Advice needed 4 sluggish thyroid

Question:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I also have a sluggish thyroid, also a family trait. However, my doctor is great. In his own words, "Well, you have all the symptoms, but your results are still in normal range. I don’t believe in waiting for something to be completely broke before we try to correct it." So he started me on 1 grain of Armour thyroid. (I know, every time I take the pill I sing "Hot dogs, Armour hot dogs, the dogs kids love to bite") Just the way my brain works. That said, he also suggested L-tyrosine (available at Whole Foods and GNC) as a supplement before he prescribed the thyroid meds. Hope this helps. Good Luck! Heather (in OZ) Okay, Kansas, but that’s Oz right? No…OZ is the place where you KNOW you’re not in Kansas anymore! How long have you been taking the L-tyrosine and how many grams per day? Jan

Honestly Jan, I haven’t been taking the L-tyrosine consistently. Reason being is because of the Armour thyroid prescription. I would probably feel better if I did, however, wanted to see if the prescription worked by itself. You know, wanting to see WHAT was working instead of doing everything at once. (If that makes sense). I think the doc is going to up the dosage on the prescription because I’m not seeing results from only 1 grain, I’ve been on the same dose since Thanksgiving. My mother takes 4 grains, the same as my maternal grandmother. So, I guess we’ll see.

Response:

Those are more indicative of hyPERthyroid than hypo…. strange.

I was thinking the same thing, when I was diagnosed with Graves disease (hyper) My eyes were buldging as well as my throat had a huge lump in it…also I could not stay awake longer than an hour at a time..it was pretty scarey, the dr. explained it as my body was acting as if it was running a full speed marathon 24-7 even while I slept, I had to eat just to try to STOP myself from losing weight,..it was a very scarey experience when we didn’t know what was happening and my parents swore I was on drugs Jessica Doing this for my 3 beautiful boys…. <3Nicholas <3Curtis <3Apostle http://hometown.aol.com/blukoolaid75/myhomepage/profile.html

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Thyroidium is a homeopathic "remedy", meaning that a few grains of sheep thyroid is diluted in a bathtub full’s worth of water or capsule filler. caveate emptor. —

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Newsgroups: alt.support.diet.low-carb I have been told by some medical professionals that the shape of my eyes can indicate throid problems, they kind of bulge out, a bit like a frog. Not a really attractive quality, but again, hereditary. I’ve read that bluging eyes are also a sign of over-active thyroid. In fact, that’s one of the things I have to watch for to make sure I’m not taking too much thyroid medication.

yup– "exophthalmos" as it’s called is generally associated with hyperthyroid as in graves’ disease. Anyway, I’m suprised they say you are low-normal and won’t treat you what with all the symptoms you are showing. Your symptoms seem much much stronger than mine! There’s several different types of thyroid problems that can be grouped together under the "sluggish thyroid" header. In one of them, your body starts producing antibodies that attack your own thyroid. I forgot the name of this syndrome but it’s a Japansese name beginning with a "T." A friend of mine had to have surgery

hashimoto’s thyroiditis. for this. And then there’s Wilson’s syndome, which might be the variant of hypothyroidism that I’m suffering from (I plan to talk to my doctor about this the next time I see her…the treatment I’m getting now will work for it, but there’s a more targetted treatment that I’d be interested to try if she thinks that Wilson’s is really my problem).

not having heard about wilson’s, i googled it and found that its validity as a disease is controversial, and there are a lot of alternative/homeopathic types of treatments on the internet. have you read this statement by the american thyroid association? http://www.thyroid.org/publications/statements/99_11_16_wilsons.html so i guess i’m just saying that your doctor probably won’t call your problem wilson’s syndrome. that’s not to say, however, that certain treatments shouldn’t be tried or won’t be successful. i hope it works out for you.

Response:

I’ve read that bluging eyes are also a sign of over-active thyroid. In fact, that’s one of the things I have to watch for to make sure I’m not taking too much thyroid medication. Anyway, I’m suprised they say you are low-normal and won’t treat you what with all the symptoms you are showing. Your symptoms seem much much stronger than mine! There’s several different types of thyroid problems that can be grouped together under the "sluggish thyroid" header. In one of them, your body starts producing antibodies that attack your own thyroid. I forgot the name of this syndrome but it’s a Japansese name beginning with a "T." A friend of mine had to have surgery for this. And then there’s Wilson’s syndome, which might be the variant of hypothyroidism that I’m suffering from (I plan to talk to my doctor about this the next time I see her…the treatment I’m getting now will work for it, but there’s a more targetted treatment that I’d be interested to try if she thinks that Wilson’s is really my problem). Laura

Response:

