Posted by Pfinstegg on August 18, 2003, at 21:42:39
In reply to Re: Have Cytomel/Synthroid helped you?, posted by Bill L on August 18, 2003, at 9:15:22
My experience has been very positive once Cytomel was added to the synthroid I had been taking for 10 years (the same amount of time that I had had a severe depression). My endocrinologist wants to keep the TSH below ).5. We do check for osteoporosis with a scan every few years, and add a lot of calcium.
According to a 1999 New England Journal of Medicine article- the reference is somewhere in the archives by now-many people suffering from depression and slight hypothyroidism do not convert T4 to T3 (the active form which your body uses) well. I think NIH is recommending a daily dose of 5 mcg. or less for people in that category. They may also be recommending it for patients who have refractory depression without hypothyroidism, but I'm not absolutely sure of that.
I THINK it has helped, but it is hard to know because I started taking fish oil, B vitamins, magnesium, and antioxidants at the same time. In any event, with all these additions, I feel much better than I did year ago.
Pfinstegg
poster:Pfinstegg
thread:251752
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030818/msgs/251983.html