Comments on: Patient EXPERIENCE is the evidence. Are doctors listening? Nope.

By: Mari

Mari — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 23:43:39 +0000

I have been on Armour and Iodoral for several months now.. Loosing weight and gaining muscle tone. No longer have to turn up the hotter level in the shower.. (not cold anymore) .. my tsh was a high of 7..
Look forward to seeing my next blood panel.
Mari

By: renee

renee — Sat, 28 Jul 2007 13:20:39 +0000

I had half of my thyroid removed due to a very small malignancy. I have been on 112mcg of this poison called synthroid. I have gained at least 30 pounds in the last 3 years. My Tsh level is 2 and doc says that is great. Well it isn’t. I feel horrible. I felt better when it was at 5 or 6. I have stopped taking synthroid all together and am pursuing other options. In the past 2 days I have felt like myself once again. My children want to know where mean mommy went. That makes me want to cry. In just a matter of 2 days off my sex drive is coming back. Don’t tell my husband that though LOL! I just want to feel human again. Thanks to all of you for sharing your stories.

By: T. Laura

T. Laura — Wed, 07 Feb 2007 18:41:17 +0000

I just want to say thank you to everyone posting their experiences. Last year after spending 2 years going from Doctor to Doctor, I was finally diagnosed with Hypo. I have had every crazy symptom imaginable–irregular heartbeat,numbness,chestpain,sore body/joints,0 sex drive, almost nodding off in my car while driving, and 0 short term memory. I was to the point of not being able to function properly as a parent-let alone a person. I am finally seeing a GP who specializes in Thyroid Disorders. The Endo I saw before him only believed in lab results. I told him how terrible I felt and how long the issues had gone on and he said I was mildly hypo, with a TSH of 9. Pretty far from mild. That Doctor only believed in Synthroid. My 1st GP was scared to try anything but Synthroid. The GP who specializes in Thyroid Disorders whom I have stuck with- treats my symptoms. Yes, we still look at lab results, but his goal is to treat me and my symptoms. No, he didn’t put me on Cytomel until we had tried many other supplements etc. to help with the Adrenal fatigue, but when I still had lingering symptoms, he said let’s give Cytomel a shot and I’m so glad he did. I noticed an improvement immediately. It’s been a few months and seems to have worn off a bit, but I am going back to see if can increase my dose of Cytomel some more to help with fatigue/brain fog that seems to be creeping back. I’m currently on 75mcgSynthroid 5Cytomel. I am so thrilled I’m on my way to getting back to old self!!The key is that you can’t take No for an answer. We all have to be proactive, and be an active participant with our Doctors and how they plan to treat our disease. I believe their are so many ignorant Doctors out there. Honestly, why would patients like ourselves want to waste our time going from Doctor to Doctor trying to get better medication, if it truly weren’t in our best interest??? As tired and as horrible as we feel on Synthroid alone… the last thing we feel up to doing is fighting this ridiculous battle over giving us T3 medications! Too bad more Endocrinologists aren’t actually Hypothyroid. I truly believe this would be a non-issue if there were more Docs suffering on Synthroid alone. Best of luck to all on conquering the symptoms of this disease. (from Janie: good luck at the next visit, and consider demanding a switch to Armour, which gives you T4, T3, T2, T1 and calcitonin–exactly what your own thyroid would be giving you! :wink:)

By: JMC

JMC — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 18:33:20 +0000

I just want to thank all of you (moderators) of this wonderful website that saved me. Hashimoto’s disease just about robbed me of the past 2-3 years of my life. I was just EXISTING. I shudder when i think what could’ve happened to me if i had stayed on SynPoison (Synthroid, which did nothing but make me ill in the long run with antibodies 773 & thyroid #’s all over the place) and not switched to Thyroid (generic Armour), divorce, the nuthouse or both! I am still dealing with female issues but i firmly believe they will be adjusted. But for the most part the puzzle pieces are slowly coming together. I am slowly losing weight (put on 20 or more this past year on Synthoid!) and have my energy back. Dr’s (and you ARE reading this) start listening to your patients NOW.

I wish i can take all that money spent on useless endo’s & give it to all of you, you’re the ones who deserve it!

By: sera2101

sera2101 — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 00:27:00 +0000

After looking at your list, and listening to some of the wonderful ladies at 3fatchicks.com, I’m convinced I’m hypo. I have so many of the symptoms. My doctor said it was only depression, because I “felt more of a mental exhaustion than a physical one.” And she had the gall to talk to me like I was insulting her by questioning her reasoning! I’m going back in a few days, seeing a different doctor instead of her. I’m taking him that list with my symptoms highlighted. I’m also getting a copy of my last test results. I want a few second opinions form the people here.

If only I had insurance, then I would get all the correct tests done, not just the ones the doctors do.

