Hypothyroidism Support Group
Hypothyroidism is the disease state caused by insufficient production of thyrohormone by the thyroid gland. There are several distinct causes for chronic hypothyroidism, the most common being Hashimoto's thyroiditis and hypothyroidism following radioiodine therapy for hyperthyroidism. Advanced hypothyroidism may cause severe complications, the most serious one of which is...
Well, I finally got brave enough to let you all know and I see Utalgal beat me. I will have to read through all of your postings when I get a chance.
It has been two weeks since I stopped taking my thyroid medicine and I feel better than I have in at least a decade. My body feels alive again! I will tell you that first day was a battle within myself, but I have been working toward this moment for a little over two years.
The first week and a half I have felt like my body has been detoxing from 8 years of medicine, but now I feel confidient to start telling more people about it and what I have been doing to be able to just get off it.
It has been two weeks since I stopped taking my thyroid medicine and I feel better than I have in at least a decade. My body feels alive again! I will tell you that first day was a battle within myself, but I have been working toward this moment for a little over two years.
The first week and a half I have felt like my body has been detoxing from 8 years of medicine, but now I feel confidient to start telling more people about it and what I have been doing to be able to just get off it.
Urgency for urinating went away
Easier to breath
Neck muscles not stiff anymore
Neck swelling went down
Knees stopped hurting
My brain could think again and not hurt
Lost 1 inch from waist in one week
Thyroid wasnt tight anymore
Had more energy initially
I could taste my food especially salt
My eyes are not itchy anymore
Definitely more desires
The first thing I noticed was my body temperature was normal!
There were more good effects, but right now my kids are needing me. I am able to be a mom again and it feels great!
I am able to sweat again (haven't been able to sweat for years)
hair not falling out as much
no more feeling heart pumping
my eyesight is improving
not as dizzy (my blood pressure is not dropping into the 80s and 70s)
It's nice for me to be able to take care of my family instead of them having to take care of me.
What were you taking and how much? What was your TSH etc? Did you have Hashi's positive antibodies, etc? Have they been retested? Did you go threw withdrawls or only good changes?
I quit sweating when my TSH was so high. It literally took my years to begin sweating again, not that I was looking forward to it, but knew my body needed a way to cool.
I was diagnosed 8 years ago with Hashis and my thyroid has been a roller coaster from then on.
But starting two years ago I was in really bad shape. I could only eat cooked carrots, cooked peas, and cooked quinoa. That's all I could eat every day.
Anyway I had to heal my digestion before I could do anything else, which I will leave for later.
I noticed a pattern in my tsh throughout the years and finally this spring found an answer that made sense and seems to be a big factor. Every spring when I take a break from teaching my kids, I start walking in the mornings. and every spring my tsh would go from around 60 to 70 down below 0.
I was reading up on the endocrine system and found it. Direct sunlight coming through the eyes hits the pineal gland. When this happens it stops making melatonin. Then I read that melatonin surpresses the thyroid! Once you stop the melatonin it will stop surpressing the thyroid.
There's much much more to it then this, but this is one of the biggest factors I have so far.
I have always had a hard time with bright lights so I have avoided it a lot, but I knew I needed to get walking. So this spring when I started walking and I felt the pain from the sun I kept walking and do so every day religiously.
I had labs done last week and my tsh was 0.91 and my free t4 and free t3 were in range. In a few months I want to be retested and test my antibodies.
sorry it already too long of a post. When I get a chance though later I will have to tell you more if you like.
Did you have withdrawl from stopping your meds?
What do you mean "the pain of the sun"?
When you say "normal range" labs, what numbers are you referring to?
Correct me if I am wrong, but what you are saying is that when you totally stopped your thyroid meds, you health improved overall and now you feel really well? If you could expound on that, greatly appreciated.
So, because of the "light therapy" your thyroid numbers are good, but better than that, you don't have symptoms. Are you working with a doctor on this and can you refer reading materials?
