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Re: Cytomel » zana

Posted by Larry Hoover on April 10, 2007, at 10:13:33

In reply to Cytomel, posted by zana on April 9, 2007, at 8:41:40

> Before I went on MAOIs, my pdoc put me on Cytomel to see if it gave me a boost. After about 6 weeks and 50mcg BOY did it. I have never felt better.
> However, slight problem: it made me so hyperthroid that my own thyroid shut down and now I have to go off it.

I have a fundamental issue with the standard interpretation of your blood work. Of course, increasing T3 is going to lead to a decrease in TSH. What else could one expect to happen?

What if your body's "thyroid thermostat" is what is out of whack? What if your body is insensitive to T4, but your hypothalamus isn't? Your thyroid would be being told (via TSH) that there's enough hormone floating around, whereas your body might be starving for it. I can't remember the doctor's name, but he named this syndrome. I've posted about it here, before this.

> Anybody have any experience with Cytomel (T3?)
> I have always been low normal and I am hoping I will be able to go back on some supplimentation after my own thyroid goes back to "normal."

Cytomel isn't the only option. Armour thyroid hormone contains T4 and T3, as well as associated thyroid proteins. Some people do really well on it, as it provides both bioactive thyroid hormones.

The problem is in finding a doctor who will prescribe the supplemental hormone, and monitor you while you titrate the dose. It can take quite a while to figure out just what dose you need, as thyroid hormone is highly protein-bound in blood plasma. Kind of like little sponges, sopping up free hormone, but leaking a little bit at the same time. It buffers the blood concentration, to keep it relatively stable. Changes in total hormone availability (as by oral supps) take some time to both show their complete effect, and to wear off again if you stop taking them (or decrease the dose). That's where you need a patient doctor.

The other thing is, if your thyroid thermostat is wonky, the only way to overcome it *is* to shut down your thyroid gland, and to become dependent on oral supps. That is, unless selenium supps do the trick. The enzymes that convert T4 to T3 require selenium. You can have what is known as a functional deficiency in thyroid hormone, which is kind of like what people get when they become insulin resistant; i.e. there's lots of insulin floating around, but it just doesn't do its job. The analogy here would be thyroid resistance. It can be related to selenium deficiency, but there are other explanations, as well. When you're dealing with the thyroid, there is no easy answer.

Lar

 

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poster:Larry Hoover thread:748373
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