General Medicine

» free2ridejones - In need of understanding

In response to In need of understanding posted by free2ridejones:

Hi all
Sorry to be a drag about these results of mine. I was wondering if I take the suggestions given to my doctor and this does not put some doubt in her mind (which I can understand with our lab results)is there a medication or natural product I can take which would be safe for both hypo and hyper. Also would it be worth my while sending tests to Great Smokies (I think they have another name now)I am very worried about getting treated for the wrong condition. With this been going on for me since Nov 2000 do you think I still have a chance of remission or recovery or has it been too long for me.

Thanks again Margo

-- posted by free2ridejones

» Lorrie76 - Medication

In response to Medication posted by daisyelaine:

Hi Elaine
I finally did receive my September results
TSH - 0.76 MU/L
T4 Free - 11.1 PMOL/L
Free T3 - 3.4 PMOL/L
Are these ok ??

Thanks
Lorrie

-- posted by Lorrie76

» Elaine Moore - New here w/ GD. Questions!!

In response to New here w/ GD. Questions!! posted by saucywench:
Hi,
Most everyone with Graves' disease has an initial period of hyperthyroidism. If you have GD it could be that you were hypothyroid in the past and are still having residual symptoms. Your doctor could run a blood tests for thyroid antibodies to see if your hyperthyroidism is autoimmune, which means that it's caused by Graves' disease.

Another scenario would be that you've been hypothyroid for some time, and 1) you're in the hyperthyrodi phase of hypothyroidism now or 2) the hypothyroidism has caused multiple thyroid nodules that are secreting thyroid hormone, causing hyperthyroidism. This would be called toxic multinodular goiter. In either case this could cause symptoms of hypothyroidism...although you will eventually start having symptoms of hyperthyroidism if your thyroid levels continue to rise

Another possibility is that you've had thyroiditis and are now moving from hyperthyroidism into hypothyroidism. In thyroiditis people usually have a period of hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism lasting about 2 months followed by the opposite condition, which also lasts about 2 months although the hypothyroid phase can become permanent.

I'd definitely not use ThyroSlim or any product designed to stimulate the thyroid gland because if you have an auotimmune thyroid disorder, iodine can worsen it. And if you're truly hyperthyroid, you could run into serious problems. I'd ask for a referral to an endocrinologist or start a low-iodine diet, avoiding fast and processed foods and any foods high in iodine content. And then have your tests repeated and get the thyroid antibody tests too.

Without the antibody tests it's difficult to say for certain what's going on.
And since many symptoms of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism overlap, you could have true hyperthyroidism. Symptoms seen in both hypoT and hyperT include; weight gain, weight loss, hair loss, insomnia, palpitations, depression, and fatigue.
Joint pain and muscle pain are more common in hypothyroidism.
In hypoT hair tends to become dry, thick and coarse and the outer 1/3 of the eyebrows can become thin or bald. In hyperT, hair tends to become thin and fine and brittle and hard to keep a curl. Let us know about the other test results if you have them. best, elaine

» Elaine Moore - In need of understanding

In response to In need of understanding posted by free2ridejones:
Hi,
Yes, thanks for sharing the info on your naltrexone. Several of my friends with autoimmune disorders have had good results with naltrexone. Perhaps you started out with Hashimoto's thyroiditis although it wasn't yet reflected in your labs and the naltrexone improved your thryoid function. Let us know what other labs you have. Best, Elaine

» Elaine Moore - In need of understanding

In response to In need of understanding posted by free2ridejones:
Hi,
Autoimmune thyroid disorders tend to bounce from hypothyroidism to hyperthryoidism and some of the underlying triggers for both disorders are the same.
Things that can trigger both autoimmune hypothyroidism and autoimmune hyperthyroidism that you can benefit from avoiding include:
excess dietary iodine especially in processed, refined, and salted foods; aspartame in NutraSweet; wheat--since many people with autoimmune thyroid disease have gluten sensitivity; any known or suspected food allergens; lithium; cigarette smoke; and refined sugars.
Low selenium levels are also known to trigger autoimmune thyroid disease and supplements of 100-200 mcg daily selenium are recommended. In some parts of the world (rare in the U.S.) low iodine levels cause autoimmune thyroid disease. If this could be the case, you'd want to add natural, not refined, sea salt. Natural sea salt is coarse and grayish and more expensive.

