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Washington spits in your face, anti-depressant problem, and the STTM book is now in German and Swedish!

The US Government is going to confiscate your meds sent from overseas!

Fall is in the US, but as you were enjoying your summer, it happened in a flash:  last July, President Obama signed into law the FDA Safety and Innovation Act (S. 3187). And that Act includes a section that might negatively affect your life as a thyroid patient if you are among those feel forced to get your life-saving natural desiccated thyroid (NDT) or related medications from overseas (because your doctor was too clueless to either prescribe NDT or give you enough thanks to the medical stupidity about the TSH lab test).

i.e. in Section 708, the US government now has the authority to destroy a package of personally imported drugs at their point of entry to the United States…even if you badly need them. And this potentially includes NDT like Erfa coming to us from safe, reputable Canadian online pharmacies by prescription! Or your T3-only from other places. Both the latter are unclear, but it’s a possibility.

And do you know why they state they are doing this?? For your “SAFETY”.  Janie’s eyes rolling here.  Can someone tell me how they know if a thyroid med from somewhere else is “unsafe” simply because it wasn’t made in the US?? Are US-made drugs SAFE??? Give me a break. Ask that of folks whose lives paid big prices because of side effects from our FDA-approved medications like Synthroid and many other NON-thyroid related drugs pushed upon us. It’s all a bunch of Big Pharma-influenced, greedy hooey, say thyroid patients.

Now as far as we know, this isn’t going to affect anything really soon. The US Secretary of Health and Human Services has up to two years to decide how to make the new law a reality. But it may happen far sooner than later in that time frame and I would count on it.

Says Lee Graczyk, RxRights Lead Organizer, “It’s critical for people to stand up and get organized to fight against this harmful regulation!”

Anti-depressant use and your adrenals: not a helpful connection for some

Sure, having depression is not fun and it’s understandable if you want to do something about it. My own mother had depression so bad thanks to her lifelong use of Synthroid that she used anti-depressants her entire adult life. This was long before we, as thyroid patients, discovered the strong connection between low T3 levels in the brain and depression (and a connection which all too many doctors miss!)

She also had an extremely “emotionally apathetic” personality, which I assumed was solely due to the electric shock treatment she had while in her early 40’s in an attempt to reverse the depression. But turns out her impassive and flat personality could have also been from the nasty side-effects of my mother’s long-term antidepressant use. i.e. while they made her “happy”, they also made her more dull, flat and detached. This has been reported by all-too-many patients

But now we are seeing the problems that anti-depressant use can cause for your adrenals. A study done in September 2011 titled Antidepressant use and salivary cortisol in depressive and anxiety disorders reveals that

  1. Tricyclics* flatten your cortisol awakening response
  2. SSRI users** had higher evening cortisol levels
  3. Most antidepressants are associated with distinct alterations of the HPA axis (hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal feedback loop)

*A common form of Tricyclics is Elavil (Amitriptyline).  **Common examples of SSRI antidepressant (Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors or serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitor) include Lexapro, Prozac, Celexa, Paxil, Zoloft, etc) 

The alternation of your HPA axis is a common finding when you peruse several research studies. And it’s even more obvious when thyroid patients with adrenal fatigue start using the T3 Circadian Method. i.e. it can take longer to get the right response from the T3. ***Please note that this is simply providing information in the name of being informed patients, not a recommendation to get off your antidepressant!  Talk to your doctor.

(Speaking of mood issues, a study was done showing cherries help with mood. Who would’ve guessed. You can read about it here.)

The revised Stop the Thyroid Madness book is now in German and Swedish! 

You can read about the translations here and I included an autobiography of each translator!  Please do not comment asking if a particular language is coming. I’ll announce them when the day comes.  If you know someone in Germany or Sweden who could badly use the patient-to-patient information in this book, go here.

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Has Armour gone back to its pre-reformulation? And 5-HTP is pretty remarkable…

Though this page was originally written in 2012 about Armour and 5-htp, it’s been updated to the present day and time. 

It’s only a handful of comments here or there in patient groups, and I’ve gotten two emails as well. But there are reports that recent bottles of Armour desiccated thyroid have pills which are performing just like they did before the unappreciated reformulation of 2009. i.e. they are softer again and can be done sublingually, and may be back to more dextrose and less cellulose.

