> Nancy <[log in to unmask]>

>  Yes.  My temp typically held for 2-3 days on each dose increase.  At 105
>  mcg twice/day I was maintaining 98.6.  I felt better but for some reason, I
>  still didn't feel quite right.

Before I tried Wilson's I watched my wife.  She got dizzy and didn't feel
quite right if the T3 was too high.  She tried a high dose for a while, it
was probably what Wilson called "unstable."  The thing is, after cycling up
and going back down, when you cycle up again you shouldn't need as much.  I
think beyond the 75 mcg twice daily it's time to cycle down and see if we can
get that dose or a lower one to suffice.

Note, I believe my wife has Wilson's, I don't think I do.  If she takes her
medicine 10 minutes early or late it affects her in that "unstable" way.
Sometimes it makes her feel like passing out.  I, on the other hand can vary
the time I take it by 2 hours and not notice any effect.  But she has to take
hers exactly 12 hours apart.  Different people, different effect when not
taken timely.

The one effect was the same is that on cycling up, going down and coming back
up we could get by on less.

>  I was reading today in "Solved: The Riddle of Illness" by
>  Stephen Langer, M.D. that several vitamin deficiencies may be implicated in
>  the pituitaries inability to make enough TSH- perhaps I should pursue that.

I suddenly have a thyroid library, wasn't expecting one, but I wasn't feeling
well in spite of treatment for a long time.  First I had a severe cutaneous
skin infection than other ailments that I believe were really related to the
skin ailment in a different form, so I had labs done.

So, I put all my labs on an Excel spreadsheet so I could track what was
happening.   My DHEA-S  was low, was 55 normal is 80-560.  It had been taken
once before, but just called DHEA normal was same range and it was 288, so
that was a considerable drop.  Testosterone was very low in the normal range,
an increase for me but still low, Vitamin B-12 in 1997 was 726, in 2000 was
616, and now 516 shows it was on it's way down, still normal yet I think it's
Teitalbaum who gives shots when it drops below 540, so it is lower than I
want it.  Iron was 55, range 50-175, this is the only time I've ever had it
taken and find it low, No TSH was taken but Free T4 was less than .6 and free
T3 was 3.3 when normal is 1.45-3.48.   I thought with supplemental T3 it
would be well above the limits of normal but it wasn't.

Because of those readings I not take 50 mg of DHEA, that might take care of
both the DHEA and testosterone, maybe it will help with the AM cortisol which
was only 7 (I'm on Cortef untreated readings were between 6 and 11, but once
on Cortef I reached 14, still well within normal), I'm taking large doses of
B-12, it's not toxic and you need a lot to absorb any if taken orally, and a
mult vitamin with iron.  Iron shouldn't be supplemented unless you know it's
low and I do.  I also read James Wilson's book called "Adrenal Fatigue" and
take the adrenal extract because of that and try to eat in the morning, and
never go to long without food.  I take Vitamin C because of this, it helps
support the adrenals and thyroid both, I take supplemental selenium because
it helps protect against mercury poisoning, and I have a lot of mercury in my
mouth unfortunately.  I'm getting it replaced as my fillings wear out with
the alternative filling.  Mary Shomon also mentioned selenium in one study
lowered Hashi's antibodies.  My speculation is that mercury causes Hashi's in
some cases and this helps protect you against mercury.

So, supplementing those times due to the labs being low or Langer or James
Wilson ("Adrenal Fatigue" not the Wilson's Thyroid Syndrome guy), thinking
the thyroid or adrenals need them, I am feeling much better.  It's a never
ending struggle to figure out what you need though.

  >. One
>  thing that others have said that I don't have a reference for, is that some
>  tissues of the body primarily get their T3 from local deiodinazation rather
>  than extracting it directly f
>  rom the blood in that form.
Derry mentioned that some organs can get it from deiodinazation.  He didn't
say they couldn't get it the other way, so I don't know that they can't.  I
went back on Armour for a while as an experiment and don't feel any better
than on the T3.

 Supposedly, T3
>  does not cross the blood brain barrier as easily as T4.
I don't know where, but I've read the opposite that the brain kicks out the
T4 and doesn't like it at all.  Also, one reason that T3 may help brain
function is if any of those the New England Journal of medicine referred to,
if they were thyroid patients on Synthroid, they may have had conversion
problems and the T3 could have increased the strength of their heart which
gives blood flow and oxygen to the brain.  My daughter had the coldest hands
you ever felt until she went on Armour.  That poor circulation has to affect
the brain too, but the cold hands is because the heart is sending the blood
flow to the core instead of peripheral areas, but that doesn't mean the core
areas are necessarily getting enough.  They just may decline slower than
other areas.

