Hello
As I am unable to tolerate NDT or T3 in any form, I thought I would try ashwaghanda to help with my lack of energy and motivation. For the first few days I felt great on one tablet a day (think was 450 mcg). However after about 10 days, I started to get symptoms of overmedication (hyper) - just as I did whenever I tried to take T3. Is this what normally happens and should I plan to lower my T4 ? At the moment, have cut ou the ashwaghanda!
Thanks for any comments
Can you please include your most recent thyroid blood results including ranges (the numbers in brackets)? And also what dose LT4 do you take?
I don't think any member can safely comment on any dosage adjustments without this information.
yes F T4 16.9 and F T3 3.9
I can't take a larger dose of thyroxine -have tried to ease up several times over the years. so that's why I tried an adaptogen such as ashwaghanda.
thanks so much for your help am very grateful
Are these tests results just on levo alone? No t3 or NDT? If so then you have pretty good conversion of T4 to T3. Do you also know the TSH result?
I've heard and read that if you have adrenal insufficiency that it can be hard to tolerate T3 or NDT. Have you investigated this option? I don't know how this would relate to ashwaghanda.
thank you -yes just T4. TSH just below 1.
interesting about adrenals as have had previous saliva tests returning very high from early am sample and then massive drop for rest of day. how to get help with this (other than salt and Vit C) I just don't know
Thanks so much for suggestion/comments.
much appreciated
I don't know much about adrenals unfortunately I can't help there, I just know it's a common issue and definitely something to look into. I have to say since your conversion is fairly good on T4 alone, I wonder if a slight dosage increase might help alleviate your symptoms.
Areyou sure it's not the fillers in the tablets you can't take? It can easily. E checked by taking an anti histamine an hour before and if that gets rid of the problem it's an allergy. If so they vary in different names so may be another make would suit though it may take a few tries. Or where you started on too high a dose? It's usual to start pretty low so your body can get used to it. Lots experience problems like that.
didn't think of fillers as poss culprit! thanks for help
You have to start NDT slowly. 15-30 mg per day at first. (Remember your endocrine system is probably trashed) Ease it up another 15-30mg after a week. You "WILL" go hypo at some point, this is normal, when you do ease off it a little and in 3-6 months you'll love the stuff and be jogging for lunch. If you are a bloke get you testosterone levels checked and if not in upper percentile take a supplement.
Maybe the Ashwaganda is working! And, you need to lower thyroid meds a little. How exciting! I am expecting an order of ashwaganda to be delivered soon. Not sure what to expect. Were these bloods done before or after you started using the supplement?
I have already been avoiding dairy and drinking bone broth for healing my gut and helping with the autoimmune side of my illness. Looking at grains and gluten next. Have a clearer head but feel I am beginning to have hyper symptoms. Hoping that means I can start lowering meds. Hoping to heal my condition! I've had Hashimotos for 15 years. Fingers crossed.
they were done before! am afraid I panicked and stopped the Ash to get more info as I don't like the hyper symptoms.
interested to read your experiences as I have Hashimotos too and lots of digestive issues. have not been able to face GF diet . am on kefir (4th course but not sure if it's helping). also using broth etc.
so you would expect to lower T4 when taking ash? that's encouraging as I read on Web that it can be 'too much of a thug for thyroid ' (I did try iodine previously which was definitely not good)
if you have time can you tell me what dose of ash you will begin with ? I am intending to start again but with lower T4.
sounds like we have siMilan situations
best wishes
Andrea
Well, you have sort out the reason(s) for the autoimmune condition because every time you do or take something to help the thyroid function your body will still be in attack mode. This is why iodine supplements are a big no no for people with Hashimotos.
I am trying to heal my gut. Pretty certain I have leaky gut issues that are allowing poorly digested food stuff to get through my gut barrier. I have poor stomach acid and take hydrochloric acid with peptide supplement. There are other possible causes for autoimmune reactions, such as chronic viral infections and food intolerances. So you could have food intolerances from a leaky gut caused by microflora dysbiosis or food intolerances could be causing a leaky gut. I am hoping for the former rather than the latter.
