I had been treated for a high tsh ( in the 5.0) range with porcine thyroid hormone 65mg by a naturopath. Here in the states they are the only doctors you can find to treat a thyroid in that range. I felt slightly better but not great. The practice supplied the med. recently they switched to bovine glandular hormone, which I took. I began waking with morning nausea, which within a week turned into constant nausea like I had the flu. Horrid, I was bed ridden. Stopped taking it and am slowly improving. I do have an appointment with a functional doctor who specializes in thyroid as I feel the other doctor didn't have a handle on how to treat thyroid disease, but I was wondering if anyone else had experienced this with bovine hormone or had an explanation on why this would happen? I have been dealing with symptoms for years and and have told that my tsh was normal. This has been hell.
Hi, I'm new here, have a question about bovine ... - Thyroid UK
Hi, I'm new here, have a question about bovine glandular thyroid hormone
I would think that the problems arose because your bovine glandular didn't actually have any hormone in it. The don't usually, or they wouldn't be able to sell them OTC.
If you didn't feel better on the porcine thyroid hormone, it could be due to two things: a) because you weren't taking enough of it, or b) because you had nutritional deficiencies. The body cannot handle NDT if all nutrients aren't optimal. Have you had your vit D, vit B12, folate and ferritin tested?
Thank you greygoose. They tested my D and B12 and both were supposedly ok. I don't have the numbers. I don't remember them testing folate or ferritin. Every test they did I had to request. I had been on a higher dose of the porcine, but felt palpitations, shaky, and anxietal. So it was lowered. I was able to function on that, but still felt exhausted and depressed. Had headaches and joint pain. It was after all of this and discussing it with my doctor and her not having any suggestions that I started researching doctors and came across the functional doctor I have set up an appointment with. He seems very passionate about thyroid illness and has some informational lectures on YouTube. He believes in getting to the problem that started the attack on the thyroid to begin with and feels 80% of hypothyroidism is hashimoto's. I see him in a week. I have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and I have arthritis. It's odd that I have less fibro pain when on the thyroid hormone. He finds it interesting as well. I have already spoken to him and really hope he can help. I've been dealing with this for 30yrs. Nobody thought to treat my thyroid. Just put me on antidepressants, Lyrica. Nice!
'Supposedly ok' really isn't good enough. What you want is 'actually optimal'. Always, always get a print-out of your results, and learn to understand them, that way, doctors will no-longer be able to get away with this sloppiness.
Having palps and feeling shaky on higher doses of porcine was, no doubt, because they weren't in any way 'ok'. Doctors know nothing about nutrients.
The don't know much about thyroid, either, which is why your doctor didn't have any suggestions, when there are so many out there. And that's the reason you have been diagnosed with fibro and arthritis, when the problem is more than likely low T3.
Well, I hope this functional doctor does have some answers. Let us know how you get on. We want every detail! 
Hope u r doing better.
Where ru in the states? Has the functional dr helped u?
I'm also in the states.
Thx
Hi, havethisdance,
I'm in Connecticut. We are working on it. So far he is the only doctor who has done anything to make me feel better and he is doing this with diet and supplements. I am still not on any thyroid meds, but am seeing someone Tuesday who can order it for me. He is treating me for leaky gut, which really is so much better. My labs are TSH 3.530 0.450-4.500 T4 6.3 4.5-12.0 T3 77 71-180 ferritin 30 15-150 LDL chol 246 0-99 Vit-D 27.5 30.0-100.0 Vit-B12 647 211-946. He is giving me a sublingual D3 4000iu daily and iron with Vit-C daily. He feels there is a lot of inflammation and autoimmunity, and I am not converting T4 to T3? Once I get on my thyroid med I will feel much better, although there is much improvement with the dietary changes of no gluten, dairy, or sugar, and I've lost 15 lbs! Yay! I will also be going on low dose naltrexone. Thank you for asking This site is so helpful!
I'm happy 4u.
What r your symptoms of leaky gut? Did functional dr test for inflammation? Ru really not eating any type of sugar or dairy and u feel good?
Do u or did u get facial pain from arthriits . Fibro myalgia?
What is ldn and what is it used 4?
Were u on any vitamins prior to all this? My issue is not loosing weight but id like 2 gain. I'm in the minority with that issue.
Sorry 4 all the questions going thru so much right now also.
Thx
I had blood work that showed high inflammation and it's been that way for quite some time. Had dyspepsia all the time. Bloating after meals, constipation, a lot of cramping all the time. Have been gluten, dairy, and sugar free for six weeks and am about 80% better gut wise. Used to have nausea all the time. That is better, but I have to be careful what supplements I take. My system is still sensitive. I am on a formula for leaky gut, but he had to switch it up because it initially made me nauseous. I really like this doctor because he listens, and if something isn't working for you he changes it. He's also not as aggressive as some doctors I've been to. Believe me, this was not my first attempt at trying to get better. Other attempts only made me worse. This man says I am very sensitive to meds and supplements and we take it slow.
