# Hello, could use some assistance



## MJG28 (Aug 6, 2013)

Try to make this short;

28 y/o male diagnosed with Hashi.

On and off Levo for years, went on Naturethyroid and was good for about 6 months and it stopped working for me, litterally fell off, TSH was at 66 at one point.

Under strong recommendation, went back to brand name Synthroid. Started at 100mcg, now at 150mcg.

Each dose upped after 2 month period, for the initial 4-5 weeks of each dose change, I felt pretty good. The latter 3-4 weeks I felt awful, hence the return trip for a higher dosage.

I don't recall exact numbers, but my Free t4 and TSH were in the 3.xx range and similar numbers for Free t3.

The last 6 weeks I have felt quite well with the 150mcg dosage. I supplement with Selenium, Omega 3, Vit D and Vit C. The last few days I have that infamous headache back, starting to lose the energy once again, brain fog, can feel myself slipping.

I am going back for bloodwork within the next 2 weeks, would like to make sure I do a full 2 month cycle on 150 mcg.

Does anyone else have this effect? The dose change and noticeable difference quickly with a drop after 6 weeks? It of course causes me to underperform at work, personal activities etc.

I have read to stop the selenium supplementing weeks before bloodwork as it may skew the results. I do believe that normal bloodwork doesn't necessarily mean it's the optimal range for you as well. Would demanding the doctor to add in some T3, despite "normal" FreeT3 ranges be an avenue worth exploring?


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

MJG28 said:


> Try to make this short;
> 
> 28 y/o male diagnosed with Hashi.
> 
> ...


Naturethryoid is T4 and T3; correct? Perhaps you were not on a high enough dose. Do you remember what that dose was when you quit taking that?

We will need to see your next lab results and it will be imperative for you to also include the ranges as different labs use different ranges.

Hopefully those next labs will be TSH, FREE T3 and FREE T4!

Have you had an ultra-sound of your thyroid? What criteria was used to diagnose you with Hashimoto's? What antibodies' tests have you had?


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## MJG28 (Aug 6, 2013)

Yes, the Naturethyroid is t4/t3 mix. We tried a higher dose, my levels were good then suddenly dropped off and I was nearly comatose. I was told by the doc it could be related to the fact it can be an inconsistent medication, who knows and don't want to have this convo veer off in that direction.

My next bloodwork with have both free t3/t4 and TSH.

I have had my thyroid ultrasound on multiple occassions, I actually have a very small nodule on my isthmus which is too small to biopsy right now, so I have an ultrasound done every 6 months to monitor.


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

Without driving too far down that road, Nature-Throid is a USP medication, and needs to meet FDA standards just like the rest of Big Pharma. I don't know if you still have your pill bottle, but you might want to contact RLC Labs or your pharmacy to let them know what happened. Might be info they would want to know, just in case.

Getting back to you... you mentioned big changes at the six-week mark, when you would return to the doc and ask for a dose increase. Without seeing any lab values and ranges, it's hard to speculate, but your mention of a TSH in the 3.xx area is not really an optimal place to be. Folks here strive for a TSH of 1.0 or so, and FT3 and FT4 around the 75% mark. Of course we are all different, and that could need some individual tweaking. It could be that you are still under-medicated; it sounds like each time, once the new dose fully kicks in (which, ironically, should be around the six-week point), your body is left wanting more.

I would imagine if you were having a reaction to the fillers or binders in Synthroid (and it is brand-name Synthroid we're talking about, right?), it would have happened far sooner than a month and a half. If you had a gluten sensitivity, for example, and tried to take Synthroid you would probably notice feeling poorly within a day or two.

FWIW, I can't see how supplementing with the Selenium, Omega 3's, Vit. D, or Vit. C would cause you to feel poorly; if you take it consistently your body should be used to it, and not only that, but if you reacted to it I would imagine you would feel awful all the time, not just some of the time. But you aren't taking more than 200mg of Selenium, are you? And Vitamin C, if you had too much (2,000 - 3,000 IU is a good spot to be), would let you know with rampant diarrhea. And the Omega 3's, those are great for you. Vitamin D can be taken in pretty high doses, too, say 4,000 - 5,000 IU if you are deficient to begin with.

Adding in a little separate T3 with your Synthroid might help, depending on where your labs are. Just keep in mind T3 is four times as potent as T4 meds. So you might need to lower your T4 dose a hair to keep things stable. If you do start T3, go low 'n' slow with it, maybe splitting or even quartering up the 5 mcg pills. The stuff is like jet fuel.


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## Marathon Man (Aug 31, 2011)

What's the deal with Gluten and Synthroid. Is there Gluten in Synthroid?


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## MJG28 (Aug 6, 2013)

Update;
Cannot recall the exact numbers, I will get those later.

Blood work was taken 6 weeks to the day of being on Synthroid .150 mcg.

TSH 3.76
Free T4 17.xx
Free T3 4.xx

It is now just under 8 weeks on the .150 and while I feel decent enough to maintain a somewhat normal lifestyle, I still have no tolerance for exercise and that lingering thyroid headache.

Thinking I should up the T4?


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## JenneyCat (Aug 11, 2013)

I just started taking Selenium and I'm surprised to hear that you shouldn't take it for 2 weeks before bloods - is anyone else aware of that?


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