My doctor has had me on "Cytomel" now for about 2 months…I can see and feel the difference, it helps with my lack of thyroid causing much sluggishness and also weight coming off slowly…it has started coming off again…might want to check that out with your Dr. Jessica Doing this for my 3 beautiful boys…. <3Nicholas <3Curtis <3Apostle http://hometown.aol.com/blukoolaid75/myhomepage/profile.html

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -What do you mean by "symptoms, shape of eyes, early grey hair, feel the :: cold, stubborn weight, no periods at all … also PCOS. " I have been told by some medical professionals that the shape of my eyes can indicate throid problems, they kind of bulge out, a bit like a frog. Not a really attractive quality, but again, hereditary. I have hair that is turning white, on my head and body. I am only 35. Again that can be a symptom. This has been happening since I was in my mid twenties. I am cold sensitive…I don’t mind feeling cold, but I really feel it in my fingers and toes…. I don’t know if my thyroid is responsible for irregular periods as I have Poly Cystic Ovaries Syndrome. So who knows which came first… Does this make it clearer for you?

Those are more indicative of hyPERthyroid than hypo…. strange.

Response:

I have a slow thyroid gland, a family trait. According to the medical professionals it is functioning at the lower end of normal and does not require medication. However, I was wondering if anyone in here knows of any herbal supplements or homeopathic treatments that can increase thyroid function? I would be pleased to receive advice on this, thanks. Kosmos in Oz

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Just want to say thanks to you all for your replies and information. Will be going to hang round a few trusted health food shops this pay… Hopefully we will see some results in my weight figures.. and maybe I can just get my body functioning properly for a change. Kosmos in Oz 114kg/107.5kg/70ish kg Atkins (again) since 03 Feb 2003 A smile shared is a treasure !!

Response:

:: :: I have most of the symptoms, shape of eyes, early grey hair, feel the :: cold, stubborn weight, no periods at all … also PCOS. You name it, :: I have it LOL. :: What do you mean by "symptoms, shape of eyes, early grey hair, feel the :: cold, stubborn weight, no periods at all … also PCOS. "

I have been told by some medical professionals that the shape of my eyes can indicate throid problems, they kind of bulge out, a bit like a frog. Not a really attractive quality, but again, hereditary. I have hair that is turning white, on my head and body. I am only 35. Again that can be a symptom. This has been happening since I was in my mid twenties. I am cold sensitive…I don’t mind feeling cold, but I really feel it in my fingers and toes…. I don’t know if my thyroid is responsible for irregular periods as I have Poly Cystic Ovaries Syndrome. So who knows which came first… Does this make it clearer for you? Kosmos in Oz 114kg/107.5kg/70ish kg Atkins (again) since 03 Feb 2003 A smile shared is a treasure !!

Response:

good luck Thanks, I work in celsius too, as an Aussie…

ahhh cool I have had more damn blood & endocrine tests than I have had carbs in my life …. or so it seems.

me too. Unfortunately you dont have to give up. Arm yourself with research and take it to your doc. I have most of the symptoms, shape of eyes, early grey hair, feel the cold, stubborn weight, no periods at all … also PCOS. You name it, I have it LOL. Cannot get a doc to acknowledge that the symptoms are there to treat!!!

Otherwise, see an endocrinologist – might not agree but if you arm yourself with the knowledge they cant refute what you say.

Response:

No…OZ is the place where you KNOW you’re not in Kansas anymore! How long have you been taking the L-tyrosine and how many grams per day? Jan

Response:

Hi Heather and Kosmos, I, too am in the low range of normal. I’m lucky in that my doctor has the same attitude as Heather’s. I’ve been on 3/4 grain of Armour since November, and it’s changed my life. I’m no longer freezing cold all the time, I wake and and fall asleep better, and my weight has stablized (I was gaining continuously for a while, despite diet and exercise). I’ve actually lost about 10 pounds in the past two months, too, but I think that’s mostly related to eliminating foods that make me bloat from my diet (soy, dairy, wheat). Anyway, the best part of it all is that I no longer feel physically and mentally depressed and drained and empty. I feel normal, like I did 10 years ago. I also take 2 500mg capsules of L-tyrosine when I wake up in the morning. I don’t do it all year round, just mostly in the winter months when I’m suffering from the affects of SAD. That helped my energy levels a lot, too. Good for you, Heather, for getting the kind of treatment you need. And good luck to you, Kosmos, in getting what you need too! Laura – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have a slow thyroid gland, a family trait. According to the medical professionals it is functioning at the lower end of normal and does not require medication. However, I was wondering if anyone in here knows of any herbal supplements or homeopathic treatments that can increase thyroid function? I would be pleased to receive advice on this, thanks. Kosmos in Oz Kosmos, I also have a sluggish thyroid, also a family trait. However, my doctor is great. In his own words, "Well, you have all the symptoms, but your results are still in normal range. I don’t believe in waiting for something to be completely broke before we try to correct it." So he started me on 1 grain of Armour thyroid. (I know, every time I take the pill I sing "Hot dogs, Armour hot dogs, the dogs kids love to bite") Just the way my brain works. That said, he also suggested L-tyrosine (available at Whole Foods and GNC) as a supplement before he prescribed the thyroid meds. Hope this helps. Good Luck! Heather (in OZ) Okay, Kansas, but that’s Oz right?