Yes, I do have facial pain with fibromyalgia, joint pain and I also have osteoarthritis. I have chronic migraines. When I was on thyroid meds the pain was less and I could tolerate what I had better. He believes a lot of the fibro is caused by the thyroid problem, and that is caused by leaky gut. It causes food allergies and that causes a lot of the symptoms. I was on some supplements prior to seeing him from my naturopath. A multivitamin and SPM-active by metagenics which is a new type of fish oil. It really helps inflammation. I had eye pain and it helped that. I just generally feel better when I am on that. Ldn is a med being used for many autoimmune disorders now. It helps with pain, is non addictive, and has changed many lives. If you are on Facebook there is a support page that is very helpful, and there is tons of info on it on the internet. They are even using it for Hashi's and inflammation and having good results with it
Where in the states are you, and what diagnosis do you have as yet I am so sorry you are suffering There's a lot of support on this site. Don't give up. My diet will slowly introduce foods. If I don't react, then they aren't the problem. I think dairy and gluten will be out we will see. For you the diet would be different. You would be given foods and supplements for weight gain. Probably a paleo type diet. That is just a guess, as I'm not the doctor
I hope this has been helpful. It seems long
Hi
I'm in New York. Been 2 an exorbitant amount of gastrointestinal mds. My problem started there due 2 stress issues where is where most problems start. Diagnosed w 3 different pancreatic issues from different sources. Lost a lot of weight although eating alot. Gained back 20 lbs. Don't look bad but I feel i could use a few more lbs. Aldo duagnosedvwvgluten sensitivity thru blood but was already eating gluten free 90 something %. diagnose w inflammation gastritis then chronic atrophic gastritis a few years later had constant burning grim stomach 2 mouth b except when u went w c sleep put on carafate pretty much took burning away almost immediately took twice a day. Stopped insurance changed got burning again went 2 new gi al so new pcp also previously Diagnosed w Biliary dyskinesia been thru the mill w drs who were total ware of time and money. I could write a book. Most recent diagnosed w thyroid nodule. Had biopsy and hypothyroid. So much testing. On alot of antibiotics in the past diagnosed w sibo. Etc. Been an extremely frustrating ride. Still not sure but if current endo is doing right thing although very patient and always calls me back. I do call her a lot. Also she did do a lot of tests w blood but not ft3. Looking into 2nd opinion. I'm on lowest dose of levoxyl due also 2 medication sensitivity. Higher dose gave me more palpitaions. Difficult 4 me 2 gain more weight. Have sleep issues. Bloating. Also diagnoised w lpr via ent dr acid from back of throat.
Also have been on numerous closed Facebook sites. Sorry so long. There's alot. I'm much better than before but have 2 watch fat in food due to gastro issues and w gluten makes it even more difficult
Well, you have been through the mill. I know how frustrating it is to go to so many doctors and feel like you're running up against a brick wall. The problem was nobody knew or seemed to care what the others were doing. Going to a functional doctor for me was not an easy decision. I came across one near me who posted information on YouTube and the internet. I liked what he had to say. It made sense to me. I'm a nurse, worked in western medicine all of my life, but I was really getting disappointed. I thought long and hard about it, and finally took the leap and went to this doctor. I've had to pay out of pocket. Thankfully, he has given me a break on prices. It's been totally worth it. With my medical background I understand what he's telling me, and it all makes sense.
Your thyroid can play such a huge part in every system of your body. It played a part in everything that was wrong with me. Autoimmunity can play into it and wreak havec. You have to heal your gut and get your thyroid in order. If you put your thyroid labs on this site there are a lot of really knowledgeable people here who can help you understand what's probably going on with it. And they can give you suggestions on what you should be asking your doctors, and how to advocate for yourself in your treatment. Gluten is a big deal with the thyroid. You should try to avoid it. Simply getting that in order may help your gi problems. If not, you might think about a functional doctor. There are many general practitioners who have also become disillusioned with the practice of medicine and have gone back to learn about holistic and naturopathic treatment and are opening practices in functional medicine. I know of one who is very passionate about it. She spends two hours with you initially, then you have 24/7 access to her any time, and after the initial visit you pay $100 per month and that's it. They're trying to make access to them affordable. Some are more costly. I really feel for you. You, like so many here have been through hell. I hope that I can be of some help to you. I am not the most knowledgeable on the thyroid values as of this point as it is relatively new to me too. They will tell you to get a printout of your labs and post them here and ask for some guidance with them. So you could just do that. I still have my regular doctors. I need them for certain things and insurance covers them. You don't have to stop seeing your doctors to get a different opinion if that is something you should decide to do. But I would post your labs for starters and we can chat as well
What field of medicine do u work in as a nurse?
What is the most accurate blood test for inflammation?
I worked in the hospital on a surgical unit, then on a neurosurgical unit. Then I worked on a dialysis unit for six years. After that I worked for an insurance company for five years and went out on disability. I worked as a nurse for 35yrs. C-reactive protein is a test to measure inflammation. There are a few that indicate it. Elevated serum Ldh can be an indicator.
That was my experience taking the porcine....nutri - meds which is bovine worked really really well for me.
Not what you're looking for?
You may also like...
Thyrovanz® bovine thyroid glandular
Question about stomach acid and thyroid hormone pills
Hello I'm new here..and would like to ask a question about TSH and T4 levels
What about bovine thyroid?
I'm new here. I have some questions about basal temperature
I'm new here, struggling with underactive thyroid, and blood tests.
I am new here, and have overactive to underactive thyroid
Hi all I'm New here need help still feel sick 
Hi I'm new. Help with Medichecks Thyroid results.
Hi I'm new here Hypothyroidism and Blepharitis
