At 10:18 27/01/97 -0800, Graciela Spivak wrote:
>On Fri, 24 Jan 1997, K.M. Neves wrote:
>
> I was diagnosed as hypothyroid in 1988 and am currently taking .112
> Synthroid.  All of my subsequent T3, T4 and TSH results have been normal
> but, in spite of a low-fat vegetarian diet, I have continued to gain large
> amounts of weight.  This seems to occur incrementally.  I will level off
> for a period of months (or, at most, 2 years) and suddenly gain around 30
> pounds.  Also, since my diagnosis, I have suffered with extremely painful
> cystic acne as well as extremely high cholesterol and hirsutism or hair
> growth (especially on my chin). Has anyone else experienced similar
> symptoms? Doctors have basically told me I'm nuts and that these other
> symptoms have nothing to do with my thyroid.
 
Hello Karen you are not nuts, maybe wrong with old concepts from 5 years ago
medicine. Today we consider that obesity is not consequence of
hypothyroidism. Basically the obesity condition is first genetic. We know
today the obesity gen that control your corporal fat. That gen controls the
leptina level (leptina from leptos, in Greek = thin). If leptina decreased,
body fat increased. I advice you only diet and excercise waiting that
medicine can resolve the obesity in a better reasonable way. Meanwhile
remember LEPTINA. High cholesterol level can have the same cause.
 
Second question, you also have a condition that we know as
hyper-androgenism. It is necessary testing your testosterone level, I think
is increased (acne and hirsutism). Please check your testosterone level...,
thank.
 Francisco L. Rueda, MD.