Almost there . . . .

[Schenks]

Just read a reply to someone and am utterly gobsmacked - either I'm stoopid or I'm going that way. I didn't realise that low thyroxine levels if undermedicated can give you anxiety! Anxiety is the thing that has reduced my quality of life, along with the exhaustion, to zilch. It is only since accessing this website that my state of health has begun to allow me to live a bit - since I got enough info and support to self-medicate on NDT.

I'm still learning, and it's so blasted slow and painful doing so since 2007 when, after being mercilessly bullied at work my until-then stable health (on 125mcg Levo for the previous 30 years) absolutely collapsed with 'ME/CFS, '. Basket case, according to the medical establishment. After a long, arduous and expensive journey that has taken all of our meager savings, I am now confident enough to say sod them, I'm going it alone. I'm getting there, though it's been a long and terrible journey,

After spending every last penny with the Poirot of the field (so I have read) and having had a taste for a few months of life, wonderful life on Armour, the money ran out and so did the scripts. And so did the health, although at the time the dosh ran dry I had moved into over-medication, on 125mcg Levo and 2 grains of Armour, with the classic symptoms of hyper - shaking, palpitations, racing heart, sleeplessness ... but no bl**dy weightloss, mind! This frightened the bejabers out of the GP and the 'alternative' guys lost a lot of credibility in her eyes.

Finally found an endo who has prescribed Armour once on private prescription, but can only see him on the NHS, and since last October, when he said he would approach the medical bosses to see if he could prescribe it for me on the NHS - I haven't heard a thing! So . . . .

Sourced my own NDT from a recommended site and have built up to 2 grains so far. And only realised a few days ago from the advice here that I needed to split the dose because of the T3 content - started that protocol a few days ago AND THE ARRYTHMIAS HAVE STOPPED (but not the heart, evidently) - no heart flutters, no pains in chest!

Now, I have just read one of the brilliants on here saying that anxiety happens to her when she is hypo. My god, who'd've known! Maybe I've always been a bit hypo - putting weight on easily, always cold, but anxious, anxious, anxious all my life. Labelled , I've put it all down to a desperate childhood giving rise to a neurotic adult - but maybe, just maybe it's not all in my head - there is something else contributing to the hindrance of my living my life to the best of my ability. I've worked on the head stuff through many years of therapy, to such an extent that not only am I well sussed, but I now am studying it! But I've always found it so tiresome, in every way, to keep looking into my psyche for the answers to the constant, low-grade-to-gnawing-anxiety, Can this be the next to the last piece of the puzzle, along with being fat, no matter what the hell I eat or don't?

My god, if this is the case, what a bloody Masters I'm going to write!

[shaws Administrator]

When you get to the optimum thyroid medication, for you, your weight should reduce as well as cholesterol if yours is higher at the moment.

[Schenks]

Thanks for the reply. When you speak of the optimum medication, this is where I get a bit worried. My last bloods showed optimal T3 but lowish T4. My worry is that since T3 is faster acting and quicker to be eliminated, how will I know, clinically as opposed to misleading blood tests, whether to increase one or the other? I mean, I have prescriptions for T3 and Levo, but am using NDT, so my fear is I won't quite know if I should increase either the T3 individually, the T4 individually or carry on raising both through NDT. And I'm not sure how fast to increase the NDT by, in case I need to reduce it again - it is rather frightening. Any advice? Or should I re-post this lot of questions separately?

Thank you.

[Clarebear]

Hi Schenks - yes I get debilitating anxiety when under-medicated for hypothyroidism, but I also get it when over-medicated - a bit confusing unfortunately. I have been feeling pretty well on 2.5 grains fo Armour with midrange FT4 and close to top of range FT3 - I think this is what the STTM website says to aim for as a starting point. If you can't achieve one without messing up the other then maybe that would be a good time to add in T3 or T4...

I have had to increase my dose very gradually, as I get horrible symptoms otherwise - ranging from anxiety, headaches, vertigo etc. Six weeks seems to be OK for me.

Clare xx

[Schenks in reply to Clarebear]

Hi, Clare - thanks so much for your reply. I'll remember that - the T3 & 4 level thing. It's going to take a while, I can see that now.And I'll go up more slowly - so far I'm up to 2.25 tabs of Thiroyd-S, but am still very weak.

The anxiety is not too bad - and when I've thought about it, when I was well with Hercule le Begique's protocol - I wasn't anxious at all! The anxiety conection is the most amazing revelation - it was your reply to another post that alerted me - I am so in your debt, thanks you so much.

Steph xx

[Clarebear in reply to Schenks]

Good luck - glad your heart symptoms are better too xx

[Hidden]

Thyroid apart... have you got significant Insulin resistance perhaps, many people do?

In any case, too many carbs = lots of insulin = lots of fat stored.

Low carb is my preferred way of control, loads of info on that to research, but that apart, Metformin is also worth researching (and I can see you are well able to research) see the Life Extension Foundation's opinion on that... lef.org/magazine/mag2010/no...

It costs me 3 quid a month, the best money I have ever spent!

[Schenks in reply to Hidden]

Right! I'm sold - where do I get Metformin from? Do I have to get it on prescription from my GP? Is it a safe over the counter thing? Are there reputable suppliers? (Sorry to bombard you . . .!)

[Schenks]

Do you know, I have been coming round to the horrible suspicion that I have a huge problem with carbs. I've never heard of Metformin - going to have a nosey - is that what costs you three quid a month? And what makes it a good 3 quid - what's it doing for you?

going to mooch on your link - thanks, picton. (Interesting name - you haven't been picked on, have you?)