Hashimoto Thyroiditis

[MyMississippi]

Before I decide to get treatment for a questionable hpothyroid condition---- I would like to know of those of you with Hashimoto (or hypothyroidism )---- Do you take Synthroid and does it make a REAL difference-- Are you MUCH better------ anyone use natural thyroid homones with GOOD results ????

Thanks !

[Live2BWell]

I was diagnosed with Hashimotos (Autoimmune Thyroiditis) in March. It's been a long road, and things are just now starting to get better - I didn't have great luck with doctors, but luckily I see a doctor now that is good, and things are stabling out. I am on Synthroid, and yes it does make a difference and yes I do feel better. I just got my celiac pannel back, and that came up positive, and while I did the gluten free challenge, I am going gluten free for good (started yesterday.)

I have heard of people using natural thyroid such as Armour, also with good results.

I really think it depends on the person and how their body reacts, but one thing I know for sure is that being treated for thyroid issues is essential. I never realized just how much a glitch the the thyroid gland can mess with the body, until my diagnosis.

Best of luck to you!

[georgie]

Before I decide to get treatment for a questionable hpothyroid condition---- I would like to know of those of you with Hashimoto (or hypothyroidism )---- Do you take Synthroid and does it make a REAL difference-- Are you MUCH better------ anyone use natural thyroid homones with GOOD results ????

I was finally dx in 2006 with Hashimotos after a borderline dx in 1977 and told it 'didn't matter'. After a lifetime of "CFS" I found the cure ....

I have used T4 meds ( synthroid/thyroxine), slow release T3 , combination of T4 meds and sr T3, and also Armour and can say that , for me, the Armour is vastly superior. I can feel it working ! My heart flutters a little when the T3 gets to work but I multi dose the Armour , and it isn't a major problem. With time that should improve - but after 30 years of low thyroid I probably have some heart damage.

[ShayFL]

I use Armour. And I LOVE IT!! I tried Synthroid and it made me violently ill. I will never touch it again.

I was told my thyroid was fine for 10 years when the reality was I was hypothyroid. Once I got wind of the new ranges for TSH and took a copy to my doctor, he immediately dx Hypothyroid and put me on medication. 10 years of suffering........Due to stupid lab ranges being wrong.

Anyway, the symptoms I have related to thyroid go away when I am at the right dose. However, it changes from time to time. I know I need more when I get muscle twitching and numb lips. I just had to increase 15 mg last week. It has been a year long process getting me up to a good dose. With thyroid you have to be patient (not my strong point).

I multi-dose as well. 4 times a day in equally divided doses. I take it sublingually. 1 dose right when I wake up. 1 dose right before lunch. 1 dose before dinner. 1 dose before bedtime. I have a very regular schedule and rarely forget a dose because of this. I keep my pill box either in my pocket or close by. When taken sublingually most of it goes right into your blood stream. Some does get swallowed though and likely I could be on a smaller dose if I took on an empty stomach (and not right before eating). But this system works for me and always will as long as I am consistent. My doctor said the most IMPORTANT thing was to take my doses at roughly the same time everyday. However, no problems with the few times I forgot and doubled the next dosing.

AND THIS IS INTERESTING: My Mom was Dx Hashi's not with labwork. No. She never tested positive for antibodies. She got Dx when they removed her thyroid for cancer. Her doctor said the reason she didnt have antibodies in her blood was that there was little left of her thyroid to attack. My Mom is on Synthroid and complains of symptoms ALL the time. Her doctor goes by labs and wont increase her dose.

My sister has Hashi's and is on Levothroid and a small amount of Armour. The Levothroid alone did not relieve her symptoms, but when she added 30 mg of Armour all the colors in her world showed back up. She had energy. Lost weight. And is no longer depressed.

The bottom line is thyroid is tricky and you MUST find a good doctor who will work with you. You may be fine on straight Synthroid. You may need a different synthetic like my sister. You may not tolerate it at all and need Armour. Or a combination of both.

Best of luck to you!

[MaryJones2]

I also use Armour and love it. I would think it's important to know if you have a problem converting T3. My understanding is that if you do then the synthetics won't really help you because they are all T4.

