Re: dose Questions

[Guest guest]

Well, it sounds like you are lucky. You could have had a bad

reaction like an adrenal crash or become even more hypothyroid. But,

there is still time - just joking! I'm so twisted. Have you

monitored your body temp and other thyroid function measures?

One way to know if you are hypothyroid is that you have trouble with

small doses of thyroid and with starting therapy. You can low

adrenal issues and become more hypothyroid due to oversuppression of

the pituitary early in treatment. Healthy people tend not to have

any response to low levels of thyroid. But, that doen't mean that

you are not hypo. If you are fairly healthy and hypo, then you will

probably not have much response from low doses.

your dose is still very low and so it makes sense that you aren't

feeling anything. Studies done with healthy people have found no

response to thyroid untill the dose gets to 3 to 5 grains. In

healthy people researchers were not able to raise the metabolic rate

with low doses. This is because the pituitary works to keep blood

levels of thyroid the same at lower doses. It will drop TSH by the

amount needed to drop production from the thyroid by the amount

taken and sometimes more than that making you more hypo. So, I would

guess that this is what is happening to you. If you do the Broda

Basal Body Temperature test every morning, you can get an

idea if it is having an effect and when it starts to have an effect.

You will probably have to work your dose slowly up higher to have an

effect on your metabolic rate. Do 1/4 grain every 2 to 4 weeks. Slow

down to once every 4 weeks to a month once you get near 3 grains.

Also, it would probably be better to have two equal doses ever 12

hours vs your current big morning and small afternoon. People

actually need a bit more thyroid at night. Most people do two equal

doses a day-morning and evening.

Tish

[Guest guest]

Well, it sounds like you are lucky. You could have had a bad

reaction like an adrenal crash or become even more hypothyroid. But,

there is still time - just joking! I'm so twisted. Have you

monitored your body temp and other thyroid function measures?

One way to know if you are hypothyroid is that you have trouble with

small doses of thyroid and with starting therapy. You can low

adrenal issues and become more hypothyroid due to oversuppression of

the pituitary early in treatment. Healthy people tend not to have

any response to low levels of thyroid. But, that doen't mean that

you are not hypo. If you are fairly healthy and hypo, then you will

probably not have much response from low doses.

your dose is still very low and so it makes sense that you aren't

feeling anything. Studies done with healthy people have found no

response to thyroid untill the dose gets to 3 to 5 grains. In

healthy people researchers were not able to raise the metabolic rate

with low doses. This is because the pituitary works to keep blood

levels of thyroid the same at lower doses. It will drop TSH by the

amount needed to drop production from the thyroid by the amount

taken and sometimes more than that making you more hypo. So, I would

guess that this is what is happening to you. If you do the Broda

Basal Body Temperature test every morning, you can get an

idea if it is having an effect and when it starts to have an effect.

You will probably have to work your dose slowly up higher to have an

effect on your metabolic rate. Do 1/4 grain every 2 to 4 weeks. Slow

down to once every 4 weeks to a month once you get near 3 grains.

Also, it would probably be better to have two equal doses ever 12

hours vs your current big morning and small afternoon. People

actually need a bit more thyroid at night. Most people do two equal

doses a day-morning and evening.

Tish

[Guest guest]

Tish,

I was taking synthroid for 3 years (75mcg) and recentley found

out I was undertreating. My test results on feb 11th were---

Tsh 6.186

free t-4 .99

TPO >1000

Just started the thyroid-s 2weeks ago. I've been taking my temp and

in the morning it's been between 95.7 to 96.1 (i sleep on a heated

waterbed, not sure if that makes a difference), in the afternoon it's

been between 96.9 and 97.7. I just took it and it's 96.9, I only have

a digtal thermonter. What are the " other thyroid function measures " ?

Taking meds in the evening won't effect the sleep? I have insomna as

it is.

Thanks,

kk

>

> Well, it sounds like you are lucky. You could have had a bad

> reaction like an adrenal crash or become even more hypothyroid.

But,

> there is still time - just joking! I'm so twisted. Have you

> monitored your body temp and other thyroid function measures?

>

> One way to know if you are hypothyroid is that you have trouble

with

> small doses of thyroid and with starting therapy. You can low

> adrenal issues and become more hypothyroid due to oversuppression

of

> the pituitary early in treatment. Healthy people tend not to have

> any response to low levels of thyroid. But, that doen't mean that

> you are not hypo. If you are fairly healthy and hypo, then you will

> probably not have much response from low doses.