Said one patient who contacted me via email: “It’s interesting what I read in the thyroid group the other day that her pills were back to being soft. But typical condescending Forest Labs who never said a word in 2009 to the most informed group of patients in the world, and haven’t communicated to us directly once again if it really has changed.”

So, if it’s true, there may be a phase of figuring out what you get: the hard ones that patients found HAVE to be chewed up to be the most effective, or the return of the softer ones which could be done sublingually. I’d be curious to know which pharmacies and in which city/state are giving out Armour tablets that are softer.

UPDATE: Forest Labs, the former makers of Armour, was bought out by Activas in 2014, then the price of Armour became the highest priced NDT around. And for many, it wasn’t working like it used to. But some still do well on it, paying the highest price. Learn from this page: http://stopthethyroidmadness.com/options-for-thyroid-treatment

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5-HTP can be miraculous against depression, plus can help troubled sleep patterns

When I went into full menopause, one issue I noticed was out-of-the-blue was afternoon depression, in spite of being optimal on Natural Desiccated Thyroid.  Bottomed-out female hormones can be problematic until I can correct them. And I found something that worked to completely remove the afternoon depression with the FIRST day of use: 5-HTP.  I was shocked.

Turns out that menopause can also mean low levels of serotonin–a brain transmitter that affects your mood positively. Your over-the-counter 5-HTP supplement (which comes from the seeds of the African plant Griffonia simplicifolia) is a precursor of trytophan, the amino acid responsible for making serotonin and melatonin. And lo and behold, what do many prescription anti-depressives, such as Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) meds, do?? They increase the bioavailability of serotonin! But why put up with the side-effects when 5-HTP is natural and has so few, I decided!!

How much? 100 mg did the trick for me, once a day. But others report needing 200 or 300 mg. I started on too much–had dizziness with starting on 200 mg. Found out the hard way that 100 mg was enough for the time being until I coud better treat my female hormonal issue. I’ve read where some only start on 50 mg.

For better sleep, studies have shown that 5-HTP outright will improve your sleep due to increasing melatonin. Research has reported a lengthening and deepening of their REM period of sleep–the deep sleep–and without increasing the amount of time they sleep. It also seems to smooth any ups and downs with sleeping.  Some research shows it can take several weeks, but I figure that can be individual.

There’s even anecdotal evidence that taking 5-HTP has helped drinkers avoid the bottle. i.e. if someone drinks to self-medicate against depression, 5-HTP could help.

There are definite cautions with 5-HTP! i.e. it’s NOT recommended to take it with anti-depressants or any seratonin-raising drug, as together one could raise their serotonin levels too high. A lot of different experiences with 5-HTP can be found here. As always, talk to your doctor about using it or not. It may be for only short-term use.

NOTE ABOUT DEPRESSION: For hypothyroid patients, especially those still stuck on T4-only like Synthroid, depression is pretty common due to inadequate levels of T3.  Once you get on Natural Desiccated Thyroid, as well as correct any potential low iron or low cortisol issues, you may find that depression is kicked to the wind!

As intellectually stated by Eric Fliers from the Department of Endocrinology in Amsterdam, “triiodothyronine (T3) is also capable of increasing serotonergic neurotransmission by desensitization of inhibitory 5-HT1a autoreceptors in the raphe nucleus, thus disinhibiting cortical and hippocampal serotonin release, and by increasing cortical 5-HT2 receptor sensitivity, further increasing 5-HT neurotransmission.”  

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Two newer pages on STTM as of 2012, and updated to today:

  1. Adaptogens:  read how certain plant and root substances can help you cope better with stress, here.
  2. Graves Disease: never thought I’d have a page on STTM about it, but enough patients have asked that it’s now here. Besides, since many Graves patients become hypothyroid, it’s good for them be included on a site that teaches what patients have learned about far better thyroid treatment, which is NOT T4-only.
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New to this website? Read about:
  1. Desiccated Natural Thyroid as the treatment with the best results
  2. Why T4-only meds like Synthroid aren’t doing the job for all too many
  3. How many thyroid patients fall into sluggish adrenal function aka adrenal fatigue
  4. How you can treat low cortisol without the use of HC
  5. What patients have learned
  6. Mistakes patients make in their treatment
And get the REVISED STTM BOOK for more details and ease of learning about what patients have learned.

