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Month: March 2011

“Are Endocrinologists just DETERMINED to be stupid?” ask some thyroid patients.

(Though this was originally written in 2011, it has been updated to the present day and time. Enjoy!)

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Will it ever end?

A very troubling article

On March 21st, 2011, from the Endocrine Today website, comes the article Hypothyroidism only partially responsible for decreased quality of life in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. And this article has so many troubling comments and wording that it has made some thyroid patients question whether their Endocrinologist can really help then.

For example, the article notes that there seems to be a “higher symptom load and the lower quality-of-life scores in the group of patients with increased anti-TPO levels”, which can include “Chronic fatigue, dry hair, dysphagia, irritability and nervousness”.

Yet, the article states, these patients have

    • “normal thyroid function”
    • are “euthyroid”
    • have an “ideal biochemical response to thyroid hormone replacement therapy.”.

Are you kidding me, say many thyroid patients???  Euthyroid technically means “the state of having normal thyroid gland function.” Yet, chronic fatigue, dry hair, dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), irritability and nervousness are far from normal, besides being classic hypothyroid or Hashimotos symptoms, as well as having potential adrenal issues from having poorly treated hypothyroidism!

And of course, most informed thyroid patients know that ” euthyroid” and “normal” and “ideal” in the mind of poorly-trained doctors refer to an ink spot on a piece of paper called the TSH lab result and NOT cellular receipt and/or use of thyroid hormones. The TSH is a pituitary hormone, not a thyroid hormone. The TSH lab test has failed patients for decades, just as has T4-only like Synthroid, levothyroxine, Eltroxine, etc!

Also mentioned is a particular Austrian study involving 426 women aged 19 years or older who were undergoing surgery for benign thyroid disease. When patients come on thyroid groups and report Endocrinologists who want to remove their thyroids simply because they have the treatable Hashimotos disease, you have to wonder why 426 women were having surgery for “benign thyroid disease”…

But in spite of all the above, there is hope!

Hashimoto’s patients have become wise and informed. To read all the ways patients have learned to adequately treat Hashimotos, go here.

To find out if you now have an adrenal problem, go here. This is important to know because it can be problematic in raising NDT if you have low cortisol, or high cortisol. Thus, the need to treat it first.

To find a good doctor to work with, and/or teach while you are working with, go here.

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Do you look back and wonder about the fact that your thyroid was taken out?  Let us hear your story by commenting on this post. What has been your experience with an Endocrinologist? Tell us about it.

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** Have you Liked the STTM Facebook page? It provides daily information and inspiration just for thyroid patients!

** Check out recommended patients groups on the internet.

** Stop the Thyroid Madness is available in TWO different books! //www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/comparing-the-sttm-books/

26 replies

How does your insurance deal with desiccated thyroid?

(Though this post was first written in 2011, it has been  updated to the present day and time. Enjoy!)

Wendy is one of those gals that tries to adhere to “natural” in regards to her medication choices. She switched over to Natural Desiccated Thyroid (NDT) from Synthroid about three months ago.

The transition was slightly trying, says Wendy. Her doctor didn’t believe her that she shouldn’t be on a low starting dose for more than a couple weeks without upping it. So she  went hypothyroid all over again. It’s a common mistake that many doctors make with NDT.

But after successfully upping the dose every few weeks, she will now shout that it’s been the BEST thing  in every way!  She tells folks that being on Synthroid was like having your hand amputated and replaced with a hook, while being on desiccated thyroid was like having it replaced with a fully functional prosthetic.  Her skin is softer, hair is not shedding, her mood has changed in a good way, memory has returned, fogginess has faded. She feels closer to her old self than she has in almost five years.

Now the bad news…

All this time, she only paid $15 for her desiccated thyroid at the local Walgreen’s. But as of April 1st, 2011, it became what is called a Tier 3 drug under her insurance plan–United Healthcare.  Exclaims Wendy in outrage and sadness:  “This means that the natural drug I love, that has restored my in so many ways that the synthetic t4-only drugs never could, will now cost 85 bucks! Who can afford that?! ”

And here’s the awful irony when it comes to her insurance plan: Synthroid, the worst medication ever thrust upon us in the treatment of hypothyroid, is Tier 2 (i.e. costs less), and generic T4-only is Tier 1 (costs even less).  i.e. if you are under this insurance, you have to pay big bucks to feel a thousand times better.  She has no clue why this is happening, but warns that it might start to happen across the board for others as well!

In the United States, most Tiers look like this (and some companies have three tiers, while others have five):

Tier 1 is for generic medications and has the lowest co-pay

Tier 2 is for “preferred” brand name medications, i.e based on “safety, efficacy and cost”, and is the second lowest co-payment. (I put the word preferred in quotes because it’s not based on what changes YOUR life as a thyroid patient.)

Tier 3 is for non-preferred brand name medications or preferred specialty drugs. It’s termed as those drugs which are not typically used as first line of treatment, and have a higher co-pay.

Tier 4 is for specialty medications, i.e those which require special dosing or administration. Highest co-payment.

In the United Kingdom, where the National Health Service (NHS) provides publicly funded health care, there are formularies which specify which medications are available…or not, and one can get Prescription prepayment certificates (PPC) .

In Australia, “Medicare — via the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) — subsidises the cost of around 1,700 ‘necessary and life-saving’ medicines. In fact, most medicines available on prescription are subsidised under the PBS, so just by having a prescription filled you receive the benefit of the subsidy. https://www.justlanded.com/english/Australia/Australia-Guide/Health/Medicines-Chemists

Does your health insurance cover your desiccated thyroid?

JanieSignature SEIZE THE WISDOM

 

 

 

 

 

 

How medical journals affect the prescription practice of your doctor: An interesting article on this found here. And here’s an article about how the author of a medical article fails to state his association with the pharmaceutical of the product he is writing about–one more conflict of interest and influence on your doctor!

Ridiculous! Basing “normal” for Hashimoto’s patients by the TSH, a pituitary hormone, NOT a thyroid hormone: Read it here and weep.

Vit. D can help you stay sharp: So many benefits from optimizing your Vit D, and here’s one with your brain.

Need to talk to others? See all your alternatives here.

63 replies