PS: in response to your question on how my doctor determined I probably had a adrenal problem (not sure about cortisol), here are the main symptoms I told him about:
dizziness when standing up (this one probably gave him the clue on adrenal issues)
carb / sugar craving
fatigue
depression
cold intolerance
brain fog
history of weight gain
pre-diabetic (before losing weight and normal levels again)
sleep issues
Yes I thought about it too, why is doctor treating me with Adren-All instead of HC i.e.? I am not sure. He gave it to me based on symptoms I told him (he's a holistic doctor recommended and interviewed several times by S-homon).
After a few weeks on Adren-All, he sent me for various exams and my cortisol is as follows:
CORTISOL, AM (Baseline) 17.4 (5.0-25.0) ug/dL
I don't know much about cortisol yet... what does this number mean in your opinion?
Yes you are right - after this incident I started seating first before standing as I do get dizzy even when I sit after being in bed for a while... I feel like I am 80 y.o., lol.
My post was too long and you might not have seen it - doctor changed meds last week, from: Armour 30 MG twice a day (breakfast and lunch - total 60 MG per day); to: Armour 30 MG once a day at breakfast and Cytomel 5 MCG at lunch (totaling 1 grain Armour and 1 grain Cytomel in the afternoon = 30 MG Armour + 5 MCG Cytomel per day).
do you have any idea what your fre cortisol levels are? orthostatic hypotension can be caused by adrenal insufficiency. How did your doctor determine you had a cortisol problem? You may need hydrocortisone instead of a natural adrenal supplement. just something to think about.
Yes, sometimes standing up too quickly can cause light headed/dizziness. If that's the only time you have it, you might have to change the way you stand up I used to have that until I learned not to stand/raise up suddenly. I learned to "take my time" standing up and no longer have a problem. I do a lot of gardening, which requires bending over...... once bent over, I've learned to bring myself to a standing position slowly, so as to not have the light headed/dizzy feeling.
From what I know about RT3, T3 med has to be higher than normal, because T4 med only produces more RT3...... I'd say you should give the Armour/cytomel a chance. But you don't say what your doses are, so nobody can tell you if it's right or not.
Thanks Barb, I also read somewhere that the problem with RT3 is that it blocks T3 from getting where it needs (also still researching but these things seems so hard to understand, ugh).
I have a feeling the fainting is somewhat related to adrenal glands in combination with hypo. There's not much info online about it, but I saw it in a couple of places. Most people call it orthostatic hypotension, which is basically feeling dizzy and lightheaded when standing up.
They did cardiac tests at ER and all was okay. It seems the problem is my low blood pressure when standing. In that specific day I did not drink much water, but I have this kind of dizziness even when I do drink enough.
So I take it it's not common in this forum for people to faint... Meaning it might not be thyroid (or adrenal) related?
One more question: Do you think my doctor is correct in maintaining Armour (T4 and T3) in the morning and switching the lunch grain to Cytomel (T3)? Will this do the trick of lowering RT3 or should he have prescribed T3 only?
Erica, I was recently diagnosed so Armour was the first med I tried. Along with that I was (am) taking adren-all for adrenal glands, nystatin for yeast, vitamin D3 and progesterone, all prescribed by my holistic MD.
Your thyroid levels actually are not all that bad... .
It's incorrect to say that the inability to convert T4 to T3 causes RT3.... The body naturally converts T4 to both, T3 and RT3. The problem comes in when too much is converted to RT3. RT3 is inert, meaning it does nothing. I don't completely understand the dynamics of RT3 (researching it), but apparently, RT3 can dock in the T3 receptors, which prevents the FT3 from getting in. Treatment for RT3 dominance is usually a T3 medication, in order to prevent the T4 from converting to more RT3.
Your ferritin is low, which indicates that you need more iron. Your vitamin B12 is high, which is not really an issue, because B12 is water soluble (not toxic) and excess is eliminated in urine.
I don't see anything in your labs that would cause you to pass out, but I doubt it was thyroid related. Yes, dehydration could cause that; do you drink plenty of water each day? Have you had a heart work up to make sure your blood pressure didn't drop too low? Have you been tested for diabetes to make sure your blood sugar didn't go too low? There are too many things that could cause a faint, for us to even speculate.
Dizziness can be a hypo symptom, not sure about fainting.
Getting too much T4 and the inability to convert it to T3 causes RT3, among other things like stress, adrenal or iron problems. Lowering the T4 and adding more T3 can help bring down the RT3.
What meds were you on before you switched to Armour?
not sure if you need it but here is my lab from March 12, 2012. (FYI, Antibodies came normal again on April 13 although my sister found out this week she has Hashimoto's).
March 12, 2012 labs:
(1) TSH W/FREE T4 RFX (43562A)
TSH 3.88 MIU/L (0.40-4.50)
(2) T3,TOTAL 79 NG/DL (76-181)
(3) T3,FREE 2.8 PG/ML (2.3-4.2)
(4) THYROID AB (ATA,TPO)
THYROID PEROXIDASE AB <10 IU/ML (<35)
THYROGLOBULIN AB <20 IU/ML (<20)
(5) TSI
TSI 29 % BASELINE (<140)
ps: I fainted BEFORE starting on Cytomel generic (was taking Armour 30 MCG twice a day plus the other meds). Note: my B12 is high as I'm taking a supplement, will stop it.
Also, I had to have staples in my head because of the wound from fainting on the floor... kind of afraid it will happen again. Would appreciate any input as to why I fainted and how to avoid it. Is it thyroid related? Adrenal glands? RT3? or just dehydration or so?