Thyroid Issues- can they ever be resolved? page

[VeggieLover]

Since 2008 when I had thyroiditis, my thyroid has never been the same. Yet at the same time I was on Accutane to help with skin problems, and coincidence or not, my hormones have never been the same. I lost my period and my thyroid has been Hypo since then.

I was put on a compounded formulation of t4 and t3, but I decided to go back to see a new endocrinologist to make sure there wasn't we were not missing.

She put me on Levothyroxine (at a much lower dose) and then Cytomel. She said she had never seen someone on such a high dose of compounded medication before and either I am not absorbing it, or there is a difference between compounded/generic.

Anyone have success using either one of these thyroid medications? I am at a loss. Can they ever be resolved?

[Drumroll]

Your symptoms will probably never resolve 100%, unfortunately, but with a healthy diet, good exercise, and good stress management, you can probably heal the majority of the damage and even, someday, an ambitious goal, get of the thyroid meeds. For now, keep up with them and maintain the hope!

[boxcarguy07]

you should be eating raw thyroid gland or at least freeze-dried thyroid pills

[Yaya76]

Last year, I was diagnosed with Graves Disease/Hyperthyroid. My doctor wanted to put me on meds, but I refused. I found a naturopathic doctor and she said change your diet. I changed my diet a little and my numbers got better. Then I ended up getting another illness and got serious. I starting juicing and stopped drinking sodas, etc and my last test results came back all normal. So, I believe it is possible to get your thyroid working, but I think you would have to be off the meds and change your diet. Good Luck!

[Trekkie]

I've been on Levothyroxine for years. No issues. I developed hpothyroidism at age 26.

I would be hesitant to muck about without a real doctor involved. I would seriously follow his/her direction and get stable on the hormone replacement. While doing that follow the primal plan. You at first should have a doctor checking our levels regularly, if ata follow up something changes its not like the doctor would keep you on it. If it makes a difference on going primal, they will see it in the blood tests.

[JamesS]

Hypothyroidism can be resolved, but the source of the problem would have to be addressed. and there is no single cause of hypothyroidism. Instead there is a number of things that can cause hypothyroidism including hormone issues, adrenal dysfunction, hypothalamic or pituitary dysfunction, low iodine, low cAMP, Hashimoto's, etc.

Thyroid hormones such as Synthroid or Armour actually suppress the thyroid even further by substituting for the thyroid gland causing it to atrophy. Same for consuming the thyroid gland from animals.

Trying to find out what is causing the low thyroid will take some work and a lot more information.

In your case though it sounds like elevated estrogen, which suppresses the thyroid. This would not cause the acne though. High testosterone, which is the precursor for estrogen can cause acne.

I recommend focusing on your hormones first.

The liver is the primary regulator for estrogen breaking down excess estrogen through a process known as methylation. Therefore, the liver requires methyl donors requiring B6, B12 and folate or a stronger methyl donor such as trimethylglycine (TMG).

The estrogen metabolites generated by the breakdown of estrogens us further broken down by the intestinal flora, which are maintained by the consumption of fibers.

Meats and dairy are gong to contain estrogens even if organic. Therefore, a diet higher in plants is recommended. All plants e consume contain compounds known as phytoestrogens that occupy estrogen receptors blocking the considerably stronger effects of real estrogens, while exerting an extremely weak estrogenic effect. By having this duel effect phytoestrogens actually have a balancing effect on estrogen levels.

Phytoestrogens are slightly goitrogenic though, but this can be easily countered by the ingestion of iodine, which is also an estrogen antagonist. Be careful not to go overboard on iodine though as this can lead to iodism. Seaweeds are the best way to get iodine.

One other thing I would recommend right now would be zinc, which also helps with hormone regulation. The recommended dose is 50mg total daily with meals.

[VeggieLover]

I know i need to figure out the cause, which I am working on right now, but will not go off meds. I also want to know about Armour thyroid and if switching makes a difference? Can switching from different meds help you feel better/worse? what is the success rate with armor?

[marcadav]

I know i need to figure out the cause, which I am working on right now, but will not go off meds. I also want to know about Armour thyroid and if switching makes a difference? Can switching from different meds help you feel better/worse? what is the success rate with armor?

How any one person does on any particular thyroid hormone replacement is person specific. Some people (good T4 to T3 converters) do well on a T4 med (Synthroid, levothyroxine) alone.

Other people do well on Armour or other T4/T3 combos. Some find the amount of T3 in Armour too high and add in a T4 med to balance things. Armour (dessicated pig thyroid ) has a higher T3 to T4 ratio than the human thyroid.

Then again others like a T4 med plus cytomel. And some people have issues with fillers of a specific brand of med.

My suggestion is to make sure FT4 and FT3 are tested. If those results are in, approximately, the same place in their respective ranges indicating ample conversion a T4 med might be the way to go.

If T3 is lower in it's range, than T4 is in it's range than additional T3 might be beneficial. Trial and error is needed to see if a combo med or a T4 plus a T3 med works.

Things that can help thyroid function include:
1. Getting 200mcg selenium/day
2. Optimal ferritin levels
3. Not going too low carb
4. Not going too low calorie
5. Optimal Vitamin D levels

[VeggieLover]

I just got new test results that pretty much show that everything is normal in terms of having no antibodies, did the cortisone test and that was a normal result too. I have high TSH and slightly low T3 and T4, so upping the dosage on that. I do take selenium and adrenal support supplements as well.

So from these tests does it mean I am just hypothyroid, not hashimotos?