Guest guest Posted February 25, 2011 Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 Hello As requested I would like to introduce myself to the group. I was finally diagnosed (by blood test) as Hypothyroid by my GP on Monday and came home with Levothyroxine which I haven't started yet. Some years ago a Naturopath muscle tested me and warned me that my thyroid wasn't working as well as it could - and since then I have read a few things about it including The Great Thyroid Scandal. So I am pretty confidant that I would like Armour rather than thyroxine. I see that I don't have to get permission for a 2nd opinion but I can relate to not wanting to upset my GP too. I live in Lincolnshire so Dr Peatfield's Yorkshire base is my best bet although it's still 100 miles away - but I have a great friend near Crawley so could make a nice trip of it! I am wondering though how easy it is to persuade a GP to prescribe Armour? Guess it depends on the GP, mine emphatically told me there was nothing natural that would work when I asked on Monday he looked very surprised when I said I wasn't keen on pharmaceuticals if there was a natural to do the job. He did however say he would be interested to know if I discovered any protection against shingles - as I told him had heard that there is some form of prevention available in the US. My main symptoms are weight gain and lack of energy with a lot of infections and shingles and skin complaints as well. I have a hereditary hearing problem which has been joined by a kind of hum - like a washing machine in spin mode - for the last year or so. It doesn't appear to qualify as tinnitus but it is annoying! I suspect my daughter (aged 40) is on the downward path too and have suggested she records her morning temp. She is always cold which mercifully hasn't bothered me recently although I used to get chilblains a lot years ago. Good luck everyone Pippa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 25, 2011 Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 Hello Pippa, Welcome to the group, where we put our heads together and try to work through all things thyroid related.... So you finally have a diagnosis but don't think the levothyroxine will help? Admitted it has a 13% failure rate but that also means that 87% of people do well on it. Trick is to take selenium to help with conversion of t4 to t3, and to support the adrenals with plenty of vitamin C and B vitamins. It's worth a try for a while, even if you later find you prefer armour. Worth having your adrenals tested to see that they are functioning well, - (it does tell you this on the patient information leaflet...) unfortunately the docs only test for failure, so most of us take the saliva test which measures your cortisol levels at 4 times throughtout the day. Cost is around £70 - details in the files section. If you have been hypothyroid for a long time, chances are your adrenals will have been taking up the slack and may need some support. If you google Adrenals and Shingles you will see that it is commonly thought that shingles are a sign that the adrenals are exhausted and need support. Taking any thyroid meds,( T4 T3 or armour) with exhausted adrenals will not make you feel better at all. . So I am pretty confidant > that I would like Armour rather than thyroxine. He did however say he would be interested to know if I > discovered any protection against shingles - as I told him had heard > that there is some form of prevention available in the US. > My main symptoms are weight gain and lack of energy with a lot of > infections and shingles and skin complaints as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 27, 2011 Report Share Posted February 27, 2011 Hi Pippa and welcome to our band, Lots of people do fine on Levothyroxine so please do not be put off, you might be one of those and loose weight to boot. I lost a stone when I first started taking it however for me I had other problems and did start having adverse reactions.( They did put me straight on a 100 mcg daily which was rather high for me) what dose have they put you on?? Give it a go and best of luck. Luv Stephie too and have suggested she records her > morning temp. She is always cold which mercifully hasn't bothered me > recently although I used to get chilblains a lot years ago. > > Good luck everyone > > Pippa > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 2, 2011 Report Share Posted March 2, 2011 Hi Pippa, First, give the levothyroxine a go- it works perfectly well for about 80% of thyroid sufferers- I assume your doc has given you the form for free prescriptions now you have a diagnosis- save receipts if you haven't got it yet so you can get refunded later. You should be going back for retesting and a dose increase in 6 weeks- a usual full repelacement dose tends to be 125 to150mcg levo ( T4), but you will have to ramp up to this so the heart isn't stressed by too much too fast. Your reading will stand you in good stead, but it is best also to make sure that your vits and minerals are up to scratch as that can make a big difference. iron selenium zinc vit D3 are vital to proper thyroid usage. Unfortunatley Armour was removed from the British Pharmacopea by Mrs Thatcher years ago ,so persuading a doc to prescribe can be difficult as it would not be converd by their insurance, but some are willing. thyroid treatment From: pippah_uk@...Date: Fri, 25 Feb 2011 12:54:58 +0000Subject: Introducing me... Hello As requested I would like to introduce myself to the group. I was finally diagnosed (by blood test) as Hypothyroid by my GP on Monday and came home with Levothyroxine which I haven't started yet. Some years ago a Naturopath muscle tested me and warned me that my thyroid wasn't working as well as it could - and since then I have read a few things about it including The Great Thyroid Scandal. So I am pretty confidant that I would like Armour rather than thyroxine. I see that I don't have to get permission for a 2nd opinion but I can relate to not wanting to upset my GP too. I live in Lincolnshire so Dr Peatfield's Yorkshire base is my best bet although it's still 100 miles away - but I have a great friend near Crawley so could make a nice trip of it! I am wondering though how easy it is to persuade a GP to prescribe Armour? Guess it depends on the GP, mine emphatically told me there was nothing natural that would work when I asked on Monday he looked very surprised when I said I wasn't keen on pharmaceuticals if there was a natural to do the job.Good luck everyone Pippa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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