I am a person who has suffered with a thyroid problem for twenty years and take a hormone supplement, however just recently I have been diagnosed with diabetes 2
And the doctors have prescribed two drugs for the heart and blood pressure (statins and lipo )
The doctors could not understand why I was reluctant to take these drugs, I have found you through my search about what can be done by Magnesuim etc
Please help
I am so frustrated as I done not want to put any more drugs into my body that I do not fully understand and hear so many negative press related to this subject
Your doctors can't make you take statins and lipo, they can only recommend. Neither are for controlling diabetes 2 as far as I'm aware. Statins are often prescribed when patients have high cholesterol. There are increasing numbers of people who don't think statins are helpful unless you have already had a heart attack. I think you should research the pros and cons of taking statins (which can be contraindicated in hypothyroid patients) and lipo to help you decide whether or not to take them.
So, what are you taking for your hypo? And how much? Do you have copies of your blood test results? It's your legal right to have copies, so if you haven't got them, ask.
If you still have symptoms palpitations, and high blood pressure, then you could be under-medicated - a lot of people are - but we won't know until you give us more details.
Dr Unwin's patients improved and reduced their medication with a low carb high fat diet. They also reduced their cholesterol, (so forget the statins). Read the article for more information. I would expect it to be good for the thyroid as well, as many thyroid sufferers find that gluten free helps them.
And also read 'The Obesity Code' by Jason Fung, which explains how we gain weight (not that due to being undertreated hypo, of course) and develop T2D.
I'm curious what your total cholesterol is. Based on your name, I'm taking it for granted that you are female. In which case you really ought to look at this link :
In particular, look at the graphs. In the left hand graph you can see that as total cholesterol rises for women, so total mortality drops.
In the right hand graph, which looks at heart disease rather than total mortality, the results aren't quite as clear cut. But even there, heart disease is at its worst at the lowest level of cholesterol.
Before taking statins it would be worth asking you doctor how much longer you can expect to live if you take statins.
Also, I've never taken statins myself, but one of the popular ones is Atorvastatin. As far as I know they all have very similar side effects and cautions, so I thought you might like to read the Patient Information Leaflet for atorvastatin :
Notice in section 2 that it mentions that atorvastatin may not be suitable for people with an under-active thyroid. Bet your doctor never mentioned that!
One thing that many doctors have forgotten (or never knew) is that high cholesterol is one of the effects of untreated or under-treated hypothyroidism. So if your cholesterol is high, then you are likely to be able to reduce it without medication if your thyroid medication was optimised. And as my first link above showed, high cholesterol is not likely to be dangerous for women anyway.
There are lots of other things worth knowing about statins that you can find out from the Patient Information Leaflet.
I'd point out that everything is so very individual. My cholesterol has never been high even at my most hypopthyroid (when tested, of course, for many years I never saw a doctor).
Last test totsl cholesterol was 3.2 which is regarded by some as hypocholesterolaemia!
Looking at the website of Dr Sarah Myhill is also helpful regarding Statins. She regards the positive aspect of them as being similar to taking VitD - ant-inflammatory. Surprise surprise the new generation of Statins do contain VitD Of course you cannot patent a vitamin and make money - so Statins it has to be - the biggest money spinner in the history of medicine.
Also when taking Statins you are also depleted of CoQ10 - or at least it is lowered. That is the spark required in every cell of your body. Also VitK2 is blocked and that is needed to clear the arteries of calcium and direct it into your bones. The Research Paper discussing this is detailed in the link below - Statins causing heart disease -
Good for you! A Naturopath would be much better for you than a conventional doctor who (usually) has no clue as to the needs of under-treated hypothyroid patients. First, they don't realize you are under-treated! High cholesterol and high blood pressure can both be common in hypothyroid patients who are taking too little replacement hormone. When the body is given an increase in thyroid hormone, the cholesterol drops as does the blood pressure. With incremental increases both will continue to drop to appropriate levels -- without any prescription drugs.
I am living proof this is the case. After careful research, I tossed those medications in the toilet and decided to take things into my own capable hands. Doctors are on automatic pilot. I am my only patient, so when it comes to the best way for me to treat my hypothyroidism -- I make sure to investigate everything to the nth degree. It was a shock to suddenly see that I had high cholesterol and high blood pressure when both had been low all my life.
What I found was that before the advent of Levothyroxine, high cholesterol and high blood pressure were used as indicators that hypothyroidism might be the source of those problems.
"When thyroid hormones get out of balance, a variety of cardiovascular problems can occur. One of the common symptoms of thyroid issues is high blood pressure. When thyroid problems cause hypertension, it is called secondary hypertension, which refers to cases of hypertension caused by an underlying health condition.
Numerous studies have identified this link, showing that both hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid) and hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) are associated with elevated blood pressure." (universityhealthnews.com/daily/heart-health/unexpected-symptoms-of-thyroid-issues-include-high-blood-pressure/)
"Your body needs thyroid hormones to make cholesterol and to get rid of the cholesterol it doesn’t need. When thyroid hormone levels are low (hypothyroidism), your body doesn’t break down and remove LDL cholesterol as efficiently as usual. LDL cholesterol can then build up in your blood.
Thyroid hormone levels don’t have to be very high to increase cholesterol. Even people with mildly low thyroid levels, called subclinical hypothyroidism, can have higher than normal LDL cholesterol. A study in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism (JCEM) found that high TSH levels alone can directly raise cholesterol levels, even if thyroid hormone levels aren’t high." (healthline.com/health/thyroid-issues-and-cholesterol#ThyroidandCholesterol5)
Any doctor who is not aware of the above and prescribes medications instead of increasing thyroid hormone replacement dosage is one that should be flogged in the middle of the busiest intersection during rush hour.
I guarantee you'll never see a Naturopath out there!
I would definitely NOT take statins! They are known to cause nerve damage and some people end up in a wheel chair! Not to mention the muscle and joint pain they create. What thyroid meds are you taking! If you are on Synthroid or Levo it may be that that is your problem. Many people don't convert T4 medications to T3 which is the only hormone your cells can use. If you are not optimal on thyroid hormones you will get diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure. If you google side effects of Levo you will see these things listed. There are a couple books that are excellent sources of info; STTM-Stop the Thyroid Maddness, and HASHIMOTO's-The Root Cause. There is also a Facebook support group for thyroid sufferers; FTPO-thyroid topics. They also have one for thyroid and diabetes issues. It is a closed group so you need to ask to join because they want to make sure you are not a MLM scammer but they admit most people. They are a wealth of info and the admins can look at your labs and advise based on patient experience. I learned so much just reading the other's posts! Good luck, I hope this is helpful.
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