Causes of Hypothyroidism: Congenital Causes
Some people are born with hypothyroidism, for a variety of reasons. Infants with untreated congenital hypothyroidism can develop a number of serious developmental problems as they mature, including mental retardation and stunted growth—a condition once known as “cretinism” (think of that next time you want to call someone a “cretin”, eh? I don’t think I’ve used that particular insult in months, for just that reason!).
Some cases of congenital hypothyroidism seem to stem from developmental issues during pregnancy. The child’s thyroid gland may be underdeveloped or may no have descended to its proper location. In another condition, known as Thyroid Dyshormonogenesis, the infant’s thyroid gland simply fails to produce adequate hormone output, although it appears normal. In cases where the thyroid gland is abnormal, treatment will most likely last the rest of the child’s life.
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TSH: One size does NOT fit all
As I’ve mentioned here before, in 2003 the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists recommended that the “normal” range of TSH be changed from 0.5–5.0 to 0.3–3.04. However, for those of you who still feel crummy anywhere above 2.0, there’s still hope to convince your doctor: Way back in 2002, the National Academy of Clinical Biochemistry suggested the ceiling for “normal” TSH be lowered to 2.5, “because >95% of rigorously screened normal euthyroid volunteers have serum TSH values between 0.4 and 2.5 mIU/L.”
So, my repeated comments here that folks without thyroid problems generally have a TSH around or below 1 is somewhat incorrect. There is a wider range of truly “normal” TSH values than I had heard, but a narrower range of normal TSH than most doctors use when evaluating their patients’ test results. In fact, the NACB stated that, “A serum TSH result between 0.5 and 2.0 mIU/L is generally considered the therapeutic target for a standard L-T4 replacement dose for primary hypothyroidism.”
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Armour Troubleshooting & New Supplements
Well, I’ve been on the higher dose of Armour for a bit now, and there’s no sign of my morning drowsiness going away. So, prompted by a comment from “Newbie” in another post, I’m going to try a little experiment. Thus far, I have taken half my Armour dose at 9am and the other half at 9pm, figuring that schedule would give the most stable T3 levels throughout the day. And I have yet to come close to the morning “get up and go” I had on levothyroxin. Which is a bummer. I feel better mentally, but I haven’t gotten out of bed before 9am in weeks, and it’s just not working.
So, starting tonight, I’m going to take my second dose when I go to bed (generally around midnight). We’ll see if that helps. Stay tuned for results. Hopefully, T3 being so fast acting, I’ll have a pretty good idea of whether it’s making a difference within a few days.
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