Thyroid Meds and going Primal page 2

[naiadknight]

This is n=1 from my perspective. I can't guarantee any of this, it's jsut what I experienced.
Carb flu was an utter bitch. I felt like I had the actual flu, minus the joint pain. It went away after a few days for me, that I recall.
My med dosage did eventually need to be lower. I have so far gone from .15 mg levothyroxine to .088, and I think it needs to drop again. BUT, this is after almost 3 years of experimentation and reasonably steady primal.
I will note that my particular thyroid actually prefers me to have a higher carb level than VLC. I thrive between 75- 150 g, even losing weight at that level. Your mileage may vary. Start with Mark's carb curve and adjust after you've given that a true, fair shake, IF necessary.

[stella81]

Just checked my email for the first time and saw all the responses - thank you!

To answer some of your questions...I've been GF/DF for 5 years (actually 8, but three of those years I was unintentionally poisoning myself by not reading labels properly in a non-English speaking country). I have a long history of digestive issues, did notice a difference going GF but certainly didn't resolve all my problems. After reading 'Primal Body Primal Mind' now wonder I'm cross-reactive with other grains? Part of the reason I'm trying primal.

I started Armour in April this year. Am Hypothyroid not Hashi's, sorry don't have test results to hand. Also diagnosed with adrenal fatigue at the same time - so yes, adrenals certainly could have been the issue. Just to sweeten the deal I also have messed up hormones (abnormally low levels of oestrogen). So there's no doubt in my mind this is all interconnected and the reason I'm trying to tackle a change in diet, among other things. My health has been worsening for the past two years, and I suffer from pretty constant fatigue. I actually thought I had chronic fatigue prior to my hypothyroid diagnosis.

I think I'm going to transition onto the diet a bit more slowly, even though this goes against what Nora G suggests in her book. Doing some reading yesterday it seemed that for some people this yielded better results.

Anyway, thanks again everyone for being so generous with your time. Much appreciated.

[RobinNM]

You need iodine! Massive doses of iodine!! And supplements!! Handfuls of supplements!!

Okay, don't tell me you all weren't thinking any of this in your heads. Really sorry if that's in bad taste, but it's where my mind went.

Did you have any of these symptoms after you went on the Armour or just the day after you ate your first primal meal? The one thing you do want to keep an eye on while you're working through the changes is the iodine content of your food. No, I'm not going all whackadoo on anyone, but iodine does play a part in thyroid function, as we all know. If you have been on thyroid meds for a while, your thyroid may lose any ability to process the hormone if it had some ability to start with, and so iodine content in food can play a part in how you are reacting to things.

Just a thought to keep in mind. The symptoms you described were more from the hyper end of the scale, so do keep an eye on your blood levels.

[stella81]

Thanks for your reply RobinNM. I thought you weren't meant to supplement with iodine while on Armour? Does anyone know if that's true? My reaction (i.e. the racing heart) was just on the day I went primal, not at any other time. I have a feeling I'll be checking in with my naturopath and doctor next week...

You need iodine! Massive doses of iodine!! And supplements!! Handfuls of supplements!!

Okay, don't tell me you all weren't thinking any of this in your heads. Really sorry if that's in bad taste, but it's where my mind went.

Did you have any of these symptoms after you went on the Armour or just the day after you ate your first primal meal? The one thing you do want to keep an eye on while you're working through the changes is the iodine content of your food. No, I'm not going all whackadoo on anyone, but iodine does play a part in thyroid function, as we all know. If you have been on thyroid meds for a while, your thyroid may lose any ability to process the hormone if it had some ability to start with, and so iodine content in food can play a part in how you are reacting to things.

Just a thought to keep in mind. The symptoms you described were more from the hyper end of the scale, so do keep an eye on your blood levels.

[marcadav]

Just checked my email for the first time and saw all the responses - thank you!

To answer some of your questions...I've been GF/DF for 5 years (actually 8, but three of those years I was unintentionally poisoning myself by not reading labels properly in a non-English speaking country). I have a long history of digestive issues, did notice a difference going GF but certainly didn't resolve all my problems. After reading 'Primal Body Primal Mind' now wonder I'm cross-reactive with other grains? Part of the reason I'm trying primal.

