..HOW MANY people are confused with what seems like conflicting advice....
You just get settled on thinking you kind of understand something,..and you are implementing that understanding as best you can...you gain confidence thinking you are on the right road and then OOPS ! You read yet another thing which appears to contradict what you think you know, or, at the least, tempers it with ifs, buts and maybes.
Everything re Thyroid and Adrenals seems to be so very complicated ,.and indeed subject to so many opinions. All the experts sound authoritative enough. Not all the advice concurs though.
Dr PEATFIELD has his very good book with advice...S T T M is a great book too ...and you get into Dr Rind and start using his method for determining thyroid/ adrenal status and thus adjusting medication and supps accordingly...
And then you come across Dr Lam..and he gives warnings aplenty about the use of glandulars and herbs etc...
Unless you are wealthy..
What do you do ?
It’s all very unsettling...and brings your confidence down ..
Has anyone worked all through this sort of thing and managed to work out how to get it right ....
Answers on a postcard....
Would love to hear from anyone who has made some sense of it all and can offer good ideas.
Thanks.
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Jollypolly
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I know two doctors - one of whom believes adrenals have to be sorted out (I assume if you've been ill for a long time) and another who believes the adrenals sort themselves out once you are prescribed and gradually get to an optimum of meds.
I suppose you aren’t allowed to mention names are you ? I’d b interested in the doctor who thinks adrenals need sorting...if not first, at least in conjunction with thyroid. With Dr P not around, I feel on my own ..
I've recently seen Dr P, well last year and was following his instructions but as you say he's in hospital and very unwell! I felt panic immediately but I posted my worries and symptoms on here and the response was brilliant ! I still feel very unwell I think it's my Adrenals and Cortisol I'm thinking of going to another NHS Endo out of area or reluctantly paying private for tests and guidance !
The people on here have been a god send to me so ask the questions there always someone who will help you on here.
I'm still struggling on with Levo I started Adrenavive and then Metavive but I think the Adrenavive made me worst because I have high cortisol! Then the Metavive made me feel so undermedicated I had to start back in the Levo 😔 I am desperate to try NDT but I have Hashimotos and gut issues or T3 I'm Just very nervous buying online and self medicating! If I can get a reliable source I will do a trial and hopefully start my road to recovery.
It’s hard to know what to say but I’d like to say something useful !
I do really think you need to get on NDT... I get it fro my gp on the NHS !! Yes ... it’s a wonder isn’t it ...
Could you get your go to prescribe it for you ?? Probably not...I’m travelling at the moment .. so bear with ... I may write again if I have SOMETHING WORTH SAYING !
I’m on NDT...but I have indeed found it to be true that compromised adrenals prevent one’s being able to raise the dose...it’s only since I’ve been on adrenal cortex for some time that I have been able to raise from two grains to two and a quarter grains..and I somehow doubt I can raise anymore unless adrenals get stronger,,.
But reading Dr Lam rather pulls the rug from under your feet..giving the idea that you need personalised, Specialist help to sort out adrenals, and that it’s possibly damaging to be on too much cortex, say, and other adrenal helps, for too long.
I was told, conversely, , that I may need some cortex all my;life....what do you believe ?
I couldn't afford any specialist help or private blood tests, as it was a choice of either one or the meds.
Fortunately, the medication made a difference so I didn't need to pay anyone, I just followed the best practice advice on here re what, when & how, with caution. What not to do re food & supplement clashes came a bit later. I've never medicated specifically for adrenals, despite extreme stress for decades, as the THs seemed to help with that too, especially with regard to improving sleep. However, I do make an effort to ensure my nutrient intake is good from food, & take micronutrients that I may be missing from my diet, as well as ensuring I keep my gut bacteria happy with pre & probiotics, & avoiding processed muck.
I am having to manage myself now...had three private doctors..the only one that led me on to anything good was Dr PEATFIELD...he got me on adrenal cortex...and indeed it seems to help quite a lot...
but ive started reading Dr Lam and he warns of all the pitfalls of cortex and the like.
Dr P is out of action ....but anyway...I feel I’m on my own..and I reckon most people in our stat feel like that .
Treating the adrenals seems to be one of the hardest things....
The subject raises its head when you get onto natural dessixated thyroid and you try and raise to a better dose..