[ShayFL]

That is an excellent point Janet. That is why you should get all of these tested:

TSH

FREE T4

FREE T3

And both antibodies

They MUST be the FREE.

If you take Synthroid for 6 weeks with no luck in symptom improvement, retest these same labs. If your T4 is in a good range (upper end) but your T3 is in the middle or lower you may benefit from adding some Armour.

I personally feel my best when my TSH is around .03 My Free T4 is in the upper quadrant and my Free T3 is at the very top or slightly over. (No hyper symptoms here).

I have a great doctor who uses a novel approach to treating thyroid. She doesnt just look at the lab sheet. She actually asks me how I feel.

[TedL]

I was diagnosed about 5 years ago and have been on Synthroid ever since. I initially felt a lot better, but then my health started declining again. After discovering that I had Celiac disease I started feeling better again on the gluten free diet, but have periodically struggled with fatigue and other symptoms. After trying to identify and eliminate other food triggers, I've decided to revisit the thyroid again.

About two weeks ago, I talked my Doctor into supplementing the Synthroid with synthetic T3 (cytomel). I started feeling significantly better after about 5 days and I'll be upping my dose again soon and see what happens. Sadly I'm now very skeptical about anything working well for the long term, but I'll have to see how it goes. If this doesn't work then I'll consider trying Armour, although my doctor isn't a big fan so I might need to go to someone else for that.

Regards,

Ted

[Fiddle-Faddle]

I have been on Synthroid for 6 years, and have felt very good. I had been on Synthroid 20 years ago, with NOT good results, and had switched to Levothroid or Levoxyl, and done well on those, but then had trouble FINDING them. So, with misgivings (because of all I'd read on line), I went back on Synthroid--but to my surprise, I've done very well on it.

I wonder if the people who DON'T do well on Synthroid might have more gluten-damage than those who DO do well on it?

[ShayFL]

A lot has to do with how well you convert T4 (Synthroid is T4 only) into T3 (the active form of thyroid). In my family, we dont convert well and that is why we do better on Armour (has T3 ready to go) or a combo of synthetic and Armour.

My Sister's labs looked perfect on Levoxyl but she felt like poo. Then adding the Armour which has T3 made all the difference.

[Gemini]

Before I decide to get treatment for a questionable hpothyroid condition---- I would like to know of those of you with Hashimoto (or hypothyroidism )---- Do you take Synthroid and does it make a REAL difference-- Are you MUCH better------ anyone use natural thyroid homones with GOOD results ????

Thanks !

I initially used Armour but it did not work well for me at all. However, I was diagnosed with Hashi's 15 years before I was diagnosed with celiac disease so it may not have been the Armour's fault as I was absorbing next to nothing by diagnosis time. Next, I was put on Levoxyl plus a compounded T3 formula. The dosage was pretty high for the Levoxyl but as I was not absorbing much, that was not a surprise. Hindsight is 20/20!

After diagnosis of celiac disease and 3 1/2 years gluten free, I just ditched the T3 formula because I was starting to have hyper symptoms. I do still have the Levoxyl at a higher dose because my thyroid auto-antibodies were in the ridiculous range and the doctor is trying to bring that down. Essentially, I am suppressing my TSH to knock down the autoimmune response. I have had no problems with Levoxyl whatsoever and am pleased I was able to cut one medication out. Hopefully, with more time gluten-free, maybe I can cut back on the Levoxyl also.

Make sure you go to a doctor who really knows what they are doing and is flexible regarding meds. Having a messed up thyroid is as bad as having end stage celiac disease and it can be deadly if it gets bad enough.

Also, Levoxyl is the generic form of Synthroid and Synthroid is kept at ridiculously high cost by the manufacturer. If you decide to use either one of these, try the Levoxyl first because it's very cheap and works as well as Synthroid.

[ShayFL]

Yes thyroid meds often take a lot of fine tuning. Some do great on straight Armour. Some find it has too much T3 for them. If you have trouble converting T4 to T3 then it is usually a better choice than Synthroid/Levoxyl. But everyone is unique. Some people even do best on straight T3.

I take my Armour sublingually so I do not have to worry about whether my intestines are absorbing well. It has worked for me so far.