Too many unanswered questions - Myxedema

[vocalEK]

I thought this article would be illuminating. Yet the writers seem to be unaware of a couple of issues that we patients know about. For example, that taking iodine, if you are not tested to be low in it, can be harmful if you have hypothyroidism. For another thing, can a "poor converter" end up with myxedema? What if a patient presents as comatose and had high TSH and normal to high FT4? The authors appear to ignore the need for FT3 altogether.

endocrineweb.com/conditions...

[humanbean]

Dr. Quijano-Vega wants to share a message loud and clear for hypothyroid patients all over: “Patients who have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism need to understand that it is important for their thyroid hormone replacement therapy to be taken on a daily basis, as per instructions of their treating doctor.”

Despite this there are plenty of patients who've been threatened with having their thyroid meds taken away altogether or their dose reduced by a massive amount e.g. a reduction of 100mcg, and all because of a low TSH.

According to Dr. Poston, you’ll first need your thyroid-stimulating hormone tested. “TSH stimulates the thyroid gland to produce thyroid hormone. If the thyroid gland is unable to produce thyroid hormone, TSH will continue to be produced in an attempt to prod the thyroid gland into production.”

What happens if the pituitary is unable to produce enough TSH? People should just b****r off and die?

What causes an imbalance in my hormone levels if I am taking my medication?

How quickly can I balance my hormone levels if they do change?

What does the author of the article mean by hormone levels being out of balance? And what does it mean for thyroid hormones to be "balanced"?

You’ll also need tyrosine, which can be found in foods like chicken, lima beans, and almonds.

I took tyrosine supplements as an experiment to see if it improved how I felt or how much thyroid hormone I produced. (Desperation has kicked in quite frequently with my thyroid treatment, and I was almost 100% certain I was wasting my time and money - but I tried it anyway.) It gave me a very severe headache all the time I took it.

[shaws Administrator in reply to humanbean]

If the people who prepare these reports do not have hypothyroidism I doubt they can explain clearly to the majority of us on this forum as we all have differing symptoms.

What we definitely do need is a combination of T4/T3 or NDT (now withdrawn by the NHS - as well as T3) - another cruel decision - definitely not humane. or caring or compassionate. It's as if we do not get/have remaining symptoms.

[Gigi216]

Yes I’ve tried iodine several times over the years and I always feel so much more hypo! And yes I agree with you about being a poor converter could increase your risk of myxedema

[Hidden]

Liothyronine (T3) is the RECOMMENDED treatment for myxedema. It is GREENLISTED for the treatment of myxedema.

NDT and T3 are for the most part BLACKLISTED for hypothyroidism.