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Post by corky21 on Jan 3, 2009 10:28:55 GMT -5
Hello,
I understand from this board and some of the information on the hypopit Stop the Madness link that its better to treat the adrenals, then thyroid, then sex hormones.
My problem is I have already been on bio HRT for 6 months. I stopped my cream two days ago b/c I got a cycle and I don't usually use the HRT when I'm bleeding.
I started 1/2 grain two weeks ago and 10mg HC and now this week I'm up to 1 grain (still 10mg HC) for my thyroid and adrenals. I was using the bio HRT when I started the Armour/HC.
Should I just stop the bio HRT for awhile? Can I just do that cold turkey? My new doctor says to keep using the bio HRT as it's good for me during this peri/meno stage, etc. and he also prescribes the bio HRT.
I don't know if I'm hypopit or just hypo. Per the link by Chris on hypopit he says that if women's TSH are above 1.3 I think then it's hypo, but if the TSH is below that or lower than it's hypopit. My TSH is 1.570 and my ACTH was 9.9. I know the low ACTH is a pituitary thing too, so I'm not sure exactly which it is. My TSH two years ago was usually 1.0 something (not many symptoms then) but this year it went up to 1.35 and then up to 1.5 and has stayed in the 1.5 range for a few months.
So I'm not sure if I'm just hypo, hypopit, or menopausal. So, do I stop the bio HRT for now and just stay on the Armour and HC? Is it safe to just stop, or do I have to wean off the estrogen?
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Post by Lethal Lee on Jan 3, 2009 11:11:03 GMT -5
Hi There,
I was on HRT for 6 months before I started Armour /NTH.
Then 9 months later I started Adrenals meds.
Yes its not the "ideal" way to do things but rarely are we afforded the opportunity to do things perfectly.
I would suggest staying on your current Bio-Hrt. Certainly we do NOT recommend stopping anything cold turkey.
As far as Hypopit goes it is very common to be Hypopit for only one hormone. For you it you definitely look Secondary AI but perhaps NOT for Thyroid.
BUT that still means you are Hypopit, Secondary AI, and Primary Hypothyroid.
It doesnt alter the treatment you need. Hypothyroid usually means Thyroid meds for life. As does Secondary AI maen ADrenal meds for life.
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Post by corky21 on Jan 3, 2009 12:19:57 GMT -5
Thanks Lethal Lee.
So I should keep up with the low dose Estrogen, testosterone, progesterone? I was wondering about it b/c I would like to find out what is really affecting me. If I stop the bios and just use the armour/HC and feel great after awhile, then I'll know it was just that. But if I stop, I'm worried about withdrawal symptoms. I was told by my gyno that once I stop I'll start to have worsening symptoms for awhile and then it will let up and go back to what I was experiencing b/f I started the bios.
I may stop for a few weeks and see how I feel.
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Post by Lethal Lee on Jan 3, 2009 13:02:18 GMT -5
Hi Again,
Its your choice of course. But if you are changing/adding/ stopping lots of things at the same time how can you possibly judge what is affecting what?
I should also point out that it is likely you will need these hormones anyway.
For the Androgens as you are 48 yo, Perimenopausal, have recently started HC & likely Hypopit so on HC for life I would strongly suggest you stay on Testosterone & DHEA HRT.
HC does partially suppress ACTH & hence DHEA as well. Testosterone is converted/made from DHEA. Also at your age DHEA is far less than it was at youthful levels in any case. Same with Testosterone. In fact you are at the age that I started HRT for all these hormones too.
So your Androgens will NOT balance out/optimise with Adrenal & Thyroid treatment. Likely they will reduce even further than they are now. Thats exactly what happened to me I had to greatly increase HRT & add some new ones too. Much better to get them both at OPTIMAL levels it will reduce one source of stress & eliminate some symptoms for you.
As for Estrogen & Progesterone are you still cycling regularly? Are your periods same duration & heaviness or has pattern changed, shortened, lightened etc? I think I read that you have had several high FSH & LH results in the past? Again it is likely you are low in Progesterone/Estrogen at least in part because of normal age related decline. You are Perimenopausal & may not be long from Menopausal. In any case it is highly unlikely that Thyroid optimisation will increase these to optimal levels on its own at this point.
