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  #1   ^
Old Thu, Jul-13-06, 09:01
bnb4us bnb4us is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 37
 
Plan: CALP, now Schwarzbein
Stats: 203/143/143 Female 160 cm
BF:56%/22%/22%
Progress: 100%
Location: Germany
Question Tapering down on thyroid meds

Hi everybody!
Because of my almost suppressed TSH I started tapering down on my thyroid meds, I've gone from 200 mcg T4 to 150 mcg and now I'm on 125mcg. My TSH has gone up a bit from 0.001 at 200 mcg to 0.04 at 150 mcg and I'm hoping it will be more up the next time I get testing. (btw my free T4 and T3 didn't change, in fact they got better!!!)

I must say I don't feel any different on 125 mcg than on 200 mcg, in fact I feel more calm inside sort of. On some days I feel totally cold (mostly in the morning), but I've also had that when I still took 200 mcg.

So, my question is, has anybody tapered down or even gone off (unnecessary) thyroid replacement and how has it been for you?

TIA for any info you can give me!
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  #2   ^
Old Fri, Jul-14-06, 07:50
peachykeen's Avatar
peachykeen peachykeen is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 101
 
Plan: Schwarzbein
Stats: 172/157/135 Female 64 inches
BF:
Progress: 41%
Location: Tucson, Arizona
Default

Hi Barbara,

I just started taking Synthroid about a month ago. Dr. started me out with 75 mcg, but then I saw an endocrinologist a few weeks later who upped it to 125 mcg. I feel great!

I don't know anything about tapering off or stopping thyroid meds entirely... but I've been told that I'll have to take it the rest of my life... that thyroids don't start working on their own. I don't know if that's true though. It would seem if a person gets their metabolism corrected that perhaps the thyroid would be naturally stimulated and start working normally again, but as I said, I'm new to all this. I'm looking forward to having my levels tested in another two months to see if I'm anywhere near normal.

Di
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  #3   ^
Old Fri, Jul-14-06, 08:10
bnb4us bnb4us is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 37
 
Plan: CALP, now Schwarzbein
Stats: 203/143/143 Female 160 cm
BF:56%/22%/22%
Progress: 100%
Location: Germany
Default reviving thyroid

Quote:
Originally Posted by peachykeen
I don't know anything about tapering off or stopping thyroid meds entirely... but I've been told that I'll have to take it the rest of my life... that thyroids don't start working on their own.
Di


Thanks for your reply! My gyn and a thyroid specialist have told me, the thyroid can be revived when it just has been "sleeping" due to taking unnecessary thyroid replacement (which mine apparently does, the ultrasound looks perfectly normal, it just didn't do anything on it's own because there were so much external hormones coming in).

And I also read in "The Diet Cure" by Julia Ross that the thyroid gland can start working on it's own again when it is not malfunctioning but just inactive because of too much external hormone dosage.

So I believe it (still being scared though as usual, LOL) and I also experience in my own body that it seems to be true. And also my blood stats are telling me so. I just would love it not to be dependent on these pills anymore as I hate taking any kind of medication. I even don't take any meds when I have a migraine if it isn't so bad that I have to cry, I rather pour cold water over my head (yes really!)
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  #4   ^
Old Fri, Jul-14-06, 11:05
pmezak pmezak is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 132
 
Plan: Schwarzbein/gluten free
Stats: 148/146/120 Female 5'2"
BF:
Progress: 7%
Location: SF bay area, CA
Default

Hi this is an interesting thread. I had a thyroid nodule that was
diagnosed back in the late 90's. I was treated with radioactive iodine to shrink it, cause taking synthroid was making me hyper.
Now I am on .88mcg of t4. I would love not to have to take it, but I am afraid that in my case my thyroid was affected by that treatment. But like you are saying, I seem to have symptoms still of hypothyroidism. So is the t4 that I take causing my gland to sleep also? I would love to not take it, but I am afraid of gaining a ton of weight. After RAI, one does gain, and I went from the high 130's to about 150 pretty fast. Anyway I am interested in reading your experiences with this problem....I love Schwarzbein's ideas. Think she really knows her stuff!
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  #5   ^
Old Fri, Jul-14-06, 11:20
bnb4us bnb4us is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 37
 
