my TSH Level has shooted to 11 !! Please help :(

[pari099]

Hi guys..i have recenty been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism...my TSH Level has shooted up to 11..however my t3 and t4 are normal...i have not started with any medcation yet...but wanted to ask u guys out here that if this condition can be treated naturally..? i dont wish to take meds for lifetime :(...pls guide me if i there is any way by which i can bring down my TSH levels naturally....thanks in advnce

[cjrsquared]

Do you know if you have autoimmune hypothyroidism, also know as hashimoto’s disease? In order for it to be diagnosed thyroid peroxidase antibodies need to be tested and then to be above range. If so you need to research further, there is research that supports going gluten free to slow down destruction of your thyroid. You also need to change mind set medication doesn’t treat the disease process as such but replaces the hormone that our bodies can no longer produce due to a damaged thyroid gland. Hypothyroid is in many ways analogous to diabetes, you wouldn’t expect someone who needed insulin to not replace that hormone, it is the same with levothyroxine, it is an essential hormone necessary for cell metabolism. No one wants to be reliant on replacement hormones but denying the reality may cause long lasting damage to your body. Good luck.

[pari099 in reply to cjrsquared]

Hi..my anti tpo is also normal (6)... Yes..after reading all the replies down here..I guess there is no other option but to take medication..

[Treepie]

10 is when docs are likely to treat ,I was 101 and you really do not want o be that high and ill before treatment.

[pari099 in reply to Treepie]

What!! 101??

[Treepie in reply to pari099]

Yes and there have been other posters much higher.

[Clutter]

Pari099,

TSH has shot up because your pituitary gland has detected insufficient T4 and T3 circulating even though your T3 and T4 levels may appear to be in normal range. The TSH is flogging your thyroid gland to produce T3 and T4 but this isn't sustainable and you need thyroid replacement hormone.

There's no natural way through diet or lifestyle changes to replace thyroid hormone.

[pari099 in reply to Clutter]

Clutter,

Thanks for the info !! Will start the medication asap ..

[Maxisoul]

Listening to the horror stories from people on L-thyroxine, I too want to try the natural route first, at least until I get more comprehensive bloodtests as the docs just take TSH and T4 tests then stick you on L-thyroxine without looking at T3, RT3, adrenals, Hashimoto's, dietary advice etc, and they a lot of people are all over the shop trying to get the right level amidst a lot of missing information. I'm able to take this time because I don't have overt symptoms. The risk is that while waiting, the thyroid could be getting more damaged, but it is a judgement call for each individual to make depending on how they feel physically, and one that I believe should be respected by all, including doctors. I found some good learning on you tube from a few chiropractors, naturopaths etc, including John Goodman, Eric Berg and Josh Axe. Some will advise on natural approaches alongside medication, others believe a natural approach is possible. It's giving me an understanding of what might be going on beyond the tyroid - adrenals, gut etc - and how it's all connected. With more information, I will feel better able to have a fuller discussion with my doctor about treatment options.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Maxisoul]

It's not so much your thyroid that gets more damaged but your heart and brain. If you are in the UK, it's very unlikely that you will be able to have a fuller discussion with your GP about treatment options as they aren't any that they are allowed to prescribe.

[whispers]

unfortunately, if you have hypothyrodism, hashimotos caused or otherwise, there is no " natural" route as there is nothing natural that has the thyroid hormone in, apart from ndt

[Maxisoul in reply to whispers]

So it would appear, but an overwhelming number of those on meds seem to have great problems, with lots of ups and downs, changes to meds and doses, symptoms etc over many years and probably for life. I there is any possibility at all of managing the condition better and possibly keeping conventional meds to a minimum, surely it's worth pursuing. There are many stories of people managing their condition well using both meds and natural approaches and also quite a number who do so successfully without meds. It would be nice to see at least a bit of encouragement for those who would like to try the natural route. I'm new to the site but I do find it very discouraging and a bit doom and gloom. We are all learning all the time, doctors, naturopaths, dieticians. You only have to look at the turnaround on medical views on fat and sugar intake, but that could change in another five or ten years again. I don't think anything should be off the table.

