Advice on an Under Active Thyroid

I found this site:

http://www.progressivehealth.com/synthroid.asp

Good luck.
H.

there is an alternative to synthroid, called Armour http://www.armourthyroid.com/ which is a natural form of the hormone your body would/should be making. I have a low thyroid myself, and would caution you about not treating it - so no matter how you treat your thyroid please make sure that your labs are being checked and are in the normal range. While you might feel "right" you can do a lot of damage to your body and gain a ton of weight without treatment.

Henry Ford also has an alternative medicine center in Novi. They have Chinese medicine specialists there - might be able to offer an excellent alternative.

Good luck!

This is not an answer to your question, but I have been on thyroid medicine all my life, Synthroid for the last 20. No big deal. Hope you get the help you need.

My advice to you is to check into homeopathic treatment. I also have thyroid issues, and the natural supplements help. My family has given up on medical doctors, and use our Kinesiologist as our primary care physician. The nice thing about homeopathics is there are no side effects. (You know theose ads, side effects may include...and so on.) But, because the treatment is all natural, there are no side effects.
I have a 17 year old with alopecia, and medically, there was nothing they could do for her. They told her to start picking out wigs. After taking the natural supplements, her hair has almost completely grown back in only a matter of months!

Hello C.,

I was diagnosed 10yrs ago with Hypothyroidism or under active Thyroid. The condition is very common in the Great Lakes area. That is why so many doctors routinely check for it now. The symptoms my be subtle and go unnoticed. I had a career, I slowly over time began to notice little things, fatigue, anxiety, forgetfulness. All of these symptoms could be explained away by stress and age, my cycles became irregular. I think for me the hardest thing was the forgetfulness, coworkers would bring things to me that had my handwriting on it but I did not remember anything about it. My husband would insist he told me things and I would insist he did not. The final clue came one morning when I was at the doctors office for something completely unrelated and everyone in the office was freaking out because my blood pressure was through the roof. I had always had low to normal blood pressure so my doctor was alarmed. It was however the final "tell". A sudden onset of hypertension can be directly related to low thyroid function, so if your blood pressure is normal now, keep an eye on it.
Once I was diagnosed, my doctor told me that within a very short time on medication I would begin to see a change in how I was feeling, he was so right! I tell people it was like the "fog lifted", or the sun coming out. I could remember things again. I was so scattered for so long and now suddenly I could be orgainized. My doctor had no idea how long my Thyroid had not been functionally properly so if you are not having any of the symptoms now that is probably good. Personnally taking the medication is a small price to pay for feeling "normal". I have to have my thyroid levels checked every 3 to 4 months, it is done with a blood test. It is strange but now, after 10yrs I can tell when my medicaton needs adjusting. I notice that my skin seems dryer, cycles become even more irregular, and a sluggish feeling comes on. I am probably older than you, my children are grown, I only have 1 son left at home and he is in college. Some also link Hypothyroidism to wt gain, so as a woman, we are always watching our wt, I did lose some wt when I first went on the Synthroid. About 10lbs. I hope this helps you in making your decision. The internet also has several very good health sites with the latest information. I like yahoohealth most, however there is WebMD and I think google health. Many of the area hospitals have excellent patient sites for information. HenryFord.com, Beaumonthospitals.com, and the DMC to name a few.
Good luck and stay healthy.

Pat

I have the opposite of what you have - overactive thyroid (Graves disease). This is an autoimmune disorder. If you don't know already, you need to determine the cause of your underactive thyroid. I went on medication (PTU) for my condition and also did not like the idea of being tied to it for the rest of my life. My first endocrinologist really pushed for me to have my thyroid ablated - a quick fix, which would have put me in your category and I would be taking thyroid replacement meds forever. I got a second opinion from another endocrinologist who agreed that we could at least "try" weaning me from the PTU and see what would happen with my levels. Luckily, I am in "remission" after weaning - although I am very aware that Graves can pop up again whenever it feels like it! What I guess I am saying is that you should get a second opinion from an endocrinologist who listens to your concerns and tries to work with you if possible - if you get two endos telling you the same thing, I would follow their advice and take the meds as hypothyroidism can lead to some significant health consequences. Dr. Sander Paul in Berkley is excellent if you need a second opinion.

There is a company named Reliv which has been a big help to my family, and to my best friend who has hypothyroidism. You should give them a try. The lady I get it from is named Christel. Her number is ###-###-####. It is a nutritional product, and Christel can help you hear some testimonials about some people who had hypothyroidism, and were cured, or at least helped immensely by these products. I hope the best for you.

an interesting book is How I Reversed my Hashimoto's thyroiditis by Robert Dirgo, I think his name is.

I am currently on 100 mcg of synthroid or levothyroxine and have been on different doses for over four years.

I want to be off medication, but my thyroid will probably never function on its own properly again and I don't feel able to battle the fatigue, moods, stiffness, etc. right now.

The one side effect of synthroid is a loss of bone density, so if you do go on it, take calcium.