Posted by BLPBart on May 8, 2002, at 10:07:31
In reply to Re: Desperately Need Help...(long) » BLPBart, posted by marnie on May 8, 2002, at 9:50:29
> > > Lia,
> > >
> > > Thank you so much. You've given me some hope.
> > > I'm glad to hear that you've over come your depression and fatique. I will definitely get that book you mentioned and look into some of the medications you named. Thank you. Thank you.
> > >
> > > Marnie
> >
> > Absolutely educate your self also on the thyroid issues. I did a lot of reading about that and have found out that many docs don't know what they're doing in that area. Most will measure your TSH level and if it falls in some range, usually in the 0.5-5 range, they'll tell you there's nothing wrong; or they'll say you're hypothyroid, give you synthroid and simply get your TSH down to about 5. New research is indicating that for most people an ideal TSH level is around 1-2. Also, you HAVE to measure free T3 and T4 too, because there are people who have levels of these hormones that are too low, despite having what's considered "normal" TSH levels, but doctors often don't measure these and it gets missed. One last point. In the past, thyroid patients were given Armour thyroid which was actual dessicated and ground up thyroid from pigs. This gave the patient the mixture of hormones that are normally present in the thyroid. Now docs tend to give synthetic T4 (synthroid) with the theory being that your body will convert the T4 into the active T3 form. A lot of patients have reported that T4 alone doesn't work for them and they feel as awful as they did when they weren't treated at all. I think in some cases, the problem these people have is their body lacks the ability to convert the T4 into the biologically active T3. This may not be a problem for you at all, but you should try to rule out thyroid issues. A really good website on this is the about.com site dedicated to thyroid issues.
>
> I have already been through exactly what you mentioned above with the thyroid. One doc put me on Synthroid. I asked for Armour, but she refused. I changed docs and the new one wouldn't even consider Armour for me. I begged her to just try it, but no. She switched me to Unithroid.
> Needless to say that did nothing either. I kept searching until I found a doctor who was willing to give me Armour and it did help a little bit, but not nearly enough. I've tried different doses, but couldn't find a cure. I'm taking 90mg Armour. 1-1/2 grains, Celexa, Dexedrine and Desoxyn. I'm still having trouble stying awake during the day. I don't want to increase the meds anymore, I'd really like to find out what's wrong with me. I ordered the book that Lia mentioned and hopefully it will have some answers for me. Thank you for your advise. I appreciate it.
>
> MarnieYou certainly sound like you're on top of that one. Has anyone ever done a sleep study on you?
poster:BLPBart
thread:105293
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020503/msgs/105585.html