Synthetic vs. real thyroid meds???

[faith]

I take Levothroid 75 mg. Dr. prescribed this over 10 years ago. It's supposed to NOT be a generic, as far as I know. But, I often wonder why I am not on snythroid. It's seems to be most prescribed. I hope you feel better soon.

 

[Christine]

ok, i'm not 100% sure i'm following you, but i like how you explained things... i have been on the same dose i'm at for a very long time, i alternate 137/150's. everytime i try 150's everyday i get these dizzy spells where i literally feel like i got hit with a brick and the world spins, sometimes for several minutes straight and then i stay slightly dizzy for hours. since i am the only driver in my family, i can't risk it. also the heart palpitations are BAD!
my TSH was at almost 6 last test, which was a few weeks ago, and now i feel MUCH worse, so i'm guessing if i was re-tested it would be higher.. i can feel when things are wrong, i'm sure you know what i mean.

i'm also in a family of thyroid cancer patients and that scares the heck outta me!

lowie,
A TSH of 6 is really not healthy. And even if you went to taking the 150s everyday, I doubt you would still even get your TSH into the normal range. At best, you would probably be on the "edge" of normal at around 3.0.

I have to tell you--your reaction to taking 150 mg of Synthroid everyday is unusual. I read the thyroid listserv daily and there are all kinds of complaints and yours I have not come across. It is possible to get heart palps and dizziness from being hyperthyroid, but you are so far from that, that this cannot be the answer. But I believe you have a valid complaint because no one would willingly subject themselves to being hypothyroid and live with a TSH of 6.

Getting back to the natural thyroid. I can't see where this is going to help you. In fact, since it has T3 in it (and you seem to be sensitive to thyroid hormone) it may be worse. Most people who go on a combo therapy (either Armour Thyroid or Synthroid/Cytomel) do so because of conversion problems. Their TSH numbers look great but they feel awful. I have been through this myself and tried the T4/T3 combo. After 2 weeks, I felt like I was in menopause because I kept having hot flashes at my desk. Not fun. Oh, and I didn't feel any better.

I don't know what the answer is. I think you need to make sure that you are with a good endocrinologist who is willing to do a bit of *detective* work. Has your doctor considered using the natural thyroid?

 

[Christine]

I take Levothroid 75 mg. Dr. prescribed this over 10 years ago. It's supposed to NOT be a generic, as far as I know. But, I often wonder why I am not on snythroid. It's seems to be most prescribed. I hope you feel better soon.

I took Levothroid for years. Back when Synthroid didn't make the 137 dose, Levothroid was the only one who did. It is not a generic and is a very good brand of thyroid medication.

 

[hiwaygal]

my doctor treats me for numbers and symptoms.. so even if i'm in the normal range if i feel like junk she'll still offer a higher dose, my body just can't handle more synthroid.

You are very lucky.

I see a PA now (with my doc kinda "watching over" her shoulder)...it's just easier to talk to her and she is genuinely concerned about how I feel...but I just don't think she has all the necessary information.

We tried the Synthroid/Cytomel combo and for me, it didn't help. I took that combo for about a year and didn't really notice a difference.

I am thinking about seeing an endocrinologist...too many things are going on and I need some answers. At this point, I believe I am also pre-diabetic now and something needs to change (for the better).

I hope you find something that works well for you...

 

[lowie]

lowie,
A TSH of 6 is really not healthy. And even if you went to taking the 150s everyday, I doubt you would still even get your TSH into the normal range. At best, you would probably be on the "edge" of normal at around 3.0.

I have to tell you--your reaction to taking 150 mg of Synthroid everyday is unusual. I read the thyroid listserv daily and there are all kinds of complaints and yours I have not come across. It is possible to get heart palps and dizziness from being hyperthyroid, but you are so far from that, that this cannot be the answer. But I believe you have a valid complaint because no one would willingly subject themselves to being hypothyroid and live with a TSH of 6.

Getting back to the natural thyroid. I can't see where this is going to help you. In fact, since it has T3 in it (and you seem to be sensitive to thyroid hormone) it may be worse. Most people who go on a combo therapy (either Armour Thyroid or Synthroid/Cytomel) do so because of conversion problems. Their TSH numbers look great but they feel awful. I have been through this myself and tried the T4/T3 combo. After 2 weeks, I felt like I was in menopause because I kept having hot flashes at my desk. Not fun. Oh, and I didn't feel any better.

I don't know what the answer is. I think you need to make sure that you are with a good endocrinologist who is willing to do a bit of *detective* work. Has your doctor considered using the natural thyroid?

the doctor also isn't 100% sure that the dizziness and palps are from the 150 but it ONLY happens when i take 150 every day, at one point she wanted to send me to a neurologist to check it out but i refused... cause in my gut i know i'm right. I see my doctor next week so i'll update for sure!
thanks so much for all the help!

