Yup, we’re all heading in the same direction — being just a tad older every single year and getting that first mailing from AARP. Yup.
And getting older increases the incidence of thyroid disease.
Even worse, those who acquire it at an older age are probably going to go through the same bunk and bull those younger have gone through – having depression, rising cholesterol, osteoporosis or ostepenia, weight gain, easy fatigue, couch potato syndrome, dry skin and hair, plus more––all classic symptoms of undiagnosed or undertreated hypothyroidism.
But older folks are told it’s all just part of aging so here’s your latest tablet for your handy-dandy Wal Mart pill box.
I recently found a great blog by Pam whose Feb. 23rd, 2010 post is titled Older Women and Low Thyroid. She turned 65 in 2009 (and she looks a lot younger) and writes how she found herself with hypothyroid at a later age as well. And Pam is WAY ahead of the game in her knowledge. She understands that most older folks are put on Synthroid (which can be a lousy way to treat hypothyroidism for many), that getting older means conversion from T4 to T3 can be more difficult, that being on desiccated thyroid or T3-only just might be the better treatment, and you can get adrenal fatigue at an older age as well (thanks to poor treatment with T4, the TSH lab test, or being underdosed even on desiccated thyroid).
You can read Pam’s post here, as well as about the phone call from her friend who is 50 lbs overweight, has brain fog, is out of work, has no energy…and voila – is on Synthroid so it can’t POSSIBLY be her thyroid. Sad. In fact, what has happened to Pam’s friend is what I keep stating to those who feel they are just doing peachy on T4: watch out, because as you age, the truth about T4 will reveal itself!
Pam, I love your blog posts, and I’m going to hope to see more of those in the “venerable age range” be just as wise as you are!!
**********************************************
FDA HAS MADE A STATEMENT ABOUT NATURAL DESICCATED THYROID: Just before I was going to plop into my bed for the evening, I checked my notifications to discover that right on the FDA website and their 2010 Drug Shortages page (3rd column up from bottom), it states: Forest reports manufacturing issues involving the raw material and RLC reports increased demand. FDA has not ordered Forest or RLC to remove these thyroid (desiccated) tablets from the market. BINGO. I’ve been waiting for this for months, because though websites and groups were formed last year as if we needed to “rescue” desiccated thyroid from being banned, I couldn’t join the fearful rally of a few because my gut was telling me something quite different. And a few others, I discovered, had the same feeling. And hooray! Our guts were right on!
Does this mean the FDA “gets it” about desiccated thyroid? Maybe, or maybe not. Yes, their timing WAS awful last year with Time Caps Labs, right when we were starting a shortage. And there does appear to be some kind of future requirement “proving” the safety and efficacy of dess. thyroid – two things we ALREADY KNOW from 110 years of safe and effective use. Duhhh on the FDA. But it’s FAR more hopeful now, and realistic, and will hopefully promote more reasonable thinking from now on.
Onward and upward, folks.
***************************************
Naturethroid is coming back in pharmacies all over the US! See the blog post below or here for information about the “new” Naturethroid.
(If you are reading this via the Newsletter email notification, just click on the title of this blog post to come directly to the site where you can Comment).
This entry was posted on Monday, March 1st, 2010 and is filed under hypothyroidism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Me said:
Mar 02, 10 at 12:36 amJanie, I knew you were right from the beginning. You said, right from the get go of this madness, that the FDA had nothing to do with the shortage. I don’t know where the hysteria came from but that’s exactly what it was hysteria, fabricated from NO factual information. I feared that all this loud ruckus and talk of taking it to the street was going to backfire. Thank goodness it didn’t and that the craziness didn’t make their unfounded fears actually come to. Good for you for keeping a level head and keeping us updated on real information not speculation and innuendo. Keep up the amazing work of being a true patient advocate.
valerie said:
Mar 02, 10 at 9:16 aml dont believe the FDA or our present government any more.…so a statement does not reassure me…Val
Ken said:
Mar 04, 10 at 2:53 pmJanie — thanks for your level-headed reasoning during this whole shortage mess. But don’t expect the anti-government crazies to believe the facts you present. Trying to reason with them is like trying to reason with the homeless guy on the street corner who’s having a conversation with his imaginary friend. They live in their own world and will only believe that there is a big government conspiracy around every corner.
All you need to do is follow the money. Who stands to gain
from the desiccated thyroid shortage and the false rumors that were spread about it being taken off the market so that doctors shift their patients over to Synthroid? Certainly not the FDA. Government agencies across the board have been de-fanged over the past 10 years with deregulation, budget cuts, and staff reductions. So we’re to believe the FDA has the resources to specifically target desiccated thyroid? Give me a break!
There is market manipulation going on all the time — FOLLOW THE MONEY.