Advice on NAX etc please

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone

I have been on the site before on behalf of my daughter who was diagnosed with

ME/Chronic fatigue but who it turns out is hypothyroid but can't get any

treatment on the NHS but has had support from this site and Dr P. and is

improving now so I am very grateful for all the help and advice we received.

I have recently been hospitalised for two weeks having gone down with 'flu and

then developing pneumonia in mid-January. It was apparently quite a big

infection and I don't expect it was helped by the fact that I take

immunosuppressants for rheumatoid arthritis. I was discharged towards the end

of January and it is taking ages to get my energy back and I was not 100% for a

long time before this bout of 'flu etc but always put it down to the inflammatory

nature of my arthritis as this is what the rheumatology nurses said it would

be.

Out of interest I checked my basal temperature over a few weeks before

Christmas and this came out consistently low at around 36.3 C in the morning

before rising and about 35.6 C in the evening.

I also have consistently low blood pressure.

My doctor was concerned I was still so tired and offered to run some

thyroid tests and to check my ferritin levels etc. Unfortunately, the labs

in this area refused to do the requested FT3 and FT4 tests and won't do them

unless requested by a consultant and with a good indication from the other

tests e.g. TSH outside the normal range.

My test results were as follows:

TSH: 1.24

Vitamin B12: 603

(180 – 2000)

Ferritin: 95

Folate: 20mcg (4.6 –

18.7) HIGH

Haemoglobin: 12

(12-15) BIT LOW

Platelets: 118

(150-400) LOW

I think there are a few more tests I should request like Vit

D, magnesium, zinc, copper and antibodies to the thyroid.

Because I am still tired and can't concentrate, memory shot etc, I have been

offered a trial course of thyroxine. Apparently, my practice has a policy of

treating the symptoms even if the results are in the normal range. I was pretty

flabbergasted, as I have been pushing for my daughter to be put on a trial

course with her own practice to no avail. I think a change of practice may be

on the cards for her! So frustrating to think the possible solution to her

problems was on my doorstep but I had assumed all GP's were all the same.

I would like to make sure my adrenals are well supported as I know I can't deal

with any stress, even slight, after years and years of dealing with family

illnesses and losing people close to me, then a fairly recent divorce etc etc

so I think I could benefit from taking NAX initially. My rheumatologist is fine

with this.

Please could you advise:1) what the dosage is and how long you have to take NAX

for before starting thyroxine?

2) Do you have to carry on taking it while on thyroxine?

Any other advice would be great.

With love,

Jo

P.S. I recently requested steroid tablets as I have a flare up

of my arthritis going on and have been taking them for 3 days and feel much

better, less stressed and with much better energy. Is that a coincidence or

could it be related to my adrenals/thyroid?