>

> your dose is still very low and so it makes sense that you aren't

> feeling anything. Studies done with healthy people have found no

> response to thyroid untill the dose gets to 3 to 5 grains. In

> healthy people researchers were not able to raise the metabolic

rate

> with low doses. This is because the pituitary works to keep blood

> levels of thyroid the same at lower doses. It will drop TSH by the

> amount needed to drop production from the thyroid by the amount

> taken and sometimes more than that making you more hypo. So, I

would

> guess that this is what is happening to you. If you do the Broda

> Basal Body Temperature test every morning, you can get an

> idea if it is having an effect and when it starts to have an effect.

>

> You will probably have to work your dose slowly up higher to have

an

> effect on your metabolic rate. Do 1/4 grain every 2 to 4 weeks.

Slow

> down to once every 4 weeks to a month once you get near 3 grains.

> Also, it would probably be better to have two equal doses ever 12

> hours vs your current big morning and small afternoon. People

> actually need a bit more thyroid at night. Most people do two equal

> doses a day-morning and evening.

>

> Tish

[Guest guest]

I found for myself that taking meds at bedtime helps me sleep

better. In the old days when I had adrenal fatigue, I took thyroid

every 2 hours and then my dose in the evening was really tiny. I was

just dosing for the daytime without considering my body's needs at

night. So, for 8 hours I had hardly any thyroid for the night. My

sleep was awful. I would wake in the early a.m. with really tight

sore muscles and lots of tossing and turning and general misery.

Currently, I take 3-3/4 grains. It took me a long time to get there.

I take 3 doses, one when I get up, one at about 2:00 in the

afternoon and one at bedtime. This is once every 8 hours. The

morning dose is 1-1/4 grains, the 2:00 dose is 1 grain, and the

bedtime dose is 1-1/2 grains. I seem to sleep better this way

without waking with tight muscles. 3 doses in the day is easier on

the adrenals and keeps T3 levels more even in the blood. When you

take a big dose of thyroid at one time, this can make T3 go too high

and the body will try to get it down by deactivating it in the

liver. So, big one time doses can cause some T3 to be wasted or

lost.

Your temps indicate that your dose is not sufficient. You should be

averaging 98.6 for the daytime. In the morning, before you get out

of bed, it needs to be a minimum of 97.8. Mine is 98.0 to 98.1 in

the morning. I don't have anything heated in bed.

Because you have other problems, getting your dose up is going to be

a slow process. Because of my adrenal problems, it took me almost a

year to go from 2 grains to 3-3/4. But, you probably will not get

your temperature up untill your dose gets to a minimum of 3 grains.

Since you have antibodies, you may need a lot more than 3 grains.

The average Armour dose in the old days before the TSH test, when

they adjusted it by symptoms was 2 to 5 grains. Most people do not

get a change in their metabolic rates untill their doses approach

normal thyroid output due to the pituitary working against you to

keep things the same at lower doses.

The other tests you can do to go along with the temperature are

pulse and breathing rate. Pulse is better at detecting overdose or

low adrenal/anemia thyroid build-up. A pulse below 72 can be low

thyroid and a pulse above 84, too high. But with this there is a lot

of natural variation between people. So, it's not hugely accurate.

Breathing rate is a rough measure of oxygen use by the body and this

is controled mostly by thyroid.

Here is a page on this: http://www.thyrophoenix.com/self_monitor.htm

You probably have already checked out Dr. Rind's page:

http://www.drrind.com/tempgraph.asp

Anyway, you don't need to be nervous as you can safely have a lot

higher dose as long as you get there slowly, make small dose raises,

and don't make a raise unless you are physically ready for it. Wait

two weeks minimum before anoher dose raise for doses less than 3

grains. Wait 4 weeks to a month before another dose raise at doses

near or above 3 grains. If you do get hyper, you will know it if you

check your pulse and temps. As long as you go slowly, even if you do

go hyper, it won't be by very much and you can just drop your dose

for a while and fix it. You have to be overtly hyper for about a

year before the possibility of more serious damage.

In the old days, some doctors actually slowly raised patients up

untill they became hyper and then backed them down to the place that

they remember they last felt the best. Sometimes you have to go a

little too far to find your best dose.

Tish

[Guest guest]

I found for myself that taking meds at bedtime helps me sleep

better. In the old days when I had adrenal fatigue, I took thyroid

every 2 hours and then my dose in the evening was really tiny. I was

just dosing for the daytime without considering my body's needs at

night. So, for 8 hours I had hardly any thyroid for the night. My

sleep was awful. I would wake in the early a.m. with really tight

sore muscles and lots of tossing and turning and general misery.

