<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

ORIGINAL MESSAGE (edited)
If you have any personaly experiences with the treatment of subclinical
hypothyroidism, would you share them with me - both successes and failures.

PERSONAL EXPERIENCES – Diagnosed With Hypothyroidism Before Celiac or Gluten
Intolerance
Several folks were diagnosed with hypothyroidism before celiac, but found
thyroid treatments were ineffective until after going GF.
“I guess I just want to share with you-and really with anyone that will
listen--that going gluten-free has SAVED me from much emotional distress--I
can finally tolerate the thyroid medication and be in the TSH range I always
should have been at--NORMAL, but wheat/gluten had been the real issue
keeping me from it and I didn't realize it! I mean, think about it: gluten
intolerance often leads to diarrhea, hypothyroidism to constipation.  Gluten
intolerance to weight loss, hypothyroidism to weight gain.  Both to mood
problems, muscle aches and pains, energy issues, and many more.  I felt
tired yet anxious yet depressed.  It was a really strange place to be
in--wanting to get up and go but not being able to do it physically!”

“Have been taking Synthroid for 10 years, but just diagnosed with CD thia
year.  Thyroid likely failed from undiagnosed CD.”

PERSONAL EXPERIENCES – Subclinical Hypothyroidism & Treatment – I received
only positive personal experiences concerning treatment for subclinical
hypothyroidism.  However, erroneous thyroid treatments can have adverse
effects on your body, especially on your thyroid gland.  Here are the
responses I received.

“I have suffered quite a bit from subclinical hypothyroidism, and am now
doing well.”

“Yes, first thing get to your doctor for your thyroid and make the doctor
aware of the new guidelines (my doctors messed me up last fall due thinking
my thyroid medication had to be lowered).”

“Our symptoms sound so similar! Re - thyroid; I've been  in the same range
as you've been but am being treated with Levoxyl daily. The other issue of
anemia is ringing true as well.  I found an endocrinologist in conjunction
with my GP (who is actually celiac aware and was the doctor who finally got
to the root of my fatigue). He sends all of his reports back to my GP to
keep him posted on any adjustments to my meds.  Once I began working with
this endocrinologist, I found him quite proactive regarding supplements as
he has assessed all my levels and found me lacking in vitamin D, among other
things.  They also found that I had bone issues and am also working with a
rheumatologist in the same group as the endocrinologist to make certain that
I'm not losing any more bone mass.  I'm here in Connecticut, but if it would
help, I could ask my doc for a colleague in your area.  One more thing - the
extreme fatigue comes with the territory and I'm beginning to realize so
does the muscle pain. I do stretch with a Pilates instructor one-on-one
weekly which does help and try to walk in the warmer weather. The exercise
does seem to help with the fatigue as does the correct vitamin supplements.
Sometimes I'm amazed at the difference if I'm a saint about taking
everything I should.”

“I was in the same situation you are in a few years ago.  I have always
suffered great fatigue (actually exhaustion would be a better description)
and this continues to be a problem for me to some extent (much, much less
fatigue now, but I have to be very careful not to max myself out when I do
alot over a number of days).  I, too, had anemia (in the extreme--I nearly
died from it and had to have an emergency hysterectomy and blood
transfusions).  I, too, had borderline thyroid readings.  I also had
something you have not mentioned: extreme carnitine deficiency.  As for the
thyroid, I saw an endocrinologist who was also into alternative therapies.
He put me on thyroid extract.  I believe I was on synthroid for awhile, but
the amount that I needed was so low that he suggested I just take Armour
thyroid extract instead.  That used to be OTC, but now it isn't and I was on
another thyroid extract that I got online for awhile.  However, I found
something interesting--the amount of soy that I eat very much affects my
thyroid readings.  I had been on soy milk for several years and found that
when I cut out all soy, my thyroid was on the hyper side, so I quit taking
the thyroid altogether and now all appears ok.  So, first, I'd suggest
quitting soy and retaking a thyroid test a few months down the road.  My
doctor said I might have to take thyroid again in the future but I could
just monitor my own tests (I am to have thyroid tests every 6 months for a
couple years and I just go to the mobile multiphasic lab that they have here
at the community center twice a year--it is quite inexpensive that way).  I
am not saying that thyroid isn't your problem, however, possibly it isn't
your only problem.  I find that a number of different supplements help me
and dispensing with any one of them leaves me a bit tireder.  I think as
celiacs, some of us just have a number of vitamin/mineral deficiencies that
put us in a position where we experience fatigue on various levels.”

“It does sound like a low thyroid as I went through the same symptoms for
over a year until I got a new doctor and he checked my thyroid and said
since I have celiac, he was also going to go ahead and check for the
autoimmune type, hashimoto's hypothyroidism and he said it was the highest
reading he had seen.  He started me on synthroid and they gradually increase
it and keep taking blood tests to see the reading before increasing it, but
in the first year, he checked me every month for a few months and kept
increasing the medication.  Also, it will take a few months, 2 - 3 before
you will really feel the effect of the medication.  I went to another doctor
for a second opinion an endocrinologist (that is who deals with this) and he
changed my medication to Thyrolar which has T4 and T3 combined and I do
better on that.  The synthroid only has T4.  I am now taking Armour which is
both T4 and T3, because for almost a year the drug company that makes
Thyrolar was not able to make it due to some equipment changes so I am just
sticking with Armour now.  Low thyroid also causes depression and I started
taking Wellbutrin which has really helped me.  It is an antidepressant, but
has been on the market over 25 years my doctor says.  He said that in many
cases even after the thyroid is treated and gets back to a normal level, the
depression does not go away.”

“I am hypothyroid, subclinical.  My TSH is normally at about .1, and that is
optimal for me.  I am taking .88 mcg of Synthroid every day.  My history is
complicated - at one time I had a "hot" nodule and was hyper-thyroid, which
caused panic attacks, weight loss and sent me into the psych. hospital from
anxiety.  I was not given any treatment then, because the endocrinologist
wanted to see if that nodule would burn itself out.  It must have, because
over time, I started to gain weight, feel sluggish, etc.  I finally noticed
that I had a large lump in my throat, went to the endo. again, and he
recommended surgery.  Had 1/2 my thyroid removed and endo. said we could
wait for supplements until the other half got too tired to make hormones.  I
got worse over time, but TSH stayed within normal ranges.  My hair was
falling out by the handfuls, always cold, went menopausal at age 40,
depressed, no energy.  It took a LOT of pushing but the endo. finally did a
TRH test (pre-cursor to TSH, takes about an hour in the office) and
diagnosed me with subclinical hypo.  I have to tell all other doctors NOT to
run the TSH as they will freak out when they see my number is so low, but
it's all under treatment.  And now that I've been taking thyroid medication
AND am post-menopausal, I have osteoporosis (I'm not celiac, my son is).”

“My hypothyroid was discovered by an "environmental allergist" who had me
check my body temperature for two weeks every day immediately upon awakening
and before getting out of bed.  I would suggest you do this if you are
serious about wanting to have the question taken seriously.  At the time
that he diagnosed it and pursued it with a thyroid specialist my regular
internist said that the numbers fell within "normal" range and that she
would not have, under those circumstances, recommended any treatment for
hypothyroidism. I now take 88 micrograms of levythroid every day and have no
problems. Before then I would fall asleep every time I sat down!  And I am
considered a high energy / highly productive person!”

_________________________________________________________________
Don’t just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search!
http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/

*Support summarization of posts, reply to the SENDER not the CELIAC List*