Hypothyroid? What do you take? Affect your biking?

[lauren]

More specifically, anyone take Armour thyroid? I want to take it for a variety of reasons (calcitonin, T2) but the bastids, err doctors, want to rx Synthyroid.

Also, can I expect any sort of positive changes to my cycling once I start the medication? I need all the help I can get :).

[slvoid]

Didn't you say you were gonna go eat some pig liver or something from the local butcher? :p

[lauren]

I plan on threatening the doctors to take matters into my own hands with a few pig thyroids if they don't give me some of the real deal.

[cycleprincess]

I have had a thyroid problem all my life. I wasn't medicated for 10 years and gained a truckload of weight (pregnancy, cheesecake helped with the weight gain too though!) I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease three years ago and they started me on synthroid. Diet/exercise (and the hormone my body was screaming for) I lost nearly 100 pounds. I'll take it every day for the rest of my life. Interestingly enough, once I got my thyroid regulated, I was able to go off the prozac and lithium (no joke) cocktail I had been on for nearly a year. They "misdiagnosed" me bipolar disorder. Thyroid controls so much of your body, and it really needs to be in check. This is a good website for information about synthroid. http://www.synthroid.com/patientinfo/menu0.jsp It doesn't effect my cycling though. It brings my body back to "normal", what it would be like if I had a thyroid.

[lauren]

I got the Armour today, so I'm happy. What really disturbs me though is that they only checked T4 and TSH, but I think that I have Hashimoto's as well (strong family history of autoimmune diseases, will get that checked in 2 months). It just isn't normal for a 22 year old that bikes 100 or so miles a week to have these kinds of problems.

My mother's been on synthroid for decades, so I am familiar with the lifetime commitment. However, after seeing what happened to her (symptoms never really went away, always had a low T3 despite high T4) I swore I would never take synthroid.

Thyroid function definitely affects your muscles, so I'm hoping that it will help a bit with the post ride soreness and tiredness (and the pre ride, and during the ride, and when thinking about the ride :) ).Now that I can sleep 8 instead of 10 hours a night I'll have more time to ride too!

[harlot]

After a few years of thinking I was completely nuts and my regular doctor blowing me off a naturopath finally diagnosed me with Hashimotos (You mentioned bipolar? yup. No energy? yup. Metabolism is effed up? yup.) She had a feeling that was the case so she tested me for the Hashimoto antibodies first and after they came up positive, she tested T4 and T3 and TSH (think I have that right). After 5 days of being on Levoxyl and Cytomel I was literally a new person, or I should say my old self. This woman saved my freakin' life. No more depression, no more break downs at work, no more lethargy, no more crying because I was too exhausted to ride my bike or even go for a walk. My metabolism is still effed up (it doesn't kick in very well and doesn't burn the normal amount of calories), but my energy is back and I'll take that any day.

I wish to the sky above that more people knew about thyroid disease, especially women. Your thyroid controls an unbelievable amount of your hormones, emotions, metabolism, and mental health. One newsletter I get actually theorizes that the Runaway Bride is hyperthyroidic because of her physical symptoms and actions. And doctors don't know to test for a narrow range of hormone levels. What they may say is normal is actually considered off the chart. That's what happened to me. My regular doc always thought my tests were normal even though my gland was enlarged and I had other symptoms. I still get bouts of emotion and lethargy once in a while, but at least I know what it is. I see an acupuncturist for those occassions and she brings my body back to normal the next day. It's voodoo, it WORKS.

As for Armour, my naturopath gave me a choice, but she said that the batches of Armour can vary with the amounts of T4 and T3, so we went with the synthetic. It works for me. The Cytomel is the added T3 which can really make a difference to people only taking Synthroid/Levoxyl and not seeing results.

As for biking, like I said, I got my energy back and it's been good. However, I have noticed that I don't recover quite as well as I used to from consecutive days of hard riding. I've learned to listen to my body and when it wants to rest, I rest well. Good nutrition and being good to yourself is key. I'm very glad to hear that you were diagnosed early and will take care of it. It hit me like a brick wall when I was 30. There is nothing like getting control of your life again.

