Posted by Snoozy on April 21, 2003, at 0:24:17
In reply to Verrrry interesting re THYROID ... » Barbara Cat, posted by Janelle on April 21, 2003, at 0:01:41
Janelle! You've been holding out on me - you didn't tell me you were taking Synthroid ;) That's ok, I am too!
Yikes - that's all I can say about the questionable thyroid diagnoses/treatment you and Barbara Cat received. I'm glad you're both finding appropriate treatment. I heartily concur with everything Barbara Cat said, even the staple gun part.
Synthroid and Levothroid are both synthetic thyroxine.
TSH levels, I don't know if the reference ranges are standard, but here's what I can tell you from my own records:
My dr tells me what my uTSH result is (ultra sensitive thyroid stimulating hormone, inversely related to thyroid hormone level). The reference range of normal for this is 0.47 to 5.01. On one of my lab reports, I also see a TSH level, with the reference range being 0.34-5.60.
Again, I don't know if those are standard ranges for all labs or not.
It would be nice if all of our ailments could be blamed on hypothyroidism and cured with a pill with no side effects, but sadly we know that it can never be that easy!
> Hi BarbaraCat,
>
> Nope, the doc's name wasn't Dr. Ross; it was some French sounding name and he was from overseas.
>
> That sounds worse than what happened to me - your being put on thyroid med with NO testing!
>
> I'm a bit confused by something you said - you said that you are currently taking levothyroxine, a synthetic Synthroid at 137.5 micrograms and could easily go to 150. This implies (at least to dumb me!) that Synthroid is *natural* if what you're taking is a *synthetic* version? Yet Synthroid is a prescription med, which I have always heard is synthetic. So are you taking a synthetic of a synthetic? HELP!
>
> Thanks SOOOOO much for the simple, in English, easy to follow description of thyroid action, specifically the TSH part. I had it backwards! Now I remember however, that when I got into the hands of a competent doctor he told me the basics of what you said and that I was HYPERthroid at that point.
>
> I think my TSH is now around 7, does that sound right?
>
> Thank goodness I was only on that unregulated natural thyroid supplement for a few months - I had no idea that too much thyroid med for too long causes the thyroid gland to shut down and leaches out calcium, and can cause osteoporosis and heart problems. EEK.
>
> I do know that the natural brands supply all the thyroid hormones and not just T4 like the Synthroids do, which is why the naturals are supposed to be superior.
>
> I also know that Cytomel is synthetic T3, T3 is the active form and that most docs believe that T4 will get converted to T3, but that is not always the case.
>
> I have heard that some people don't convert well, but was not aware that there's lots of research that says that some T3, especially for depressives, is needed.
>
> Thanks for sharing all that ...!
poster:Snoozy
thread:220659
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030417/msgs/221048.html