AND YOU FIND YOU CANT ! And then you learn it’s your adrenals...
Like you..I have had a lifetime of terrible stress...I’m 68 and happily married ,
but years of extreme stress since I was born...very extreme bad things in the family growing up...and then latterly as an adult ...all this has I’m sure weakened the adrenals...and boy it’s difficult to break these habits of the body and mind..
And certainly stress is like a habit...though not a chosen one.
So it’s all very tricky isn’t it....but am glad you are managing so well by yourself...well done ! You’re definitely doing the right things.
Dr P certainly soinds like a good'un, whenever I see him mentioned, it's positively. If it's working for you, then go along with his advice, unless your gut instincts & symptoms tell you otherwise. Every doctor's got different opinions, & there's no one size fits all with health or medicine, certainly not with the vagaries of our hormones!
I went straight on to NDT, & only tried T3 a year later. My issue is from a pituitary adenoma, rather than primary hypothyroidism, or hashimoto's. I've had to go with what feels ok for me between seasons, though I raised my NDT to 2.5 grains, which feels approximately the same as three 25mcg T3, but with more perks. I'm currently fine on 75% T3 to 25% NDT in winter as my skin & metabolism need a boost, & just T3 in summer. The type of NDT has been important, with WP being best, NT fine, & an itching reaction to Thyroid S & severe itching & burning from Thyro-Gold, & disturbed sleep with both the latter. If I'd tried either of those first, I'd probably have given up in a few weeks on a quarter grain. There's currently less choice, but perhaps a change in brand or make might allow you to raise dose effectively if you still feel you need more & the adrenal cortex isn't helping.
I've always been itchy, & have very sensitive skin, but the effect of the Thyro-Gold was unbearable on even a tiny dose, & the Thyroid S was enough to scratch all night.
I'm rationing what I have left at half a grain of WP a day in the hope it'll last till there's more available, though the chance of that in a month is looking unlikely. I felt ok on the old NT, so hope I find the new version alright, too.
Dr Skinner stated the adrenals sort themselves out when optimally on thyroid hormones. The 10,000 testimonials the GMC received of the help/assistance/care Dr S did for them and made them well, speaks for itself.
Thanks...well..yes..but the problem is getting your thyroid dose optimal when your adrenals aren’t happy...it’s a vicious cycle it seems to me...I wonder what he advocated in that situation ? Any ideas ?
I saw both and looking back and with the problems I had, I now believe the main problem was caused by levothyroxine and as I was incapable of believing that a medication could make you feel much worse.
We're willing to try anything at all but when I took Adrenal Xtra my palpitations increased so I stopped A Extra. I was diagnosed when TSH 100 so was very unwell anyway. It took years for me to find a solution but as we have the forum now there's lots of answers/questions of how members recovered or are improving. If doctors or endocrinologists haven't a clue, how are we to follow their instructions?
2.25 gr is a reasonable dose. Do you take once daily or split doses. Dr Lowe also states we have to look at other factors. I only have three episodes but you might find them helpful. You will have to copy/paste the link to open the tinyurl.
You might find the following link helpful, particularly the ones dated July 15, 2006 and January 30, 2002.
The reason is that Dr L's patients took NDT at a starting dose once daily and every week or two added 1/4 tablet to their dose and so on until they were free of clinical symptoms. Taking pulse and temp before beginning. If either went too high they dropped back to previous dose.
Adrenals need to be up to par before T3 can be dosed . I found when I dosed with any T3 /NDT it unmasked adrenal insufficiency . Adding Vitamin "C" as Martz said in addition vitamin B-5 and Celtic Sea Salt . DHEA needs to be tested too if it's low . Lots of rest and going to sleep early is very helpful .
Your own comments and those of BadHare about the effect of long term stress and trauma on adrenal health certainly chime with me, and I've seen the connection mentioned on the forum several times over the years.
I've found it hard to raise my T3 since I found I had very low cortisol throughout the day. I've just had to do it very, very slowly. Dr P advised Nutri Adrenal Extra when I first started seeing him way back in 2006, but that's no longer available. Neither that nor HC made more than a marginal difference. My other private doc, Sarah Myhill, advised taking pregnenolone, which made me feel much better - at least initially. Correcting nutritional deficiencies and taking plenty of Vit C seems to have helped generally.
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