MWL-ers with Hypothyroidism?

[Tina]

Hi All~

It's been a wild ride, and after a meeting with my doctor and a variety of blood tests, the result is in: full-blown hypothyroidism. I'll be starting medication this week, and I'm really looking forward to eliminating some of these unpleasant symptoms!

So, I was wondering if anyone else has dealt with this and has any stories to share or advice to give. How has hypothyroidism affected your path to MWL and/or healthy living?

Thanks!
Tina

[Mrs. Doodlepunk]

Now that my hypo is being adequately treated, I'm not hungry all the time and am able to lose weight. It took a long time to get back on track though, at least for me. It has been three years now and for the past one year I've been really feeling good.

[Tina]

Mrs. Doodlepunk~

When you say it took a long time for you to get back on track, do you mean it took a long time after you started taking medication for you to feel better? Did your appetite seem easier to control right away or did that take some time too? I'll be starting meds today so I'm wondering what to expect.

Thanks for your input!
Tina

[Mrs. Doodlepunk]

Well, here is the story. I didn't know I was hypothyroid although I had symptoms for almost 20 years. So when the doctor said my test showed hypothyroid it blindsided me. Then started off on Synthroid at 50mcg I think, and within two weeks I was very much worse off. I kept thinking I would get better but got worse. I couldn't get up out of a chair unless I rocked and used both arms on the arms of the chair. I was falling asleep while reading to my sons. I also quit breathing at night a couple times and my husband woke me up. It turns out I just can't take synthetic hormones and Synthroid just does not work in my body.

So, when I finally got on the right medicine for me, I was way worse than when I was diagnosed, but I noticed an improvement right away. From the first dose it was like the colors returned to the view from my eyes. Hard to explain, it was like I was dying and I came back to life. After that, it was a year before I could really be active without being totally exhausted.

The final thing that made me realize I was almost all the way better was one year plus one month after being diagnosed hypothyroid. I took my boys on a trip to Mackinac Island. The summer before I could handle a trip to the beach if they carried all the gear and I could lie down in my beach chair. But on the Island, we rented bikes and rode the 8 mile road around the entire island, and when we got back into town the boys wanted to turn in the bikes and rest, but I was ready to go go go! It felt great.

I did some things that Dr. McD probably would not approve of. I took supplements while I was recovering and think I needed them because of all the stress I was under. I think the McDougall diet would have been the best way to go, but I was getting different advice and followed it - tried raw vegan, coconut oil, and just plain SAD for a while. It's a long story, I was sick and tired and really thought I was going to die. Back on the McDougall program I feel the best!

[talkingmountain]

Tina, your doc will probably start you out on a small dose, test you again, and increase the dose if needed. Once you are on the right dose, my experience was that you will feel better quite quickly. So hang in there!

[Faith in DC]

I've heard so much bad about the synthroid. It's vegan though.

I've been stable on Armour but it's not vegan.

[talkingmountain]

Both Armour & Synthroid have had serious quality assurance problems. I'm hoping to switch to synthroid because the dead-animal smell that some batches of the Armour comes grosses me out. Plus there's that whole thing with mad-cow disease. Supposedly they affect your T4 & T3 levels in a slightly different manner, so I'm not sure if I can.

[talkingmountain]

Both Armour & Synthroid have had serious quality assurance problems. I'm hoping to switch to synthroid because the dead-animal smell that some batches of the Armour comes grosses me out. Plus there's that whole thing with mad-cow disease. Supposedly they affect your T4 & T3 levels in a slightly different manner, so I'm not sure if I can.

[Gramma Jackie]

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism about 15 years ago. Before that I slept almost all afternoon everyday. I also had a small goiter on my neck. Being on Synthroid has helped me not be so sleepy and the goiter diasappeared almost immediately. However I still have a weight problem and weigh more than ever before.

[VeggieSue]

Armour reformulated their thyroid this past Spring, and not only is that hammy smell gone but a lot of people are complaining that their usual dose isn't holding them any more. Many are switching to other brands of natural thyroid, such as Westhroid and NatureThroid. (I may have the spelling wrong on those)

After 4 years of playing around with my Synthroid dose and not getting any better, my doctor agreed to Armour a few months ago, and recently doubled the dosage. I still feel no better but have been under a lot of stress the past few weeks, so we'll see in two months if I stay there or get doubled again.