By: Cliff Trapp

Cliff Trapp — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 18:09:44 +0000

Sorry, I described the above as one appointment, it was actually two appointments to the same clinic, and two different doctors. But the results are the same, I just got typing away and ran the two events together. But I think accuracy is important so I’d like to clear that up.

By: Cliff Trapp

Cliff Trapp — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 18:05:25 +0000

One more thing

During the same visit this morning, in which they refused to give me Armour - they recommended and gave me a prescription for Lipitor - my cholesterol is too high.

HELLO OUT THERE! - It’s a good bet my cholesterol is high because my thyroid is poorly treated.

Hello? Hello? Anyone out there in doctordreamworld wanna wake up and serve us?

By: Cliff Trapp

Cliff Trapp — Thu, 30 Nov 2006 18:03:13 +0000

Thank YOU! Thank you! I am blessed to have found your website! I am experiencing a medical merry go round, and let me tell you most sincerely - I WANT OFF!!!!!

I just came back from a clinic THIS MORNING. They told me I could go to a endocrinologist if I wanted Armour Thyroid. They chose their words carefully, but the bottom line is - the endocrinologists don’t like non-specialists prescribing Armour. So - my take on it is - there is money and professional turf at stake. And these considerations are more important than the patients health.

I have been rebuffed on other medical issues by doctor after doctor. I could write a book, and I definitely don’t plan to remain silent about this. I AM FILLED WITH OUTRAGE for the past 12 years of medical mistreatment - and I won’t be silenced by the white coated authoritarians who ignore my well being just to prop up their ineffective and potentially harmful practices.

WE LIKE SHEEP knuckle under to their hardball game. But I’m onto them now and I refuse to play their dirtball game anymore.

By: dorothy

dorothy — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 22:47:47 +0000

I feel like death warmed over, have for years–all the symptoms of hypo. One day I mentioned the way I felt to a person, & he told me about someone who had tried Armour and felt so much better. So!! I got on my computer and started to research Armour and Cytomel….The more I read the more excited I got! I’m thinking over and over my gosh that’s me, this symptom and that symptom…one right after the other. Then started reading how every Doctor will poo poo the idea. I’m taking 125 mcg of levothyroxin, raised from 112 mcg, this was after taking one month supply of Zoloft, which I read effects the output of the T4. Anyway, I prepared some articles off the computer about Armour and Cytomel, and I wrote a very nice letter to my endocrinologist and told him I had set up an appointment to see him, AND HOPED HE WOULD WORK WITH ME TO TRY ARMOUR. I wanted to tell him how terrible I was still feeling, and about the Zoloft article. I couldn’t wait for my appointment to get started on the Armour, just the thought that maybe I could really feel better was overwhelming. !!WELL!! A few days later, I got a letter from the “HIGH AND MIGHTY “endocrinologist” that knocked the pins right out from under me. HE SAID “To save you from your frustration & disappointment in discussing the use of cytomel & Armour with me, I have recommended to our staff that your appointment be canceled”. Then he said, the use of Armour or Cytomel is a very serious matter evaluated by double blind randomized studies in the recent years (more then ten large studies now) finding no evidence whatsoever that it is a superior system. Then he was harsh enough to say “IF IT WERE BETTER OR AS GOOD TO USE EITHER AGENT I WOULD HAVE CHANGED SEVERAL YEARS AGO. “==== So !! Tell me! How rude and hurtfull and blind to your patients can you be!! He wouldn’t even let me come in and discuss it. I WILL NEVER GO BACK TO THAT MAN AGAIN. But it sounds like I’m going to run into that small mindedness over and over again. I’m now in the process of trying to find someone that will prescribe Armour or Cytomel and keep a close eye on the results. I have an appointment with my G.P. but don’t know what he’s going to say or do or if he’s even qualified to work with either! If not I’m hoping he will send me to someone that will work with me. I so dread that he will pat me on the head and agree with the high and mighty endocrinologist. HE BETTER NOT. I feel so helpless in this situation. Do you feel my utter frustration!! Thank’s for letting me spout.

By: patsy earp

patsy earp — Tue, 21 Nov 2006 09:14:12 +0000

I was borderline hyper for aprox ten years. Suddenly i gained 25 lbs in one month. My endo put me on synthroid. my results showed no t3 results at all. I ask him to put me on armour and he did. He told me i was blowing everthing out of proportion meaning mentioning weight gain and depression to him. I started crying and he told me i would never weigh 110 lbs again unless i was dying of cancer. I am barely five foot tall. he told me to do arebic exercise twice a day and eat no more than 600 calories to get down to 120 lbs. then he said for the rest of my life i could eat no more than 1200 calories a day to maintain. Is this true? I really am depressed and i feel i offended him when i asked for the armour.