You definitely have a chance of recovery from autoimmune thyroid disease. In fact, after many years of being hypothyroid, some people move into hyperthyroidism. And both hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism can spontaneously resolve. Today, many doctors are using a wait and see approach for their patients with Graves' disease based on evidence that 1/3 of cases can resolve on their own. Best, elaine

» Elaine Moore - Medication

In response to Medication posted by Lorrie76:
Hi Lorrie,
Do you have your reference range for your FT4 and FT3 tests? Usually, FT4 is measured in ng/ml and the range is 0.8--1.8. and for T4 the range is 4.0-12.5 ng/ml. For FT3, the usual range is 2.3-4.2 pg/ml. If you're outside of the states your ranges are probably different.
However, TSH is measured the same worldwide, and the recommended range is 0.3--3.0 mu/L, with evidence showing that most normal people have a TSH between 0.3 and 1.0. If your FT4 was really a T4, that result would be too low for most people. Best, Elaine

» free2ridejones - In need of understanding

In response to In need of understanding posted by daisyelaine:

Hi elaine

Going back to your response on Nov 6 I see you said I had a positive TPO test? I am not sure which test shows this can you help with this. Is the TSH receptor test different from my TSH results I already have? The only other test which I have not listed is for Thyroglobulin Antibodies which came back negative. This was done at the same time as my microsomal antibodies which were positive were done. Are these tests worth repeating.

Sorry to bombard you with all this. I just want to be prepared when I go to the doctor.

Thanks again Margo

-- posted by free2ridejones

» Lorrie76 - Medication

In response to Medication posted by daisyelaine:

Hi Elaine

Yes, I live in Canada.
TSH - 0.76 Ref Range 0.30-4.70
T4 Free - 11.1 Ref Range 9.1-23.8
Free T3 - 3.4 Ref Range 2.5-5.7
Hematocrit - 0.351 Ref range 0.37-0.47
RBC - 3.71 - Ref Range 3.80-5.80
Thanks
Lorrie

-- posted by Lorrie76

» Elaine Moore - Medication

In response to Medication posted by Lorrie76:
Hi Lorrie,
For many people, an FT4 so near the low end of the reference range can cause symptoms of hypothyroidism. Your hematocrit is slightly decreased suggesting the possibility of anemia, which is a common symptoms in hypothyroidism. I suspect blocking TSH receptor antibodies are falsely lowering your TSH level, which makes this test result misleading. If you found a doctor who was familiar with Wilson's Syndrome or the work of Broda Barnes, he or she would have you test basal temperature and focus more on symptoms than lab results. Best, Elaine

» Elaine Moore - In need of understanding

In response to In need of understanding posted by free2ridejones:
Hi Margo,
I should have explained that microsomal antibodies are the same as thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibodies. About a decade ago, researchers found that thyroid peroxidase is the the significant protein on the microsomal membrane that antibodies are formed against. So the antibodies may go under both names, although most labs no longer use the name microsomal antibodies. If a microsomal antibody test is ordered, the lab does a test for TPO antibodies.
TSH receptor antibodies are a different type of thyroid antibody. They're different from the pituitary hormone TSH.

The TSH receptor is a protein found on thyroid cells that allows TSH to react with it. In doing so TSH orders thyroid cells to produce more thyroid hormone.

Antibodies directed against the TSH receptor can be stimulating or blocking varieties. Both of these antibodies falsely lower TSH levels. But more importantly, stimulating TSH receptor antibodies, which are also known as thyroid stimulating immunoglobulins or TSI, stimulate the receptor to produce more thyroid hormone. Blocking TSH receptor antibodies block both TSH and TSI from activating the receptor so they cause hypothyroidism.

If both of these antibodies, you can have normal thyroid hormone levels and symptoms of both hypoT and hyperT. I have several articles on these and the other thyroid antibodies in the archives. You can find them going to archive in the left column, then health, autoimmune diseases, graves' disease. Hope this helps, Elaine