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Month: March 2009

My mother had serious long-term depression. Can you guess why?

depression1 When I  was ten years old, my mother had electric shock treatment.

The memory stands out in my mind like a beacon. And when my Dad brought her home, he took me aside and explained that my mama was not going to remember where things are for awhile, and we’d have to help her. That was especially true with the 4-legged sewing basket.

She eventually regained her memory. But she was never again the same bright and quick witted mother I used to have when I was younger.

Why was shock treatment done?  To counter her mysterious ongoing and disabling depression.  And this was her last option.

It didn’t work.

She lived on anti-depressants, specifically a high dose of Elavil, the rest of her compromised life.

And more than 40 years later, about a year after her death, a change in my own life with Armour helped me realize why she had to be dependent on an anti-depressant for so many years:  Synthroid.  My mother was on Synthroid almost her entire adult life—a medication, along with Levoxyl, Levothyroxine, Unithroid, Eltroxin, Levaxin, Norton, Eutrosig  and Oroxine, which leaves nearly all patients with lingering hypothyroid symptoms, including one of the most common one:  chronic on-going depression.

And a large body of doctors all around the world just don’t get it.

What brought this memory of my mother up in my mind? Because two days ago, I chatted with a gal on Synthroid.   By all appearances, she seemed to be doing well, as some will make you think.  She said she had enough energy, wasn’t losing her hair, and felt okay. But when I probed deeper, she admitted that her blood pressure was going too high (as happened to my mother on a T4-only med) and she had a problem with depression and was on Wellbutrin.  Bingo.

See http://biopsychiatry.com/hypothyroidism.htm which is also here: http://www.theannals.com/cgi/content/abstract/34/10/1142

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The “Three Stooges of Belief” of the British Thyroid Association (let’s hope this stupidity doesn’t rub off in the US!)

The British Medical Journal (BMJ) recently came out with yet another thyroid article, benignly titled Diagnosis and treatment of primary hypothyroidism and authored by the British Thyroid Association (BTA),  that at first blush, looks so caring.

Namely, they express deep concern that that since hypothyroid symptoms can mimic other conditions, patients may be getting an incorrect diagnosis which could expose some patients to the harmful effects of excess thyroid hormones, while other serious conditions may go undiagnosed.

And they add: In other patients, adequate replacement with levothyroxine does not resolve symptoms, which are attributed to hypothyroidism rather than other conditions that may coexist, such as depression.

The article continues with:  Normalisation of thyroid stimulating hormone means a return to normal health in most patients with primary hypothyroidism.

In other words, what you have above are the Three Stooges of the stated beliefs of the British Thyroid Association.

Stooge stated-belief #1: “Incorrect diagnosis allow other conditions go undiagnosed” What is inferred is that there are a host of diagnoses of hypothyroidism that are incorrect. Why? Because a wise physician dared to listen to clear symptoms of hypothyroidism or use the free T3, in spite of a so-called “normal” TSH–a lab test which measures a pituitary hormone, not the cells ability to receive enough thyroid hormones.

Stooge stated-belief #2: “If adequate doses of levothyroxine do not resolve symptoms, those symptoms are due to something else.” That is akin to saying if eating 100 calories a day results in malnutrition and starvation, your malnutrition and starvation is due to something else. And one particular symptom they are referring to is depression–a classic symptom of undiagnosed and undertreated hypothyroidism in MILLIONS of individuals around the world.  And isn’t it just odd how that depression resolves itself when the patient is put on Armour and allowed to dose by the elimination of symptoms.

Stooge stated-belief #3: “A normal TSH lab result equals normal health in those treated for hypothyroidism”. Gee, funny how millions of thyroid patients around the world have had a so-called “normal” TSH lab result along with a diverse blend of continuing and CLEAR hypothyroid symptoms.  Additionally, we have a large and growing body of patients who, when they switched to Armour desiccated thyroid or other fine desiccated thyroid prescription meds,  had those symptoms resolved when they were dosed according to the free T3, improved blood pressure, strong heart beat, lowered cholesterol, and complete elimination of symptoms. Patients have learned what works!

When you understand the British Thyroid Association’s hell-bent and rigid stands against Armour desiccated thyroid, their promotion of one of the worst labs ever created to diagnose and dose by, their love affair with the most inadequate thyroid medication ever thrust onto the market by money-grubbing pharmaceuticals (levothyroxine), and their complete failure to listen to patients and recognize continuing symptoms of hypothyroidism while on synthetic T4, you come to realize how meaningful any article on hypothyroidism will be by the British Thyroid Association.

P.S.  Do ya wonder if the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has the smarts to report the other side of the story??

