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Tag: elderly

The pitiful challenges even a Good Doctor faces….ignorance, stupidity, resistance. Read this!

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As thyroid patients, we are continually seeking doctors who understand successful patient experience. It’s not always easy.  So when we do find a good doctor, we’re ecstatic. But little do we know the challenges a good doctor faces!  The following was sent to me by a progressive, open-minded MD, of whose name I have removed to protect him from his own medical board. Be appalled and amazed. I was.

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Janie, it is not infrequent that we are sent messages like this from Pharmacy Benefits Managers. Here is a typical letter with my reply.

Considerations for Your Review

1. Drug Safety Consideration: ARMOUR THYROID Use in Seniors  Our claims record suggests that your older patient is receiving ARMOUR THYROID. Thyroid hormones should be dosed cautiously in seniors due to a potential risk of cardiac effects. Desiccated thyroid products contain variable amounts of T3. T4 and other iodothyronine compounds. Because older patients have a high prevalence of occult
cardiac disease, the Beers criteria generally recommend transition to a safer alternative (e.g.. agents like levothyroxine with more standardized hormone content). Please consider the potential risks versus benefits of therapy for your patient.

Reference(s):
1. Thyroid Agents. In: McEvoy GK, ed. AHFS: Drug Information. Bethesda, MD: American Society of Health-System Pharmacists; 2008:Sec 68:36.04.
2. Pick DM et al. Updating the Beers Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2003; 163:2716-2724.
3. Semla TP et al. Geriatric Dosage Handbook. 13th ed. Hudson, OH: Lexi-Comp; 2007.

(And this brilliant doctor’s reply:)

Dear  xxxxxxx

Re: Armour Thyroid Products

I invite your attention to the P.I. (product information) in the PDR on levothyroxine (Synthroid). I quote:  PRECAUTIONS “Patients with underlying cardiovascular disease–Exercise caution when administering levothyroxine to patients with cardiovascular disorders and to the elderly in whom there is an increased risk of occult cardiac disease.”

DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION

“Caution should be exercised when administering SYNTHROID to patients with underlying cardiovascular disease, to the elderly, and to those with concomitant adrenal insufficiency (see PRECAUTIONS).”

I read your statement that says, “Desiccated thyroid products contain variable amounts of T3 and T4 and other idothyronine compounds.”  Forest Pharmaceuticals has stated their product is standardized as published in the PDR: “ One (1) grain or 60 mg of Armour contains by assay 38 mcg levothyroxine (T4) and 9 mcg liothyronine (T3).” I do not ever remember Armour Thyroid ever being recalled for stability or lack of standardization.

However, Synthroid and the other forms of levothyroxine have had significant problems.

SYNTHROID AND OTHER T4 PRODUCTS were subject to FDA NOTICE in the FEDERAL REGISTER: AUGUST 14, 1997 (VOL 62, NUMBER 157). These were the drugs that were not well standardized and were not stable. I quote from the report: “Some of the problems reported were the result of switching brands. However, other adverse events occurred when patients received a refill of a product on which they had been previously stable, indicating a lack of consistency in stability, potency, and bioavailability between different lots of tablets from the same manufacturer.”

Thank you for caring for the health of the patients receiving medications from your company. I request that you check your facts fully before issuing such flyers.

Respectfully,

xxxxxxxxx, M.D.

Cc: FOREST PHARMACEUTICALS

BRAVO TO THIS DOCTOR in the face of complete ignorance!!

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STTM HAS HIRED A PUBLICIST and YOUR HELP IS NEEDED!

Do you value what Stop the Thyroid Madness has given you??  Something has to be done to reach millions of individuals still lingering without a diagnosis due to the TSH, or suffering due to being on T4-only meds! You and I run into them DAILY and don’t even know it!  Or we have many family members in the TSH/T4 category. And the media does NOTHING about this scandal.  STTM has hired a publicist, and you can read about it here. But I can’t do this alone. If you value Stop the Thyroid Madness, please considering helping.

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TPA (Thyroid Patient Advocacy) STILL NEEDS YOU TO REGISTER 

Have you registered for the Counterexamples to T4-only?  So far, 1437 have, and Sheila Turner is determined to get that number to over 2000 at least. There were 900 participants on those flawed studies showing that T4/T3 combination worked no better than T4-only, and we have got to prove our point that this is wrong.  All you have to do is answer 3 very short questions.  http://www.tpa-uk.org.uk/register_of_counterexamples.php

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10 replies

10 THYROID TIDBITS that just may enlighten you!

Thyroid tidbit #1 COCONUT OIL: Thyroid patients continue to report that the daily use of Coconut Oil (extra virgin is good) caused an increase in metabolism and even weight loss in  somewho wanted the latter. How much daily? It varies from 2-4 T. but be careful, as too much can cause diarrhea.

Thyroid tidbit #2 GRASS FED DESICCATED THYROID: Are you worried what the pigs were eating before the thyroids became desiccated?? If so, try Dr. Lowe’s Thyro-Gold, which is actually from cow who are pasture-fed. Then report back to STTM on the Contact Me page and tell us how it works for you as a treatment, or not work. I will compile information and report it here.

