A few assorted facts …
Posted on: May 31, 2006 | Posted in: Medical Information
I thought I’d just do a “quick review” entry of a few basic facts about hypothyroidism and the treatments for it, based on my own research. Mind you (once again) I am not a doctor. But I figure if multiple reputable sources all agree on a certain point, it’s most likely true.
- The current “normal” range for TSH tests is NOT 0.5–5.5. In November of 2002, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists updated the “normal” range to 0.3–3.04. In “real life” people without thyroid problems generally have a TSH around 1.0 or lower.
- Thyroid hormone medication is not a “drug” with dangerous side effects, even if you are pregnant. Synthroid, Armour, Cytomel, Thyrolar and their generic/off-brand equivalents function by replacing thyroid hormones your body is not producing. So—especially if you are pregnant, or in some other physically “high stress” situation—it is important to get your thyroid levels up where they should be, so your body’s metabolism is functioning properly.
- There is no single best thyroid medication for everyone. Some people say they feel better on “natural” medication like Armour, some people say they feel better using synthetic hormone replacements like levothyroxin. Some people need T3 in their medication to feel their best, some people do better on T4 only treatment. Some people can’t tell the difference.
- If you don’t know what your blood test results are, there’s really no definitive way of knowing if you’re over-medicated or under-medicated. Of course symptoms are an important way of determining when your medication is at the best level for you, but it is equally important to track your blood test results, so you know what your “numbers” look like when you’re feeling good.
- Current wisdom says it takes up to 8 weeks for a new thyroid replacement prescription to stabilize fully in your system. If you just started medication two weeks ago (or just started a new prescription) you won’t know yet how you’re really going to feel on that prescription long-term for another month or so.
- You do not need to see an endocrinologist, or even an MD, to have your hypothyroidism treated. It’s far more important to find a medical professional who is willing to order the right tests, research what the newest “normal” levels for those tests are, and pay attention to your symptoms when adjusting your medication.
- Which brings us to the single most important piece of advice I want to emphasize to everyone: No matter what, is that if your doctor will not listen to you or treats your symptoms as though they are unimportant, do whatever you can to get a second opinion or find a new doctor. You need to be able to ask your doctor questions, and discuss your treatment and symptoms with him/her comfortably and productively to successfully manage hypothyroidism over the long-term.
And I think that about wraps it up for the first installment of “important things to remember about hypothyroidism” kids! 
technorati tags: hypothyroidism, health, medical, thyroid, mivox