I actually hate the 3 ‘experts’ who contributed to this article... because this is the sort of news that will make decent hypothyroid treatment even harder to get on the NHS. And I don’t understand why they are so hell bent on minimising the seriousness of thyroid disorders??? Surely it costs the NHS more money treating all the symptoms individually??... rather than simply eliminating them with adequate thyroxine doses? 🤦🏼♀️ It makes no sense!?? If it’s about the money.. because people get the medication for free... I’m all for paying a contribution towards my Levothyroxine. I just want to feel well and be able to enjoy my life.
This has made me furious 😠: I actually hate the... - Thyroid UK
This has made me furious 😠
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HollieBerry
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The researchers looked at data from 21 trials, involving more than 2,000 patients (many over the age of 65) to reach their conclusions.
Outrageous. What of the youngsters like me, a spring chicken of 60? And all the wannabe mamas who are stuggling to conceive? And the poor menopausal women who are being told it's just your age? That it can be written thus and purported as a useful piece of research is beyond shocking.
"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”
With research like this, what hope do we have?
Keep buggering on CSF. A pox on experts like this.
It’s a disgrace isn’t it. I got diagnosed post partum in 2013 and it never corrected itself, as often happens. My health has deteriorated ever since. I’m now 33 and had to give up my job in October due to being so ill all the time... whether it be physically or mentally.... and thats depressing in itself! 🤦🏼♀️ x
I've had to think outside the box and do something very different to what I was doing when diagnosed. It affords me down time as and when and if I have to be busy, more likely than not it's for a couple of hours at a time. It's been hard work but I'm established now and loving every minute of sticking it to the man - I'm self employed and my boss often says, you're tired out...have an afternoon nap with my blessing!
I wish you joy in finding an alternative use for your skill set. I dread retirement - I'm worried I'll just seize up and die!
I got struck off from my Docs for saying what I think, I've been buying Nature Thyroid for the last 11 years and basically looking after myself. Free is only good if it helps and the NHS are overload and don't have time for us, I feel so much better taking control.
This seems like the best way forward us doesn’t it. I’ve not heard of nature thyroid... has it worked well for you? x
I tried Armour for awhile then they change it and it didn't seem to work as well, then I found Nature Thyroid it's cheaper and seems to work best for me, I buy it on line.
Changing my diet has had the most impact on my health, trial and error is the best way forward, eliminating one food/treatment/drug at a time until you find what works for you. Luckily we have forums like this to help.
The NHS is damaged in my opinion and if you want to be well and the best you, you can be, you have to take your life in your own hands!
Well there is your answer. If people are not treated for hypothyroidism then no free prescriptions. All the things that go wrong when not treated will have prescriptions for which are then paid for.
Scotland gives free prescriptions to everyone, and the level of care here is no better.
And Wales and NI. Within the UK, prescription charges are an England-only issue.
Further, the availability of pre-payment certificates means that, if you know you will need it and can afford to buy one, the saving from "free" prescriptions is only the equivalent of that - £105 a year.
Like most research, what is stated is very vague. No specifics on who participated in the study jor how they were selected or why they think a lot of the subjects were wrongly treated. Keep it vague so the masses can understand and not argue, perhaps.
27 years ago, I was really ill for four years. I had four children aged 4 to 10 and a husband that worked away from home a lot. All I wanted to do was sleep and eat!! Needless to say life was extremely difficult. Numerous doctors told me, " It sounds like thyroid to me. " The thyroid test always came back normal. I then "had" a viral infection, then a premature menopausethen depression. My Gp refused to refer me to a consultant.
In spite of 11 different HRT tablets and 2 HRT patches I got more and more ill. I assume, I had sub clinical hypothyroidism. At that time there was no access to sites such as this and no chance of ever being told my actual bloods. Eventually, a gynecologist took pity on me and told my doctor to try me on levo even though my latest thyroid test was "normal."
Some 27 years later, one would expect that doctors are better at diagnosing who has hypo ( or hyper ) and who does not. But clearly this is not the case. Who was it said, " to keep repeating the same thing in the expectation of a different outcome is a fool" ?
Surely, research should be about better diagnosis of thyroid problems and not keep trying to prove that too many people are medicated! If some people are on medication unnecessarily then isn't it time they were given the correct diagnosis and treatment. Whilst I have read a great deal about this nothing is ever said about what is wrong with these people or how to treat them. Is it that they are all hypochondriacs and therefore not entitled to treatment??
I haven't come across any research recently that has tried to establish correct ranges for diagnosis and treatment of thyroid issues. Surely, scientists should realize that even if the ranges were correct sixty or so years ago, that may not still be the case?
The NHS spent a lot of time and money treating me for a premature menopause when I was hypothyroid. When I eventually went through the menopause many years later - actually very late, I needed no treatment!! A simple blood test would have proved, and did in fact four years later that I was not in the menopause. My then gp - a woman - did not believe in the test and refused to allow me to have it.
