Re: Re: discouraged and whining

January 13, 2004

T4 is the storage hormone... it is converted by the body into T3... a T3

molecule is (Janie jump in here) 7 times stronger??? than a T4..... so as

the T4 builds in your system, you aren't going to feel it right away...

but as the body starts converting the excess T4 into the usable T3.. that

is when the over dose is realized and the hyper symptoms begin.

So... you are exactly right, if the T3 in the Armour you are taking is

too high, you will feel it rather quickly, for some, with the first

dose...but... the T4 is built up in the body tissues and your system and

your body starts converting to T3... now your body is reacting to not

just the T3 that you have taken in your Armour dose.. but also to what

your body has made by converting the storage T4 hormone into the usable

T3 hormone.

If you have been without adequate hormone for a length of time.. the

storage T4 in your system can be depleted... Follow me on this,

please.... so your reserves are on empty and you take your Armour... you

feel it's not enough and keep taking more and more to get to the level of

T3 that you need to feel good..... ooooppss while you are building up the

T3 doses to the point of feeling good.. that T4 is replenishing the

reserves that were depleted.... when it gets built up enough again for

the body to have enough there to convert WHAM now you are dealing with

the T3 you are dosing with (in the Armour) PLUS all the T3 your body is

now producing.

Now you are experiencing hyper symptoms... depending on how much those T4

reserves built up before the conversion kicked your T3 levels too high..

it can take a few days, to a few weeks, to a few months to use up that

excess T4.

That's what makes it so tricky, and important, that you don't increase

too much too quickly... if that T4 builds up and the body has more and

more to convert.. that is the excess T3 that triggers the hyper state.

There are even more variables... A person that is a poor converter can

tolerate a much higher level of T4 and needs it.. because they don't

convert well, I'm one of those.... Now.. add selenium and vitamin C to

the mix and your body becomes a better converter.... Now, realize that

your adrenals are fatigued and start supplementing them and the

conversion rate is even more efficient along with the fact that the body,

now having the adrenal support that it needs is better able to use the T3

hormone as well..

Or.... your feeling better and your adrenals, pooped to begin with, can't

handle your body having the thyroid hormone levels up and becomes even

more fatigued and starts going on vacation... now even though your

thyroid levels were up and your were starting to feel pretty good.... you

now need to help your adrenals to keep up with the new thyroid level.

It can actually be a pretty tricky balancing act.. but once you find the

balance that is right for you... you get to have a life again.

I've been juggling this for 18 months now... first building up the

thyroid meds... 1/4 tab at a time... after 5 months adding adrenal, too

much, and then backing off (took a month to find out that 1/2 tab of

adrenal glandular was too much for me to start with at the time) Backing

of adrenal for a month then starting again at 1/4 tab... waiting a month

and then starting with 6 1/4 mg of DHEA.... some of my thyroid and

adrenal increases were 8 and 12 weeks apart.. and never at the same

time.. just tweaking them each up, one at a time, alternating... until I

see to have found what I need...

2 1/2 grain Thyroid (split to 5 doses per day)

80 mg Adrenal Glandular (split to 4 doses per day)

12.5 mg of DHEA (split to 2 doses per day)

300 mcg of Selenium (split to 3 doses per day)

plus the multi-vitamins (split to 8 times per day), extra vitamin C and

E, and iron (all taken in 1 dose per day)... all to get my body to where

it's able to do stuff that it needs to do again.

I'm still tweaking and testing... wondering if I can get it even better.

I'm sleeping through the night (after 20 years of insomnia) I am awake

and alert from the time I get up until the time I go to sleep (even if

the household is active and I get to bed late and get woke early, I still

feel great the next day. When I go to the bathroom every thing works

right! (after years of painful constipation alternating with explosive

diarrhea). The list goes on... I can wash dishes and cook at the stove

without having to sit down.. I can go up and down the stairs without

feeling like fainting. My chronic headaches, rib pain, foot pain, back

aches, muscle cramps are gone (unless I over exert, a good nights rest

and I'm doing pretty good the next day). Last winter, sweeping the snow

off the deck was done in shifts and took all day to do.... with a lot of

pain.. This year.. I can do it in 20 minutes, without sitting down and

then go in and play in the kitchen... I can knead bread standing without

arms that hurt for three days after. I can peel apples and potatoes

without my hands cramping into claws!

With the addition, in early October, of the mini meals... I'm also now

losing weight...... So... I'm getting really close to figuring out my

personal body puzzle.

Topper ()

On Tue, 13 Jan 2004 12:18:48 -0500 " VITO LABELLARTE "

writes:

> THere is a lot of confusion here, and I would like to clarify

> something. It isn't the T4 that sends you into hyper. IT is the

> T3. The shakey hands, heart palps, nervousness..that is all caused

> by the T3. Those are the symptoms that a patient watches for when

> increasing the T3/T4 meds. A T3 rush is common and if only lasting

> a few minutes is ok, when lasting longer it isn't good and the

> patient should lower the dose the next dosing, if take any at all

> for that period. Yes the T4 takes longer to get into the system,

> yet doesn't have the same effect as T3. Thats why a person will

> know almost immediately if they have too much Armour for that dose

> because it is the T3 that causes the hyper symptoms.

> Patti

> PS..Also some are sensitive more than others...and each person is an

> individual...and you don't know until you try for yourself. So

> being on the safe side go slowly..

January 13, 2004