alternative options

[Carrie97]

Has anyone had any success with treating their hashimotos with alternative options, my GP stays obsessed with your in range keep taking your levo and won’t refer me back to endo, I’ve been on 100 mcg to 250mcg over the last 16 years and I want to try something else.

Any guidance or success stories?

[greygoose]

What did you have in mind as an alternative option? You can only replace a missing hormone with a hormone. And, as far as we know, there is no way of treating the autoimmune aspect of Hashi's. And, even if you did manage to cure/treat the Hashi's, by the time you get onto levo your thyroid is far too damaged to ever be able to produce enough hormone again. And thyroids don't regenerate. So, I don't see what alternative option there could be.

There is, of course, T3 and NDT, which could be considered an alternative to levo, but very difficult to get prescribed.

But, be wary of asking this sort of question because Hashi's can go into a sort of remission sometimes. On the way down from a Hashi's 'hyper' swing, back to hypo, you can sometimes stay euthyroid for quite a while and not need levo, etc, and all your symptoms disappear. And that's when people start claiming they've 'cured' their Hashi's by whatever means they've been using. And it can be all sorts of things, like iodine or yoga or something. But iodine and yoga do not cure Hashi's, and eventurally you will go hypo again, and the symptoms return. So be careful to whom you listen.

[Carrie97 in reply to greygoose]

Hi thank you, I didn’t have anything I mind just wondered if their was any other options as my gp only prescribes levo and I’ve just never felt great on it, I became hyper after my son 16 years ago they treated me for hyper and said it was probably pregnancy related and would go away in time after being on carbiz and propan for 2 months they stopped it to see what would happen and I swung hypo and tested me for hashi and I’ve been on levo ever since. Just fed up.

[greygoose in reply to Carrie97]

Doctors rarely know anything much about thyroid. On the contrary, they sometimes have some really weird ideas! They should know by now that many, many women develop Hashi's after childbirth, but they still don't know the difference between Hashi's and Graves'!

And vitually all of them only prescribe levo (although their hands are somewhat tied, there) and dose by the TSH. And they never understand why that approach doesn't suit everyone.

So, the first step is to get hold of your blood test results. Ask at reception for a print-out - it is your legal right to have one. You need to know exactly what they're testing, and exactly what the results are - we can help you understand them - it would be good if one of you does, and it won't be your doctor! 😂

Then, post the results and ranges on here, and let's have a look. There could be all sorts of reasons why levo isn't helping you but we can't tell without seeing the numbers.