Re: Hello, history and advice please

[Guest guest]

Hi there, you may be experencing some problems with the T4(thyroxine) (sinthetic) as the body sometimes will only do well on T4 when we are younger. so with age and menopause comes hormone differences.we women suffer more then men as we have complecated hormone feed back. but you could first get a private test for the adrenals. look in files! if all seem s ok then you could try natural thyroid again details in files -about them and were to buy. after taking the natural thyroid if feeling alot better then go back to doctor and ask to be changed over, as if you are a lot better this means your body may have not been doing ok on the sinthetic. your body may be telling you you need the T3 in natural thyroid, this can happen when on sinthetic for a long time. hope this helps.

angel.

[Guest guest]

Thank you. I've been looking at the adrenal stuff and the more I read the more

it seems like me. I think I'll do the self tests first and then, if positive, go

for the testing.

[Guest guest]

Have you a name we can call you? Welcome to our forum and I hope

you get all the help and support you need from here. First, about your weight

gain, you may want to read the article I wrote for our December newsletter and

see whether this is a road you would like to go down. Many of our members have

(me included) and lost a great number of pounds. Anyway, read about it here -

this may be just what you have been looking for http://www.tpa-uk.org.uk/hcg_drops_diet.pdf

a) Is levothyroxine for t4 or t3 or

both? And which is the one that doctors' miss?

Levothyroxine

is a pro-hormone. Meaning it has little action in the body. It has to convert

to the active thyroid hormone triiodothyronine (T3). it is T3 that every cell

in y our body and brain need to make them function. Fortunately, for the majority

of sufferers of the symptoms of hypothyroidism, levothyroxine works fine

because they have no problem with conversion. Unfortunately, there is a large

minority of sufferers who are unable to convert and if your doctor tells you

this is not the case, here are some of the reasons why not - A

review of the available evidence suggests that T4 alone in many cases does not

relieve all the patient’s symptoms and also that some patients do not get

relief from symptoms with combination synthetic T3 and T4 treatment. The

evidence further supports the use of T3 alone to enable many patients to become

free of symptoms, which may be due to the increased potency of T3 thanT4,or

because the effectiveness of T4 may be reduced in certain circumstances: for

example, in conditions that reduce the conversion of T4 to T3 such as aging,

obesity, disease, stress, exercise, malnutrition, where toxic substances such

as phenols, cadmium, mercury, etc, or other medicines (e.g. propranolol,

amiodarone) interfere by stimulating or inhibiting the T4 to T3 conversion,

hormone or trace element deficiencies or excess, (e.g. of T3, GH, insulin,

melatonin, zinc, copper, selenium, glucocorticoids, ACTH, oestrogens etc) may

inhibit the conversion of T4 to T3. In addition, the absorption of oral T4 can

be variable (50% to 73%), contrasting with that of T3 which is more constant

and efficient with an absorption of 95%.

You

need to get a full thyroid function test, i.e. TSH, free T4 and free T3. Other associated

conditions that stop thyroid hormone from being fully utilised at the cellular

level are low adrenal reserve, systemic candidiasis, mercury poisoning caused

through amalgam fillings, low levels of ferritin, vitamin B12, vitamin D3,

magnesium, folate, copper or zinc. Ask your GP to check these levels and if any

are low, they will need to be supplemented.

You

may need some synthetic T3 adding to your levothyroxine (you will need to drop

your T4 by 50mcgs when starting T3, or you might benefit by switching from

synthetic T4 to a natural desiccated porcine thyroid extract, i.e. Erfa

..Thyroid., nature Throid, Westhroid or Armour Thyroid. This drug remains

unlicensed in the UK so not all doctors are happy to prescribe it, but many do.

Should I try some sort of adrenal

support? If so what is recommended?

First,

you need to find out whether your adrenals do need supporting. Before spending

any money getting tested, check out the questionnaires in our Files section.

Scroll down to 'Medical Questionnaires' and you can do the adrenal one

there and let us know how you score. At the same time, do the magnesium and

candida questionnaire to see whether there might be a problem there. If needed,

then go to our folder entitled 'Discounts on Tests and Supplements' and click

on 'Genova Diagnostics' and order the 24 hour salivary adrenal profile quoting

Thyroid Patient Advocacy as your practitioner. The results will be sent to you.

You can see the discount they give to TPA members.

c) Is there any point in my going back

to my doctor and if so what info should I be taking?

It

depends on what you want from your doctor. If you want him to continue treating

your thyroid, I would write him a letter telling him that you are no longer

prepared to put up with your worsening symptoms and that you feel the thyroid

replacement of T4 only is insufficient for you. Make a list of your present

symptoms and signs. List your basal temperature taken before getting out of bed

in a morning for 4/5 days. List the thyroid function blood tests and the other

vitamin and mineral blood tests you need to be done to see if any are low in

the range that might be stopping the thyroid hormone being fully utilised at

the cellular level (see attached if he tries to tell you there is no

association between these and thyroid and give him a copy). I have also attached

a copy of a document telling you some of the reasons why thyroid hormone stops

working as it should which might help.

Apologies if these are obvious

questions but I am confused because there's so much information here that it's

hard to know what's what, and would appreciate any clarity and help

provided. Thanks for listening.

Hope

this helps, but keep asking questions as this is the only way to help you

regain your optimal health once more..