I have never heard that melatonin would suppress the thyroid.
Thanks - I look forward to hearing more.
Actually I did try my best to keep a journal about how I was doing day by day after I stopped taking the medicine, but everything was so overwhelming that I didn't get too far.
I did have a period of adjustment. Where sometimes I would feel that my body just needed to sleep, but it wasn't the same as when I was on the medicine. The short naps which were maybe three that first week, were wonderful. I felt so refreshed after them! But now I haven't really needed them. I occasionally lay down to rest my adrenals.
A few times in the afternoons I took about 1/4 of a pill I think it was four times. But even then I took it with food and didn't care what I had eaten or drunken. I found some of my symptoms came back but not with so much severity. Now though I have not taken any for 5 days.
"The pain of the sun" that I mentioned is when I went out into the bright sunlight I would have pain in the back part of the eye. I don't have it anymore now. I used to have to wear sunglasses outside, which I don't always now. I should mention that I live at a high altitude which makes the sun a lot stronger than other places.
Last week I had my labs done and my FT3 and FT4 were in the normal range. I don't remember off hand the numbers. Although, I am quite sure that I went hyper this past Sunday and had to cut back on some of my protocol. Not the walking but the other things I have been doing to get here. Which I hope to get to write about it
And Yes, I feel wonderful being off the medicine. It is weird to feel this way, but I feel like a human being again!!!!
I will try to find some time to write down all of my protocol, but it will take me a while since I work and homeschool my kids and teach a couple days a week.
Just a couple of quick things. Since I stopped I have played volleyball three times and am now off of digestive aids (before I could not eat without HCl and pepsin).
It is more than the light. Although, walking in the light is part of it as a whole. It is more intricate than that.
No I gave up on doctors years ago, when they walked me out of the office telling me "Stephanie, I don't know what is wrong with you". Or after I told the doctor that after I took the medicine that my heart was racing and pounding. "Stephanie, that is not from the medicine". So nope, no doctors for me.
So sorry I will try to post more later, but my kids are asking if we are going to eat today.
Your story is amazing. I look forward, if and when you wish, to share more of this transformation from being on meds and feeling awful, to quitting meds and feeling "human" again. I think most all of us hate doctors and what they have done and not done to us. I commend your bravery to cut them loose and take things into your own hands with research and knowledge. Wow, I envy you, to say the least!!
You said you had your labs done last week. Do you still work with a doctor for that? And if so, how is your doctor reacting to your radical departure from what is considered the 'proper" (BS) protocol?
I have been very blessed to have a great ND until now. Unfortunately, the state just took away most of their rights to help us so I was pushed to go to the GP. We rarely go to her though.
Since they took away most of our NDs rights it was my GP that I requested the testing through. I did not tell her that I stopped my meds until this week. It was a P.A. that I saw and she was very supportive when I told her. But they want to still monitor my thyroid, which I agree. So I will need to be retested in about 2-3 months.
I had recently seen some news about I-tyrosine, but was not aware of anyone that had taken it.
You are courageous and congratulations again for taking back your life!
You have it made in the shade with your GP's consent and all!!!
Please keep us informed, extremely interested in your progress.
I am wondering now if maybe the medical "industry" and Big Pharma have this whole thyroid/adrenal thing all wrong.
It is so strange. It just keeps getting better. For the last two nights I have slept like I haven't slept in 25 years. It was so deep and healing. When my body was ready I woke up and ready to start a new day.
I didn't wake up after 4 or 5 hours and not able to go back to sleep. I didn't wake up to go to the bathroom.
Myrrh stimulates the thyroid to produce t4 and t3!!!
As soon as I got the oils and put it on my thyroid, I could feel tingling in my thyroid! It was alive!
The next day is when I stopped taking the medicine. Every day I would put more and more on and over did it. I felt myself go hyper. So now I just put it on mildly and just a few times a day.
I'm sorry to say the medical "industry" and Big Pharma cannot make money out of people using Myrrh and vitamins and the sun.