 

[SandrainNC]

I'm back again. Also check out this website. I am reading this book right now and it pretty much talks about doctors paying too much attention to the TSH and not to the patient which is so wrong. That is exactly what is happening to me. I am miserable but I was told that my "TSH is very happy" so they refuse to up my Armour. Armour is supposed to be so much better because it has everything your thyroid would have in it (since it is a ground up thyroid) instead of just T4. I used to be on synthroid myself and it didn't help at all.

http://www.type2hypothyroidism.com/

Sandra

 

[lowie]

I'm back again. Also check out this website. I am reading this book right now and it pretty much talks about doctors paying too much attention to the TSH and not to the patient which is so wrong. That is exactly what is happening to me. I am miserable but I was told that my "TSH is very happy" so they refuse to up my Armour. Armour is supposed to be so much better because it has everything your thyroid would have in it (since it is a ground up thyroid) instead of just T4. I used to be on synthroid myself and it didn't help at all.

http://www.type2hypothyroidism.com/

Sandra

that site is a little weird.. it shows all those really old black and white pictures... is there any scientific proof to what that doctor claims. almost all of the women in my family have hashimoto's thyroiditis and none of us are hairless, have shrunken noses or bags under the eyes, or stunted growth. dark circles, yes!

 

[Christine]

Armour is supposed to be so much better because it has everything your thyroid would have in it (since it is a ground up thyroid) instead of just T4. I used to be on synthroid myself and it didn't help at all.

http://www.type2hypothyroidism.com/

Sandra

This is just not true. Armour *may* be better for some people, but even in that case, most doctors would prefer to prescribe Synthroid and Cytomel--both synthetics that would give T3/T4. Yes, it is a ground up thyroid, but it is ground up "pig" or "cow" thyroid.

The thyroid gland makes both T3 and T4 and the body converts some T4 into T3 also. If you lose your gland and just take T4, your body will convert some of that T4 into the exact amount of T3 that you need. There are some people, a small minority, that have a problem with this conversion. It can be easily determined by taking a blood test that measures your T3.

Now, I'm not trying to say that Synthroid is an equal substitute for a properly functioning thyroid gland--it's not. But Armour is no miracle cure and, if it was, the doctors would continue to prescribe it. I know that many doctors are in the "pockets" are pharmaceutical companies, but most that I have been too also don't want to see their patients suffer. But they are very uncomfortable with prescribing Armour.

 

[SandrainNC]

I know that many doctors are in the "pockets" are pharmaceutical companies, but most that I have been too also don't want to see their patients suffer. But they are very uncomfortable with prescribing Armour.

Exactly!! More money is to be made off of Synthroid. Read the book. I am almost done and it makes a lot of sense. The man who wrote it has helped a lot of people get well. He is a patient himself and learned over years and years that the synthetic isn't doing its job.

Also Mary Shomon's book is "Living Well with Hypothyroidism".

Oh, and the author learned from an older guy who was doing studies and those pictures ARE very old. Before lab tests, hypothyroid was treated by listening to the patients symptoms and testing basal temperature. They used to take before and after picatures of the patients as part of their practice and it is not done anymore. So those old pictures were from that time period. They gave medication until the patient felt well instead of relying on the blood tests and the blood tests alone.

http://www.brodabarnes.org/ This is the guy that the author studied under (he has now passed away).

And neither of my doctors were uncomfortable with prescribing Armour. I asked and I got it. Now increasing it is a different story.

Sandra

 

[SandrainNC]

Here is a yahoo site that is moderated by Mary Shomon.

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/thyroid/

A lot of these people have been dealing with this for years so they know more about it than I do. Just in case you are interested.

Sandra

 

[madgomez]

I have been hypothyroid for about 15 years - did Synthroid, levoxin, synthroid with cytomel (that's T4 and T3), and finally, after much research and reading, asked to try Armour. It was the best thing I ever did. For me, personally, it worked wonders. I think it is a very individual thing, and you might want to try - just remember it can take 6 weeks or more to tell if there is a difference.

What I learned was that our thyroid gland produces not only T3 and T4, but T1, T2, and T5 as well. Our good doctors have not figured out exactly what all of these do for us.

Armour is the only treatment that provides everything the thyroid would produce - T1 thru T5. Yes, it's from a cow, but Synthroid is ONLY T4, and Cytomel is ONLY T3. I believe, that in my personal case, it is that something else in the Armour that makes me feel much closer to normal than I did on any other treatment.

If five different substances are produced, I don't believe it's for no reason, just because our research hasn't figured out what the reasons are.

JMHO YMMV