Things I learned today from my new endocronologist

[Brucergoldberg]

I learned a couple things I did not know about until today.  I saw my new endocronologist after waiting two months.  He upped my dose from .015  to .050.

He told me:

If you are going to take thyroid meds (t4) you should take SYNTHROID because if you are taking generic there is a good chance that every time you get it filled it may be a little different or from a different manufacturer.

If you are going from lets say .015  to .050 it is difficult at a small level to over medicate because your thyroid will just back off a little from production to compensate for it.

He wants me to take .050 for five weeks to see if this makes my symptoms go away.  If my TSH gets below 2.0 and I still have the symptoms, there is something else causing me problems.

He told me that synthroid is the only drug that is EXACTLY like what is produced in the human body.  It doesnt matter if its from the pill or your thyroid, as long as you get it from somewhere.

bruce

[thelma201]

I believe I clarified myself in my 2nd post. If you read what i said as a slam to bruce, you misread me. It's true, there are many here that are new and confused. I'm not new to thyroid desease, but I stll haven't gotten the help I need. Some may also only read what bruces Endo had to say, and go no further and not seek the help they truly need...we certainly don't want that. There are a number of choices we all need to be aware of...when we go from bad dr. to bad dr., and yes we've ALL been there..as i stated in my first post, and we're told the same thing and given the same synthetic T4.....I AM IN YOUR SHOES BRUCE!!!  I am still hypo! I had to speak up and disagree with what you wrote about your Endo...he's also wrong about only using T4...many hypthyroid people start out on NDT and do very well. I meant no offense on a personal basis. As in my 1st post , I hope you see improvement with what you're doing. I certainly take offense at being told that I'm impolite....excuse me?? My post was in no way rude or sarcastic.

[Brucergoldberg]

Id like to apologize for my bad choice of words.  But you guys have to remember one thing- most people that come to these boards, come for help.  They are new, they dont know a whole lot, and this crazy disease is a mystery to them.  Cut them some slack.  Show them the ropes. Put yourself in their shoes.  This is suppose to be an educational, sometimes fun "support" group.  

Id also like to point out that since ive been on this board that Tamra has been a peer coach to me.  I have researched probably every post she has made so that I can better understand what im going through from a neutral, fact oriented, non emotional poster.

Thanks Tamra!

[goolarra]

My comment was NOT directed at Bruce in any way...it was directed at his endo who made the comment.  Yes, sarcasm it was, but toward the endo, not Bruce.  I did note his correction to include all levo, not just Synthroid, which is exactly what I mean by disagreeing to give the poster the opportunity to clarify what he meant...which Bruce did very nicely (thanks, Bruce).

[TamraW]

Thelma, Bruce retracted the word 'Synthroid' in another post. His thyroid levels are still low and he's obviously dealing with brain fog. Totally understandable. I make my living as a writer, and yet I've typed some nonsensical things on this forum during my hypo dumps.

I read this comment as a slam to Bruce. "but please, parroting Endo's who say Synthroid is the ONLY thing to take is just wrong."

I'm sure you didn't mean it to sound like a slam, but to someone who is dealing with hypo hormonal issues (believe me, we've all been there) little jibes like that can be taken as huge insults. I'm also sure that, like me, you're fed up with the incompetence of your previous endos, and your anger is directed at them, not Bruce.

Goolara's comment:  

"...synthroid is the only drug that is EXACTLY like what is produced in the human body."  I don't think so...'    

can be interpreted as sarcasm directed toward Bruce.  

Tempers can easily flare when we read thyroid advice we believe is false. Sarcasm can be felt just in the word choice of the poster. At times I'm sure I've sounded offensive on this forum, and I've felt picked on as well. So if I've offended anyone, I apologize. Bruce came here to tell us what he's learned from his endo. If we disagree with his endo, we can do so politely, so that Bruce will not be discouraged to post again on this forum.  


Thanks,
:) Tamra

[goolarra]

Let me add that I'm doing well on T4-only meds, too, and, like Deb, I'll most likely never be on T3 meds due to a heart arrhythmia.

I also agree that IF (the big. fat IF) T4-only meds work for you, then T4-only is arguably the easiest route to take (and most stable in view of this past year's shortages of dessicated).  I think that's why it's considered the "therapy of choice", and my recommendation is always to give it an adequate try first.

I don't think there's a "majority" that needs T3.  Remember, we don't hear from the textbook cases on this forum.  We're all here because we didn't react as most people do and don't feel well on "standard" therapy (by and large).  I still think the vast majority of hypos take their daily pill, end of story.  Those of us that don't fit the mold are all-too-often deserted by the medical establishment and left to figure things out on our own (or with the help of forums like this).

If anything I said made anyone feel "pounded on" or "slammed", I sincerely apologize as this was certainly not my intention.  I feel that knowledge is indeed power.  When I see somthing that I know is either blatantly wrong or, at the very least, has a significanTly supported opposing view, I feel an obligation to present another opinion.  Yes, "support" is important, but are we really "supporting" when we ignore what we see as wrong and simply "go along" to be "supportive".  It's a little like not telling your best friend that her fiance' is having an affair so as not to disturb the wedding.

The "climate" on the forum has changed a lot in the time I've been on.  We used to have some quite lively disagreements, and it got hot at times.  But, I think it was healthy...posters got to see that there was more than one side to almost every issue.  Now, I often see people being "politically correct", not wanting to offend or disagree.  I don't like it, and let me say, that I don't mind being disagreed with or corrected if I say something blatantly wrong.  I can either disagree back or learn something.  It's how I learned a lot of what I know from the forum.  We're all writing comments, without the benefit of seeing the person we're talking to or hearing tone, so sometimes a little disagreement helps clarify what may not have come across as exactly what I meant in the written word.

I think that we do have to be careful to tailor our responses to the individual.  Do I write the same things to people I have written to before and know their situation as I do to total newbies.  Of course not.  We're really going to get bogged down if we have to write everything as though the poster didn't know what TSH was.

[thelma201]

Hmm, I re-read all above posts..I certainly didn't respond as a slam...I merely pointed out that it's wrong for and Endo, or any Doc to say , Synthroid is the only thing to take for hypothyroid!! I didn't see anybody get slammed for saying they feel better on synthetic T4 or Synthroid??? Where was it said that everyone needs T3? The original poster didn't say he 'actually' feels good.....I don't think any of the responses were intended to slam HIM down at all.  I say it as I see it too :)