Rachel Stevens: My thyroid problem could have h... - Thyroid UK

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Rachel Stevens: My thyroid problem could have harmed my unborn baby

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator
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Rachel Stevens: My thyroid problem could have harmed my unborn baby

mirror.co.uk/3am/celebrity-...

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Sorry - I really don't think it is worth quoting - if interested, follow the link, if not, go to anther post!

Just a few points:

How come she gets a single 75mcg tablet every day? I guess she is on a USA product.

How come she appears to think it fine for her mother not to have any thyroid medication?

How come she gets a three-monthly appointment? OK so she pays (I am sure), but we get told not that they are not willing to pay for more frequent appointments and testing, but that there is almost no possible reason to test more frequently.

How much less calorific is sweet potato than pasta? (About 130 calories per 100g cooked pasta; 90 calories per 100 gram baked sweet potato. Less, but not dramatically.)

How much does she get paid for promoting Dettol’s anti-bacterial cleanser?

I am, though, very glad that she admits it and isn't hiding it away like many. And that she was caught so that her babe probably didn't get affected.

Rod

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helvella profile image
helvella
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13 Replies
Clutter profile image
Clutter

Rod, I think Dettol's PR dept wrote that and her hypothyroidism/pregnancy was just a hook to hang it on. If her Dettol endorsement includes TV, print & press advertising and personal appearances she'll be paid tens of thousands. It doesn't look like she knows or cares much about her mother's hypothyroidism. She was very dismissive about it.

Spareribs profile image
Spareribs in reply toClutter

Mum's probably secretly self-treating with NDT! :D

Spareribs profile image
Spareribs

Still it's publicity... and an important message...

Lazarus "Untreated, the patient would end up hibernating...." that takes me back to an old theory!

Clutter profile image
Clutter in reply toSpareribs

Spare, Untreated and optimally treated, I'm an ace hibernator, my bed and my duvet are my sanctuary :-D

Spareribs profile image
Spareribs in reply toClutter

me too - since awhile!

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

eeng profile image
eeng

Is the desire to hibernate the reason why a lot of us hypos need to increase their dose in September? It certainly happened to me - I have upped my Levo dose from 75 to 100mcg because at the beginning of September certain irritating symptoms started to return.

I wonder whether some primeval ability for humans to hibernate is what is being falsely triggered in Hypothyroidism. Gaining weight before hibernation would be a good survival mechanism. Sensitivity to cold would motivate someone to find somewhere warm to go. Hair loss is a bit similar to mammals who shed their hair twice a year to grow the summer/winter coat (it's just a pity it doesn't seem to grow back again). It might even make some kind of evolutionary sense that hypothyroidism affects more women than men. I wonder whether anyone has ever done any research into this angle.

Spareribs profile image
Spareribs in reply toeeng

Yes it sure feels like it doesn't it!

I think sunshine Vit D has a lot to do with it too, everything slows down to survive 'til Spring time. Lots of research on animals, search hibernation and thyroid......

e.g. like a grumpy bear ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/947...

RT3 - drcate.com/going-low-carb-t...

Daisy77 profile image
Daisy77

Interesting theories eeng! I would like to know that too.

BeansMummy profile image
BeansMummy

I do like anything that draws attention to the plight of those suffering from thyroid problems, and it is nice to read a "good news" story. However, it still gives the impression that it is all so manageable, and doesn't help when non-sufferers read it and think that the rest of us are just continuing to be those overweight, depressed, menopausal (sorry men!) hypochondriacs.

greygoose profile image
greygoose

"I do feel the cold but then that seems to be a women’s thing." No, it's not.

"For lunch, it’s usually a salad or eggs – something high in protein." Since when is 'salad' high in protein?

"I could eat pasta all the time but being little – I like to say five foot and a bit – I watch what I eat." ... sounds like she's been hyper for a long time. It's affected her brain.

“It’s treated with thyroxine tablets, taken daily, with the patient monitored via blood tests. Although there is no actual cure, patients lead a normal life." He makes it sound oh so easy. And doesn't mention other possibilities of treatment. He could have said it's treated by thyroid hormone. Well, some of us can lead normal lives. Wouldn't say there's much 'normal' about mine.

"I still take one 75mcg tablet daily" Well, I know she's a tiny person, but, can't help wondering how long she's going to hold out on that dose.

Actually, Rod, in France, Levo comes in 25; 50; 75; 100; 125; 150; 175 and 200.

When my first endo upped me from 25 to 50, I said oh, I take two pills then. She said 'Certainly not!!! You never put two pills together to make a dose, you take the pill of the right size!!!' I asked why, but she couldn't answer me that.

Then, later on, when I was on that 200 pill and feeling worse than ever, my GP said, "well you can't increase your dose any further because there isn't a bigger pill than 200!" I was flabberghasted but too ill to argue. When I got home, I knew I should have asked why can't I take 200 + 25? L'esprit de l'escalier! lol I've no idea what that's about.

But what an airhead! She really isn't a good ambassadress for thyroid. Except to demonstrate it's effects on the brain! Yes, she was really callous about her mum. My first thought would have been to make sure my mum was alright once I knew what was going on, not wash the babies blankets in Dettol!

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply togreygoose

There could well be issues with tablet size and dose.

We know that some makes vary tablet size more or less in proportion to dosage. Whereas others are more or less the same size regardless of dosage. And some are inconsistent and anomalous. But I think it entirely possible that taking two 25 mcg tablets might be different in effect to one 50 mcg tablet because of the "concentration" of the levothyroxine within the matrix of excipients or simply because of the quantity. Nobody researches this properly.

If I were a pharmaceutical company looking at levothyroxine, I would investigate how small a tablet I could make - maybe 10, or 12.5 or even 25 mcg. Then I would make only those. This would result in great consistency.

To get larger dosages, I would embed two, three, four or any other number of these ultra-tiny tablets into a larger carrier.

Yes - I am aware that many countries have other sizes, but thought that Rachel seemed to be UK-based so rather assumed the obvious alternative source would be the USA - the ubiquitous Synthroid. But actually have no idea where she lives!

Rod

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply tohelvella

No, well, me neither. Rather doubt she's in France, though.

I think that sounds a bit dodgey if taking two 25s isn't the same dose as one 50. Doesn't inspire confidence, does it. But they're all the same size. I know, I took them all as I worked my way up the ladder.

In order to tell them apart, the boxes are different colours. But that didn't stop one pharmacist giving me 75 instead of 175. And, being new to the game, I didn't notice. That was one bad month! But when confronted with what she'd done, she said oh, there's only a small difference between them!!!

They are soooooooooo ignorant!

Neeta-K profile image
Neeta-K

I think she's been Hypo for a long time. She's tiny, and hypo can stunt your growth. I think Kylie Minogue is Hypo too. Her sister is, and Kylie is on the tiny side, plus had cancer (hypo can cause cancer when not treated correctly, as our immune system is weaker).

My opinion anyway!

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