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momof9 Offline OP
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Hi Jim and readers,
I'm really new to forums so I hope I do this right. I recently started going to a new doctor for my hypothyroid and he put me on levothyroxin 25mcg. It did absolutely nothing for me, in fact i got worse--so tired i could not drag myself out of bed in the morning to run like I had been. After a month i called him ( i live about 95 miles away) and asked him to go up to 1 grain? like i was on when i was on Armour. He says that is too much but he did raise the dosage to 50 mcg. But still no change and still feeling really bad. My question is first, what is the difference between "grains", "mcg's", and the other designations i have seen like .1mg? Also, i had a nurse friend tell me that it really sounds like i had adrenal gland issues. I read your articles related to sub-clinical adrenal fatigue and it really sounds like it could be me. [I also am putting on weight to the tune of 8+ lbs/mo, and over the last 2 years i have noticed that the more I exercise the worse my weight gain seems to get. I have gained like that for about the last 3-4 months, in spite of exercising 3-4 times a week, except this last month because of being exhausted.] Why is my doctor so afraid to up the dosage, and is there maybe a problem with my body utelizing the Levothyroxin, as opposed to the Armour. When I first started to take the Armour I had tremendous results, but then after 2/3 months started to feel bad again so I tried a new doctor(for lots of other reasons as well), but this med is even worse. I know this is quite long, but i have another appointment next Wed and want to go in prepared. Thanks for any help

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Hi mom, welcome to the forum, we hope that you enjoy your stay!
Rosie


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Shark
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momof9,

It's good to see you here at the forum!

First, as I often advize fellow thyroid patients and something I'm a stickler for, is making sure your Dr. is treating you adequately. When I say this, it's never meant to cast doubt on a Dr. but the doctor-patient relationship is greatly dependent upon strong communications. For example, when a treated patient details their symptoms and the unresolved ones include constipation and dry skin, this should be a red flag to the Doc that the dose of thyroid hormone replacement may not high be high enough. If he then reviews most recent blood retests and sees that TSH is not too low or T4 & T3 not to high to increase the dose, there's no reason in the world that he wouldn't do so. I will say that unfortunately there are Dr.s who will not budge in this area due to their fears of over-treating patients and making them hyperthyroid. This won't happen however if blood retests clearly show levels aren't at risk for this.
I feel patients should get copies of blood restest results to see if their Dr. is dosing them to proper level to relieve symptoms. If not and they discuss a more targeted therapy with their Dr. and he is reluctant, it's time to seek a second opinion by a qualified thyroid-treating doctor.
Many reputable endos & MDs that treat hypothyroidism, use "1.0" as a beginning TSH target range for replacement therapy and they like to see T4 and T3 at mid-range or between mid and high-normal (with Armour, T4 will stay lowish, so T3 is more important to monitor, along with TSH). The U.S. "HIPPA" law entitles you to copies of your lab results.

In regard to adrenal testing, in my opinion, saliva test kits that take 4 readings in a 24 hour period are the best for detecting adrenal fatigue. You'll want to make sure it's the problem before trying to booste your adrenals, just in case it is low adrenal function and not overactive (cushing's). Many Pharmacies carry the ZRT Labs brand of adrenal saliva test kits and more Dr.s are ordering them for patients, with growing recognition of adrenal fatigue. Your nurse recognizes it but is possible your Dr. does not and only recognizes full blown adrenal disease.
Also see this thread>>BellaOnline ALERT: Raw URLs are not allowed in these forums for security reasons. Please use UBB code. If you don't know how to do UBB code just post here for help - we will help out!

Last edited by JimLow - Thyroid Health; 12/12/08 05:43 PM.

Jim Lowrance
Thyroid Health
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momof9 Offline OP
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Thanks for the welcome and answers. I'm really looking forward to reading up on things and talking with my doctor about what I have learned and I hope we can get the dosage to the right amount soon. I really think I would like him to switch me back to Armour,though. By the way, my sister says that Naturethroid has been banned. Is this true? and why?

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Shark
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momof9,

I recently had a pharmacist tell me at Wal-Mart in my city, that they used to be able to get Naturethroid/Westhroid but that the mfg'r is saying they can no longer supply certain areas, so what your sister says may be true.
I'll try to find out more and post additional info as I get it.

Also see my new thread about the audio I have you can listen to free via a download link.


Jim Lowrance
Thyroid Health

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