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Thyroid Tidbit: sign the petition for MEDICAL JUSTICE in the UK

petition

Just when we, as thyroid patients, are not only proving the superiority of desiccated thyroid treatment by our changed lives, but are making good tiny steps in educating our doctors, comes a complete nation taking Armour away. Yup, the medical-Brit-authorities-that-be, in all their brilliant ludicrous wisdom, did just that last month, explained here.

And then it was experienced personally by a thyroid patient in the UK on Feb. 20th when her Armour was in fact, taken away.

Below is the heading to the petition, and don’t ya love the final sentence. GOOD FOR TPA-UK!

To:  UK Government Office of Fair Trading We the undersigned petition the Government’s Office of Fair Trading and the European Commission for medical justice in the diagnosis and treatment of patients suffering from the symptoms of hypothyroidism, in spite of current medical practices. The petition is supported by the fact that medical science shows that through a proper application of modern medical and scientific knowledge those responsible for our well-being should be capable of restoring us back to optimal health.

Because of substantial confusion in the endocrinology specialty, patients continue to suffer, and the following lament by Doctors Anthony Toft and Geoffrey Beckett must, once and for all, be put to rest.

It is extraordinary that more than 100 years since the first description of the treatment of hypothyroidism and the current availability of refined diagnostic tests, debate is continuing about its diagnosis and management.

http://www.petitiononline.com/tpauk123/petition.html

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Have you tested your B12? It’s a deficiency thyroid patients need to catch.

Screen Shot 2015-09-14 at 6.23.24 PM(This blog post has been updated to today’s date and time. Enjoy!)

In 2009, I wrote an article titled Ten Reasons You May Still Feel Bad, which is still just as applicable today as you are reading this!  Nearly every hypothyroid patient can have some of those ten problems, and if so, they need to be discovered and corrected.

And one of those issues was low B12.

B12, also called cobalamin, is a water-soluble vitamin which has a key role in cell metabolism of your entire body, giving you energy, sharpness in your brain, and healthy nervous system functioning.

No one is capable of producing enough B12 on their own. You have to get it in your diet, or supplements.  In food, it’s found in most red meats as well as fish and poultry. Liver is especially high! You’ll also find it in eggs and milk products, though it’s less absorbable if the latter has been heated.

And unfortunately, a certain percentage of hypothyroid patients have low levels of this important vitamin.

One main reason that thyroid patients get low is due to the low stomach acid we get from either being undiagnosed or underdosed due to the TSH lab test, or undertreated with T4-only products like Synthroid or levothyroxine.

Hashimotos patients may have inadequate levels due to gluten and the destruction it can cause on the stomach–another reason the majority get off of gluten!

Symptoms of low B12 can vary from person to person, but can include numbness and tingling in your hands or feet,  tremors, poor reflexes, tongue soreness, leg pain, or difficulty walking with balance.   Psychologically, you may have memory issues, confusion, or depression. Young women may have difficulty getting pregnant due to low B12.

When doing lab work, we saw it needed to be in the upper end of the range.

In other words, several of us with mid-range B12 still saw symptoms related to inadequate levels of B12. Getting it up in the upper quarter took those symptoms away.

To correct inadequate levels of B12 in working with our doctors, we used high oral B12 in pill or liquid versions (methylcobalamin is the recommended form of B12 for most; others use the hydroxy version), or B12 cream, or injections by your doctor (especially if you have pernicious anemia). It’s also recommended to increase your consumption of meat and dairy products, which can be rich in B12.

I highly recommend the book Could It Be B12? An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses by Sally Pacholok, R.N. and Jeffrey Stuart, D.O., who are spearheading B12 awareness.

Have high B12? That can be related to the MTHFR mutation

Turns out that a high percentage of folks can have a mutation of the MTHFR gene, which makes it hard to break down B12. To learn more, read the MTHFR page on STTM.

To read more, go here: //www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/b12

JanieSignature SEIZE THE WISDOM

Have you found yourself with low B12? Tell us your symptoms, how you treated it, and how long it took to stop the symptoms.

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48 replies

Thyroid Tidbit: Sock it to ’em, Dr. Lowe!!

Right on the heels of the insane recommendation by the UK’s Royal College of Physicians and the British Thyroid Association (that thyroxine be the ONLY treatment for hypothyroidism–see Feb. 14th below) came an EXCELLENT and THOROUGH rebuttal by Dr. John C. Lowe titled Stability, Effectiveness, and Safety of Desiccated Thyroid vs Levothyroxine: A Rebuttal to the British Thyroid Association. WAY TO GO, John!!

p.s. Also see Sheila’s experience on the Feb. 20th post. Awful

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5 replies