Hi there
Is anyone aware of a connection between hypo thyroidism and Chronic Fatigue syndrome
I've had a thyroid test which I've been told says my thyroid levels are too high now
(They were too low at one point in my opinion) I've brought T3 armour thyroid and been on 1/2 a grain a day for a month but my ends now says I'm to stop the t3 and probably have chronic fatigue syndrome. Results are thy stimulate 0.01 free thyroxine 38.4 free t3 8.0 any advice is great fully received
Wolthebuilder,
You are very over medicated to have FT4 38.4 and FT3 8.0. What other thyroid hormone are you taking? I can't believe 1/2 grain Armour thyroid has made you so over medicated. Being over medicated can cause fatigue.
thyroid.about.com/od/thyroi...
Hi
I'm on 200 mg of levothyroxin as well
I've been on the t3 for about 1 month but been advised to stop taking it
I was going to say the same as Helvella.
wolthebuilder What are you taking besides the 200mcg Levo? Armour or Armour and T3?
Wolthebuilder,
I think the 200mcg Levothyroxine needs reducing too, probably by as much as 50-75mcg.
There is a difference between T3 and Armour Thyroid. They aren't the same thing.
People can buy Armour Thyroid, which has two main active ingredients - T4 and T3 - which originate from pig thyroid. Armour Thyroid is a brand name. Generically it is one of a group of products called NDT - Natural Dessicated Thyroid by patients. There are quite a few other brands/makes of NDT available. Armour Thyroid is the most expensive NDT in the world. Price is not a guarantee of quality. Many people do very well indeed on the cheaper makes.
There is also a product called Liothyronine, which is often referred to by patients as T3. It is wholly synthetic.
I'm on thyroid usp which contains 9mcg of liothyronine and 38 levothyroxin
I have 1/2 of a 65 mg tab
Thyroid USP is the standardised powder from which desiccated thyroid products are manufactured.
Are you on Armour Thyroid, or some other desciccated thyroid product?
Are you taking any other thyroid hormones such as levothyroxine (T4) or liothyronine (T3)?
Yes I'm on 200 levothyroxin and I think it's desiccated
levothyroxine is not 'dessicated' thyroid hormones. It is T4 only.
You have caused confusion because you have given conflicting information.
Armour - is a dessicated thyroid hormone made from pigs thyroid gland. It contains all the hormones a
healthy gland would produce.
Levothyroxine is T4 only - an inactive hormone until ift converts to T3.
Liothyronine is T3 only - the active hormone.
Hello, you might like to google the Mysteries of Thyroid Goop very interesting but sadly many years ahead of current Medicine.
Your meds confusion needs to be resolved before you can progress, but I also think you also must ask your endo what makes them think it's CFS. I think CFS is used as a diagnostic last resort by some doctors when their hypo patients are not easily treated with straight hormones! It's actually misdiagnosed in a lot in people who just have (a) adrenal insufficiency (b) 'rarer' forms of hypo (c) vitamin deficiencies (d) something more serious. Which is why you don't want to land yourself with the diagnosis unless your endo has done a lot of extra blood tests to be absolutely sure.
Many patients with long-term CFS actually turn out to have hypothyroidism - which isn't severe enough for doctors to consider worth treating (T4 within 'normal range'). There is so much going on into research in this area right now and I can agree with your statement that there is a connection. However, I know many people who are hypo without CFS. Although I suspect that most people with moderate to severe M.E/CFS or Fibro have low thyroid; but as their profile is quite complex they're often quite sensitive to large doses of any hormone treatment! This is probably why your endo thinks you have CFS, but you're on mega doses for anyone quite honestly. I suspect your endo is one of those who believes in chucking as much medication as they can at a problem until it resolves! When, in fact, they should be looking at vitamin deficiencies and all the thyroid support you need as well.
Look at Dr Myhill's website for information if you want to see the connection:-
Wolftgebuilder, Levothyroxine and Armour are different forms of the same kind of hormone. So if you add in more of either one of them you're increasing your dosage.
If you want to try some Armour, you must at the same time reduce your Levothyroxine, so that your overall dosage stays about the same.
Sorry Shaws i meant that the T3 1/2 grain was desiccated not the levothyroxine.......!
Also would my blood tests be different as i had thyroid cancer 10 years ago now and was told that my levels are different from normal levels
Wolthebuilder,
I also had thyroidectomy due to thyCa. My endos want TSH suppressed <0.1 to reduce likelihood of recurrence otherwise blood tests are no different to those of other hypothyroid people.
It's okay if FT4 is slightly above range as long as FT3 remains within range. Your FT4 38.4 is massively above range and FT3 8.0 is usually above range and this means you are very over medicated. As I said earlier, not only do you need to stop taking 1/2 grain Armour but you also need to reduce Levothyroxine dose substantially.
A normal Thyroid test doesnt include Cortisol(produced by Adrenals) - which when low can account for tiredness. Indian ayurvedic ashgwanda is said to be good for energy and for thyroid/adrenal problems. l will be trying it after lve had more Endo tests this week. A lot of write-ups on Amazon- and its organic direct from India, and far cheaper than many UK suppliers
A New Thyroid Subset For Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS)? The Low T3 Syndrome Group by Cort Johnson www.prohealth.com
Paper showing low T3 in Chronic Fatigue SyndromeMyalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: the biology of a neglected disease
Advice CHRONIC FATIGUE ?!!
Frontiers in Endocrinology paper: 'Higher Prevalence of “Low T3 Syndrome” in Patients With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome' advocates T3 trials
