Switch from synthroid to natural

[Dguzguz]

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism about a year ago where my tsh levels were at about a 20. My first doctor prescribed me at 175 mg of Synthroid which led me to have anxiety attacks trembles and feel dizzy all the time. I went off Synthroid and everything went away until three months later when my anxiety attacks came back in my dizziness was worse. I seeks a thyroid specialist whom I told about my past and he was blown away that the first doctor put me on such a high dose in the beginning he started me on 50 mg of Synthroid which worked for a little while and then got worse again. I had read about armor in nature thyroid and big to my doctor to let me try that instead since my body was rejecting the Synthroid even though my levels were down I still just felt awful. I have migraines I feel like I'm walking on about my dizziness is awful and I would have joint pains as well. He added some T3 meds on a low dose due to my symptoms and while that works for a month I'm back to ground zero again. I'm seeing a homeopathic doctor this week to see if there something else I can do because I refuse to take Synthroid anymore and I just want to feel like myself again does anyone have any advice on how to help the symptoms and any advice on what I should tell my doctor thank you

[flyingfool]

If all you are being tested for is TSH, then you are almost assured of never feeling well!

TSH is a screening test at best.  It is completely useless for adjusting medication dosages.

You REALLY need to have the Free T4 and Free T3 tests done.  These are the valuale tests.

And again as Gimel stated above. Being in the "normal" range means ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!.  This is a statistical or mathmatical "normal".  The word normal is a mathmatical term.  It has NOTHING to do with whether you are supposed to be feeling well at those levels.

In order to feel well, most people need to be in the MIDDLE of the range if not even higher!  So if you are hovering below 50% of the range, then you can and probably will feel like junk.

More specifically, the targe is to have BOTH of the following:

1) Free T4 to be in the middle of the range 50% or slightly higer in the range

AND- that means in addition,

2) Free T3 to be in the 50% to 67% of the range (middle to upper 1/3 of the range).

Notice how both of these are WELL above the bottom of the range.

Always ask for a copy of your test results.  Write down your symptoms as well as your medication and dosages for each blood test and keep a diary of these.  Do NOT count on the medical industry to keep your records.  THis diary will prove invaluable when tying your symptoms, blood labs and medication dosages in one spot. And can be used to help adjust the medication dosages as you can see how the last adjustment reacted and how it made you feel.

[gimel]

Just because your thyroid test results were within the so-called "normal" ranges does not mean they are adequate for you.  The ranges are far too broad to be functional across their entire breadth, for everyone.  Please post your actual test results and reference range shown on the lab reports before and after starting the med..

[Dguzguz]

As of January all my levels were considered normal. But I still have to continue meds. Now I'm take 25mg synthroid and 5mg cytopil. After reading other posts Ive come to assume that my body that synthroid does not help with side effects.

[gimel]

I totally agree that the doctor that started you on 175 mcg of Synthroid does not have a clue about what he is doing.  

It is not unusual for a hypo patient starting on thyroid med to find that symptoms don't improve at first, or even get a bit worse.  That is because the total serum thyroid hormone level is comprised of both natural thyroid hormone from the gland, as well as any thyroid med you take.  As you start on med, the TSH will be reduced and natural thyroid hormone production also reduced.  So many find that their symptoms don't improve until their TSH drops low in the range and they are predominantly dependent on thyroid med to maintain their levels of the biologically active thyroid hormones, Free T3 and Free T4.

So please post your thyroid related test results and reference ranges shown on the lab report so that we can better assess your status and give you some advice before seeing the new doctor.