[whispers60 in reply to Maxisoul]

I've not come across anyone in my limited capacity who has done well without replacement hormones of some sort , whether that's ndt, t3 only, t4 or a mix of t3 and t4 as there is nothing that contains these hormones., it's not doom and gloom to be fair, it's trying to give people correct advise on how to deal with this very complex condition which doctors, endos etc do not know how to treat. That is why people have so much trouble with getting stable, not so much the actual hormone replacement but because the medical profession do not really have a clue. I wish you every success and do look forward to your findings because to be honest, anything that helps is more than welcome. If a person needs the hormone replacement and don't have it then a person will, without a doubt, become very ill indeed

[Maxisoul in reply to whispers60]

I appreciate that that is the experience for very many people and I don't totally disagree. However, I don't honestly think anyone can say for certain that they are giving the 'correct advice' or that someone will 'without a doubt become very ill indeed' if they don't take the medication immediately. I think everyone's body is individual, their diagnosis varies in different respects, and if someone wants to try the natural approach, they should be supported to do that, by doctors and others. They will know themselves if and when they want/need to try the meds. I think it really does depend on more than test results, most particularly how a person is feeling physically. If someone is feeling miserable, they will take meds to feel better asap. If someone, like me, does not have overt symptoms, they might prefer to try a natural approach rather than start immediately on a med that, from what I read here and many other places, can make a person feel really unwell or more unwell. When I posted for the first time, I was asking about opinions on cannabis oil. Almost everyone who responded totally ignored that and just went to 'take the meds, take the meds NOW!' Wow, it really felt a bit like, 'come over to the dark side, misery loves company. Fact is, there ARE success stories and it's not denial to want to try an alternative approach, however slight the chance that it might work; it's simply having some hope. If and when I go on meds, I would like to think that what I'm doing now will at least, possibly, mean a lower dose. So, I really think there is a balance between 'advising' people and telling them what to do. Some individuals responding to questions here even go as far as to be very prescriptive when giving advice, for example, take X amount of this or that medicine'. I get that they probably have probably been living with the condition for many years and have a lot of knowledge and experience to SHARE, but I personally feel that that is bordering on dangerous to give prescriptive instructions because no-one on here could possibly know a person's full medical condition. The person asking the question could have other things going on that they aren't even fully aware of. Doctors are failing people with this condition, for sure, but at least if a doctor gets it wrong, the patient is protected to some degree through formal processes. Here, it's very informal with no accountability for possibly incorrect advice. Anyway, that's my experience of my very brief time on the site. Not very positive, unfortunately. I would just encourage people responding to queries to really read the question being asked and, yes, give advice and share experience as it is requested, but also know the balance between that and telling people what they 'must' and 'must not' do.

[whispers60 in reply to Maxisoul]

Ok, Thank you for the debate, it has been enjoyable I wish you all the success in the world in your search, good health and good wishes to you

[Maxisoul in reply to whispers60]

Always good to debate Best wishes to you also.

[pari099 in reply to Maxisoul]

Hey...U are really expressive!! and have a great command over language ...

[Maxisoul in reply to pari099]

It all makes for good discussion. There's always learning in discussion and debate. I hope you find a way forward that works for you.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Maxisoul]

The problem is not so much the medication as the doctors and the poor level of education and training on thyroid

[Angel_of_the_North]

The "natural" treatment is to replace the hormones your body can no longer produce - ie to take thyroxine or NDT, or a combination of levo and T3, In the days before thyroid hormones were discovered, people with hypothyroidism got heart disease, went mad with dementia and died. You don't want that to happen. You can help your general healthy by keeping good levels of ferritin, B12, folate and vitamin D and supplementing selenium helps to keep antibody attacks at bay. Probiotics such as kefir also help. But without replacement hormones you will die (slowly) as they are needed by every cell in the body and brain.

[Maxisoul in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

If I start to develop symptoms I won't let them get so bad that they'll make me demented or kill me

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Maxisoul]

If you had dementia, would you know? That's a serious question. But I did read one study that showed that there is a very small percentage of people who function well with higher TSH than the majority of us (something genetic), so you might be one of those.

[Maxisoul in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

I've always wondered myself if people would know if they had dementia. I think at the start they do, but then as it develops they get lost in it, sadly. Maybe we all have a touch of it through the natural aging process as our brain cells lose function. That study sounds interesting, I must google it. I doubt they're talking about a TSH as high as mine (24), though.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Maxisoul]

No, I think it was more like the high 4s

[Apples in reply to Maxisoul]

It would be quite interesting to know how high peoples' TSH got before they were diagnosed. (19.4)

I understand your point about managing your thyroid problem without formal medication and reading this site it is easy to assume that there are endless problems with Levo. I'd like to assure you that there are plenty of people (like me - although those might be famous last words!) who are doing very well on it.

I came here for advice and support when first diagnosed and come back to keep up to date and to build knowledge in case I have problems in the future.

Good luck with your quest - I am interested to hear how you get on.

[Catseyes235]

I've been on Levo for 30+ years and once on the correct dosage don't think about it much. However it took a long time to come back from lack of medication thanks to stupid young endo - TSH 21 - next stop coma and death! Luckily my doc, from just hearing my voice on the phone, knew what was wrong and started me on thyroxine. Longer you go down the longer it can take to come back up. Nowt replaces a hormone like a hormone whether chemical or from a pig.