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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
[email protected]Shown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by alchemy on April 24, 2011, at 14:18:35
There is a lot on the net about using high doses of thyroid meds for rapid cycling. I have been taking a tiny dose of synthroid for over a year (and of course am still rapid cycling).
I recently started taking Armour (also increased T3 rather than just T4). I don't think it is doing anything.
Has anyone tried a higher dose? How long for a response time?
Posted by alchemy on April 24, 2011, at 15:29:45
In reply to Rapid cycling + thyroid med, posted by alchemy on April 24, 2011, at 14:18:35
Actually..I think the changing to Armour & increasing the dose may have made me worse- not with anxiety, but with depression. Usually my really down cycle doesn't last this long. I think it started when I increased it to 1.5 grain. (but I'm also cold)
> There is a lot on the net about using high doses of thyroid meds for rapid cycling. I have been taking a tiny dose of synthroid for over a year (and of course am still rapid cycling).
>
> I recently started taking Armour (also increased T3 rather than just T4). I don't think it is doing anything.
>
> Has anyone tried a higher dose? How long for a response time?
>
Posted by Phillipa on April 24, 2011, at 16:58:22
In reply to Re: Rapid cycling + thyroid med, posted by alchemy on April 24, 2011, at 15:29:45
I'd always heard armour was better? You might want to google Mary Shoman the thyroid expert? I get new news letter. She also has a page on facebook I found. Good luck Phillipa
Posted by floatingbridge on April 25, 2011, at 10:48:50
In reply to Rapid cycling + thyroid med, posted by alchemy on April 24, 2011, at 14:18:35
Hi Alchemy.
> There is a lot on the net about using high doses of thyroid meds for rapid cycling. I have been taking a tiny dose of synthroid for over a year (and of course am still rapid cycling).
I haven't seen any of this. Any links? I think I've seen reference to what is said how low thyroid can mimic Bipolar disorders, esp lll and nos. But not read that thyroid med can help in cases of actual BPnos (nos being pretty vague, yeah?).
>
> I recently started taking Armour (also increased T3 rather than just T4). I don't
think it is doing anything.
>
> Has anyone tried a higher dose? How long for a response time?
>I have taken thyroid, synthroid, levoxyl, now armor for about 6 years. But I do have documented thyroid dysfunction.
One of the worst, worst times for me was 6 years ago and someone had the brilliant idea of treating me with just cytomel (t3). This was my very first thyroid treatment. I went down in flames and had to present to a pdoc
again :( Just my experience :(What else are you doing?
Posted by SLS on April 25, 2011, at 14:11:44
In reply to Rapid cycling + thyroid med, posted by alchemy on April 24, 2011, at 14:18:35
> There is a lot on the net about using high doses of thyroid meds for rapid cycling. I have been taking a tiny dose of synthroid for over a year (and of course am still rapid cycling).
>
> I recently started taking Armour (also increased T3 rather than just T4). I don't think it is doing anything.
>
> Has anyone tried a higher dose? How long for a response time?
>There was some interest in using high-dose thyroxine to treat rapid-cycling affective disorders several years ago. I don't know what came of it.
- Scott
Posted by SLS on April 25, 2011, at 16:43:41
In reply to Re: Rapid cycling + thyroid med » alchemy, posted by SLS on April 25, 2011, at 14:11:44
> > There is a lot on the net about using high doses of thyroid meds for rapid cycling. I have been taking a tiny dose of synthroid for over a year (and of course am still rapid cycling).
> >
> > I recently started taking Armour (also increased T3 rather than just T4). I don't think it is doing anything.
> >
> > Has anyone tried a higher dose? How long for a response time?
> >
>
> There was some interest in using high-dose thyroxine to treat rapid-cycling affective disorders several years ago. I don't know what came of it.For what it's worth, a friend of mine managed to abolish his rapid cycle using agomelatine (Valdoxan).
