Plan of Action...

[cpeil2]

Oh and from some quick googling, every source I found said that anything under 3.0 was fine???!

Try http://www.mercola.com/article/hypothyroid/ for more information. There's a lot of difference of opinion about subclinical hypothyroidism. Further testing would be worthwhile with a TSH of 2.2. You need to have free T3 and free T4 levels done. I had a TSH of 2.3 and I don't remember my free T3 value, but it was at the low end of normal. I also had a lot of the same things you report, Stez. The way you're supposed to measure body temperature is axially (armpit), first thing in the morning with a glass thermometer, for three days in a row. Doing that, mine was typically about 96.4. Based on all of this, my doc suggested trying dessicated thyoid to optimize my level. I used a tiny dose - 1/4 grain. At first, I loved it. It made a big difference in how I felt. Over time, though, I didn't like it. After a couple of weeks, it started to make me kind of jittery, and I thought it was driving my heart rate and BP up, so I stopped it. But that was just me. It has done a lot for others. I'm also 53 yo. I think subclinical hypothyroidism in a twenty-something would be less likely than in someone of middle age.

 

[pmgamer18]

Try http://www.mercola.com/article/hypothyroid/ for more information. There's a lot of difference of opinion about subclinical hypothyroidism. Further testing would be worthwhile with a TSH of 2.2. You need to have free T3 and free T4 levels done. I had a TSH of 2.3 and I don't remember my free T3 value, but it was at the low end of normal. I also had a lot of the same things you report, Stez. The way you're supposed to measure body temperature is axially (armpit), first thing in the morning with a glass thermometer, for three days in a row. Doing that, mine was typically about 96.4. Based on all of this, my doc suggested trying dessicated thyoid to optimize my level. I used a tiny dose - 1/4 grain. At first, I loved it. It made a big difference in how I felt. Over time, though, I didn't like it. After a couple of weeks, it started to make me kind of jittery, and I thought it was driving my heart rate and BP up, so I stopped it. But that was just me. It has done a lot for others. I'm also 53 yo. I think subclinical hypothyroidism in a twenty-something would be less likely than in someone of middle age.

Did you stop taking with your Dr. knowing after about 4 weeks you need to get tested again to see if the med took you to high. Sounds like it did try talking to your Dr. about doing less of a dose.
Phil

 

[SPE]

Update

Alright yall, got an update for you on day 4. To recap, I started the following on Saturday:

1) Androgel 5g/day
2) Armour 1/2 grain per day

Most noticeable effect is the amount of energy I have. I literally went from consuming lots of caffeine per day to virtually none. I just don't need it. Confidence also seems to be up. Sexual effects were alright Saturday and Sunday, and sucked yesterday Added in arginine last night and 250 iu hcg this morning. This are lookin' much better So far so good. By the way, I went through two syringes trying to get that damn bubble out. Squirted a little bit, but that bubble was still in there. Don't know what to do about that. I know it's early, but I'm already thinking that I need to bump up the armour. The energy is a nice improvement, but could be a little better and my hands are still always cold for some reason.

 

[pmgamer18]

It takes a lot longer then 4 days to know if you need more or less of
Thy. meds.
Phil

 

[SPE]

Good to know

Thanks for the info. Phil! I wasn't sure how soon I would know.

 

[pmgamer18]

Give it a good 4 weeks and then get tested.
Phil

 

[dj75]

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

Fatigue
Weakness
Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight
Coarse, dry hair
Dry, rough pale skin
Hair loss
Cold intolerance (can't tolerate the cold like those around you)
Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches
Constipation
Depression
Irritability
Memory loss
Abnormal menstrual cycles
Decreased libido


Each individual patient will have any number of these symptoms which will vary with the severity of the thyroid hormone deficiency and the length of time the body has been deprived of the proper amount of hormone. Some patients will have one of these symptoms as their main complaint, while another will not have that problem at all and will be suffering from a different symptom. Most will have a combination of a number of these symptoms. Occasionally, some patients with hypothyroidism have no symptoms at all, or they are just so subtle that they go unnoticed. Note: Although this may sound obvious, if you have these symptoms, you need to discuss them with your doctor and probably seek the skills of an endocrinologist. If you have already been diagnosed and treated for hypothyroidism and you continue to have any or all of these symptoms, you need to discuss it with your physician. Although treatment of hypothyroidism can be quite easy in some individuals, others will have a difficult time finding the right type and amount of replacement thyroid hormone.

 

[SWALE]

Thank you for taking the time to post this valuable information.

 

[SPE]

Update

Alright guys, I had my checkup labs done after 3 weeks of being on androgel 5g, HCG 150iu EOD, and Armour Thyroid 1g/day. Results are very pleasing:

Total T - 757 (241-827)

Free T - 24.1 (9.3-26.5)

TSH - .341 (.35-5.5)

Free T3 - 4.1 (2.3-4.2)

T4 - 5.1 (4.5-12.0)

DHEA - 480 (280-640)

Estradiol - 39 (<54)

SO, I had the blood drawn last week and had been feeling great, just a little tired. I upped the Armour to 1.5 grains/day and since then I've felt great. Only problem is, when the lab was run I was only on 1 grain/day and as you can see, I'm below the lower limit. I'm thinking it might be safest to go back down to 1 grain/day??? Also, my T4 went DOWN from before I started Armour. That doesn't seem right, does it?? Any comments are very much appreciated with regards to any of my numbers.

 

[SPE]

Dim

I've also been on 1/2 tab of Indoplex. Given my e2 number of 39, should I up the dosage to 1/day?

 

[pmgamer18]

Question are you doing all of this through your Dr. seems to me your doing so many things at once that it is hard to tell what is working. upping the Armour was a bad idea your TSH was to low doing this will make it go lower.
Changing E2 levels will make your Thy. test come back as not what your real levels are. You need to get E's level then let the Thy. settle back down because changing E2 levels will make the Thy. go up or down temporally and I think the same thing happens when changing T levels.
For me taking more then a half of a Indolplex/DIM is to strong.
Phil

 

[SPE]

Huh???

I had no idea E2 had any relationship with TSH. Is that really true? Yes, all of this is being done through my doctor and he even knows about the Indoplex. As per his prescription, I am to "up" the armour dosage every two weeks until I feel best.

 

[SPE]

T4 LEvels

Since my T4 levels went down, and are now kinda low would lowering my armour dose and adding in synthroid be of any benefit?

 

[androjello]

Are you seeing Dr. Noble?

I would give the Armour a little longer, the T4 has such a long half life and it takes a while to build up in your system.

Are you taking all your Armour in one single dose in the morning?

Here is a great forum for Armour thyroid users:

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormones/

 

[SPE]

Dr. Noble

Yep, I am seeing him. He has been great so far, very knowledgeable. Didn't know that about the T4 building up, I'll be sure to give it a while longer. It's really hard to go off of how I feel because of course I feel alot better than I did, but I've been this way for so long I don't know what "optimal" is. Thanks for the link for armour!