ever tested for hypothyroidism? Told that wasn't it? read this.

[helderheid]

I have been doing a lot of research on thyroid problems since I was finally
diagnosed with having a sluggish one.

My symptoms came on in 2001. I went to doctor to doctor to try to find out
why the weight came on (started after my cycle returned after having my son - I
weighed 109 pounds at the time, 5' tall), why my hair was falling out, why my periods
were coming back every 2 weeks, why I was soooooooo freakin' tired all the
time and feeling just rotten. The first doctor thought it was my thyroid and
tested it. Results came back in the normal range. She said I was depressed
(well, duh! Wouldn't you be if you gained 30 pounds over night and felt like
crap all the time!) and handed me a prescription of anti-depressants and off
I went. The pills didn't agree with me and I tossed them.

I went to another doctor. He agreed that it was more than depression. He seemed very
concerned about my periods coming back so often and thought I may have had
PCOS (which would also explain the weight). He told me it may be close to
impossible for me to have another child (this turned out to be a blessing as
My husband wasn't sure he wanted another child and I REALLY wantedmy daughter). So,
I told My husband. He agreed that we should try for baby 2 since it may be
impossible for me to have another child. FIRST time trying, I got pregnant
with our daughter. This put off this mess for another year - I had hoped that the
pregnancy would shift my hormones back to normal but it didn't work out that
way.

Dr. #3 to try to figure out what was happening when my cycle (and all the
problems along with it) returned after having my daughter. He couldn't figure it
out either. Thyroid tests were in the normal range. I was miserable with my
periods so I had a hysterectomy.

Well that solved the every 2 weeks having a period but all the other
symptoms were there and getting worse. Dr. to Dr. to Dr. and finally my
thyroid levels got low enough to show up on the tests and now after 5 years
I'm on Armour Thyroid medication.

HERE'S THE INFO YOU MAY NEED. It turns out in 2003 the American Association
of
Clinical Endocrinologists discovered that the range of "normal" was too
broad.
Until November 2002, doctors had relied on a normal TSH level ranging from 0
5 to 5.0 to diagnose and treat patients with a thyroid disorder who tested
outside the boundaries of that range5 . Now AACE encourages doctors to
consider treatment for patients who test outside the boundaries of a
narrower margin based on a target TSH level of 0.3 to 3.04. AACE believes
the new range will result in proper diagnosis for millions of Americans who
suffer from a mild thyroid disorder, but have gone untreated until now.
"The prevalence of undiagnosed thyroid disease in the United States is
shockingly high - particularly since it is a condition that is easy to
diagnose and treat," said Hossein Gharib, MD, FACE, and president of AACE.
The new TSH range from the AACE guidelines gives physicians the information
they need to diagnose mild thyroid disease before it can lead to more
serious effects on a patient's health - such as elevated cholesterol, heart
disease, osteoporosis, infertility, and depression."
Did I mention my cholesterol is high? It's never been high in my family
history.
If you have low thyroid symptoms, PLEASE go back to your doctor with this
information and get rechecked. I have read story after story of people who
are now using this new guideline and finally are feeling some relief by
targeting their goal to have their TSH levels at between a 1-2 rather than
just in the "normal" range of the old .5-5.0.
Hope this helps if you've ever wondered if it was your thyroid!

helderheid

http://www.aace.com/newsroom/press/2003/index.php?r=20030118

[gardenista]

1. Excellent advice

And if you are diagnosed as hypo, come to your appointments armed with the latest reports and studies so that you are not undermedicated.

Most GPs are uncomfortable with prescribing the level of thyroid hormone replacement drugs that may be necessary for those with resistant systems. It took me many, many years to get the right level of medication, and it cost me much in terms of health and quality of life.

Thank God I finally found a good doctor.

[helderheid]

2. I wrote a letter to mine basically saying my goal was to get my TSH

at a 1-2 level. If she wants to be the doctor to get me their, great! :)

[murielm99]

3. I am hyperthyroid, Grave's disease.

Any information would be appreciated. I don't like the way they want to treat my condition, either.

[distantearlywarning]

4. Hypothyroidism? Bah!

That's just an excuse! Don't you know that every single person in the United States is completely and totally personally responsible for their own weight problems? If you are putting weight on its because you are a disgusting, worthless, lazy human being who deserves to be publicly humiliated on a regular basis, not because of some so-called "disease"!

