Thyroid disorders!

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  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    g_poleman wrote: »
    I have hashimotos. Thyroid meds are very sensitive. I would urge great caution using "thyroid supplements". Doctors are pretty easy going about using a generic med. Atorvastatin vs Lipitor. However, thyroid medication is really important to be consistent. Take it as directed the same time every day. Don't ever think "thyroid meds are crap, I can't tell a difference" and stop taking your medication. Thyroid medication, according to leading Endocronologists, should be brand only as the +/-15% of brand equivalent required of generics can make a really big difference. Pharmacists love for you to fill generic meds, they make a lot more money on generics than brand medication. Levothroid, Synthroid, Armour Thyroid (that one doesn't come in generic and won't ever so it's a no brainer).

    Coumadin is a blood thinner that also needs to be carefully monitored, but many folks don't. Warfarin is generic and super cheap. but... that + or - thing is critical with blood thinning agents. Also... because it's my two cents and you don't have to read this... Supplements are not FDA regulated and if there are "clinical studies" that's a big SO WHAT. Observational data isn't the same as double blind placebo controlled. Drug companies are big business... Do they suck? sometimes. However, big bad Pharma is always looking for more money. They jump through huge hurdles which is very expensive and time consuming. Most of the time they get it right. Most of the time. The FDA is always watching over them. Supplements? Nope. Supplements are drugs. They are substances you take to achieve a result. Nobody watching over them... or you. I would exercise caution and always talk with a well trained certified medical health practitioner. It's your life. Your one and only life. Make it the best.

    unless you are me, then its generic all the way - i had a horrible experience with synthroid and my levels got all jacked up - I had been stabled on generic (had been on it for 2yrs), my insurance/doctor changed, they would only prescribe synthroid and horrible horrible experience; back on levo now and its like night/day difference
  • CSARdiver
    CSARdiver Posts: 6,252 Member
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    Your thyroid impacts your Resting Energy Expenditure (REE) by ~5% - that's going from a fully treated patient to no hormone supplementation. What hypothyroid can impact is your appetite triggers so you may eat and never feel full, so that you end up eating volumes more that you believe you are. The other great impact is water weight. Anytime your hormones are imbalanced you cells take on additional water as a defense mechanism which results in a quick weight gain and "bloated" feeling.

    I had a total thyroidectomy in 2000 and believed much of the weight gaining BS common in the medical community. I put on ~70 lbs over the next 14 years. About this time my wife was using MFP to lose the baby weight from our third child and I tried it out. I lost 60 lbs the first year. I researched the work of Jeffrey S. Brown, who revolutionized the treatment of hypothyroid athletes.

    As for branded vs. generic go with generic if you can simply due to price. There is no functional difference between products as generic must meet the same testing that the brand established. With the increased regulatory demand most of the active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) are the same. There may be differences in the inactive ingredients, so keep accurate logs and contact the respective pharmacovigilance department if you experience an adverse event.

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