What a shame you went though all that 😞 I agree totally about the issue of ranges... why are the UK ‘normal’ ranges set so high when in other countries they are much lower? We literally are made to suffer just because of the country we live in. It’s disgusting.
Hope you are feeling better now than in previous years x
I think what this article highlights more than anything is that current (synthetic) thyroid hormone replacement therapy is not effective for a large group of people. My GP has obviously been reading the information about the studies as he mentioned recently that they aren't sure they are helping lots of thyroid patients. I wonder if any brave soul will quietly suggest going back to the medicine that worked for so many people for so long and reintroduce NDT 
• in reply totj61
Also, treating people until the TSH is within range (like a study I read about, mentioned below) is very likely to produce little improvement
tj61• in reply to
Hi Jnetti, yes my endo is delighted now that my TSH is in "normal range" - doesn't matter how I report feeling, numbers trump everything 
Rapunzel• in reply to
Well said. My GP left me on 50mcgs when I was at the very top of the range. Buffoon 👿
I think that anyone who wants to be taken seriously as an “expert” on hypothyroidism should first make themselves hypo either chemically by a course of carbimazole or surgically by a thyroidectomy... Drastic, I know, but unless you can actually experience the condition you cannot be an “expert”, but merely a voyeur.
If they do want some real expert opinion, why don’t they come to any of us so they can hear it from the horse’s mouth? There are almost 104,000 members on this forum who could provide a far larger sample than the pathetic 2000 theyve chosen to use.
I would be more than happy to provide them with my expert opinion although I doubt whether they would be happy to hear it... 🤬
• in reply toZephyrbear
me too
me three 
I think they think the symptoms sound trivial... but when you have aaaaall of the symptoms at the same time they don’t realise what an impact it has on your life, it really gets you down doesn’t it!
Yes, and I could also tell them that for 7 years on T4 mono therapy I felt like a zombie dying from the inside out, but when my dear Endo decided to give a trial of T3 in combination with T4 it was like a light switched back on in my brain and I finally got a huge part of my life back. I went on to university and did a BA (Hons) graduating with a 2:1 in History & Creative Writing and I also managed to save my business which was in danger of going down the pan!
But, of course, these “experts” wouldn’t be interested in hearing about that sort of thing, would they?
The most telling part of this whole bit of foolishness is found by following BBC's link to the BMJ article. It's highly simplified and features illustrations that link to an app called "Outcomes MAGIC" (no joke here). Clearly, it was written for the substandard intellects clogging up the ranks of medical professionals, or for the hopelessly overtaxed minds that haven't the bandwidth to think clearly about the complex subject of thyroid hormone replacement therapy.
I love the fact they reached the conclusion they were over treated when far more likely that the reason the patients weren’t benefitting from the levo was they were UNDER treated.
Good point!
This first part:
“They advise against lifelong hormone treatment for mild underactive thyroid problems (hypothyroidism), saying there is not enough proof it helps.
The daily tablets do not appear to ease symptoms such as tiredness, low mood and weight gain, they claim in the BMJ. ”
Maybe because Levothyroxine doesn’t suit a lot of people? Maybe because for many, like me, levo stops being effective? Maybe because they looked at their TSH and it was in the “normal” range.
FFS. I despair! This is not helpful 😠
It’s a joke isn’t it. Very narrow minded. Everyone must pray their own doctor doesn’t stumble upon this article! Most can’t make their own judgments as it is, without being influenced by this rubbish 🤦🏼♀️x
However, there was a link on the article to a different one, quoting Dr Toft!
bbc.co.uk/news/health-38895877
HollieBerry• in reply to
That’s a much better read! Thank you x
I didn’t even think to click that link... I thought ‘I already know I have a thyroid disorder’ so ignored it 😂
Wish I could find the paper I read a while ago (or at least the abstract, which was bad enough). They tested quite a large number of older people with "Subclinical" hypothyroidism by giving them thyroxine.
They continued the treatment until the TSH was "Within range" (top of range was around 5).
When there was no statistically significant improvement they concluded that thyroxine was ineffective and it was a waste of resources treating this group!!!!
GRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!@***##!!!!
vocalEK• in reply to
Yes, exactly. They are relying on ill-designed research studies. The studies are ill-designed due to the tunnel-vision on TSH being the ONLY measure of "euthyroidism." Off the top of my head I remember one study on the effectiveness of T3 treatment, where the treatment was based on bringing the TSH of the subjects into "range" (with the top of the range being way up into what we patients recognize as hypothyroid territory -- e.g. 4.5). Wonder how different the study would have turned out if, instead, the subjects were treated with sufficient T3 to bring their FT3 measure into the top third of the range and the TSH number was ignored.
Why are these (so-called) physicians and endocrinologists not being educated properly and why do they not question these lies perpetrated by foolish teachers who no longer appear to question anything unless it concerns the loss of (their) money.
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