IF you were much younger then its possible Estrogen & Progesterone could optimise without HRT but even then would take some time maybe 1-2 years.
Give it some thought. I made the choice to optimise all my Sex Hormone HRT and have not regretted it. It had big benefits for sleep, Libido, pain & lubrication issues & more. As I say I started the HRT when I was 48 & had to greatly increase it once Adrenal meds were started. I am Hypopit for ACTH/Cortisol only as you appear to be. I am 51 now & definitely Menopausal but not yet Postmenopausal.
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Post by corky21 on Jan 4, 2009 9:27:48 GMT -5
I'm definitely perimeno. I lost an ovary at 45 (3 years ago) and a few months after that I started having more PMS type symptoms that lasted longer than a few days. Then several months after that my cycles started skipping. The last 2 years I b/f I started the bios I had skipped several cycles and had anger rages, and depression. But I also had these hypo symptoms at the same time. My LH and FSH at two different times were in the menopausal range and I had low progesterone, very low testosterone and somewhat low Estradiol. My doctor said it was peri and not thyroid related so I eventually started the bios this past June. Then even on the bios I never got a cycle until after 4 months on the bios. I cycled last month and now I"m right on time this month after taking the prometrium for 14 days. But I'm still cold, achy, depressed, low energy, thinning hair, and a host of other hypo type symptoms still after using the bios. I never got my libido back even with the bios, or any zip in energy. Most women on my meno board say they start to feel more energy and get their libido back once they added testosterone. Not me. So I figured it had to be this thyroid/adrenal angle. One poster told me I should drop the HRT b/c I won't know what is actually working. But maybe it's a combination of things. Losing an ovary (less hormone production there) which can tax the adrenals to produce more??? Hence hormonal symptoms and then adrenal and thyroid issues too? So I should stick with my low doses of estrogen and testosterone? My new doc thinks I should too. So you are doing well with your HRT and thyroid/cortisol? And you are taking the cortisol for life? I'm so nervous about that. Lon term affects, etc. THanks.
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Post by Lethal Lee on Jan 6, 2009 0:57:48 GMT -5
Hi Corky, Yes I am doing VERY well with my Sex Hormone HRT. Note you need to bring ALL of them up to OPTIMAL levels & in balance with each other. Not just raise them up a bit. I take Estradiol Transdermally, Estriol Vaginally & both DHEA and Progesterone sublingually. I di use Testosterone transdermally for a couple of months but stopped when DHEA tested as converting to Tesosterone OK. To succeed with Sex Hormone HRT requires commitment. You need to experiment with different types & doses, blood test & adjust as needed as results & symptoms show a need. As for my journey & how I fixed my Sex Hormones see forums.realthyroidhelp.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=7573&p=59632#p59632As to Adrenal Meds HRT that is going really well too. I am on Prednisolone with HC for stress doing plus Florinef for low Aldo issues. Yes I am Hypopit so on that for life. As far as Thyroid that I feel is getting closer to optimal. I had to swap from NTH/Armour after 15 months to T3 only meds. It took 4 months of T3 to clear RT3 which happened only a week ago. I am still fine tuning what my ideal T3 dose is. See this thread about my T3 experience if interested forums.realthyroidhelp.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8594I understand being concerned about needing Adrenal meds especially because of the ignorance & propaganda spread about steroids. But remember most of the negative stuff IS wrong & is talking about seriously HIGH Pharmacological dosing not the low physiological doses used for Adrenal issues. I mean you dont hesitate to use Sex Hormone HRT for low hormones there do you? How is this any different? AS far as long term affects I'm certainly hoping for a big one FEELING HEALTHY LOL!!!!!!!!! I would be far more concerned about the long term affects of NOT replacing a hormone that you desperately need. In fact I have experienced a hell of a lot of them already. Having to take meds you need is a small price to pay as far as I am concerned.
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