:sarcasm:

(At least according to some of the compassionate "liberals" posting on DU these days...)

I am hypothyroid as well, and sometimes have trouble getting my doctors to even test me regularly. Last year I gained 10 lbs despite a decent diet and 3 mile a day walks. I was also having trouble getting up in the morning after 9-10 hours sleep. When I complained to the doctor, he asked me if I snored, told me to take a vitamin and exercise more. :eyes: I went back a few months later, complained again of the same symptoms, and demanded a scrip for a check of my blood levels. What do you know - I was undermedicated. Shocking! I feel better when my TSH is in the lower range, and have an easier time losing weight, but most doctors I've encountered are very reluctant to do that for some reason. The whole thing pisses me off. Being hypothyroid is one of the worst things that ever happened to me. The weight gain and the associated health issues and tiredness and coldnress and everything else really changed me as a person.

[helderheid]

6. Ain't that the truth? Jeebus I was working out 1.5-3 hours a day on

my elliptical at "intense" and only able to maintain my weight on 1200-1400 calories a day!

[StellaBlue]

15. This happened to me last year

Worked out an hour and a half every morning, ate very little, lost five pounds in three months.

Came back to the US, found out I have Hashimoto's! AHA!

[Hugin]

5. Wonderful post!

Yeah, I'd always suspected the tests either weren't sensitive
enough or they weren't taking something into account.

The processes controlled by the Thyroid are very complex. I've
always found it hard to believe a simple blood test taken at any
time of day and at any degree of fasting would be enough to find
any problems. Especially, due to the fact the function of the
Thyroid is so "time-of-day" dependent.

3.00?!?! Wow, I'll have to check my most recent blood assay.

0.5 - 5.0 is a huge range.

[Midlodemocrat]

7. Here's another little known fact about hypothryoidism.

The drugs used to treat it prior to about five years ago were called 'desi drugs', in other words never received FDA approval, but were the only acceptable drugs on the marketplace. The problem with these two drugs, Levoxyl and synthroid is that the way they were manufactured made them incredibly unstable and their shelf life was very unpredictable.

Along comes a guy named ********** from Long Island whose wife was hypothyroid. He decided to play around with the components and came up with a way to compound the drug that extended its shelf life and rendered it completely stable. In other words, if you took 100mcg of Unithroid, (his name for the drug), your TSH would remain EXACTLY the same every time it was taken. It was revoluntionary.

And, I can't tell you how much better I felt on Unithroid. My TSH was completely the same EVERY SINGLE TIME.

Now synthroid is exactly the same as Unithroid, which is hard to find.

[helderheid]

11. I've never heard of this! I'll ask next doctor visit! Thank you!

[gardenista]

19. So you're saying that Synthroid is the new Unithroid?

Just checking...

I've wondered about that...

[Midlodemocrat]

21. Yes, The formula is exactly the same as Unithroid.

[bluethruandthru]

8. Wow..thanks!

My doc always said I was in the "high normal" range. He watched it for two years as it climbed...and then decided I could have a tiny amount of levoxyl! While I was waiting for the doc to decide, I gained 30 pounds despite dieting and my back problems have gotten worse. No real change since I've been on the levoxyl...but no wonder. Time for a dr. visit. Thank you!

[MidwestMomma]

9. Thanks for the info

I'm going to call my doctor and ask what my last results were. I think I'm due for another visit soon and I'd like to discuss this with him.

[helderheid]

10. Sorry for all the typos - I had copied and pasted from an email I'd sent

my mom list and took out real names - it was late too when I posted it - guess I was tired!

[Maestro]

12. Thanks.

I don't have a thyroid anymore, cancer removed in Feb. 2004, but I have never had the same activity as I used to and gained about 20 more pounds. The doctors say my levels are in the normal range with my medication, but I still am not the same person. Perhaps I need these new levels. :shrug:

[helderheid]

13. worth a shot!!

[SiobhanClancy]

26. Same for me...

I had my thyroid removed last year,and they keep changing the levels of my Synthroid every time I have a blood test. I'll have to ask about these new levels myself. Since I just started the higher dosage,I'm hoping that this time things will finally start to be better.

