irradiated thyroid

[bluetie]

My levels were off the chart and drug they were giving me was not working so they irradiated it. Found out I was pregnant and it would have leveled out on it's own.. lost the child.

Is there any way to ever get off the evil synthroid

[Ginny52]

I’m so so sorry ♥️

[PurpleNails Administrator]

Sorry for you loss. 

When were you treated? How long have you been on replacement & what dose do you currently take? 

Please put country in profile, lots of advice eg testing companies might not be relevant if you are not in UK.  

It’s not always possible to predict if hyper levels are transient or if they might last long term. 

Usually testing the correct antibodies can confirm if you have thyroiditis or Graves hyper.

In answer to your question “Is there any way to ever get off the evil synthroid” the direct answer is no.

Your functioning thyroid damaged to prevent it over producing. This treatment very often results in hypothyroidism requiring replacement & it is irreversible. 

 If you’re not feeling well there might be lots of reasons for that.

Are you adequately replaced? Do you have TSH, FT4 & FT3 results & ranges? 

Have you tried different Levothyroxine brands, some need to stick with a brand which suits them.  

Are you nutrients optimal.  Folate, ferritin, B12 & vitamin D?  levo might not work well otherwise.  

[arTistapple]

Oh bluetie. So sorry for what you have had to go through.

[pennyannie]

Hello Bluetie and welcome to the forum :

So sorry to read this :

There is no time line here but the RAI thyroid ablation is generally fully effective within around 6 months from ingestion and the patient prescribed T4 - Levothyroxine / Synthroid - replacement thyroid hormone.

A fully functioning working thyroid would be supporting you on a daily basis with trace elements og T1. T2 and calcitonin + a measure of T3 at around 10 mcg + a measure of T4 at around 100 mcg.

Some people can get by on T4 only medication.

Some people find that T4 seems to stop being as effective as it once was and find by adding in a little T3 - to replicate that little bit lost when they lost their thyroid - they are able to restore their health ad well being.

Others find they can't tolerate T4 and need to take T3 only - Liothyronine.

Whilst others find their health restored better taking Natural Desiccated Thyroid which contains all the same known hormones as that of the the human gland and derived from pig thyroids, dried and ground down into tablets referred to as grains.

It is essential that you are dosed and monitored on your Free T3 and Free T4 readings and not a TSH reading seen in isolation which I am afraid seems to be the ' current treatment thinking ' :

We generally feel at our best when the T4 is up in the top quadrant of its range as this should, in theory, convert to decent level of T3 in around the mid 5's.

T4 is basically a storage, prohormone needing to be converted by your body into T3 the active hormone that runs all your bodily functions including your physical, mental, emotional, psychological and spiritual well being, your inner central heating system and your metabolism.

No thyroid hormone replacement works well until your core strength vitamins and minerals, those of ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D are up and maintained at optimal levels.

i was diagnosed Graves in 2004 when aged 57 and though well on the AT drug - Carbimazole - told at my very first hospital appointment that I was to have RAI thyroid ablation the following year - I accepted what I was told as I knew no different.

I deeply regret this RAI treatment and still beat myself up about having gone through this - but I can't change what happened but I can change my future and where I am now and come back on here to help others who find themselves in similar situations.

If you press on my icon alongside this reply you can read everything I've ever written on this forum and of my thyroid journey on my Profile Page.

You might like to read around Graves Disease which I presume is what you were diagnosed with and might like to look at the Elaine Moore Graves Disease Foundation website - elaine-moore.com

I then fell into this forum in around 2015 searching low ferritin, and learnt further on thyroid conversion co-factors and of needing optimum levels of ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D and that there were treatment options other than T4 available on the NHS. and companies who would action the relevant necessary blood tests should the NHS refuse.

I now self medicate and buy my own thyroid hormone replacement and run my own, now just yearly, full blood tests as it seems I need to take supplement daily all the vitamins and minerals to keep myself as well as I am.

[Nfeeney]

I am sorry for your loss.

You need to get your levels under control. I agree with others here to stick with a medication that works for you. My doctor put me on the generic but it did not work and I choose Synthroid as it seems to be more consistent in dosage.

Also, my cousins all have the issues after 35 years old. One cousin had multiple miscarriages and did not realize it was thyroid related.

Keep at it until you feel better.