Adrenal Fatigue...?????

[tiredpuppy]

I was on another thyroid forum and all they go on about is maximizing their thyroid homone doses and adjusting their Adrenal function...they use a combo of Armour thyroid and hydocortizone for a period of 2mon. -2yrs. depending upon labs...I read and reread the med posts and am still not sure I get the corralation. They don't seem to have a lot of physician backing as they are mostly self medicating via OTC cortisol and Isocort. What gives with this any one else been on this site???STOP THE MADNESS? replies welcome if you know about it...
Lisa

[GravesLady]

Sorry, but don't go there!

You should go to reputable site such as medical, associations/foundations or government (gov) sites for information. Stay away from sites that are selling products or books. There are a lot of misinformation at other forums/boards.

No matter in what situation a person should not self treat or medicate.

In adrenal there are three stages and treastment may depend on which stage a person is in.  Also if a person has high or low adrenals.

Plus adrenal issues can mean other health conditions such as Cushing's syndrome,  ACTH-producing tumors, Addison's disease, and hypopituitarism.

Increasing thyroid meds when the adrenals are fatigued can make symptoms worse.

Never self treat or medicate, you may be doing more harm than good.


Just my personal opinion and/or experience. Always discuss your health issue with your doctor , always adhere to your doctors advise and, you always have the right to a second opinion. Nothing is a 100% or a 100%, 100% of the time. However, we are not all alike!

GL,
1990 - Hyper/Graves'
1997 - Dia/RAI
1997 - MVP - Mitral Valve Prolapse
1999 - TED - slight Thyroid Eye Disease
1999 - Visible Nodule (suspect Marine-Lenhart-Syndrom/hyperfunctioning nodule)
2002 -  IED  - Intermittent Explosive Disorder (Graves' Range)

[tiredpuppy]

Ya know I kind of got that militant feel you spoke of Rayne...for sure and as far as self medicating I am scared s-less for fear of throwing myslef off into hormonal never never land...I was curious I guess about what others had to say. I think I am cured...thanks for your input ladies, as always very appreciated!
Lisa

[rayneweather]

Hi, Lisa.  I did go to that website and honestly I was scared by it.  :-P  I am very leery of anyone who is "militant" about anything and the people on that website fell into that category for me.  Not to mean that I am against anyone feeling strongly about something; indeed there are a number of issues I am set in my belief and you cannot sway me.  But I believe that it can be taken too far - trampling over anyone who doesn't believe the same thing and blasting anyone who doesn't agree.  That's what I mean by militant.  I believe that it's worth looking into Armour and other remedies for maintaining your body's health but I was really put off by all the super strong emotions and saying that T3 meds don't work for anyone.  I was also scared by the fact that the website said that an endo wasn't the best person to treat thyroid problems.  While I agree that not all endos are good at treating thyroid problems (I found out the hard way) that's like saying a cardiologist isn't the best person to treat heart failure or an orthopedist isn't the best person to fix your shattered leg.  So I question the website and the people doing it, not necessarily the medicine and adrenal health.  It may be that other websites will offer less biased and less militant information.  Just my 2 cents' worth.

[thyroid man]

that stopthemadness site did mention synthetics work good for some but not them. maybe i missed it but i didnt see anything for sale on that site. i would feel pretty strongly about something too if i didnt feel that good for years  till i tried something else. I never tried it so i dont know. there is something wrong if I cant switch brands of the synthetics without feeling bad for awhile. Adrenal fatigue isn't something just the "Armour doctors" check for by the way. The Armour is closer to the human body than the synthetics i would think. Not judging it till i try it. Seems to b a lot of people against Armour and I doubt they all have tried it.

[Jenipeni]

Dear Thyroid man,
Stopthethyroidmaddness says on it's opening page;

'T4-only meds do NOT do the job'   ( I am living proof this is not true)

I have NEVER read anything on there which admits it may work WELL for some.

ARMOUR as you know is dried pig thyroid gland containing T4, T3, calcitonin etc - the main problem as I see it with the product is;

- Pig thyroid hormone is NOT bioidentical with human thyroid hormone

- The ratio of T4 and T3 is not the same as found in humans (can't remember the figures -maybe someone else will post them)

- May contain thyroid antibodies

ARMOUR IS NOT CLOSER TO WHAT THE HUMAN BODY MAKES

I don't know if you know the history of how they make the synthetics?

RECOMBINANT DNA TECHNOLOGY was used to put human DNA in a bacteria > the result was that the bacteria now makes SYNTHETIC THYROID HORMONE EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE BODY WOULD MAKE!  Insulin and human growth hormone are made in the same way.

It's only called synthetic because a human did not make it - it is chemically exactly the same structure!

Obviously with either treatment you still have to be patient getting the levels right - I AM NOT DISCREDITTING EITHER TREATMENT!  Obviously people have great success on both treatments BUT I have to disagree with the site STTM.