- Scott
Posted by alchemy on April 25, 2011, at 20:52:39
In reply to Re: Rapid cycling + thyroid med » alchemy, posted by floatingbridge on April 25, 2011, at 10:48:50
thx, that's good to know someone else had a bad reaction. I took Cytomel a long time ago & I don't know how it affected me.
> What else are you doing?Getting more & more serious about giving up - I've never tried before but I've wanted to die for over 20 years.
Currently on meds that as I look at my logs there was never really a certain improvement = 400 Lamictal, 300 Wellbutrin, 20 Celexa, 2mg xanax, and then the 25mcg synthroid. Almost everything makes me worse - especially antipsychotics. The only thing that helped was ECT actually. But not for very long.
(and I did order Valdoxen overseas = also made me worse.)
Rapid cycling = very treatment resistent.
The only thing I can think of is VNS. (my dr. says we've pretty much come as far as I can. so just exercise, etc). I know it isn't recommended because of its low success rate, but electrical stimulation (ECT) is the only thing that helped.
Posted by floatingbridge on April 25, 2011, at 21:41:05
In reply to Re: Rapid cycling + thyroid med, posted by alchemy on April 25, 2011, at 20:52:39
> thx, that's good to know someone else had a bad reaction. I took Cytomel a long time ago & I don't know how it affected me.
Just to give you more info, the cytomel created great peaks and valleys, increasing anxiety for me. Others swear by it. The beauty is that with your experience, you might know in a day or two if there were workable possibilities. Low dose, I think 5mcg at a time.
>
> > What else are you doing?
>
> Getting more & more serious about giving up - I've never tried before but I've wanted to die for over 20 years.Twenty years is a long time. I'm glad you're still here.
>
> Currently on meds that as I look at my logs there was never really a certain improvement = 400 Lamictal, 300 Wellbutrin, 20 Celexa, 2mg xanax, and then the 25mcg synthroid. Almost everything makes me worse - especially antipsychotics.Is the Wellbutrin an extended release? And the xanax, too? I found extended
release helpful. Not enough to cure, but make a big difference for my own health. I can be overcome by intense dysphoria.>The only thing that helped was ECT actually.
What about that helped do you think? I imagine rTMS might be out of price range. Someone mentioned a while back insurance was picking it up. Is it at all an option?
>But not for very long.
> (and I did order Valdoxen overseas =
also made me worse.)
> Rapid cycling = very treatment resistent.
> The only thing I can think of is VNS. (my dr. says we've pretty much come as far as I can. so just exercise, etc). I know
it isn't recommended because of its low
success rate, but electrical stimulation (ECT) is the only thing that helped.
>If ECT works for you, that's something to look at or at least have as a reference. Were therevdrawbacks in addition to short duration of relief? Could an ect course be used to reboot your meds?
>
If it's useful information, I have less mood issues after withdrawing from pristiq, though it was rough for awhile. Ten years or more like 13, who knows,
but maybe ssri's, snri's worsen the soup for me.Any chance of wtithdrawing of a proven or highly suspected non-working med?
(These are just trying to find a possible
unexamined way in--I hope my thinking out loud is taken with the respect
intended.)I'm sorry you are finding yourself needing to make these decisions. I also have little experience with mood stabilizers. Neurontin? Lyrica? You must know tons, unfortunately :( and others here know more than I.
A friend with lamictal hasn't had much relief for her BPll. But maybe without you or your pdoc knowing one med might hamstring another, like celexa undoing lamictal. It's very good you have your med journal. Is there
someone in your life that would go over some of it with you (besides your pdoc) to say to you if you were doing better than you might have thought at a particular time?
Posted by SLS on April 26, 2011, at 6:06:55
In reply to Re: Rapid cycling + thyroid med » alchemy, posted by floatingbridge on April 25, 2011, at 21:41:05
Cytomel exacerbated my depression to a great degree the first time I tried it. I tried it a second time as a rechallenge, and it affected me adversely again. Thyroxine did not make me feel worse and may have helped a little.
- Scott
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