I started Armour in April this year. Am Hypothyroid not Hashi's, sorry don't have test results to hand. Also diagnosed with adrenal fatigue at the same time - so yes, adrenals certainly could have been the issue. Just to sweeten the deal I also have messed up hormones (abnormally low levels of oestrogen). So there's no doubt in my mind this is all interconnected and the reason I'm trying to tackle a change in diet, among other things. My health has been worsening for the past two years, and I suffer from pretty constant fatigue. I actually thought I had chronic fatigue prior to my hypothyroid diagnosis.

I think I'm going to transition onto the diet a bit more slowly, even though this goes against what Nora G suggests in her book. Doing some reading yesterday it seemed that for some people this yielded better results.

Anyway, thanks again everyone for being so generous with your time. Much appreciated.

Informational inserts for all thyroid meds warn that adrenal issues need to be address FIRST. Also, hormones have a hierarchy, with adrenal hormones ahead of thyroid and thyroid ahead of sex hormones. This may, in part ,explain the down regulation of thyroid and sex hormones.

So the question I have is, what is your medical professional doing to address the higher hierarchy of hormonal disruption, which from what you have stated is adrenal fatigue? To complicate matters, dietary changes, while good in the long run, may add stress and in the face of already taxed hormonal systems create the issues you mentioned in your initial post.

[RobinNM]

Thanks for your reply RobinNM. I thought you weren't meant to supplement with iodine while on Armour? Does anyone know if that's true? My reaction (i.e. the racing heart) was just on the day I went primal, not at any other time. I have a feeling I'll be checking in with my naturopath and doctor next week...

You're right. You're not. I was making a bad joke based on the old Iodine thread and some of the posts therein. You don't want to supplement with iodine, and you do want to watch the iodine in the foods that you eat - eggs, for instance have about 20 mcg of iodine, so if you eat a lot of eggs, that can affect your levels. Seafood also has a lot of iodine as well. That was all I was trying to say (albeit badly).

[stella81]

My doctor put me on Bio-identical oestrogen and DHEA. I can't tolerate the oestrogen and have had to go off it. Also on maca and Shatavari but this is still very much early days and I don't think I've got a proper handle on everything yet. I can see a gradual approach is going to be the way to go...

Informational inserts for all thyroid meds warn that adrenal issues need to be address FIRST. Also, hormones have a hierarchy, with adrenal hormones ahead of thyroid and thyroid ahead of sex hormones. This may, in part ,explain the down regulation of thyroid and sex hormones.

So the question I have is, what is your medical professional doing to address the higher hierarchy of hormonal disruption, which from what you have stated is adrenal fatigue? To complicate matters, dietary changes, while good in the long run, may add stress and in the face of already taxed hormonal systems create the issues you mentioned in your initial post.

[stella81]

Sorry, newbie so didn't pick up the joke Thanks for info re: eggs. I may have to watch that as I do tend to eat a lot.

You're right. You're not. I was making a bad joke based on the old Iodine thread and some of the posts therein. You don't want to supplement with iodine, and you do want to watch the iodine in the foods that you eat - eggs, for instance have about 20 mcg of iodine, so if you eat a lot of eggs, that can affect your levels. Seafood also has a lot of iodine as well. That was all I was trying to say (albeit badly).

[jpatti]

Do you have your cortisol results that got you an adrenal fatigue diagnosis?

If you haven't done so, you need to get a 4x diurnal salivary cortisol test ASAP.

If you have a whacked out cortisol pattern, there is no dose of thyroid that will work. Adrenals have to be fixed FIRST.

Go here: Adrenals Web

[emmie]

Adrenals have to be fixed first--IF they are a problem initially.

I have Hashimoto's and have developed an ancillary auto-immune problem with my adrenals--ten years after my initial Hashi's diagnosis. The relation of this adrenal issue to Hashi's is well documented.

And although gluten sensitivity or celiac often correlates with Hashi's--there is no causitive effect. I went gluten free (completely grain free) with absolutely no improvement in terms of my thyroid issues.

I feel much better eating grain free because I'm convinced that I have some sensitivity to gluten, but that's all part of the same auto-immune problem that affects my thyroid and now my adrenals.

While there's good info on the Internet, there's no substitute for sound medical advice--and I am fortunate to have an excellent endo.