Thyroids own production?? V's meds

[Sasah]

Hi,

I am.in a predicament. Where i would really like to not take meds and try and get my thyroid to work better through vits and life style. However,.i am getting too many synptoms to ignor.

My question is. - if i start of levothyroxine say 50 will i ineviably have to keep raising dose over time. Do you need more and more?

Also does your thyroid stop working as in producing its own. I have had an hemi and worried as this way it can fluctuate whereas a pill can't. If i stopped taking the levo as a tria would my thyroid remaining half still work.

[greygoose]

Can I ask why you had half your thyroid removed? Were you hypo before it was removed?

Vitamins and life style have their place, but they're really not going to make up for the missing half of your gland. Half a thyroid can only do so much and I expect it's doing all it can. You're not going to do any good by flogging it to death. And please tell me you weren't contemplating iodine.

My question is. - if i start of levothyroxine say 50 will i ineviably have to keep raising dose over time. Do you need more and more?

Up unto a certain point you do, yes. 50 mcg is very rarely sufficient to make people well. Your body needs what it needs and ignoring what it needs is just going to make you ill.

Also does your thyroid stop working as in producing its own.

Eventually, yes. Taking thyroid hormone replacement will decrease the TSH. Once the TSH gets low enough the thyroid will stop working because it cannot produce hormone without the stimulation of the TSH.

I have had an hemi and worried as this way it can fluctuate whereas a pill can't. II have had an hemi and worried as this way it can fluctuate whereas a pill can't. I

I can't see the connection, but a pill doesn't have to fluctuate. If you're taking levo, it's basically a storage hormone, which doesn't do much until it is converted into the active hormone, T3. And the body converts it as and when necessary.

When you take the pill it goes into the blood. In the blood it doesn't do anything, just floats around until needed. When it's needed, it will be used. So, that's your fluctuation.

. If i stopped taking the levo as a tria would my thyroid remaining half still work.

If you stopped taking the pill, the TSH should rise again, and therefore the thyroid should eventually go back to doing what it was before you started levo. But, why would you want to do that given that your thyroid is incapable of making enough hormone, anyway? It's there in case of emergencies, but it really cannot assume the weight of keeping you alive on its own anymore.

[Sasah in reply to greygoose]

Thank you. I ask these questions as i was given ill ifbnot wrong advice my ENT and a private consultant. Who said half would most likely kick in and pick up the pace. Whichbi now see is nitbthe case. Itbis more likely producing the same as beforw. Maybe a tiny but more but no way enough to conpensate for half a love removed. Before i was functioning with a TSH of 2.7 and T4 of 13.5 bith in range. Now i am TSH 4.6 close to top range oglf 4.9 and a T4 of 10.5 or 11 bottom range 9.6.

Basically i was told uf anythingbi would need a tiny dose of levo to boost tge ramainer and top up. But sounds like basically i need to just say bulye bye to thyroid control and go on meds!.

Thing is this grouo tell me one thing and professionals another!! I do however, trust you more than my ENT who as soon as i had op. Even with borderline results treat me like a manic hyperchondriact. Said my results were in range, fine, scare looked good. No endo refferral and signed me of as a success storey.!!

P.s... i had a tiny nodule. Which wqs benign after the hemi. Only 7mm. Now i realise i did a very drastic thing for a conclusiom when i should've waited to see ifbthere had been any growth. I am so mad with myself! X

[greygoose in reply to Sasah]

Don't be mad with yourself. You weren't to know. It's not your job to know! You're supposed to be able to trust your doctors! But they know nothing about it. They always tell patients that the remaining half of the thyroid will start working harder, and I don't think it's ever the case. If it were a kidney, or a bit of liver, yes, that would be the case. But thyroids are different.

But even before your op, your thyroid was struggling. The TSH should not have been over 2. I know that's in-range but we hypos know we just can't trust the ranges. They mean nothing. So, you probably would have ended up on levo, anyway, even without the op.

[Sasah in reply to greygoose]

Thanks again for your reply.

[Pippah45]

Have you thought of Natural Dessicated Thyroxine? I go Natural wherever possible and Levothyoxine didn't agree with me like many other pharmaceuticals.

[Griselda1]

Hi Sasah

Just wanted to say be very careful if thinking of trying to get off thyroid meds, I have a very long history of thyroid problems dating back to when I was a child. From the start doctors have been worse than useless. I had a sub total thyroidectomy I my 20's and I've never (except when on NDT) really managed to get my thyroid properly sorted.

More recently, after years of doctors telling me my thyroid is fine I had the brilliant idea of getting off the meds, I thought all these specialists can't be wrong, it must be me. I was very wrong and have got sicker and sicker. I don't think Levo agrees with me so I am in the process of moving back to NDT.

I will never listen to the doctors again and am going to sort this myself and am very hopeful that the NDT will make things better. I know it's different for everybody but I just wanted to say what my experiences are of trying to get off meds, it really wasn't one of my better ideas, so do be extra careful.

[Tina_Maria]

If we view this very simplistic, we could say that a full functioning thyroid can cope well with producing the thyroid hormones we require.

However, if you have to remove half of your thyroid, you obviously only have half left, which can still produce some hormones and can likely pick up the slack for some time. However, that remaining half is put under additional strain, as it has to do the work the 2 halves have done before, so it will get exhausted over time and will not be able to produce the hormones you require. So eventually, you will need to be on replacement.

If you start to take your replacement eary on, you can perhaps 'top up' your levels, but eventually you need to be on a full replacement dose, as your remaining half will shut down in time. So, sadly, you will have to be on replacement hormones for life, which I know is not ideal but we all went through this process. However, with the right treatment and support, you will still be able to have a good quality of life, so don't despair. It will take a while until you find your right levels, but it can certainly be done.