Response:

Iodine increases thyroid function… the best source of this is kelp, which can be bought in tablet or capsule form from your chemist/healthfood/drug store. You could also ask advice at the store itself, who would likely have literature available on various remedies.

Kelp is a supplement scam. If you use normal iodized table salt, you already have the iodine that you need. It prevents goiter (enlarged thyroid). — "There’s a seeker born every minute."

Response:

Thyroidium is a homeopathic "remedy", meaning that a few grains of sheep thyroid is diluted in a bathtub full’s worth of water or capsule filler. caveate emptor. — "There’s a seeker born every minute."

Response:

Kosmos, I also have a sluggish thyroid, also a family trait. However, my doctor is great. In his own words, "Well, you have all the symptoms, but your results are still in normal range. I don’t believe in waiting for something to be completely broke before we try to correct it." So he started me on 1 grain of Armour thyroid. (I know, every time I take the pill I sing "Hot dogs, Armour hot dogs, the dogs kids love to bite") Just the way my brain works. That said, he also suggested L-tyrosine (available at Whole Foods and GNC) as a supplement before he prescribed the thyroid meds. Hope this helps. Good Luck! Heather (in OZ) Okay, Kansas, but that’s Oz right?

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Just a thought. Try capsaicin (hot peppers).

Response:

This one’s simple. L-Tyrosine. Available at WalMart or your grocery store or GNC or wherever. Standard dose is 500 mg. I take 2 g per day, at least.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have a slow thyroid gland, a family trait. According to the medical professionals it is functioning at the lower end of normal and does not require medication. However, I was wondering if anyone in here knows of any herbal supplements or homeopathic treatments that can increase thyroid function? I would be pleased to receive advice on this, thanks. Kosmos in Oz

Response:

Hi.. Thyroidium is found at the health food store.I belive it is made from animal thyroid..I am assuming you are not a vegan!!!!!..It takes a while to get your weight.. moving again…About a month… I am going today for a full thyroid panel… I am hoping that it is a terrible low functioning gland…We can’t figure out why no real weight loss is a problem here!! Hubby is melting away!!!! Good luck to you!! Dayna

Thank you for the advice. Not a vegan, … not on Atkins when there is BACON out there… LOL have printed the message to take to health food store. I am in Australia, so I hope they have heard of that stuff here Hope all goes well with your test. Kosmos in Oz 114kg/108kg/70ish kg Atkins (again) since 03 Feb 2003 A smile shared is a treasure !!

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Hi… Check out the vitaminshoppe.com That was where I purchased it last!!! Keep me posted! Dayna

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I too would be interested in any advice. Mahr — Stick together. Life is a group outing.

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you may still benefit from T4 treatment. My thyroxin levels were on the lower side if normal, but I was also symptomatic – feeling the cold, irregular cycles amongst other things. I did a basal body temperature test, which involves taking your temp 3 times a day. If its more than 1 degree celsius below 37 (I dont know farenheit so forgive me heh) on a fairly constant basis, you may still have a thyrois problem. The challenge is getting your doc to acknowledge the basal body temp as a good indicator of thyroid problems! good luck

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I have a slow thyroid gland, a family trait. you may still benefit from T4 treatment. My thyroxin levels were on the lower side if normal, but I was also symptomatic – feeling the cold, irregular cycles amongst other things. I did a basal body temperature test, which involves taking your temp 3 times a day. If its more than 1 degree celsius below 37 (I dont know farenheit so forgive me heh) on a fairly constant basis, you may still have a thyrois problem. The challenge is getting your doc to acknowledge the basal body temp as a good indicator of thyroid problems! good luck

Thanks, I work in celsius too, as an Aussie… I have had more damn blood & endocrine tests than I have had carbs in my life …. or so it seems. I have most of the symptoms, shape of eyes, early grey hair, feel the cold, stubborn weight, no periods at all … also PCOS. You name it, I have it LOL. Cannot get a doc to acknowledge that the symptoms are there to treat!!! Must find thermometer, and NEW GP! thanks for the advice! Kosmos in Oz 114kg/108kg/70ish kg Atkins (again) since 03 Feb 2003 A smile shared is a treasure !!

Response:

Filed under: PCOS Symptoms

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