# Please Help



## josey (Mar 10, 2011)

I have had hashimotos for a few years, and I was doing fine on 30 mg of armour for two years, and then i read about taking iodine, the pros and cons when you have hashimotos and how if you are taking selenium with it it will not harm your thyroid but help. that article was wrong. I am now taking 130 mg. of westhroid and my thyroid is still low when i take my temp. which seems to run along with lab tests. I don't know now if i will ever be on a low dosage again, and it has been a month since not taking iodine.

I chew the westhroid, but that doesn't help. Does anyone know if westhroid really works? Or if the iodine that i took is still lowering my thyroid? What is a normal dosage of meds? I don't know what to think.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

josey said:


> I have had hashimotos for a few years, and I was doing fine on 30 mg of armour for two years, and then i read about taking iodine, the pros and cons when you have hashimotos and how if you are taking selenium with it it will not harm your thyroid but help. that article was wrong. I am now taking 130 mg. of westhroid and my thyroid is still low when i take my temp. which seems to run along with lab tests. I don't know now if i will ever be on a low dosage again, and it has been a month since not taking iodine.
> 
> I chew the westhroid, but that doesn't help. Does anyone know if westhroid really works? Or if the iodine that i took is still lowering my thyroid? What is a normal dosage of meds? I don't know what to think.


Hi, Josey and welcome!! Gee; I am so so sorry this happened to you. Sounds like your receptor sites are being blocked!

Wonder if you have Trab or TBII?

What is your doctor's comment?

Could you please furnish your latest lab results and ranges? Ranges are a must!

Are you taking anything that is goitrogenic such as a lot of soy, L-Carnitine, estrogen....................any other meds?


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## josey (Mar 10, 2011)

Hi,

I do have hashimotos.

I am not getting any goitrogens unless they came by eating TV dinners that had tofu in it that I took out, but who knows if the soy mixes in?

My doctor says nothing. I told him that I was taking iodine to see, and he didn't say anything, but I like that he is not pushy and even allows me to take westhroid. I up my meds on my own and let him know, and then he just says okay. He is good about that as other doctors here insisted on my using synthetic and would not prescribe armour or westhroid.

Here are my labs.

My TSH is .84

My Thyroid Peroxidase antibodies are 42 which they put an H next too along with a range of <35 at units, IU/mL

And my thyroglobulin antibodies are flagged at 191 Range H and units IU/mL

My temp this a.m. was 97.4

Thanks by the way.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

josey said:


> Hi,
> 
> I do have hashimotos.
> 
> ...


When were these labs taken. Your TSH certainly is in a very good range. Do you ever get the FREE T3 and FREE T4 run? If not, it would be a good idea.

What do you mean your thyroid is low? Are you symptomatic? Could you list your symptoms besides the temperature?

Your thyroglobulin Ab is really high. Have you ever had a RAIU (radioactive uptake scan?) If so, what were the results? If not, I highly recommend it.

Thyroglobulin Ab and cancer
http://qjmed.oxfordjournals.org/content/59/2/429.full.pdf

Another Thyroglobulin and cancer
http://www.mdlinx.com/endocrinology...963/?news_id=811&newsdt=092010&subspec_id=419

How is your Ferritin?

Ferritin http://www.thewayup.com/newsletters/081504.htm


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## josey (Mar 10, 2011)

Hi,

never had the test you mentioned.

i am just tired, very tired. and i have gained even more weight, plus shortness of breath which i get when it is low.

I guess he didn't do a t3 or t4 test this last time. it was taken a month ago.

my iron level is normal.

I should add that I was taking a lot of iodine for a couple of months, like 7 drops a day when the normal is 1 drop a week.

Wouldn't taking iodine internally for that test for thyroid cancer really mess up the thyroid more?


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## josey (Mar 10, 2011)

P.S,

How is a .84 TSH level normal? This test says that low is 0.34 and high is 4.82. Shouldn't it be within the 3.0 range?

thanks.


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## HeidiBR (Apr 4, 2010)

You said your TSH is .84? That is clearly on the low end of the range of 0.34 and 4.82. .84 is equivilent to 0.84.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

josey said:


> Hi,
> 
> never had the test you mentioned.
> 
> ...


Ferritin is a specific test. As per the link provided, it is protein which stores your iron. You can have a normal CBC yet be low in ferritin.

To my knowledge, given in the appropriate manner, RAIU never damaged any thyroids.

Not T4 and T3; FREE T4 and FREE T3 (FREE is unbound, Total is bound and unbound hormone.)


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## josey (Mar 10, 2011)

Thanks for the information. i have upped my dosage another 30 mg to see how that does. i will check with my doctor next time i go and see about getting these other tests. waiting for my new insurance coverage to kick in as well.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

josey said:


> Thanks for the information. i have upped my dosage another 30 mg to see how that does. i will check with my doctor next time i go and see about getting these other tests. waiting for my new insurance coverage to kick in as well.


Good; I am glad to hear that and let us know if your dosage increase helps any!

It is no fun to be so tired. Many of us can indentify!

When do you think you will be seeing the doctor?


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## josey (Mar 10, 2011)

Andros said:


> Good; I am glad to hear that and let us know if your dosage increase helps any!
> 
> It is no fun to be so tired. Many of us can indentify!
> 
> When do you think you will be seeing the doctor?


It won't be for a month, but i left a message for him to call, but nothing. that is the way it is here with drs. i only upped it 30 mg. more, and so i think it takes 2 weeks to notice, and if that doesn't feel like enough i will up it another 30. anyway, i am guessing. we don't have good doctors here, so i am lucky to have who i have and that he is lenient with me. in the meantime i will keep taking my temp.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

josey said:


> It won't be for a month, but i left a message for him to call, but nothing. that is the way it is here with drs. i only upped it 30 mg. more, and so i think it takes 2 weeks to notice, and if that doesn't feel like enough i will up it another 30. anyway, i am guessing. we don't have good doctors here, so i am lucky to have who i have and that he is lenient with me. in the meantime i will keep taking my temp.


Hopefully you will get to feeling better soon and get some labs in about a month if you can do so!

Keep us in the loop!


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## lavender (Jul 13, 2010)

RAIU (radioactive iodine uptake and scan) does not damage your thyroid. It is a diagnostic test, and the level of radiation is very low. Many people confuse it with RAI (radioactive iodine) which is a much higher dose given to kill off the thyroid. It is recommended that one follow a low iodine diet before having RAIU because iodine can skew the test results.

I am personally wary of recommendations to supplement iodine since our diets are already so high in iodine and iodine can cause and worsen hypothyroidism. I personally avoid iodized salt and any supplements with iodine in them.

Free T3 and Free T4 are very important for monitoring thyroid levels when taking a a natural thyroid replacement because you are getting both T3 and T4.

.84 is low in the TSH range, but not alarming since many people report feeling their best under 1.


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