Luv -

Sheila

2 of 2 File(s)

Why thyroid hormone stops working (2).doc

LOW MINERALS AND VITAMINS AND THE THYROID CONNECTION.doc

[Guest guest]

Hi Clare

were you monitored on 300mcg a day by your old gp? were your health markers ok

on this?

>When I was first diagnosed my then doctor raised my levothyroxine gradually to

around 300 mg a day. I was fine on this and did lose, through a combination of

diet and exercise, a fair amount of the weight I'd put on pre-diagnosis.

can you not just put it back up to 300mcg a day yourself?

chris

>

>

>

>

>

> When I was first diagnosed my then doctor raised my levothyroxine

> gradually to around 300 mg a day. I was fine on this and did lose,

> through a combination of diet and exercise, a fair amount of the weight

> I'd put on pre-diagnosis.

[Guest guest]

Hi - I'm Clare - sorry should have said.

I almost cried when I read your replies - it's the first time in years that I've

felt I've got some action to take and some real support from people who know

their stuff. THANK YOU.

I definitely meet the criteria for Adrenals - and I shall do the other

questionnaires later tonight. I will start the basal temperature thing too -

have just managed to find the thermometer!

I was monitored and fine on 300 mcg but my new doctor so scared me with talk of

heart disease and osteoporosis that I accepted it had to come down. I still

fight him every 6 months to remain on 175! How would I go about obtaining the

extra thyroxine for myself - I didn't know this was possible.

Starting to feel the possibilities now.

[Guest guest]

Hi Clare

There are Internet pharmacies that sell thyroxine, but it can be

a bit expensive from some of them and I have no idea why, because it costs tuppence

to manufacture. You could try some of the Internet Pharmacies we have in our

FILES section (go to the Home Page of this forum web site thyroid treatment

and click on FILES in the Menu. On the page that opens, scroll down to the

FOLDER 'Internet Pharmacies' and check out the links there to see whether they

do see T4 - it might be called different names e.g. Synthroid in the US,

Levothyroxine here in the UK. We keep these Internet Pharmacies for the sale of

T3 (the active thyroid hormone) or for the natural desiccated pigs thyroid

extract, but as they sell thyroid hormones, they just might sell T4 - I have

never checked. let us know if any of them do.

Doctors play a dirty game when they threaten us with horrible

happenings should we continue on a certain drug at a certain dose - some of us

need mighty high doses to keep us running, without any problems. More heart

problems are caused through not treating the thyroid hormone deficiency than

with using too much. If you are taking too much, you get horrible symptoms of

palpitations, sweating, dizziness, generally feeling spaced out with all the

symptoms of hyperthyroidism, and nobody would put up with such symptoms when

they could make them go away by reducing their dose.

Luv - Sheila

Hi - I'm Clare - sorry should have said.

I almost cried when I read your replies - it's the first time in years that

I've felt I've got some action to take and some real support from people who

know their stuff. THANK YOU.

I definitely meet the criteria for Adrenals - and I shall do the other

questionnaires later tonight. I will start the basal temperature thing too -

have just managed to find the thermometer!

I was monitored and fine on 300 mcg but my new doctor so scared me with talk of

heart disease and osteoporosis that I accepted it had to come down. I still

fight him every 6 months to remain on 175! How would I go about obtaining the

extra thyroxine for myself - I didn't know this was possible.

Starting to feel the possibilities now.

[Guest guest]

if you were worried about going back up to 300mcg, maybe you could arrange to

see dr peatfield every few months for him to keep an eye on you?

why ddi you change to the new dr, what happend to the old one?

chris

>

> Hi - I'm Clare - sorry should have said.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi

I moved house -hence changing doctors. I have just bought Dr Peatfield's book,

and taking my temps and plan to book to see him after - hopefully - atttending

the conference.

Best

Clare

[Guest guest]

Clare, as you are coming to the conference, why not kill two birds

with one stone (poor birdies!). Dr Peatfield has a clinic at my cottage

(between Skipton and Keighley) on 7th to 10th June (inclusive). I have an

appointment spare on Friday 10th June at 4.45p.m. if you want to take advantage

of that. not sure where you will be travelling from, but we have local B & B

if you are coming a long way where you could stay overnight and then go to our

TPA Jamboree the following day. Let me know urgently if you want that

appointment ( I have others available on the other days). You can telephone me

if you wish on 01535 636 014.

Luv - Sheila

I moved house -hence changing doctors. I have just bought Dr Peatfield's book,

and taking my temps and plan to book to see him after - hopefully - atttending

the conference.

Best

Clare

[Guest guest]

Sheila - apologies, only just seen your reply. I can't take that appointment on

the Friday as I'm working that day. I plan to travel on the Saturday and home

that night as I'm in Manchester.

[Guest guest]

My basal temp came in at 35.16 which seems low but the bp tests indicated no

issue with adrenals.

I'm in the process of putting together a letter for my doctor asking for a

treatment revision and listing all the issues you suggested.

I'd like to suggest he sends me to see a new endo - would it be possible for you

to send me the list for my area please? (North West). Thank you.

[Guest guest]

Well - letter written to GP. Thanks for all the advice which really helped me.

He agree to all the blood tests I asked for (!) and I had these yesterday. He

threw in a glucose test too so presumably testing for diabetes - which I know I

don't have...

Results should be in next week so will post them here as soon as I can - can't

see my doc until August now so plenty of time.