 

 

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Saliva testing while on HC? Maybe…if your doc understands what to look for…plus more!

For years, thyroid patients have shied away from using saliva testing while on HC, concerned about the false highs and false lows of cortisol  levels that occur with exogenous use of medications like hydrocortisone (HC) i.e.  that which you give yourself externally vs the natural release. Or, there might be an issue with the HC still left in your mouth,  and the saliva results would reflect this.

But thyroid patient and author Paul Robinson, as explained in his blog post,  has recently been in touch with Dr. Henry Lindner who has found a way to use saliva with his patients on HC.  Also, to avoid the residue of HC in one’s saliva, he instructs his patients to swallow their HC quickly with water.

For example, Lindner can tell if one isn’t on enough HC by looking at the saliva result done two hours after a patient took HC.  i.e. the reading might still look “normal” when in fact, it should be much higher due to the high peak after taking HC exogenously. It would only be “normal” (or low normal) looking four hours after one takes HC, not two hours after.  Conversely, if saliva is done right before the next dose of HC is due, which is often in four hours, it should be low normal, since exogenous use of HC should result in a fall after the peak.  Thus, it can mean one’s HC dose before that was too much.

You can read Dr. Lindner’s own words on his website here. I can’t guarantee this will work for you. In fact, we don’t recommend doing it this way at all. And your doctor probably won’t understand it yet.  So in the meantime, patients have been assessing their HC use with Daily Average Temps (DATS) and it’s still viable as well. It can be a way to avoid the cost of additional saliva testing.  To understand how to do your DATS, see Discovery Step Two, number four, here.  This is also explained in the revised STTM book in Chapter 5, which also has more details.

Want to order your own saliva test? Go here. Both My Med Lab and Healthcheck USA use ZRT, and Direct Labs uses a six times a day saliva testing if you’re curious about your nighttime levels.

DID HIS WIFE COMMIT SUICIDE DUE TO THE FAILURE TO TREAT HER THYROID CORRECTLY?

In one of STTM’s Facebook groups, I saw a posting about this article, and it broke my heart.

I cannot say one way or the other about this particular case, where his young wife had Hashimotos. But in the ten years I’ve been a Thyroid Patient Activist, I’ve seen SO many thyroid patients on T4-only, or those who haven’t received a correct diagnosis due to the lousy TSH lab test, suffer from depression, whether from continued thyroid problems or the effects of adrenal fatigue and low cortisol–the latter which a large body of thyroid patients can fall into. The brain and the adrenals NEED T3, we have learned personally, over and over.

My own mother was a classic example, having endured Electric Shock Treatment in the 1960’s for her poorly-treated, thyroid-induced depression, then needing to be on an anti-depressant her entire life from being on T4-only. That anti-depressant made her emotions flat.

You can see the article here.

DO YOU HAVE TO ENDLESSLY TAKE CERTAIN VITAMINS/MINERALS TO KEEP THEM UP??

I do. For me, it’s magnesium.  It’s like my body has a “magnesium hole” and I can never seem to keep my levels optimal without supplementing daily.  And I am very optimally treated for my hypothyroidism, and use Apple Cider Vinegar daily in a large glas of flavored water for a more acidic stomach environment. For others, it’s a “B12 hole”, and they have to inject or take supplements daily. Others might have an “iron hole” and need the maintain that.

What about you? What supplements do you have to take daily to keep your levels optimal??

 

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Rhodiola, B-vitamins, Liver health, Depression & 5-HTP, VIt. D & asthma, plus the Road to Recovery!

pumpkins

(Though this page was written in 2011, it has been updated to the present date)

Are you enjoying the change in your weather? I am tremendously.

If you have the revised STTM book, you will note a brand new chapter about supplements and foods. I have also gathered up the following information on supplements that just might interest you!

SinglePumpkinRhodiola, an herb and adaptogen, can be a great way to counter stress and protect your adrenals!

I often speak of certain herbs which thyroid patients should look into if they are under a lot of stress, or their adrenal cortisol saliva test shows slight sluggishness, or even slightly high cortisol, as a result of a variety of stressors. One in particular is Rhodiola Rosea, and I am frankly impressed with it.