[supernova]

14. Thank you for this

I too have the problem of exercising way over the recommended daily dose and still not being able to lose weight. (Why should I have to exercise 2 hours each day and STILL not be able to lose weight? I got very despondent that I would ever be able to exercise enough to take off the weight. So I stopped. Ugh. Even worse decision.

I also have times when I am quite cold, despite being in an otherwise warm atmosphere. In the winter, I keep my heat higher than anyone I know (75). Jan-Feb, there are days I can't get warm. Period. Only soaking in a hot bath at night helps. In the summer, I can get chilled if the A/C is set too low.

I am tired much of the time (part of this is congenital heart disease, but I'm thinking not totally)

During my last physical, they checked my thyroid and it was NORMAL. Ugh!

But reading this, it's definitely time to get checked again.

[wildhorses]

16. very similar experience for me

no need for details. glad to hear they have changed the range. too bad it was not in time to help me.

[helderheid]

17. Could it help you now?

[wildhorses]

18. synthroid is helping me

but it is too late for other. My thyroid was just this year found to be out of range on the old scale. Fact is with this new scale, I have been out of range for 8 years.

[helderheid]

24. I hear what you're saying. I felt a real mix of emotion when I finally

tested out of range on the old scale - it was then that I found the new scale and when I think of all the health problems I have been dealing with between then and now, it really pissed me off! Glad to finally have an answer.

[siouxsiecreamcheese]

20. pcos

I have pcos & it totally sucks, symptons came on after hitting puberty. somehow I don't think I do have pcos, I'll have to read up on this hypothyroidism thing.

[REP]

22. It's Possible to Have Polycystic Ovaries without Having PCOS

I know because I have multiple ovarian cysts, but none of the other symptoms of PCOS (such as acne, hirsutism, etc) and because my gyno told me! Weirdest thng is that I developed the cysts when I was on Depo-Provera, which is used to *prevent* cysts.

[bmbmd]

23. Here's a letter from the head honcho of "AACE"

which is not to be confused with the American College of Endocrinology, to CBS Early show about just the same type of story.

http://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/hotze.html

1) There is no evidence whatsoever that supports Dr. Hotze's statement "by the time a woman is 50 years old, her thyroid function will decrease by 50 percent, causing her to feel exhausted, depressed and wondering how she's going to make it through her day. But the thyroid lab tests may read normal."

2) He opined incorrectly that thyroid malfunction is caused by changes in thyroid-binding globulin (TBG).

3) Treating patients with ANY type of thyroid hormone solely because they have symptoms that are commonly associated with hypothyroidism is potentially hazardous. Such symptoms are also very common in the general population, most of who do NOT have hypothyroidism and will NOT experience any sustained improvement in their symptoms with thyroid hormone therapy. A scientifically-based diagnosis of hypothyroidism must be made before initiating therapy. Inappropriate thyroid hormone treatment with ANY preparation can lead to thin bones, known as osteoporosis, and cause potentially life-threatening abnormalities of the heart rhythm. Furthermore, when a serious condition such as malignancy or depression is the basis for the patients' symptoms, a delayed diagnosis while waiting to see the effects of treating an unsubstantiated diagnosis of hypothyroidism may lead to preventable suffering and even death.

4) Animal-derived desiccated thyroid, which Dr Hotze endorses and describes as "natural," is not a natural form of thyroid replacement for humans at all. It is an obsolete product obtained from ground-up cattle and pig thyroid glands. The chemical composition is quite variable, since only the iodine content is measured, and the amount of biologically active thyroid hormones in each tablet is not quantified. This makes it extremely difficult for even a trained specialist to properly adjust the dose to fit each patient's needs.

[LynneSin]

25. Thank you for this

I've been tested several times for my thyroid but my doctors couldn't explain the reason for why I keep putting on weight. It seems every 2 years I'll just randomly put on an extra 20lbs even though my eating & excercise habits do not change. I'm going to find a new doctor, get tested again and demand to see what my results are. If they happen to fall into the new range then I'll push for treatment. You've described me to a "T" (well except for the kids - don't have any).

[redqueen]

27. I'm *very* fortunate, my doctor is excellent with thyroid issues.

Thanks for posting this for anyone who needs it...

:hi: