Posted by bleauberry on June 26, 2009, at 19:13:25
In reply to better thyroid supp than synthroid?, posted by floatingbridge on June 23, 2009, at 21:29:45
There really is no good guide. You kinda have to experiment and see what feels better. That's how the docs real good with thyroid issues do it. They use the lab numbers as a reference point to compare to from some future date. And it is sometimes helpful in rounding out the entire picture. But the good docs know that it is the clinical picture, not the lab picture, that guides treatment in getting patients well.
Some people do better on T3. Some do better on T4. Some need both. I have spent a lot of time in previous months on forums on yahoo that dealt with chelation, lyme, and adrenal fatigue. Thyroid issues were almost always an issue with them. Probably the single most praised supplement for them was Armour Thyroid. Lots of people found it the best. In the past I did a lot of reading on it to find out why, and it did make a lot of sense, but we really don't know, but it doesn't matter anyway because I forgot.
:-) It was comlicated stuff.There is a very cool chart you can use to try to get your numbers into "optimal" ranges versus "normal" ranges. In a google search, type in "Thyroid Scale Diagram". It is a chart. A horizontal line has numbers for TSH. Below is a horizontal line with T3. Below that T4. For optimal results, based on what was seen in approximately 1000 healthy individuals, TSH and T3 and T4 should all be close to the middle of the scale and aligned vertically one on top of the other, or fairly close.
But the real goal is to keep trying until you feel better. The way you feel is the guide.
Another bit of knowledge I gained at the forums was that any changes should be made in very small steps, tiny doses, and should be allowed at least a month before doing any other changes. It takes that long for the body to react, adapt, and settle, into the new environment. It is also because any changes in thyroid will also affect the adrenal glands, which will need at least a month to catch up. Thyroid numbers can be immediately changed, but it takes time for everything else to catch up and settle into a new place.
poster:bleauberry
thread:902834
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20090410/msgs/903353.html