Since Rhodiola grows wild in Siberia, Russians have been brewing it as a tea to combat sluggish energy for a long time! And the Chinese have been aware of its great properties for eons as well. As an adaptogen, it’s said to decrease fatigue, stimulate your energy levels, and lower depression, i.e. it can do a great job countering the effects of stress, whether biological or psychological. See this research study.

It’s also known as an anti-oxidant, and studies show it can have anti-tumor properties. Different brands of Rhodiola contain different amounts of its important properties, so read the label. You might want to avoid taking it in the evenings, as it can stimulate too much as you prepare for sleep. I keep Rhodiola on hand to use if I’m going through stress of any kind! P.S. Please note that Rhodiola won’t be enough if your cortisol levels are severely low. You may need hydrocortisone in working with your doctor.

Single PumpkinWhy keeping your B-vitamin levels up can be so important!

Early in my journey to feeling wonderful again with desiccated thyroid, I remember a doctor stating how important it was to keep up with my B’s. Why? Because with an improving metabolism means a greater need for B-vitamins. Additionally, we may not be absorbing nutrients very well due to excess food processing, so keeping up with this is critical, even if you don’t “feel” the results.

What’s the big deal with B vitamins? They help your adrenals deal with stress better, assisting the production of all adrenal hormones. i.e. your adrenals are BIG users of B vitamins. They help breakdown other nutrients, which improves energy. They help in the production of serotonin, thus helping you to avoid depression. They enhance your immune function, and help with your hair, skin and muscles. Wiki states they reduce the risk of getting pancreatic cancer.

I have tried to take liquid B-vitamins before, and despise the taste. So I use a good quality, high dose pill form. Some do better taking each B vitamin individually. Go here to read about vitamin B12 in particular, tho ALL of them are imporant.

Single PumpkinAre you supporting your liver? It’s actually important for thyroid patients.

There have been many good discussions in the FTPO Facebook discussion groups about our livers. Why is that large organ so important? For one, it’s a major detoxer! We need it to function well to help remove that which we do NOT want in our bodies…such as excess RT3. It plays a strong role in digestion through the production of bile, helps breakdown carbs and proteins, produces insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) and a bag full of other good activities. You can’t do well without good liver function.

How to support it? I am personally using a liquid product called Liver Life. It contains mushrooms and Milk Thistle seeds–both important for good liver function. Others also choose to do a liver cleanse to remove toxins, lower excess RT3 and improve liver function. I suggest talking to a Naturopath about good products, or do an internet search. Patients in groups can also help.

Single PumpkinSpeaking of depression…look what 5-HTP did for this gal.

Depression is all too common when on the inadequate T4-only meds like Synthroid or levothyroxine. Ridding it is one huge benefit of switching to desiccated thyroid, or correcting poor adrenal function and low iron. But there’s a possible solution until you better treat your thyroid–5-HTP. This chemical is a natural way to raise your serotonin levels, which helps to raise your mood.

One gal had severe depression (which in turn can cause suicidal thoughts in some.) Her Naturopath had an idea–to start taking 800 mg of 5-HTP a day, starting immediately with five pills before bedtime that very night. It worked. She explains “The 5-HTP took me back to the bubbly, happy me that was there before the thyroid problems began — at least emotionally.”

Single PumpkinHave asthma or any lung condition? Then you may want to look at your Vitamin D levels, which are chronically low in thyroid patients.

A female thyroid patient with low levels of Vitamin D got on supplementation with D3 to raise her levels. And to her complete surprise, her asthma went away. She explains: After I realized that my asthma was gone, I googled “Vitamin D and Lungs” and found out that it’s being studied all over the world. Here’s just one quote she picked up: “In a recent article from the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, researchers looked at Vitamin D2 and D3 levels in adults with asthma. They also measured obstruction in the lungs in various ways. They reported a significant correlation between Vitamin D levels and lung obstruction. In other words, the lower the Vitamin D level, the more obstruction in the lungs. In addition, decreased or insufficient Vitamin D levels were linked to greater “twitchiness” of the lung, which makes the lungs more sensitive.”

Cartoon thryoid with PatClick on last link below to view the Road to Recovery in your thyroid journey.

When I do phone coaching, there is a common phrase I tell folks: Be prepared that there will be rocks in the road you’ll need to tackle, and it’s normal. So keep on keeping on. And to underscore that reality, thyroid patient Joan Trudo Steckelberg created a great image of this road for me: https://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/the-road-to-recovery-a-visual-image/ Thank you, Joan!

