combining cortef and armour

[Guest guest]

Hi, i'm new here and glad to find this board! I've been taking

cortef since late August (20mg), my doc prescibed it at my request

based on symptoms and the fact that I knew I was about to have a

breakdown as stress was just overwhelming me as it never had before.

What a difference taking the cortef has made, it is incredible...I am

patient beyond belief whereas before I was yelling all the time at my

poor 8 year old daughter, I am calm, I don't have to nap and just lay

on the couch after the day at grad school etc.

Before going on cortef, my TSH was 2.54. Now, it is 7.9. T3 and T4

are in normal range with T3 at upper end. I have low ferritin (16).

I have noticed my hair getting very thin and flat (it had been

falling out more in the past year, but the lack of vitality has been

pronounced in the last couple months). I guess this is due to low

iron (?) So now I am about to start on Armour and am also taking

iron.

My question is this..i'm trying to understand why my TSH level shot

up after starting on cortef. And, I can't seem to find any

information on how to balance the cortef and armour...my doc is

totally holistic and will work with me, but doens't know a whole lot

about this area. Should I continue on 20 mg cortef and then just

keep increasing armour till I feel better/labs improve, or should I

adjust cortef in any way?

FYI, I also just found out that I am casein and gluten

sensitive/celiac. I'm 42 years old and i'm sure these have been

issues my whole life and probably are the cause of hypothyroid and

adrenal stress. This is an area for others to definitely investigate--

something has to trigger the extreme adrenal fatigue and

hypothyroidism...and for many people it can be food sensitivities.

thanks!

Liz