Plan: CALP, now Schwarzbein
Stats: 203/143/143 Female 160 cm
BF:56%/22%/22%
Progress: 100%
Location: Germany
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pmezak
Hi this is an interesting thread. I had a thyroid nodule that was
diagnosed back in the late 90's. I was treated with radioactive iodine to shrink it, cause taking synthroid was making me hyper.
Now I am on .88mcg of t4. I would love not to have to take it, but I am afraid that in my case my thyroid was affected by that treatment. But like you are saying, I seem to have symptoms still of hypothyroidism. So is the t4 that I take causing my gland to sleep also? I would love to not take it, but I am afraid of gaining a ton of weight. After RAI, one does gain, and I went from the high 130's to about 150 pretty fast. Anyway I am interested in reading your experiences with this problem....I love Schwarzbein's ideas. Think she really knows her stuff!


I've heard that RAI also destroys some active thyroid tissue, so yours might not be as intact as mine anymore.

My next test for the 125mcg dosage I'm taking now is scheduled for Aug. 2nd but I will not be able to get the results until Aug. 21st, because we go on vacation in between (a cruise and I'm determined to stay on TSP as good as possible). I'm really curious though how my results for TSH, free T4 and free T3 are then, I just wish I had a lab of my own, LOL.

Most certainly I will keep you informed!
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  #6   ^
Old Fri, Jul-14-06, 14:46
pmezak pmezak is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 132
 
Plan: Schwarzbein/gluten free
Stats: 148/146/120 Female 5'2"
BF:
Progress: 7%
Location: SF bay area, CA
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Oh, have a great cruise. I have heard that it is possible to eat really well on a ship, hope it's true for you! Have fun!
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  #7   ^
Old Sat, Jul-15-06, 07:57
bnb4us bnb4us is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 37
 
Plan: CALP, now Schwarzbein
Stats: 203/143/143 Female 160 cm
BF:56%/22%/22%
Progress: 100%
Location: Germany
Default food on cruise ships

Quote:
Originally Posted by pmezak
Oh, have a great cruise. I have heard that it is possible to eat really well on a ship, hope it's true for you! Have fun!


Thanks :-) I have stayed on CALP (been on it for 12 years) on many many vacations (DH and I travel a lot, esp. to Asia, but also to the States, Australia, just everywhere) and I'm determined to do my best staying on TSP on the ship too. They have buffets 24/7 (yikes) so at least there will be no problem with choice. And German food is not as contaminated with additives yet as American food, so that will be a lot easier. I'm allergic to many additives (esp. food coloring) and have to be very careful. But I've been known throughout the world to question the cooks about their ingredients like the cops, LOL.
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  #8   ^
Old Mon, Jul-31-06, 22:59
mduford mduford is offline
New Member
Posts: 2
 
Plan: Schwarzbein
Stats: 150/150/135 Female 5ft 2.5 Inc
BF:
Progress:
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I have Hashimoto's which is a version of hypothyroidism. Once of the nasty's about Hashi's is that your thyroid can kick up every now and then which may temporarily reduce your requirement for medication. For me, I will likely never get to be medication free unless someone finds a way to grow a new thyroid.

I have heard anectodal stories of people eventually going off their medication, but neither myself nor my doctor has ever met any of these people.
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  #9   ^
Old Thu, Aug-03-06, 10:06
bnb4us bnb4us is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 37
 
Plan: CALP, now Schwarzbein
Stats: 203/143/143 Female 160 cm
BF:56%/22%/22%
Progress: 100%
Location: Germany
Default thyroid results are back!

Hi everybody!
I've got my thyroid results back, I had lowered my dosage from 200 mcg until March to 150mcg until May and then to 125mcg until now.

