Undermedicated & why the spannish have it sorted.

[Karenk13]

So Random post but thought I'd share this today as I am amazed and equally disgusted. My Dad is currently on holidays in Spain and I was told you can get Levo over the counter without perscription so I sent him a picture of my Eltroxin and asked him to pick me up some boxes well when I heard that it costs literally a 10th of the price I currently pay the chemist I was shocked

How can there be such a huge descrepency between Ireland and Spain ? It's madness. Anyway I've been feeling the affects of under medication my hair has started falling out again (always happens to me when my thyroid is struggling) and weight is slowly creeping upwards even with training intensely 4 times a week plus an active rest day on a 5th day.

Last time I had my Tsh tested it was still higher than I'd like to see for myself even though it had come down slightly from the previous test in March/April. If I remember correctly it was around 3.9 . I know as an athlete I'll need a higher dose of T4 to support my level of activity which my Doctor doesn't really agree with so I've decided to up the dose myself from 75mg to 100mg for 6-8 weeks and then retest privately to see what my levels come out as.

I already take a strong Iron supplement, Selenium, Vitamin D and Omega 3 to support the extra demands on my body so I'm hoping the increased dose of T4 will have a positive affect and I can go back to the doctor with the new results to get my perscription increased to the correct dosage!

[greygoose]

Have you had your FT3 tested? You need that to know how well you convert. There's no point in increasing your levo (T4) is you can't convert it. T4 is a storage hormone. It's T3 the active hormone. And, by over-training you could be negatively affecting your conversion.

[Karenk13 in reply to greygoose]

I actually haven't had my Ft3 tested in well over a year but I will be testing that on my next one to see what conversion is like . In terms of training I'm definitely not over training yes I train hard but no more than any other person doing the same sport.

[greygoose in reply to Karenk13]

And these other people you're comparing yourself to, are they hypo? If not, then there's no comparison. You need to do what's right for you, not what everyone else is doing. And, as you don't know how well you convert, nor your level of FT3, it might be a good idea to ease up a little - just gentle walking or swimming until your FT3 is optimised. Because hard training will stop you converting.

[MaisieGray in reply to greygoose]

And also deplete what supply of T3 you do have.

[Karenk13 in reply to MaisieGray]

greygoose @MaisieGray to be honest I have always been of the mindset that this illness will not interfere with my life and I refuse to let it dictate to me what I can do. Maybe because I'm stubborn I don't know but exercise is the only thing that keeps me feeling normal. I'll get T3 done before I adjust the dose to see and then retest in 8 weeks after the newer dose. Thanks for the advice.

[greygoose in reply to Karenk13]

You're welcome. That's a good attitude, but has to be tempered by a dose of reality.

[MaisieGray in reply to Karenk13]

Me too, for the first 30 yrs Karenk13 - I insisted that taking the "little white tablet" was no different from putting in dentures if my teeth had gone LOL. Oh my naivety. But nevertheless I did regular hill walking with no problem. I think the point is to do what you feel good doing, and we are each individual in that, but that you have the info if things ever change. Information is power and all that ....

[Muffy]

Do you wait four hours between iron and thyroid supplements? The iron interferes with thyroid absorption.

[Karenk13 in reply to Muffy]

Yes I take my supplements in the morning and my levo before bed 😁

[silverfox7 in reply to Karenk13]

Do you take iron away from other supplements? One of the problems with taking multivits with iron included means the iron is stopping you getting any benefit from the others. (There are other problems as well taking multivits).

[Karenk13 in reply to silverfox7]

Hey silverfox7 I don't take a multivit I take a Vitamin D supplement then I take a seperate Iron/zinc one with that in the morning then I will take selenium later in the Day with my Omega 3 and also a Glucosamine/Chondroitin complex around lunch time for joint health from training. I tae my T4 before bed so that it's well away from the other supplements

[silverfox7 in reply to Karenk13]

Glad you don't but I wanted to put the wider picture just in case plus it helps others if they read the post. Thinking about the amounts we pay for thyroid meds I remember not too long ago when it was easy to pick up T3 in Greece you could go on Holliday and buy supples and the money you saved by doing this actually paid for the holiday as well! So in effect you paid the same for the meds as you would at home and got a free holiday thrown in! Think they must have closed that loop hole now.

Hope you get things working better soon

[Laiagc]

Hi! In Spain, when you get Eutirox ( that's the official brand we have ) at the pharmacy if you show your GP's prescription then you get a significant reduction on the price because it's partly covered by the social security system. On the other hand, you can also buy Eutirox without prescription, but then you pay the full price, which is around 6 euros. I don't know about this other brand you mention. Do they have the same composition?

[Karenk13 in reply to Laiagc]

Yes same composition @Laiagc just a different brand

[Hidden in reply to Laiagc]

How many in a box?