Posted by Noa on December 7, 2000, at 12:09:37
In reply to Re: thyroid hormone, hypothyroidism and response to AD » Noa, posted by JahL on December 6, 2000, at 17:48:31
> >Could you please tell me a) how long the thyroid took to begin kicking in & b) roughly what doses were required to feel the effect.
My pdoc had started me on cytomel (25 mcg, I think, maybe 12.5) as an augmentation strategy and it helped within a week. But some time later (a year or more?? Don't remember), I had more poop out. I think he may have upped the dose to 25. Later, with more poop out, and TSH tests still high-normal, he added synthroid (25 mcg). This worked for a while. More depression, we tried lithium. Improved for about 6 weeks, and then started to go downhill again. Also started having more pronounced hypothyroid symptoms, like edema, achy joints, extreme fatigue, dry skin, and severe brain fog, confusion, etc., as well as intensified depression. Concluded I was losing thyroid hormone response, because of the lithium. He suggested upping the thyroid hormones, but I wanted to stop the lithium and look more closely at the thyroid situation, which I did. Saw an endocrinologist who diagnosed primary hypothyroidism and recommended increasing the synthroid dose gradually as long as it produced further benefit. I now take 50 mcg. synthroid, and am still taking 25 mcg. cytomel, but now divide the cytomel dose, as I mentioned in another post. After a couple of weeks on this dose, I started to feel better. Continued improvement over a few months. I still feel continuing improvement, but now it seems like the improvement is not about the medication as much as the psychological improvement now that I have been functioning more normally for a few months.
> Also, does the thyroid help w/o the ADs?
I know that it could if the main issue is hypothyroidism. And, I have heard of kids with ADHD being treated with thyroid hormone only, and similar cases of depression. But for me, I really don't know for sure, since I haven't been on thyroid hormones without being on ADs, BUT, I seriously doubt the thyroid hormones alone would be sufficient for me. I am quite sure I also need the ADs.
poster:Noa
thread:49452
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20001130/msgs/50132.html