THE GREAT THYROID MEDICATION DEBATE

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You know that feeling when you have FINALLY solved a frustrating problem?

You feel good. Elated even. The end is near!

I went into my first endocrinologist visit feeling extremely optimistic and hopeful. I learned that my exhaustion had a name- Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. She took my family history, asked about my symptoms, took a long list of notes and was ready to put me on levothyroxine. I declined.

I had read about levothyroxine and learned from Stop the Thyroid Madness that most people seemed to feel best on desiccated thyroid medication instead of Synthroid/levothyroxine (T4 only medication) because it includes T3 and T4 in similar ratios to what our thyroid creates naturally. Since desiccated thyroid contains T3, there is an added boost of energy for your body without the need to convert it from T4 first.

Armour is desiccated porcine (pig) thyroid medication which contains both T3 and T4. Levothyroxine is made in a lab and only contains T4. A healthy thyroid creates both T3 and T4 normally so taking a T4 only medication means your body must convert the T4 to T3 and if you have any trouble with converting then this presents a bigger issue. Many doctors assume you are able to convert with no issue.

CHOOSING THYROID MEDICATION

Needless to say, my endocrinologist was not happy with my choice to use Armour thyroid medication instead of levothyroxine, but I am so glad she agreed to prescribed it instead of forcing me on levothyroxine. After that, I started to feel better and my energy levels improved, but some of my symptoms never seemed to clear up.

My period and PMS was still so heavy and I was never able to lose all the weight – my body held steady on to 12 lbs of it. At one point I was barely eating and forced a weight loss for a short period of time but it didn’t last and came right back.

I was beyond frustrated. What was wrong with me? Why didn’t this work for me like it did for everyone else? I had always been extremely active- I have ran a marathon, several triathlons, and swam laps constantly. In my past, I had always eaten quite healthy and been in fantastic shape.

How did I get here? How did having a baby break me? I cried to my husband so many times over this time period. It was a very traumatic time and I felt like I had so little control. Little did I know, I was only putting a bandaid on a gaping wound. The root problem of my autoimmune disease was still there even though the medication was helping me feel better in the short term.

HINDSIGHT IS 20/20

Looking back to before my pregnancy I remember that I would catch colds so easily and they would drag on for 3 weeks at a time before turning into bronchitis or sinusitis – this happened for years! I normally would need to take a z-pack before getting better. I ended up getting a steroid inhaler to protect my lungs when it came to catching these debilitating colds or they would stay inflamed for weeks or months.

THYROID MEDICATION IS A BANDAID

Here is the best analogy I have heard of on how conventional medical practice treats Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Treating Hashimoto’s with only thyroid medication is like filling a bucket with water that has a hole in it. Adding thyroid medication is like adding water to that bucket.

It may make you feel better by keeping the bucket full, but it does nothing to fix the hole in the bucket- the root of the problem. Slowly, the hole will degrade and get bigger and bigger until the bucket is no longer able to function as a bucket. Just as your thyroid will no longer function to create hormones. Thyroid medication is used as a bandaid for a much bigger problem.

Looking back to before my pregnancy, my mental health was beginning to peak with anxiety. I remember losing my focus at work and being frigid cold most days in the office. I often wonder if this was my body telling me that there was a problem developing. I believe that my pregnancy was the final stress on my body that pushed me over the edge into full blown Hashimoto’s. I am so blessed that I was given a healthy baby in the middle of all this strife and struggle.

I had SO much to learn.

Follow my thyroid journey below in my ongoing series to remission.