I was lucky.
My cholesterol hadn’t started to raise yet when I was on Synthroid and later Levoxy. But it was going to, because nearly everyone on a T4-only medication has a climbing cholesterol number, sooner or later, along with heart problems and/or elevated CRP. And what do their doctors do next? Put them on statins with all the lovely side effects: muscle aches & pains, memory loss, and peripheral neuropathy. (See the Yahoo Stopped My Statins group here.)
My mother is the classic example. We have absolutely no heart problems in our family history that I know of. Yet, here was my mother who, in her 60’s, was suddenly in the hospital having a balloon procedure on her heart, called an Angioplasty, done to open up a clogged artery to her heart. Huh??
It was only years later, when I become a thyroid patient advocate, that I could look back and see why that happened to her. She had been on a T4 medication for the majority of her adult life!
Today, as patients are switching to natural desiccated thyroid like Armour, Naturethroid and Westhroid and others, and as they are allowed by their informed doctors to raise NOT according to the TSH but by the complete elimination of symptoms…VOILA.… their once-high cholesterol.…FALLS!!
But guess what else falls? Your CRP.
CRP stands for C-Reactive Protein, and it becomes elevated in response to an inflammation. With that elevation comes the heightened risk of heart attacks and strokes. And guess what: continued hypothyroid (as found with T4-only treatment) results in an increased CRP level.
On an optimal amount of Armour, which for me is 4 grains, my CRP is 0.9. Ideal is less than one. Bingo.
***Have a story to share about your improved lipid or CRP levels since you became optimal on Armour? Let us know.
YEEHAW! Check out this study done in 2007 – the higher the TSH, the worse your lipids. Ironically, even a TSH IN RANGE does this, according to the experience of MILLIONS of patients!! Thanks Nita for bringing this to my attention!
Maureen Glickenberger said:
Jul 04, 08 at 10:07 amSome cases of thyroid disease are caused by a gluten intolerance (Celiac Disease). My ferritin level and tsh improved after giving up gluten. However, after 2 years of being gluten free, my tsh was still not in the optimal range between 1 & 2 and my current doctor put me on Armour Thyroid. I no longer have little episodes of alopecia areata.
My ferritin went from 4 to 11 after giving up gluten. I don’t want to take iron supplements to get my ferritin level higher. Microorganisms (viruses & bacteria) need iron to survive. If you are sick with any kind of infection, taking iron supplements could be more harmful and prolong your illness.
Thanks, Maureen
(from Janie: you might want to read the page on TSH here.)
Justme said:
Jul 13, 08 at 7:16 amMy mother has a shmorgesborg of issues that I can relate to: piss-poor thyroid treatment and unmanaged adrenal function — osteoporosis, fibromyalgia, muscular sclerosis, and depression, to name a few.
It’s so sad, and it angers me, that doctors can’t (won’t) treat thyroid/adrenal issues better — all this could have been avoided, no?
Julie said:
Aug 08, 08 at 3:01 pmMy cholesterol dropped 50 points from 208 to 158 after 7 months of Armour. For 20 years I had high cholesterol, started synthroid 15 years ago. In just 7 short months I have “normal” cholesterol for the first time EVER. And it will stay that way now because we treated the cause.