Thyroid tidbit #3 ALZHEIMERS DISEASE: Improving your thyroid function just may lessen your chance of getting dementia. But research has also found a Leptin connection: http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/news/20091215/more-leptin-may-mean-less-alzheimers

Thyroid tidbit #4: ASHWAGANDHA: If you have sluggish adrenals and are on cortisol, adding the herb Ashwagandha can be an excellent and natural additional support for your adrenals. Even without adrenal fatigue, it’s also good in the face of excess emotional stress, and is an anti-inflammatory.

Thyroid tidbit #5 REVERSE T3–IS YOURS TOO HIGH? The body naturally converts T4 to RT3 as a way to clear out excess T4. But you can also make too much when your ferritin is too low, your adrenals are stressed, B12 is low, in the presence of diabetes, and other chronic issues. High levels of RT3 can cause a pounding heartrate, continued hypo, and just a feeling that you aren’t feeling great yet. To learn more, go here.

Thyroid tidbit #6 BI-POLAR: Have you been diagnosed with bi-polar disease? If so, you might want to do the right tests for hypothyroidism, since there can be a strong connection between the two, and you can either be undiagnosed thanks to the wrong test, or undertreated thanks to Synthroid, Levoxyl, Eltroxin or other T4-only medications. Read more here plus more detail in the STTM book.

Thyroid tidbit #7 GREEN POWDER: Don’t like green veggies but want to be healthy? Look into the different varieties of “Green Powder” that you can stir into your favorite juice or water. Read the labels, tho, and avoid those with soy. Note: if you use too much, you are also consuming oxalates. So moderation is key.

Thyroid tidbit #8 YOUR GRANDMA: Thyroid function will naturally go downward in the elderly.That’s why grandma starts wearing that purple sweater in weather you are sweating in.  But putting those over 65 on T4-only thyroxine is not the answer, as a recent study showed.  That’s why YOU AND I are lucky to be on desiccated thyroid with its direct T3, or even those of you who are on T3 only.

Thyroid tidbit #9 EGGS ARE A BIT SCARY RIGHT NOW: Not necessarily for thyroid folks only, but you should be aware that with the recent recall of huge amounts of eggs in the US, there are reports of a four-fold increase in Salmonella Enteritidis infections since May 2010 because of eggs and health officials fear the worst may be yet to come. Why? Because the same eggs have been used in other products. Scroll down this page to see list of recalled eggs. P.S. if you get salmonella and are on cortisol for adrenal fatigue, you should discuss with your doctor about using OTC cortisol cream, since you may not be able to hold down the pills. 1/4 tsp equals 10 mg cortisol.

Thyroid tidbit #10 FLU SHOTS vs. VITAMIN D: Just when you are making progress treating your hypothyroidism and/or adrenal fatigue comes the season for the flu. And if you google the same same title of this tidbit, you’ll see numerous articles about the efficacy of taking Vit. D rather than the flu shots.  How much? General recommendation are 1000 IU’s daily at the minimum. Others point to more. Do your research.

55 replies

Is grandpa sleepy? The innocent victims of the TSH lab.

lynn-doralynn-donna1 Most of us are in our prime when our health is slaughtered thanks to the lousy TSH lab result–a result which can be normal for years before it rises high enough to reveal our hypothyroidism, or a range which keeps us with lingering hypo symptoms.

But the elderly are also wide open targets of the scandal of  the use of the TSH test to diagnose hypothyroidism.

My father-in-law was stout, tall and healthy as an ox his entire life.  For the first eighty-eight years of his life, life was active and grand. Oh did I love him.

Yet as he was nearing ninety, fate became fickle. He became like a Rip Van Winkle,  sleeping more than being awake the final three years of his life.  He slept in the mornings, he slept after lunch, he slept before dinner, and he went to bed early.  And he seemed depressed.

Family concern (mine) prompted his doctor to test his TSH,  widely used by clueless doctors to ascertain thyroid function. The family doc proclaimed “Normal”

Sad. Because I had to watch him waste away in his fatigue until he died.

Hypothyroidism increases with age,  and many of our elderly fall victim to it. Using most any search engine on the net, you’ll find numerous articles on thyroid and the aged. But I suspect it’s an even greater problem that most any article can relay, since most of them are talking about the TSH and thyroxine. So the elderly, just like us,  suffer due to the infinitely lousy TSH lab, just like my dear father-in-law.

Read my latest article on OpEdNews titled “TSH: Thyroid Stimulating Hooey and the Loss of Wisdom” (Yup, the first part is the same title of Chapter 4 in the STTM book) : http://www.opednews.com/articles/TSH-Thyroid-Stimulating-H-by-Janie-Bowthorpe-090205-60.html

Have you noticed suspicious hypothyroid symptoms in your grandma or grandpa, or your own elderly patients? Tell your story by commenting on this blog post.

3 replies