Currently, I take 3-3/4 grains. It took me a long time to get there.

I take 3 doses, one when I get up, one at about 2:00 in the

afternoon and one at bedtime. This is once every 8 hours. The

morning dose is 1-1/4 grains, the 2:00 dose is 1 grain, and the

bedtime dose is 1-1/2 grains. I seem to sleep better this way

without waking with tight muscles. 3 doses in the day is easier on

the adrenals and keeps T3 levels more even in the blood. When you

take a big dose of thyroid at one time, this can make T3 go too high

and the body will try to get it down by deactivating it in the

liver. So, big one time doses can cause some T3 to be wasted or

lost.

Your temps indicate that your dose is not sufficient. You should be

averaging 98.6 for the daytime. In the morning, before you get out

of bed, it needs to be a minimum of 97.8. Mine is 98.0 to 98.1 in

the morning. I don't have anything heated in bed.

Because you have other problems, getting your dose up is going to be

a slow process. Because of my adrenal problems, it took me almost a

year to go from 2 grains to 3-3/4. But, you probably will not get

your temperature up untill your dose gets to a minimum of 3 grains.

Since you have antibodies, you may need a lot more than 3 grains.

The average Armour dose in the old days before the TSH test, when

they adjusted it by symptoms was 2 to 5 grains. Most people do not

get a change in their metabolic rates untill their doses approach

normal thyroid output due to the pituitary working against you to

keep things the same at lower doses.

The other tests you can do to go along with the temperature are

pulse and breathing rate. Pulse is better at detecting overdose or

low adrenal/anemia thyroid build-up. A pulse below 72 can be low

thyroid and a pulse above 84, too high. But with this there is a lot

of natural variation between people. So, it's not hugely accurate.

Breathing rate is a rough measure of oxygen use by the body and this

is controled mostly by thyroid.

Here is a page on this: http://www.thyrophoenix.com/self_monitor.htm

You probably have already checked out Dr. Rind's page:

http://www.drrind.com/tempgraph.asp

Anyway, you don't need to be nervous as you can safely have a lot

higher dose as long as you get there slowly, make small dose raises,

and don't make a raise unless you are physically ready for it. Wait

two weeks minimum before anoher dose raise for doses less than 3

grains. Wait 4 weeks to a month before another dose raise at doses

near or above 3 grains. If you do get hyper, you will know it if you

check your pulse and temps. As long as you go slowly, even if you do

go hyper, it won't be by very much and you can just drop your dose

for a while and fix it. You have to be overtly hyper for about a

year before the possibility of more serious damage.

In the old days, some doctors actually slowly raised patients up

untill they became hyper and then backed them down to the place that

they remember they last felt the best. Sometimes you have to go a

little too far to find your best dose.

Tish

[Guest guest]

>

>

>

> I have been on thyroid-s for 1 month and 7 days. My current dose is

1

> 3/4 in a.m. and 1 1/4 in afternoon. I have had NO problems what so

> ever from moving this fast. Is this normal?

>

> kk

The burning question here is, What's Normal? Surely, if you have

no low adrenal issues and your body has no problem dealing with the

t3, there's no reason to expect trouble. Must be normal for you!

~Alyce

[Guest guest]

>

>

>

> I have been on thyroid-s for 1 month and 7 days. My current dose is

1

> 3/4 in a.m. and 1 1/4 in afternoon. I have had NO problems what so

> ever from moving this fast. Is this normal?

>

> kk

The burning question here is, What's Normal? Surely, if you have

no low adrenal issues and your body has no problem dealing with the

t3, there's no reason to expect trouble. Must be normal for you!

~Alyce

[Guest guest]

>

>

>

> I have been on thyroid-s for 1 month and 7 days. My current dose is

1

> 3/4 in a.m. and 1 1/4 in afternoon. I have had NO problems what so

> ever from moving this fast. Is this normal?

>

> kk

The burning question here is, What's Normal? Surely, if you have

no low adrenal issues and your body has no problem dealing with the

t3, there's no reason to expect trouble. Must be normal for you!

~Alyce

[Guest guest]

It just means that you have good adrenal function.

Tish

[Guest guest]

It just means that you have good adrenal function.

Tish

[Guest guest]

It just means that you have good adrenal function.

Tish