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One more kooky & hilarious video! Plus more about bipolar, pregnancy, mistakes patients make.

HUMOROUS VIDEO ABOUT ADRENAL FATIGUE:   In my blog post last February 15th, 2011, I sent you in the direction of a kooky, creative and hilarious You Tube video titled “Our Holy Miracle of the Infallible TSH Test”.

Well, creator and thyroid patient Brian Foreman has brilliantly done it again, but this time, it’s about adrenal fatigue and titled “Why Isn’t My Thyroid Medication Working?”  Have fun watching it, and get ready for a good laugh here and there.

Want to know more about adrenal dysfunction? Go here to find out about the problem, and do the Discovery Tests tests to see if you might have it.  Note that it’s critical, if the self-tests seem to point to an adrenal issue, to do a 24-hour adrenal saliva test to see what is going on at four key times during a 24-hour period.  Here is a compilation of what patients have learned in how to treat low cortisol, and this page is important to share with your doctor. If you want even more detail, it is strongly recommended by thyroid patients to order the REVISED STTM BOOK, and see Chapters 5 and 6. This can be carried right into your doctor appointment with key areas highlighted and bookmarked.

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BIPOLAR, DEPRESSION and HYPOTHYROID: A thyroid patient emailed me with just one more article on the connection between having a bipolar disorder and one’s thyroid, including the fact that there is “a strikingly high rate of autoimmune-caused thyroid problems in people with bipolar disorder”, aka Hashimotos disease.

And even if depression is your main problem, the article mentions “gently pushing your thyroid status over toward the “hyperthyroid” end of normal, if you happen now to be toward the hypothyroid end of normal”, in order to adequately reverse the depression problem. I constantly think back about my own mother who suffered from depression, succumbed to having shock therapy, and ended up on anti-depressants the rest of her life because of her use of Synthroid.  So we know that treating hypothyroidism with direct T3, such as is found in desiccated thyroid, is far better. 

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IS THERE A BABY KNOCKING IN YOUR BELLY?  I often see pregnant women in forums wondering how their babies are doing and how the thyroid works in helping their babies, or hurting them if the mother is pregnant and hypothyroid.  Here is an article sent to me that can help inform as to changes in your thyroid function when pregnant, how thyroid hormones affect the brain of the fetus, and the role of iodine.  It can underscore how important proper treatment is while pregnant.

What about adrenal fatigue which so many thyroid patients find themselves with, and pregnancy? A gal named Anne has written about this issue here. She has Addisons disease, which is more about a disease process and can be autoimmune, but her comments can be very applicable for those of you with sluggish adrenal function. Share all of this with your doctor. Need to find a good one?? Go here.

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TWO COMMON MISTAKES  MADE BY PATIENTS:  In patient groups, here are two common mistakes I see patients make:

  1. Not doing the 24 hour adrenal saliva test if adrenal dysfunction is suspected:  I can’t stress this enough:  patients have learned repeatedly they shouldn’t have rushed into cortisol treatment if they or their doctor’s “suspect” an adrenal problem. Yes, STTM has outlined several self-tests, called Discovery Steps, that you can do in your own home to see if anything is suspicious. There is also a checklist of symptoms related to adrenal problems. But the problem is two-fold:  symptoms of high and low cortisol can be exactly the same, and ‘where you are low’ and ‘where you are not’ can dictate how your treatment should be.  Some only need to lower high cortisol, some may do well on simply adaptogens like Ashwagandha or Rhodiola, some do well on Isocort or OTC adrenal cortex, and some outright need to be on prescription hydrocortisone. Teach this to your doctor. Here is where you can order your own saliva tests, and then take them into your doctor’s office.
  2. Not getting copies of labwork: Contrary to how your doctor says it, you have a right to have copies of your own labwork. And you should! Patients often come on groups seeking feedback from other patients, and yet, have no idea what their labwork was, or the ranges. Getting copies of labwork is just one step of many in being a pro-active patient. Here is how to read labwork according to the experience of thyroid patients.
Remember: Stop the Thyroid Madness, aka STTM,  is a patient-to-patient informational site meant to educate and inspire you with that information. Talk to your doctor about what you have learned; use the STTM revised book right in the office, and push for what you believe in, and you can go a long way to feeling MUCH better.
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