[raristy]

#1059886

Has anyone used Bioidentical hormones to supplement after thyroid removal?

Any other options besides Synthroid, levothyroxine and Armour?

My 14 yr old daughter had her thyroid removed over a year ago and we are still trying to figure out the best kind of supplement and corresponding dosage.

Thanks a lot,

Rosa

[snelsen]

#1178530

It is my understanding that Synthoid, which is levothyroixine, T4, is a long time gold standard replacement. Many studies, much reliability. There is now a generic, which many people are happy with. It costs much less.
And.as you probably know, Armour has T4 and a little T3. Lots of disagreement and some controversy about it. Apparently there are very few people who profit from it. Aside from these choices, I don’t think there are any other reliable options. But, a pharmacist, and her endo are probably the best people for you to bounce this question off of, for it is a very important one.

Are you working with an endo who is compassionate and knowledgeable of Graves’? If you daughter has had a total thyroidectomy, the next step, as you well know, is to get the right amount of replacement. I know Kimberly will be reading your post. She has some nice thoughts for you to get in contact with other parents of kids with Graves;/ I met two teen age girls at the San Diego conference last October.. I think they REALLY enjoyed getting to meet each other!
Shirley

[Ellen_B]

#1178531

Hello Rosa,
First of all what do you mean by bioidentical hormones? Do you mean a hormone that is not manufactured or synthesized but obtained from some other source that is natural—plant or animal? Therapy using that kind of medication is called alternative. Did you mean by supplemental –medicines along with and not instead of the standard hormone replacement medication?
Alternative treatments have not been tested for their efficacy and safety. Actually I understand the National Center for Complementary and Alternatives (a division of the National Institute of health) is looking into and investigating these therapies so that perhaps some time in the future they can be recommended by doctors.

There are many different companies that make both brand name and generic synthetic thyroxin. Your doctor can give you a list. I am told that the body cannot tell the difference between the synthetic thyroxin and the thyroxin that the thyroid puts out because they are molecularly identical.

And then there is the question of how natural is natural since the hormone replacement medication from animal has been processed and changed.

It must be very frustrating for both you and your daughter to have to wait so long to get properly regulated. It is not uncommon for it to take that long. I have known many who have taken that long but eventually –and not much longer– with the help of their doctor were successful.

What kind of treatment have you tried so far?

Here is to some immediate long overdue success.

Ellen

[Kimberly]

#1178532

Hello – I was also a little confused by the term “bioidentical hormones”, which is more commonly used in reference to alternative treatment options for menopausal symptoms.

If you are talking about T3/T4 combination therapy, this is actually something that is a current controversy in the medical community. What *should* happen is that if your daughter is taking T4 (Synthroid, levothyroxine, etc.) as her replacement regimen, her body will convert the T4 into T3 on an “as needed” basis. T3 is the more active and powerful hormone between T3 and T4.

However, some patients whose levels are normal, but are still experiencing symptoms, choose to pursue therapy that adds in T3. Although the U.S.-based agencies do not currently support this, there have actually been a couple of recent studies indicating that this might be of benefit to certain patients.

Armour is made from porcine (pig) thyroid glands and contains both T4 and T3. There is also a synthetic form of T3 (Cytomel) that does not come from animals.

We’ve heard mixed reviews from patients who have tried combination therapy. Some feel that it brought back a return of their hypER symptoms, while others feel that it made a significant positive improvement in their symptoms and their quality of life. One issue is that when you take T3 directly, you are getting a big dump of a very powerful hormone…but then it has a fairly short life span within the body. So you could end up with fluctuating hormone levels throughout the day. The GDATF will actually be exhibiting at a conference next week that is specifically devoted to the issue of T3/T4 combination therapy, so it will be interesting to see what comes out of that event.

Hope this helps…please let me know if this isn’t what you were looking for!

[WWWI2]

#1178533

Raristy, why exactly are you looking for something different? What are the issues that are causing you to seek something else?

WWWI2

[snelsen]

#1178534

I have the same question as WWW12.
Thyroid hormone is thyroid hormone That is what we need.
You have gotten some good information in this forum and your thread. Is it helpful to you?
Shirley

[raristy]

#1178535

Thanks so much for your kind responses. Here is a little background on my 14 year-old daughter. After her Feb 2012 thyroidectomy she was put on Levothyroxine. By the Fall of 2012, her endo was pleased with her lab results and her daily dosage of Levothyroxine 100mg. She was feeling lethargic, her thinking process and auditory skills were a little slow. Despite her symptoms, her
endocrinologist stated her lab results are good ( TSH 0.9 and T4 1.6) and they were not going to change the dosage.

We then visited another endocrinologist who prescribed Armour. We have been trying pork thyroid since January 2013. We’ve seen a little improvement, I am grateful for that. But she still struggles with her energy levels, auditory skills, lapse in thinking process and sometimes her long term memory skills. As far as her auditory skills is like she hears every sound around but it’s hard for her to focus on that one person’s voice or sound she needs to be attentive to. Overall, I’m not so certain Armour has suited her well. In our initial visit her new endo mentioned the possibility of using bioidentical hormones (plant-based).

Please let me know your thoughts. I’d like to help her navigate these years and help her reach a reasonable level of health and wellness.

Many, many thanks. I’m most grateful resourceful group.

Rosa

P.S.: Is there a way to receive emails for forum posts. I am good at checking my emails but at times between homeschooling and mothering our four little cuties, I don’t get to visit this wonderful forum as often as I wish. Thanks much!

[karenz516]

#1178536

@raristy, I am by far no expert on any of this, but have you had her adrenals checked for fatigue and cortisol? I have read people with those kind of symptoms sometimes need those monitored as well.

[Kimberly]

#1178537

Hello – If your daughter is still interested in T3/T4 combination therapy, the alternative to Armour is to combine a T4-based med (like Synthroid) with a small amount of synthetic T3 (brand name Cytomel). But again, you don’t usually hear the term “bio-identical” in regards to thyroid hormone replacement therapy.

Also, it’s important to note that your daughter would need to work very closely with her doctor on the precise T3/T4 combination that will work for her. With any type of T3 product, you are getting a large dump of a very powerful hormone that has a fairly short half-life. In fact, some docs recommend splitting up dosing throughout the day for patients who are on T3/T4 combination therapy.

Unfortunately, we don’t have an e-mail option for this forum, except for notification of private messages, but that is a good idea for a future upgrade!

[WWWI2]

#1178538

I have not tried Armour, but after 8 months of treatment with t4, two weeks ago my Endo added T3 and the difference really has been remarkable. I’m on block and replace which means they have fundimentally shut down my thyroid and are treating as if it were hypothyroid, with T4.

I too was exhibiting very similar symptoms of hypoT as it appears your daughter is, depite the fact that my levels appeared normal as of a little over a month ago. After the T3 addition, fairly quickly I began to feel as close to normal as I have in probably 2 years. Hopefully adjusting the T4 and T3 as Kimberly suggested will provide your daughter with some relief.

WWWI

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