Here are the results:
........................FT3............FT4............TSH
normal range......(2.0-4.4)......(9.0-17.0)...(0.4-2.5)
02/08/06 200mcg...1.2...........12.0.......... <0.01
05/31/06 150mcg...1.4...........12.7............0.04
08/02/06 125mcg...1.4...........13.0............0.06


It seems like my thyroid is really waking up now, huh? Even with taking less T4 (levothyroxine) my free T4 has gone UP, yahoo!!! And
my TSH seems to be waking up too (thyroid stimulating hormone, produced by the pituitary gland). The T3 is still too low though but with working on my metabolism by doing TSP this hopefully will get better too. This is exactly how she describes in the Transition book, the low T3 seems to be because of a lifestyle based endocrine disorder. But I will get it back into balance, ha!

My doctor and I agreed, that I will lower my dosage again to 100 mcg
now (when we are back from the cruise) and then test it again at the end of October this year.
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  #10   ^
Old Tue, Aug-08-06, 22:19
nawchem's Avatar
nawchem nawchem is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 8,701
 
Plan: No gluten, CAD
Stats: 196.0/158.5/149.0 Female 62
BF:36/29.0/27.3
Progress: 80%
Default

My thyroid numbers are coming up although my medication is the same. I don't have a tsh because I have a damaged pituitary gland. This is my 3 months result from april to july.
T4 -------9.2 ....> 9.8 ------normal 4.5-12.0
T3 uptake 32 .....> 35 ---------" --- 24-39
FT3-------2.9.....> 3.4 ------- " ----1.2-4.9
FT4 ------NA .....> 1.62 ------ " --- 0.61-1.76

I haven't read the book for this plan but I was interested in any information you can offer about diet and thyroid.

From what I understand if you have Hashimoto's thyroid your thyroid is making a protein which you have antibodies to, so your body attacks the thryoid like a virus and slowly destroys it. You take medication, it suppresses everything the thyroid makes including the protein that you're having the autoimmune reaction to.

I don't have Hashimotos, do you bnb4us? Do you have any theory why your thyroid is improving? I was exposed to a pesticide and my thyroid went bad after that, so I've wondered if I'm detoxing and its getting better? Many of the health problems I had after the pesticide exposure have gone away.

Any tips on how you're getting your thyroid to work on its own? I think I'm going to be lowering my medication soon if this keeps up.
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  #11   ^
Old Thu, Aug-24-06, 08:15
bnb4us bnb4us is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 37
 
Plan: CALP, now Schwarzbein
Stats: 203/143/143 Female 160 cm
BF:56%/22%/22%
Progress: 100%
Location: Germany
Default improving thyroid

Quote:
Originally Posted by nawchem
I don't have Hashimotos, do you bnb4us? Do you have any theory why your thyroid is improving? ....
Any tips on how you're getting your thyroid to work on its own? I think I'm going to be lowering my medication soon if this keeps up.


I don't have Hashimoto's either, I just took unnecessary thyroid medication and suppressed my own thyroid function with it. It seems my thyroid is improving because I eat better now and therefore I can reduce the meds which I really don't need. Dr. Schwarzbein calls this a lifestyle based
endocrine disorder, the gland is functioning properly, but the body just
doesn't send the right messages yet because of malnutrition.

With eating according to TSP (read the book, it's fascinating!) lifestyle based endocrine disorders shall get better and it really seems to be the case.
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  #12   ^
Old Wed, Nov-01-06, 10:13
bnb4us bnb4us is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 37
 
Plan: CALP, now Schwarzbein
Stats: 203/143/143 Female 160 cm
BF:56%/22%/22%
Progress: 100%
Location: Germany
Default Latest thyroid and other bloodstat results

Hi all!
I've just gotten the latest results for my thyroid levels, I have been tapering down because of too low TSH, which is not good according to Dr. S.
Here are my results:

