Originally Posted by tical

A lot of endos suck at treating thyroid problems as well. That's why it's important to do a little research (check that realthyroidhelp forum) so you walk in prepared.

Make sure she gets a prescription for dessicated thyroid (Armour, Nature Thyroid, etc) that contains both T4 and T3. Not just Synthroid (which just about every doc wants to prescribe now) that is only T4.

Hope it all works out. Hypothyroidism is awful especially when you aren't being treated right.

The worst part is, once she starts taking thyroid meds, even if they aren't enough, the signal her brain sends to her thyroid (TSH) might fall within range and most doctors will say "she's fine now" even though she doesn't really feel any better.

Save yourself a headache:

1. Insist on dessicated thyroid medication like Armour. Shit you can order this online for 30 bucks for a 3 month supply w/o a prescription.

2. When getting bloodwork done insist on these tests minimally: TSH, Total T4, Free T3.

3. Insist that her doctor allows her to adjust her dose based on the alleviation of symptoms, not what labs on a piece of paper say.

4. Get labwork done in the morning BEFORE she takes any of her thyroid medication.

5. Ideally, she wants Free T3 close to the top of the range. This is the active thyroid hormone. Having it towards the top of the range means there is more available for her cells to use.

I was so fed up with doctors pushing me from this endocrinologist to that endocrinologist, etc... I just decided to use my GP to order bloodwork and order my thyroid medication w/o a prescription.

I feel much better now and saved a lot of time and $ once I stopped jumping from doctor to doctor.

It's not that hard to treat once you have a plan... and the medication is very affordable.

Hit me up if you have any questions.