LOW THYROID PROBLEMS

Do You Have LOW THYROID?

I think there are a lot of people walking around with low levels of thyroid hormone. Each person who has inadequate thyroid knows that he or she is ill. Sadly, there isn't a laboratory test that can accurately diagnose low thyroid. Oh sure, every doctor knows about measuring TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), T3, or T4 (thyroid hormones). Very few doctors seem to realize that the test values are practically useless. How often have you heard that, "yes, you seem to have the symptoms for low thyroid, but your lab values are in the normal range."?

What good is it to know you have normal lab values if you feel bad?

What do I mean "feel bad"? Here's a brief listing of a some symptoms that have been associated with low thyroid;

fatigue, weight gain, low motivation and ambition, heat and/or cold intolerance, headaches and migraines, dry skin and hair, irritability, anxiety and panic attacks, hair loss, fluid retention, depression, decreased memory and concentration, unhealthy nails, brittle nails, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome, low sex drive, insomnia, hives, asthma, allergies, slow healing, acne, or carpal tunnel syndrome, female problems (tumors, fibroids, ovarian cysts, endometriosis, PMS, cramps, (dysmenorrhea), amenorrhea, female cancers, spontaneous abortion, cyclic seizures, dry vagina and infertility), weight problems (usually high, sometimes low), gallbladder disease (six times higher in women with excess estrogen or on birth control pills or ERT), heart disease, cancer, colon problems, low blood sugar, attention deficit disorder (ADD), adrenal exhaustion from excess secretion of adrenaline, and osteoporosis (from excess estrogen leading to excess adrenaline and then to excess cortisol)

It is not uncommon for a person to experience some of the symptoms I've listed yet still have normal lab values. According to standard medical "wisdom" when this happens a person "has to learn to live with it." That isn't an acceptable answer and people with symptoms need to search for a doctor who is willing to treat symptoms instead of lab values. This is why medicine is often more of an art than science.

How would someone treat low thyroid? By using simple thyroid supplements. No, not herbs and stimulants, but hormones, like T3, that actually replace the natural hormone that is inadequate. T3 is available as a commercial drug. It should be taken 3 or more times a day because it has a relatively short life in the body. Another approach is to ask a compounding pharmacist to prepare a T3 capsule in a slow release formulation. This compounding technique can extend the life of the T3 and reduce the number of times it needs to be taken every day.

How would my doctor know what dose of T3 I need? This is a little tricky and it takes about a month to find a good starting dose. Here's where a good compounder can help. The doctor orders slow release T3 in a variety of strengths. The person takes the different strengths according to a schedule. At the same time he or she records some important information on a pre-printed form, including basal temperature. The doctor and the patient review the report form together and determine at which dose the patient felt the best. This is often the dose where the basal temperature is closest to normal (98.6 degrees F).

The Compounder pharmacists prepare a T3 kit that contains 5 different slow release T3 strengths; 7.5mcg, 15mcg, 22.5mcg, 30mcg, and 37.5mcg. The patient takes one capsule every 12 hours and works his or her way up to stronger doses. Then, after reaching the highest dose level the process is reversed and the patient takes lower and lower doses until the capsules are gone.

That's not the end of the process. As time goes on the patient may find that the symptoms have returned. In this case the doctor can order a stronger T3 dose. It is also possible for the starting dose to be too high, and it can be reduced by the doctor's order. There is no standard daily dose of T3. It changes for each person. But, when the correct dose is used the symptoms disappear. Isn't that the whole idea? The keys to this approach to low thyroid are working closely with your doctor and compounding pharmacist, accurate recording of symptoms and temperature, and patience. This approach works and it doesn't depend on laboratory results.
 

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