1. Thyroid (in brackets are the normal ranges)

date.......T4 dosage...TSH........fT3.......fT4
..........................(0.4-2.5)..(2.0-4.4)..(9.0-17.0)
02/06/06...200 mcg....<0.01......1.2........12.0
05/31/06...150 mcg....0.04........1.4........12.7
08/02/06...125 mcg....0.06........1.4........13.0
10/25/06...100 mcg....1.56........1.6........10.8


So it seems I've finally reached the dosage I need, 100 mcg. My TSH
is in the normal range now, fT4 is still good and fT3 (the active
thyroid hormone) has gone up again. It's still a bit low, but I'm
sure it will stabilize too, I'm working on boosting my metabolism by trying to do TSP perfectly :-)

And here are my other results:

2. Cholesterol

Total: 197 (<200)
HDL: 98 (>45)
LDL: 87 (<160)
LDL/HDL ratio: 0.9 (<3.0)
triglycerides: 60 (<200)

My total cholesterol is in the upper range, *but* look at the
LDL/HDL ratio, my doc says this is outstanding and much more
important than the total number. And the triglycerides are fantastic
too like always, so I'm very pleased.

3. Blood sugar

HbA1C 5.2% (<6.0)
fasting BS 79 (70-100)

My BS is the same as last time and the long term number Hb1AC too, so
I'm pleased about that also, no problem with carbs, apparently :-)

Everything else he tested (kidney function, heart, liver, red + white
blood cells etc.) was good too, so I got my "badge" for another year, LOL.
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  #13   ^
Old Wed, Nov-01-06, 14:30
nawchem's Avatar
nawchem nawchem is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 8,701
 
Plan: No gluten, CAD
Stats: 196.0/158.5/149.0 Female 62
BF:36/29.0/27.3
Progress: 80%
Default

Wow great results! Your HDL is amazing!

I ended up having to cut my medication down, after T3 got very high and my T4 kept increasing. I'm surprised that I feel better on lower doses after years of slowly increasing. I'm not on any diet right now but eating natural foods and lowcarb. I feel better and better. I used to have lots of bad LDL and after one year its 16% from 44%. I'm actually looking forward to my next physical.

Did you notice that your blood pressure or heartrate decreased as you cut?
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  #14   ^
Old Thu, Nov-02-06, 08:55
bnb4us bnb4us is offline
Registered Member
Posts: 37
 
Plan: CALP, now Schwarzbein
Stats: 203/143/143 Female 160 cm
BF:56%/22%/22%
Progress: 100%
Location: Germany
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by nawchem
Did you notice that your blood pressure or heartrate decreased as you cut?


No, my HR and BP have always been rather low (RHR around 54, BP 115/80)
no matter how much thyroid meds I took. I never had any overdose symptoms with 200 mcg thyroxine btw, my body had just shut down my thyroid, I was running on meds only and my TSH was totally suppressed.

Now my thyroid begins to work on it's own again and I'm very pleased about it, the only thing that still needs improvement is the fT3 but I hope with staying
on TSP that will get better too.
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  #15   ^
Old Thu, Mar-29-07, 12:18
Mikendomsm Mikendomsm is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 313
 
Plan: Atkins/Low Carb-No Grains
Stats: 141.5/131/118 Female 62 inches
BF:
Progress: 45%
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I'm hoping someone clicking on the Thyroid board might be able to offer some insight to my latest thyroid report.
I've been taking Levoxyl for 10 years and Cytomel for 2 years. Since I've been on a low carb diet my Levoxyl has been reduced from 175 mcgr to 25mcgr and my Cytomel has stayed at 25 mg. The results of the latest tests show that my TSH is still a bit low so I probably should go off meds alltogether now but my T4 was low too, which is strange. I'm still waiting to hear from the doc (been 3 days since I dropped off my results) and I'm left wondering what's going on with my thyroid. I've read that a low TSH AND T4 can indicate adrenal problems but since I had the test when I was already overdosing on the Levoxyl I'm not sure what it means.
Any ideas?
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