Adrenal saliva test and where to get them done...

[sylv175]

Hi all,

My 17 yr old daughter has had hypothyroidism for a few years now and has been taking a daily dose of 75 micrograms of levothyroxine which had brought her TSH and T4 to normal levels.

Her endocrinologist had suggested she stop taking it for a month to see if the thyroid would kick back in but alas after two months of not taking levothyroxine, a blood test showed TSH levels at 191,90 mUI/L and T4 levels at 2,7 pmol/L.

What is interesting is that my daughter has been feeling better in the period when she stopped taking thyroxine, good appetite, regular periods, improved mood...she does however have a lot of anxiety and trouble getting to sleep or "switching off". It is also worth pointing out that she has been diagnosed as high functioning autistic.

I am therefore wondering if the root of the problem is in fact Adrenal fatigue and before resuming the levothyroxine treatment, I would like for her to do the DHEA/cortisol saliva tests.

I am currently in France for the next two weeks after which I will return to my home in London, UK.(Return date 15th March 2021)

Do you know how to get hold of these tests either in France or in the UK?

Your help and advice will be greatly appreciated!

All the best,

Sylvain.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Extremely common to initially feel better when levothyroxine is stopped, but this doesn’t last

Her extremely high TSH underlines she is now extremely hypothyroid

daily dose of 75 micrograms of levothyroxine which had brought her TSH and T4 to normal levels.

exactly what were these “normal” thyroid results?

75mcg levothyroxine is only one step up from starter dose of levothyroxine. Unless she’s under 8 stone in weight that’s very unlikely high enough dose

Absolutely essential to regularly retest vitamin D, folate., ferritin and B12 too

When were these last tested

Does she have high thyroid antibodies, confirming cause of hypothyroidism is autoimmune thyroid disease also called Hashimoto’s?

Is she on absolutely strictly gluten free diet?

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

sylv175

My 17 yr old daughter has had hypothyroidism for a few years now

Her endocrinologist had suggested she stop taking it for a month to see if the thyroid would kick back in but alas after two months of not taking levothyroxine, a blood test showed TSH levels at 191,90 mUI/L and T4 levels at 2,7 pmol/L.

What a very stupid endo. Hardly likely to kick back in. Transient hypothyroidism is possible when it's post-partum thyroiditis but when it's someone who has been diagnosed Hypo and treated for years the thyroid isn't going to suddenly regenerate. I think your daughter has been used as a guinea pig, maybe time to ditch this sadist.

What is interesting is that my daughter has been feeling better in the period when she stopped taking thyroxine,

This happens but it's temporary and the patient will eventually become symptomatic again. Her test results show she is extremely hypothyroid.

Best test for adrenals is the one that does 24 hour cortisol/DHEA and in the UK you can do this through Regenerus or Genova Diagnostics. I use Regenerus as they send the results direct to you whereas Genova send them to ThyroidUK who then send them on to you when they've received your consent form. I would avoid any test that does not include DHEA. Regenerus and Genova include proper ranges for each of the samples, some companies start their range at zero which is not helpful.

Details on how to order are here:

thyroiduk.org/help-and-supp...

Click on Read more information and order the adrenal function saliva test to order the test.