>  Good questions.  I think all are possibilities and I think the fact that
>  the bound part should become unbound as needed is known.
So, they measure only the free and say that's all that can be active, yet
they know the bound can become unbound if needed?

>  For me, I do have Reverse T3- more after taking Armour.  RT3 is not just
>  present in people who have Wilson's Syndrome.  It is present in increased
>  amounts in anyone who has more thyroid hormones available than the body
>  needs at a given time.  It is the "brakes" when the body has too much fuel.
But in the case of Wilson's, those brakes don't shut off when they should.  I
think Doc Don told me Wilson claimed, but I haven't found anywhere, something
to the extent that RT3 should not exceed 10% of the T3? So, maybe there is a
way to tell if you're likely to have too much?

>  Your T4 SHOULD be low if you take T3 only.

It was low normal when initially diagnosed, low according to the lab when I
had sleep apnea but my doctor wouldn't increase my Armour from 2 grains, low
after 6 months on 3 grains of Armour, highest when on the Atkins diet, and
really low now that I'm on only T3.

>  I agree with you.  I'm still struggling to find the best solution and the
>  best combination for all of my family. Its not that I think I can never be
>  out the labs reference range without harm.  However, I'd like to see if
>  what has worked wonders for others makes a difference for me.
Everybody's different which is why it may be a mistake to pursue what has
helped others too much.  For all I know the Cortef has something to do with
why I feel just as good if not better on T3 than on Armour.  But I have seen
low thyroid affects everyone in my family differently, and their solutions
may not be the same as mine.  I'm not looking for other people's solutions
only mine, and I do listen to others to know what those are but because I
know the labs haven't been helpful for me or my family, I don't care how they
read.

 Also, there
>  is still no explanation for why 105 mcg of slow release T3 did not affect
>  my foot/toe pain and stiffness, but 1 gr. of Armour did.
Synthroid didn't affect my plantar fascitis (or anything else), but Armour
did.  It's possible other people have just the opposite story.  I think it
means Armour is likely to be better for you than T3.  Admittedly, I got rid
of most of my painful symptoms before T3.  Perhaps, the things that went away
on high dose Armour wouldn't have gone away on T3, but will stay away on it.
I know plantar fascitis went away on 3 grains of Armour but costochondritis,
digestive troubles, constant belching, chest pain, "rheumatoid" in the hips
didn't go away until 6 grains and on the way there I was also starting Cortef
and don't know what influence that had, only know my daughter's
costochondritis went away on Armour only.  Perhaps, if I didn't do the large
dose  Armour first, I would still have various ailments that didn't go away.

Just because I can maintain on T3 doesn't mean I would have gotten better on
it.

>  Have you tried the kids on slow release T3 yet?

I know my wife perfectly fit the profile of a Wilson's patient in 1996.  I
tolerated inferior care because I didn't know where I could get better and if
Wilson's was real or quackery.  Also, I was too hypothyroid myself to do much
for my wife.  From quackery to believing it's good is a big step, to giving
it to children...... I don't know.

I wouldn't give it to my 18 year old daughter because she doesn't like being
on Armour she decided she didn't need 5 grains, cut it out completely for a
while and now is up to 3 grains.  No reason not to have stayed on 5 and she
can't give me any reason for wanting to cut back.  She couldn't keep up the
consistency that's needed, she didn't suffer enough before we caught it.
I've been thinking my son who was really bad needs additional help.  I hadn't
thought of timed release T3, but that' might be worth seeing what it does.
He is much better than he was, but I was thinking due to three developmental
years not being diagnosed, some of his problems wouldn't go away.  Maybe
that's worth a try.  That may be just what he needs.

Skipper Beers

_______________________________________________________________

  Control Your Self-Serve Thyroid Account Here
Rules - mailto:[log in to unmask]
NoMail - mailto:[log in to unmask]
Mail - mailto:[log in to unmask]
Not DAILY DIGEST - mailto:[log in to unmask]
DAILY DIGEST - mailto:[log in to unmask]
Stop Attachments - mailto:[log in to unmask]
Force Attachments - mailto:[log in to unmask]
Force Subject: [THYROID] - mailto:[log in to unmask]
Subscribe - <http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?SUBED1=thyroid>
Unsubscribe - mailto:[log in to unmask]
Our Home Page - http://www.Emissary.Net/thyroid/index.html
Thyroid Archives - http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/thyroid.html
Contact List Owners - mailto:[log in to unmask]
_______________________________________________________________