WHAT A DIFFERENCE! I could feel it in the first 30 minutes of taking it, and over the next 4 to 6 weeks almost all my symtoms have gone.

I've lost a few pounds between the Armour, a combination of Atkins and Protein Power, and my sheer renewed enthusiasm for life.

Most recently we had to up the dosage from 60mg to 90mg - apparently because as the Hashimoto's Disease progresses and destroys more of my Thyroid, I need more replacement hormone.

River