This is just for information, it not intended to be aggressive (just FYI-ness)
I’m going to comment here on a few things:

“The dessicated forms come from pigs, and T3 content is going to be different from each pig, because stress and other factors, determine how much is actually produced.”

This statement is false, Natural Dessicated Thyroid (NDT) hormone replacement medication has almost an exact amount of T3 per tablet.

Also not false but maybe misleading:

“Remember with most Hashimoto's there is still some thyroid function. When that occurs, you can still make some T3 yourself from the gland.”

When you take any kind of thyroid replacement medication your own thyroid should not produce anymore T4, this process is called “deregulation”, the thyroid will continue to make T4 only if you are NOT taking enough medication.

False statement with regards to NDT:

“Almost all thyroid should be in the morning on an empty stomach,
and no food or calcium containing liquids for a hour!”

NDT can be chewed and taken before eating. And as long as you maintain the same schedule, for instance I always take my medication in the morning with the same breakfast, then your levels are going to be checked with consistency.

I would only take one quarter of your daily dose at night otherwise you will have side effects (just my personal experience only).

agree, I would not take calcium, iron and magnesium at or near the time you take thyroid medication.

All Hashimoto’s patients should NOT take synthyroid because it contains gluten and Hashi’s peeps should not have gluten in any form.

I currently take 240mg, a good starting dose is 60mg increased every two weeks by 30mg up to a dose of 120mg, then retest, then continue to increase that dose every two weeks by 30mg until your Free T3 is above 3 and your Free T4 is above 1.

TSH levels ON thyroid medication should always be less than 1.0 (period). If not you are and will experience symptoms of hypothyroidism.

As far as iodine supplements, only those without Hashi’s should even try iodine and only with a specific protocol that includes taking required vitamins before starting iodine treatment.

All this information is brought to you from things I have learned from 1,000’s of people over the years and my personal ability to understand technical scientific data. You can find most of the information on a website called “Stop the Thyroid Maddness.com”.

Let me know if there’s any questions.

This subject is so complex.... I just had a formal CE on it in fact.

Unless a person is on high dose replacement hormone....there will be residual activity from the thyroid gland.

The feedback loop will depress the thyroid depending on DOSE.
Patients with glands completely removed will not be making T3.
However patients like me who only need 75mcg a day, will be making some endogenous hormone above the 75mcg coverage.

Because the dessicated products contain T3, the half life for this active form is very short, so timing is more specific.

For LEVOthyroxine like Synthroid and others, timing is less critical because the T4 has a 1/2 life of DAYS. Hence once you are on it for a while, you can even skip a day here and there if you run out, or lose them etc, without incident. If you are one or two hours early or late taking, that is insignificant since there is T4 hanging around for DAYS...as a backup.

In the case of Doody's question, her post #8 says, her tests do not show indication of Hashimoto's. So in HER situation, having low T4, in the face of "normal" TSH may indicate a lack of iodine in the body to make the T4. Iodine is conserved by the body to some extent and if something is wrong there and it is LOST and cannot be recycled to make more hormone, it needs to be supplemented.

There is a large range of patients with hypo symptoms who are clinically hypo or subclinically hypo, all the way to those with removed glands. Treatments vary therefore for the various situations.

One factor to always consider is that too much thyroid hormone given, will be adjusted by the body's feedback loop to slow production in the gland. This is dose dependent. In my case my doses were adjusted to reduce a goiter. Once that was done, my hypo symptoms abated. But as doses increase more and more gland stops producing both T4 and T3. Once that becomes total, then taking a T3 product becomes more important.

In the elderly medical suggestions are to keep doses within certain limits, because thyroid hormone over time accelerates bone loss. It enables osteoclasts which tear down bone. So doctors will balance things to avoid excessive bone loss.

The doses of T4 synthetic like Synthroid are in micrograms.
The doses of dessicated are in milligrams. They are not easily interchangeable. for example 100mcg of Synthroid is not equal to 100mg of dessicated as a rule.
http://melissa-murfin.suite101.com/c...roxine-a146765

As one who has been HypoT for over 25 years, and w/Hashi's for the last 8, I can assure you that I've been on the synthroid all that time successfully.
The Hashi's issue is an auto-immune one that followed two other AI issues, so no connection to the synthroid-dose just changed. Get tested for Free T3&T4 every 6 months and adjusted accordingly.
An interesting site to learn about the THYROID and other glands is the following: http://www.endocrineweb.com/endocrin...docrine-system
I find it fascinating that other glands at times pick up the slack of thyroid and other gland malfunctions. These teeny glands can make our life happy or totally miserable depending on how well they work and work together.
Good luck and keep us up to date please! - j

Thank you so much everyone. I so appreciate this since I am so in the dark.

I just know that I've been having a really tough time and wish that this medication was an overnight cure, but apparently it's not. The depression, fatigue, tiredness, chills are overwhelming. And I'm not sure if the synthroid has anything to do with this but boy have I been 'itchy'. Scratch, scratch, scratch. Especially in the evening at bedtime. And I feel very 'spacey'. Don't know how else to describe it.

I'm concerned now that he started me on too high of a dose, but he was really adamant about starting at 100 mcg. And he knows how I am with at least antidepressants. He has always started me on low doses of medication...at least since he figured out how I was with the ADs. So I was somewhat surprised when I said....So, doc, I assume we are starting me on a lower dose. NOPE. And he was pretty darned firm about taking the levothyroxine instead of the Armour. Something several of my friends totally disagree with.

So I don't know what to do but keep doing what he told me to do and hope this crap gets better sooner than later.

Oh, and on my own I decided to take it upon getting up in the morning. Not sure if that is the right thing to do. Taking it at bedtime...well, my sleep hasn't been this interrupted in a long time. And jittery!!!! Feels like that awful restless leg syndrome.

I so appreciate all of your ideas and suggestions, I really really do. Who better to learn from than people who are experiencing the same things in life.

sigh...I just feel so off and have been feeling that way for the better part of the last year. The chills are really something! Drive me nuts. \

Thank you dear ladies.

Chills are not typical. They will happen if you are low in blood sugar. Thyroid accelerates metabolism and may cause low blood sugars if you are prone to that.

Eating smaller meals, more frequently, less sugar and carbs, and small snacks of quality protein etc, may help this.

I really think starting at 100mcg is not typical.

Thanks Mrs. D. They were really bad last night. I felt as if my body was continually contracted with chills.

I'm going to call the doc here shortly.

Best to call the doctor. You may have something else going on.

There is a connection between the adrenals and thyroid:

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/endocrinology/a/adrenal.htm

You might have to see a specialist in the end, for this.

Good luck...it has to be scary for you!

Thank you. Sigh. His nurse called back and said to quit taking it for a week. Then start at the same dose once every other day for a week. Then go back to every day and see what happens.

That sounds a bit more reasonable!

Oh good, thanks. It will be interesting to see if this clamp down of these chills eases up. Though...chills have been around now for at least 6 months. Doesn't make sense to me that the medicine is supposed to be making it better.

Oh well, we'll see! I actually hurt some today because the overwhelming chills last night were so bad!