For the record, I'm 55+, post-menopausal, and found out that my TSH was almost 10 as far abck as 25 years ago but in this medical practice they don't like to treat hypothyroid until the TSH goes over 10. And my doc wondered why I wasn't losing weight all these years???

[Mrs. Doodlepunk]

I'm one of those who did fabulously well on Armour and THEN the idiots reformulated it. So now I'm doing equally fabulously well on Nature Throid by RLC labs.

As far as mad cow disease, I'll take my chances. Life pretty much went from sucking to really great and I'm not going to quit my pig thyroid. No way.

[Faith in DC]

Sue or Mrs D.
I know you hang out on a hypothyroid board. Is some of the signs of the changed meds lighted headed, almost high, not together or cohearent feeling?

I know the last time I got my script the pills were tiny. I took them for a couple weeks then noticed the bottle said 30mg take two. My normal dosage is 60. I dumped the new and the old together but can tell them apart.

Anyway I've beenthe the above symptoms, and I have them now. It happens this time of a day, sometimes, not always. Now what is funny is I just took this one kind of blood pressure med, and I have been taking half a dose thinking maybe it's too much now that I'm smaller. I know the light headed is a sign. But this high uncohearent is strange.

today I took two and it hits about 45 minutes later. I also took the thyroid meds, so that's why I wondered.

[Mrs. Doodlepunk]

Faith, have you taken your blood pressure? I have never heard of thyroid doing that to a person, too much is usually very unpleasant, gives you the feeling of intense anxiety and palpitations. Maybe you don't need the blood pressure med? I know Dr. McD takes people off most stuff right away. Those symptoms sound like too low blood pressure to me. Hard to tell you what to do without knowing what the med is that you take. Some of them you can't just stop cold turkey. I know that diuretics are OK to just stop. You've lost enough weight that you might not need that pill!

I was starting to feel tired on the "new" Armour, and I had read that others had problems with it so I asked my doc for a change to Nature Throid right away. Medco says they have Nature Throid but they sent something else. I ended up getting a 90 day supply of NT from a local pharmacy for the same price as my co pay with Medco. So far, so good with NT.

I keep a journal and write in it when I notice things, it's the only way to keep track of my symptoms and when I'm getting better or worse.

[VeggieSue]

Is some of the signs of the changed meds lighted headed, almost high, not together or cohearent feeling?

Most people who complained just said it felt like they weren't taking any thyroid meds at all, the same extreme tiredness and brain fog that they had for years before being diagnosed.

I know the last time I got my script the pills were tiny. I took them for a couple weeks then noticed the bottle said 30mg take two. My normal dosage is 60.

That's one of the strengths the company is having a problem keeping in stock.

http://thyroid.about.com/b/2009/08/18/thyroid-patients-survive-shortage-natural-desiccated-thyroid-drugs.htm

I'm surprised the pharmacist didn't put a bright red label on the bottle warning you to take 2 pills to get the dosage.

Anyway I've beenthe the above symptoms, and I have them now. It happens this time of a day, sometimes, not always.

What is "this time of day"? If it's morning, before you had anything substantial to eat, it just might be low blood sugar. Instead of eating some fruit then holding breakfast until you get to work, try having your oats before you leave and cut back on the fruits a bit.

But this high uncohearent is strange.

I've had brain fog off and on, complete with slurred speech at times, for over 25 years now when my sugars are low. Whenever my BP was low I would just feel a bit lightheaded if I stood up too fast, never really brain fog. But remember, everyone is different. Do I remember correctly that you have a BP machine at home? If so, start keeping a log again and see what changes are occuring at different times of the day and after various activities. If the BP stays the same, then look into the blood sugars.

[ncyg46]

when I went to the three day celebrity chef weekend last year...I had my blood tested. I was within range at 3.83 but Dr. McDougall told me to talk to my dr and start taking something...he wanted it at 2.0 or so... my doctor prescribed Synthroid and then without telling me changed it to the generic levothyroxin. it seems to be doing okay. I will be retested in a month or two.....last time I was under 2.0.