Thyroid problems and not on the medication

moncheree86

Ok i have had Hoshimotos since i was 15 it runs in my family , for years i have been told i need to be on the medication. I however have never had health insurance until recently and have never been on the medication. I have heard conflicting stories as to if it will aid weight loss or hinder it. My question is, is it really all that important to have the prescription meds or can it be managed with proper diet and vitamins and still lose the wieght without it continuously going up and down?

islandmonkey

It depends on the degree of hypo, and on your particular body. Many people feel they are able to manage it somewhat successfully by keeping their immune system calm - through stress management, yoga, accupuncture, gluten-free diet, etc. This keeps the antibodies down, and without those attacking your thyroid it's sometimes able to function properly.

But in some ways that's like asking if you can run your car without ever filling up the gas, you know? Hashi's generally makes your body deficient in something (thyroid hormone) and there's no guarantee that managing the autoimmune part (keeping the antibodies down) will ensure you have proper thyroid function. i.e. the Hashi's antibodies attacking your thyroid might not be the only thing making your hypo, so getting rid of them is no guarantee.

To find out, I would first get baseline labs done to see where you're at: TSH, free T3, free T4, hashi's antibodies (anti-TPO abs).

I'd also check where you're at with the vitamins and minerals involved in either production of thyroid hormone, conversion of T4 hormone into T3 hormone, or expression of T3 at the cellular site: Vit D, iron, ferritin, B12, selenium, iron, and zinc.


Meds: there are different med options, and the people who are unhappy on their meds are generally either undermedicated, or incorrectly medicated. The default med prescribed is a synthetic T4-only like Synthroid or Levothyroxine. Most people do infinitely better on a natural dessicated med like Nature Thyroid or Armour. That's because most hypo people, especially those with Hashi's, can't convert the synthetic T4 very efficiently so don't have enough fuel for their cells (T3). If money is a worry, I've heard of people getting Nature Thyroid at Walgreen's for less than $10/month.


Final note: I've got no idea what your future plans look like, but just to mention that if you're life plans include getting pregnant at any point in your future you MUST have your thyroid properly managed. Improperly managed thyroid disease causes recurrent miscarriage, risk of birth defects, or even infertility.

moncheree86

good to know... i've already had two kids while it was being managed by my doctor. No plans for any more babies in the future and also no risk of it . Boyfriend is sterile and I am on Merena. However i do need to make an appointment with my doctor to see where my levels are at and how I should manage it. I have had heard success stories from women who never sought out the medication.

fiberartist219

I personally feel a lot better on the meds. I don't think I would be able to function without them. I might be alive, but I don't know how I'd hold down a job, because I'm pretty sure that I'd be sleeping 15 hours a day if I wasn't medicated.

If you feel ok, that's the main thing. If you don't, well then, you should get it treated. I find that the meds are not very expensive. I think my Levothyroxine is $13 a month without insurance. The testing might be more expensive without insurance, but I would gladly pay it if I had to. I want to say my blood tests are around $200 without insurance, but maybe $40 with..... Considering what my time is worth, and how much of it would be spent sleeping or in a fog on the couch, I will pay whatever I have to so that I can be awake and functioning.

For awhile I was on my husband's insurance, which had a $3000 deductible, so everything for the first three grand was out of pocket, so that's how I know the prices. Now that I'm on insurance from my employer (rather than his) it's a lot cheaper.

As far as weight loss goes, I am not sure how much control I have over it. There have been times where I'd work out and count calories, and nothing would happen other than I'd just get more exhausted and tired and puffy. Now that my hormones are not at hypo levels anymore, I think I am closer to what normal person would experience.

You should always eat right and exercise regardless of weight, but if you find that you can't lose or gain based on your activity and eating habits, the meds might be worth a shot.