The reason why 'stopthethyroidmaddness' makes me MAD is that they are preaching a very exclusive 'militant' line - and promote self treatment with formulas that REQUIRE MEDICAL SUPERVISON (Eg. Hydro-cortisone).  
STTM just ignores research and FACTS that doesn't fit their Armour focused beliefs.  
Not only is this dangerous but irresponsible to advocate self  treatment.

I get a bit worked up when the information is misrepresented as it is on the STTM site.  Please understand this is not personal.  I too may one day try Armour (or equivalent) and am very happy to have this option - best wishes on your try of Armour.  

Sorry I'll get down off my soap box now.

I just really want people have ALL the information and make their own choices

[thyroid man]

yes I have read that their chemically the same. but each company has a different process in how they make it. And for some reason I can not feel the same on one brand to another. even after totally adjusted. I can feel good on every brand but its not exactly the same.  The human thyroid puts out T1 T2 T3 T4.Just because they havn't figured out what T1 and T2 are for doesn't mean it's not there for a reason. From what i read thats all in Armour. Doesn't the human thyroid put out calcitonin too? I really don't Know. I'm asking. If u ask me just from being on this site for a couple of months...The synthroid people seem to b more pushy about synthroid than the Armour people are about Armour.

[tiredpuppy]

Truth be known Armour was the only thing available for 98 yrs.and sybthroid since the 60's...but the drug companies do make far more $$$ off the sythetics and therefore try their phamacutical best to discredit and undermine all other drugs even those with a long track record...So what ever, my point in bringing up the site was their emphasis on ADRENAL FATIGUE and self medicating. They don't  sell it but they do advocate alot of labs and 2 companies in peticular (kick backs maybe??) at any rate, adrenal out put is a finely balanced head of a pin and I for one do not look forward to say oh Addisons on top of no thyroid and no ovaries and so for me it just scared me that they were out ther advocating all this stuff as tho its perfectly normal. Its like they are wanna be Dr.s diagnosing and medicating and lab testing themselves and then congratulating them selves for the good job they did and what idiots doctos are for no being as smart as them...Not a person on this site would argue that Doctors can be pains in not listening and or helping out correctly but they are still trained in the medical feild and I for one trust one of them over susie miliant internet queen....what say you???
Lisa

[thyroid man]

I agree. but i don't think its a good idea to blindly follow what your doc tells u either. I would b on blood pressure pills right now if i did. my bp went down after being on the right dose  of synthroid for awhile. For some reason there are people on this forum who's new doctor took them off synthroid and put them on Armour. I read about one doctor who kept having little old ladies who were started on Armour because thats all there was and they were begging him to take them off synthroid. He eventually started to listen to them. who knows maybe they weren't on the synthetics long enough to feel good and they gave up.

[Jenipeni]

Thyroidman,
Hey just so you know I'm in Australia and the brand 'Synthroid' isn't in this country -

All I ever hear people on synthetics say about Armour is to be cautious for many different reasons - unlike the STTM people who say not to take T4 meds emphatically.

I will never critise anyone for their choice on med's - we are all different and will have different solutions for our different specific problems.  It's your body, do what you want BUT don't tell other people they MUST do the same.

I am all for patient's educating themselves on their condition and the options available, seriously I wish more people would take better responsibility and be proactive and take preventative actions for their health.

I know that traditionally over the years doctors have done themselves no favours in withholding info from their patients and poor bedside manners (some not all, sorry to generalise) BUT still they are the ones who have spent decades studying to become a specialist.  There is a lot of mistrust in our medical profession and I can't say I blame them BUT there is a lot to be said for the results of scientific research compared with word of mouth from other patients.  The STTM site is basically word of mouth, just like this forum.

Word of mouth has it's place - don't get me wrong BUT much more value should be given to large unbiased scientific studies that have been replicated world wide.  After all don't you read the package insert/consumer info when you fill your presciptions?  You expect this information to be reliable, as it should be.  

That said I will stand up and say something when I don't agree with the information given.

Calcitonin. This is what is said about it in my Anatomy & Physiology Text for Nursing;

"Calcitonin appears to be important only in childhood when the skeleton grows quickly and the bones are changing dramatically in size and shape.  In adults, it is at best a weak hypocalcemic (calcium lowering) agent."

Thyroidman - I would agree with your statement about T1, and T2 but I have yet to find anything written about it from a reliable/reputable source, other than Armour related patient regulated sites.  Anyway hundreds of millions of people have had TT's and are doing fine without it, so the info in my text book about calcitonin not doing much in adulthood would seem to be right.

Tiredpuppy
I totally agree with your sentiment.  Especially about suspecting kick backs.
It's almost as if there's a lot of people who want to have more wrong with them (health wise) than they already do.

I'm getting off this topic and its merry-go round.   We could go on and on and on...

[thyroid man]

I appreciate the info about calcitonin. You're right we could go on and on. Greetings from Oregon USA!