islandmonkey Member

What made your doctor say you were a bit hyper? Did he/she just test TSH, or did they also test your free T3 and free T4? If you're on a T4-only med like Synthroid or Levothyroxine, it's especially important to get your free T3 tested. 20% of your body's T3 hormone would have come from your thyroid, so without one you're…

I wouldn't worry too much about that - it's smaller doses than a supplement, plus you want to live your lifestyle....your meds will get adjusted to work with it. Ex: I wait an hour after my meds, but then I have coffee with cream!

You might be on too low of a dose - how many grains are you on? Has your doctor tested your free T3 lately? (Make sure to take your Armour [i[after[/i] your morning labs, or it can artifically inflate the free T3 result)

In the US you can actually order your own bloodwork through First Choice Labs, it's $35 for the free T3 test but I'm not sure what the other prices are. If that helps by eliminating a doctor's visit?

Cruciferous veggies don't actually block the absorption of synthroid. They block the body's ability to use iodine to create thyroid hormones; so they don't impact the thyroid hormone provided by synthroid. As well, once cooked they have very little impact. I would also worry more about soy than I would about dairy!

TSH is a pituitary hormone, therefore it does not directly test your thyroid - it only tests what your pituitary thinks your thyroid is doing. Ergo, you cannot directly test the thyroid by testing TSH. You can differ all you want - but the facts are the facts. I wasn't saying it was used to test for pituitary disorders,…

Dosage really depends on each person - with no thyroid it's a little easier to manage the dose, actually - but it also depends on your size, activity level etc. While I'm usually a proponant of dessicated meds I've heard they can be difficult for someone with zero thyroid function. What were your issues that you…

I have heard that. :( I honestly doubt she'll even discuss a synthetic T3 (in the US it's cytomel, not sure what the brand name is in the UK). If she won't, then look at supplementing with selenium, zinc, iron and copper and see if that helps you feel better.

Goitrogenic foods interrupt thyroid function by blocking the body's ability to create thyroid hormones with iodine. So as someone without a thyroid, who gets their thyroid hormones solely from meds, most of these foods wouldn't be an issue. Soy is a bit different and can also interfere with the body's ability to convert T4…

I think you mean with correct meds, correct calories, and exercise.

I had my thyroid out 4 months ago. The poster above is incorrect - it is NOT about getting appropriate TSH levels. TSH is a pituitary hormone, not a thyroid one. You need to get your free T3 and free T4 levels tested and make sure they are optimal (and not just 'within normal range"). If you're on a T4-only med like…

^^ This. Please go get your thyroid properly checked, especially since it was enlarged.

If you google "goitrogenic foods" you can find lists; wikipedia has a good one. If you head to a natural health food store they should be able to give you info on a good B complex supplement. Some people can't absorb it well in pill form so there are also injections you can get, but I'd give the B complex a try.

That free T4 is just above the normal range, so depending on how you're feeling you may or may not be (slightly) overmedicated. Has your doctor ever tested your free T3? When I was on T4-only meds I needed my free T4 REALLY high to get my free T3 high enough, because my body wasn't able to convert the synthetic T4 into T3.…

It can take a long time for your thyroid to die off after RAI - months, or even years. I agree with the other poster re: iron, B12 etc. Check out Stop The Thyroid Madness for info on low cortisol. Personally I think your body is still recovering from the RAI, and I think you'll need to be on top of testing and…

You do need to find a good thyroid doctor, but I wouldn't assume an endo is the way to go as they often just focus on diabetes. Is your holistic practitioner able to prescribe meds? Will they test your free T3 and free T4 levels? I would definitely not go back to the doctor who said your thyroid was "fine", especially…

You need many vitamins and minerals for the 3 main phases of the thyroid hormone system. First step - creating thyroid hormones: you primarily need iodine, as it's the building block for thyroid hormones. It's rare for North Americans to be iodine deficient. However, goitrogenic foods and inhibit the body's ability to use…

A different way of viewing this is that hypothyroid causes low progesterone, which causes estrogen dominance. Therefore many people who have estrogen dominance actually have thyroid issues.

That seems REALLY weird to be on 3 thyroid meds...should be on 2 max (synthetic T3 and synthetic T4 together). What are you taking??

This is incorrect. Your medication will be your sole source of thyroid hormone, but your levels will still fluctuate and should be checked every six months. You levels can fluctuate do to weight change, pregnancy, hormones. etc....I have had mine adjusted many times [/quote] Both of these are correct, each in their own…

I believe you need B6 to make the B12 work, so the B complex sounds good.

There are a number of things you can do - the antibodies basically get all riled up when your immune system does, so anything that calms your immune system down helps reduce the antibodies (and therefore reduce their constant attack on your thyroid, which helps levels out your hormones). Accupuncture helps a lot of people.…

Please make sure you get the actual test numbers from your doctor, and not just their interpretation of the results. They probably just tested TSH, which is actually a pituitary hormone - and the "normal range" is hotly debated. If the number is over 2.0, then please demand further testing of your actual thyroid hormones -…

That all sounds like hypo symptoms to me, even the not sleeping well. I would make sure to take the fibre at LEAST 4 hours away from the thyroid meds - fibre binds to the meds and basically flushes them out of your system before they can be fully absorbed. Have you been feeling that way since adding the fibre? If so I'd…

Ah ok, I flip through a LOT of posts so obviously got it mixed up. I still stand by my comment that if one is on a T4-only med (synthroid, levothyroxine etc) you should be very aware of symptoms and still get free T3 checked, to make sure your body is converting appropriately. I think I've just seen SO many people unhappy…

Did she confirm that YOUR body is effectively converting the T4 into T3 by looking at your free T3 and free T4 results, and by testing your B12, iron, ferritin, selenium, and zinc levels? Did she discuss that the molecular structure of synthroid/levothyroxine T4 is not bioidentical to your body's natural T4, and therefore…

Missed periods are generally found more with hyperthyroid, but every person is different in how they respond. What were your last free T3 and free T4 results? If you want to hear from ladies with experience, please join this group. Don't worry, it's also for post-baby or even no-baby people, just happens to be hosted on…

Has your doctor given you information on how to reduce your Hashi's antibodies? Does your doctor test your free T3 and free T4, or just your TSH?

Ugh, your doctor doesn't know anything about thryoid meds apparently - Armour and Nature Thyroid are FDA regulated just like synthroid. She has just bought in to the big pharma mass marketing. When you say "all" your levels are "within normal range", a few things come up for me: 1) is she just testing TSH, or is she…

How did your doctor test your thyroid? Did they just test your TSH? Did they give you the actual numbers or did they just say "it's normal"? TSH is a pituitary hormone, not a thyroid one, but it's the first test done. Most doctors also use the incorrect range for TSH, telling people they are "normal" when they may not be.