Overtreatment places you at risk of developing heart arrhythmias and osteoporosis , a low bone-mass disorder that leads to easy fracturing. One study even reported that overtreatment is associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Symptoms of mild overtreatment include:. Two groups of people with hypothyroidism are at high risk of complications from overtreatment: those with heart rhythm disturbances arrhythmias and elderly people with weak bones.
They will check your blood levels of thyroid hormone. The correct dose adjustment will soon have you feeling a whole lot better. Funny how I lost 15 lbs. Can you spell myxedema? Those 6 endocrinologists fought against me taking T3 of course. I believe they have permanently destroyed my metabolism.
And guess what? Turns out my thyroid problem IS all in my head, just not the way those endocrinologists meant it. I have a pituitary adenoma. Godman: This article is an un-scholarly parroting of misinformation spread by the PR team hired years ago by Abbott Labs to boost sales of its pharmaceutical product, Synthroid.
I recall it took at least a year for natural desiccated thyroid to get back into the pipeline in the U. Neither the FDA nor the manufacturers ever favored consumers with an honest explanation of the SNAFU; though it was revealed that members of the central advisory board at the FDA had close ties to pharmaceutical companies.
The inherent conflicts of interest somehow remind me of the deferential treatment Bernie Madoff received from the SEC. TSH tests the pituitary gland, not the thyroid and while yes, there is a feedback mechanism between the two glands, testing TSH production is only an indirect indication of the function of the thyroid.
The proper test of thyroid function is not merely total T4, but FREE T4, that is, the thyroxine actually circulating in the blood available for use by the organs in the body. Bound T4 is of no practical use in the body; so even if the total T4 appears within range, that number could mask a significantly sub-par level of FREE T4. Coincidentally, this was the exact result on my most recent blood test: low TSH, total T4 in range, FREE T4 well below range—not to mention, clear clinical symptoms—ergo, need to raise my supplement dose.
Additionally, one of the great and under-diagnosed problems with hypothyroidism is that often the sufferer has limited ability to convert T4 to its active form, T3, so testing of T3 levels is also critical.
If the patient has limited ability to convert thyroxine T4 to triiodothyronine T3 , no amount of T4, synthetic or natural, will restore her health. I would urge you to go back and take up a critical re-examination of the issue of hypothyroid diagnosis and treatment. My treatment of Armour Natural Thyroid has successfully alleviated those symptoms — and my weight easily lost; now back to normal — after years of cchallenges.
Not to mention to total lack of regard for the presence of reverse triiodothyronine which is a known issue for many patients. Thank you for the important overview of this situation.
My concerns go to the cause and in our opinion the excessive consuption of products based in soy could be something that we should check. The main bioactive compounds of soy are isoflavones and those can induce hypothyroidism. Other countries as Brazil also have these increase of thyroid problems. Is urgent that we found the cause to prevent this situations in the future, and probably for some people this could be reversible.
I am very interested to learn about the interaction you have found with consumption of soy products and would welcome some references on the topic. Normal levels of TSH are between 0. When your doctor asks you to stop your thyroid medication, your hormone level will decrease significantly, and this may lead to signs and symptoms of acute hypothyroidism.
Weakness, lethargy, cold intolerance, paleness, dry skin, coarse hair, and constipation can occur with acute hypothyroidism. Other symptoms may include delayed reflexes such as the knee jerk when the knee is hit with a reflex hammer , brittle nails, increased blood pressure, and a slow heart rate. Patients who have been on very high doses of levothyroxine for long periods of time may need to stop their medication more than weeks prior to their treatment in order for the TSH to increase sufficiently.
Sometimes, your body confuses normal, healthy cells for invading cells. This is called an autoimmune response. This can cause serious medical issues , including conditions such as hypothyroidism. This disease attacks your thyroid gland and causes chronic thyroid inflammation.
The inflammation can reduce thyroid function. It affects middle-aged women most commonly, but it can occur in men and children. This condition also runs in families. If a family member has been diagnosed with the disease, then your risk for having it is higher.
If your thyroid gland produces too much thyroid hormone, you have a condition known as hyperthyroidism. Treatment for this condition aims to reduce and normalize thyroid hormone production. Sometimes, treatment can cause the levels of your thyroid hormone to remain low permanently. This often occurs after treatment with radioactive iodine. Using thyroid medication for the rest of your life is the primary treatment.
If only a portion of the gland is removed, your thyroid may still be able to produce enough hormones on its own. Radiation used for the treatment of these conditions may slow or halt the production of thyroid hormone. This will almost always lead to hypothyroidism. Several medicines may lower thyroid hormone production, leading to hypothyroidism. These include ones used to treat psychological conditions, cancer, or heart disease, such as:. Two primary tools are used to determine if you have hypothyroidism, a medical evaluation and blood tests.
Your doctor will complete a thorough physical exam and medical history. A thyroxine T4 level test is also useful in diagnosing hypothyroidism.
T4 is one of the hormones directly produced by your thyroid. Used together, T4 and TSH tests help evaluate thyroid function. Typically, if you have a low level of T4 along with a high level of TSH, you have hypothyroidism. Other thyroid function tests may be necessary to properly diagnose your condition.
Hypothyroidism is a lifelong condition. For many people, medication reduces or alleviates symptoms. Hypothyroidism is best treated by using levothyroxine Levoxyl, Synthroid. This synthetic version of the T4 hormone copies the action of the thyroid hormone your body would normally produce.
The medication is designed to return adequate levels of thyroid hormone to your blood. Once hormone levels are restored, symptoms of the condition are likely to disappear or at least become much more manageable.
Once you start treatment, it takes several weeks before you begin feeling relief. You and your doctor will work together to find a dose and a treatment plan that best addresses your symptoms. This can take some time. In most cases, people with hypothyroidism must remain on this medication their entire lives.
To make sure your medication is still working properly, your doctor should test your TSH levels yearly. Discover other treatment options for hypothyroidism. Animal extracts that contain thyroid hormone are available. These extracts come from the thyroid glands of pigs. They contain both T4 and triiodothyronine T3. You can also purchase glandular extracts in some health food stores.
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