So I have been gradually coming to terms with the need for eliminating troublesome foods, like dairy, wheat and the biggy sugar, for at least 3 month and up to a year as is suggested by some. It's taken a while to get used to avoiding dairy. Today starting gradual efforts to avoid gluten, starting with bread. It's too much for me to change all at once. Feels like being punished. This is my strategy. Other foods to avoid are eggs, beans, lentils, cruciferous veggies, barley, rye. Some of these I don't eat much anyway.
After a long time of avoiding trigger foods and consuming stuff to heal my body, hopefully my condition will go into remission. Then I can try to reintroduce certain foods and see if it upsets my system.
I will come back and update my plan with the Ashwaganda. It should arrive today. Watch this space...
thanks for finding time to explain all that . I have just got FODMA PS book to look at gut health. it's all so intertwined! will try and follow you here so can see how you get on with ash etc
have you started the ashwaghanda yet ? How are you finding it ? Did you reduce your T4 ? Since I read your posts I regret not sticking with ashwaghanda, and just reducing the thyroxine. Also do you know if there is a test to diagnose leakly gut ?
Yes! I have started using the Ashwaganda. I've been having half a teaspoon of it in a cup of tinned coconut milk with honey at night before bed. One of its benefits if recovering the adrenal glands and helping cope with stress. It must be helping because i have suddenly been completing a bunch of tasks I've had on a list for a few weeks now. Just seems that I can't figure out what's been holding me off getting them done before now! Usually, I just feel overwhelmed and stressed I guess. Now, I feel calmer and in control.
So in regards to lowering meds, I probably shouldn't have suggested it was that simple. I think I was excited to see it was having an effect on someone. I must also stop the autoimmune issues which the Ashwaganda won't address, but small amount will help recover my overworked damaged glands to prepare them to work normally again. I am taking enough thyroxine and NDT to completely suppress my thyroid which means it won't be under attack by my immune system. If I do anything to stimulate my thyroid into action, my system goes nuts.
My next step in healing my gut will be having my last bit of gluten tomorrow. Just something in the cupboard I couldn't bring myself to bin. I feel ready this time as I have tried giving it up before. It feels like when I quit smoking fifteen years ago. I knew it was good for me and I was finally ready, even though I had tried to quit before, it felt different that final time.
If you have autoimmune Hashimotos, you most likely have a leaky gut. Though, you could also have a chronic bacterial or viral infections, like Epstein Barr for example. An infection could weaken you digestive juices and allow large food particles to get into the intestine and start upsetting things. I did a vitamin C flush followed by megadoses of 18g vit C daily for just over a week now to deal with any suspecting chronic infection.
As for testing, it's a bit complicated from what I understand at the moment. You can get an IgA test which suggests a coeliac allergy or there is an IgG test which means your body is reacting to something. A gut biopsy is a definite answer, but isn't usually tested. I know I have a leaky gut, because I have reactions to foods that aren't supposed to cross the gut barrier full stop, and I have all these issues listed in this article: healthywomen.org/content/bl...
I will be getting thyroid tests in next couple of weeks, and hopefully get the thyroid antibodies checked to see if diet changes are having an effect. Once those go down, i can start lowering meds and increase Ashwaganda to help cope through the adjustment period.
That's my plan mostly. You had so many questions and I definitely don't think stopping meds prematurely is a good idea at all. It could set you back when you have to recover from a period of being hypothyroid.
Hope this helps with anything you are thinking of trying.
HI
Thanks for your reply and information. Im glad you are already noticing some improvements in your energy and (I guess) brain fog etc. Thats great news. Also thanks for your insights into the gut which I KNOW is my main problem as, when its not reacting to food it doesnt like, I feel find and dandy (well, almost).
Am grateful for your link to article too. Lots of things to look up.
Again, thank you so much for the reply and information. It has given me encouragement to start the ash again, perhaps a little more slowly this time. I am convinced that food stirs up my gut and/or thyroid and am going to work to get it sorted out.
I hope you continue well with the ash and that you keep posting your progress
Best wishes
You are very welcome. I hope I answered all your questions. I tried not to waffle on and on.
Please get in touch anytime. I will definitely post updates if I continue to improve. It's still early days yet.
I am really hoping to stop the progressive joint pain I have been suffering for a number of years but very happy with the clear head for now!
Hope you are feeling better.
Advice before telephone appointment please 
Need something to cling to
Advice please!