Good luck!

[lauren]

Oh oh oh. People always asking you if you are having a bad day, or what's wrong? Falling asleep at work (I work in a lab, so this is a very bad idea)? For me the worst symptom is the mental fog (feeling like I'm in a constant state of sleep deprivation). I'll have to see how it goes. I don't mind the small batch inconsistencies in Armour (and they really are small) considering that the synthetics can leech calcium from the bones (natural contains calcitonin to counteract the effects of the T3 and T4) and I'll be on it the rest of my life (hopefully a long time). I'm just glad I could get some meds even though my bloodwork was borderline (even though I clearly have all the symptoms, although not as bad as some).

[khuon]

I'm moving this thread into Training & Nutrition.

[cheebahmunkey]

Woa, what's this Hashimoto's disease? I was diagnosed as having hypothyroid and I'm currently on synthroid. Is there something I should be asking my doc about that disease? I'm 19 and I'm male, can I still get this disease? The synthroid doesn't seem to be working. I'm still very tired a lot and my metabolism is also relatively low (1680 RMR for a male is pretty low). Should I get off synthroid? Thanks for the advice in advance! :)

[lauren]

Hashimoto's disease is an autoimmune disorder where your body attacks and slowly destroys your thyroid.

If your T3 is low then you might need to ask about either Cytomel or desiccated thyroid. I'll post an update in a few weeks about the Armour. Many doctors Rx synthroid because it is easier, but there are a lot of people out there that need T3 and aren't getting it.

[harlot]

You have to be tested for the antibodies that are attacking your thyroid, you can't detect Hashimotos from the usual thyroid hormone tests. Like Lauren said, it's an auto-immune disease so your body thinks your thyroid is a foreign object and starts attacking it, hence the antibodies. Taking thryoid meds will not eliminate Hashi's, but it will control the level of hormones that the thryoid is unable to deliver because of its compromised condition. It isn't life threatening and I haven't heard of anyone needing to get their thyroid removed because of Hashi's. It's actually a very common disorder, but many people don't know they have it.

I would highly suggest that you try using Cytomel in addition to Synthroid. Cytomel has T3, which many hypos are lacking. This is often the key to eliminating the fatigue. Cytomel was the big answer for my condition, I couldn't just use Levoxyl/Synthroid. But every hypo is different so unfortunately you may have to find the right combo and strengths for you. Some people find better results with Armour, some with Synthroid. Have your blood checked at least every 3 months to see how your levels are. And make sure you're seeing a knowledgable doctor who has successful experience in treating thyroid disease.

Thyroid disease is found more in women, but guys can get thryoid disease too. My cousin had Graves disease when he was only 17 and had his thyroid removed. His brother is also hypo.

[wabbit]

I was diagnosed in 2002- I'd gained weight and began to think of my thyroid when my doctor suggested I get it checked, he said it looked a bit enlarged.I'd also had symptoms like dizziness, crampy aches in my hands and feet, heart fluters, my hair thinned, i felt the need to take deep breaths...sure enough, high antibodies. And a couple of nodules. However, so far my hormones are normal. One of the reasons I thought of it was because my mother has it and has been on Synthroid since I can remember. I am sure people walk around with this condition and just think they're feeling crappy, getting older, premature menopause, etc. It's not that obvious, it's not like you're having severe pain or something. Considering that so many people are overweight, out of shape and don't exercise, how would they notice feeling tired or having aches and pains? they're probably used to it!

[ladrones]

I'm a 33yo male. I was on armour for a year and still had probs. The doc changed my script to synthroid. Been on it over 2 months now and I'm starting to feel better.

[mfenske]

I am not hypothyroid, but I am lacking a thyroid. I had mine removed April 2004 due to Thyroid Cancer. I currently take 400mcg a day of Synthroid. I don't believe that it has effected my biking, but I can't say for sure since I didn't bike much since I was a kid (just started biking again this year). Mark