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Post by robinann on Apr 28, 2009 13:16:14 GMT -5
Like many of you I struggle to tolerant my thyroid meds. I've also taken HC and then pred without any improvement. i even stopped both pred and T3 for 1 year and felt OK (not great though) but better then when I take thyroid meds. Anyway at the start of 2009 I ended up in the hospital and learned I had 2 more diseases (pancreatitis and colitis, suspected autoimmune) in addition to hashimoto's.
As a result I was put on high dose pred for 3 months, starting at 50 mg.. I went back on T3 at the same time. although i had some side effects from the pred, I also felt for the first time i could actually tolerate thyroid medication. I did mostly good to great as I reduced down to 20 mg. Put once i went below 20 mg pred all of my typical problems of thyroid medication intolerance started coming back. I am now off of the pred but am still taking thyroid meds...I feel like hell!! And one if not both of my non-thyroid autoimmune diseases have flared up again.
I realize this is a bit like I'm going in circles - autoimmune flare-ups cause weakened adrenals which makes it impossible for me to tolerate thyroid meds which further exasperates my autoimmune diseases...etc.
But in any case I feel that I need a dose of about 20 mg pred before my thyroid meds start working or my adrenals for that matter (yes, i realize how dangerous high dose pred is). Are there others out there who had to take such a dose of pred?? Any other cases like this?
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Post by justaustin on Apr 29, 2009 13:21:04 GMT -5
Do you take prednisone or prednisolone? IF prednisone, I'd have doc do appropriate switch over to either prednisolone or medrol. These options might be easier on liver.
I'm hoping either Ruth or Lee will come by to comment. I believe that Lee needs 7-10mg/day of Prednisolone( I can't say for sure exactly).
Laurie
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Post by robinann on Apr 30, 2009 1:15:10 GMT -5
Laurie - thanks for the tip about prednisolone. I live in Germany and am not really sure if that is an option - although i would think is should be possible. 7 to 10 of prednisone is already too low for be. Do you know if there is a type of doc who could help me. Certainly not an endo - they are often worthless except for diabetes. What is a doc called who specializes in autoimmune diseases?
Any idea why I should need such a high dose of pred in order for my thyroid meds to work.
If I remember correctly, prednisone needs to be converted by the liver into prednisolone. Prednisolone doesn't need to be converted, therefore better on the liver. Is there such a thing as slow release HC. I would prefer HC but I hate multi dosing.
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Post by justaustin on Apr 30, 2009 6:05:13 GMT -5
Your memory serves you correctly!! Generally, "slow" release medications aren't well tolerated by hypothyroid folks due to slowed gut motility and low gastric acid.. Just doesn't seem to work(as well). Let me check with someone on another forum. She might know of a doc in Germany. Laurie
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