CFS and Hypothyroidism

I have an amount of convincing evidence that SOME or MANY cases of CFS might be undiagnosed or undertreated hypothyroidism. I think the argument and the evidence is convincing. I just thought I would put it out there. The TSH range is heavily critized by many "commonsense" doctors as an unreliable way to diagnose thyroid conditions.

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/2006/11/05/chronic-fatigue-syndrome/

from www.thyroideducation.com

Dr. Gordon Skinner, a distinctly Scottish man, and dedicated doctor loved by his patients, has chosen a road seldom travelled by medical doctors. He advocates common sense hand in hand with mainstream medical science.
Some ten years ago he was asked by colleagues to see patients who were deemed to have myalgic encephalopathy or chronic fatigue syndrome or post viral syndrome or post viral fatigue on account of his interest in virus disease. He noted that a number of these patients had clinical features of hypothyroidism but had ‘normal’ levels of thyroid hormones which would lead most workers in the field to reject a diagnosis of hypothyroidism.
Dr Skinner has since treated and returned to health many patients who were clinically hypothyroid but had normal thyroid chemistry and has reported these results in a preliminary paper entitled “Clinical response to thyroxine sodium in clinically hypothyroid but biochemically euthyroid patients”.

No prob

I'm not saying that most cases of CFS are hypothyroid, but I do think that since CFS is a diagnosis given when other abnormalities are "excluded", I think it's very much worth the time, money and effort to take a good look at your TSH, and even better get a look at your ft3,ft4 and thyroid antibodies.

There is much debate about narrowing down the TSH range to 0.5-3.0, but studies such as

http://web.archive.org/web/20040606132447/http://www.thyroid.org.au/Information/NormalTSH.html

show that even 3.0 is too high. Max should be somehwere around 2.0 and optimal somewhere between 0.5 and 1.

However your local doctor or endoctrinologist might not know about this.

The good news is that if a lot of you are hypothyroid and that is the problem, there is an effective and cheap treatment.

www.stopthethyroidmadness.com is a good rescource on what a proper treatment should consist of. The gall leading the site tends to favour armour, natural descicated thyroid containing t4, t4, t3, t1 and calcotonin and not just t4 like synthetic synthroid.. She also stresses that fact that if adrenal fatigue is present it should be treated before or in conjunction with thyroid treatment.

Cheers Alexander

 

Hi Everyone.. My name is Jessica. I just recently been diagnosed with hashimoto's. It seems my body thinks that my thyroid is an android... Ive got all the "famous symptoms".....no period( i had a tubal ligation 6 years ago) if I do get it its heavy as hell(a package and a half of pads). I'm always exausted, I have hot and cold flashes @ 31 I know what a 60 year old woman feels like with mennapause.. and I don't like it at all...I have lumps on my thyroid, a goiter and the antibodies. My bloodwork is all out of whack.... my endocrinologist put me on 25 mgs of levothyroxineas well as a multi-vitamin.. next apointment is in 3 months.


It was nice to meet you all,

Jessica

Hi! im new and happy to b here. i have several disorders including fibro, hypothyroidism, chronic fatigue and pain. i see a doctor who is a specialist who deals with thyroid problems. i only see him now every 3-6 months. i have so many symptoms of hypo, but when my blood levels are checked im always in the normal range. ive heard this can happen, but my dr. doesnt seem to think so. im alwats fatigued, my hair is falling out, and i keep gaining weight. im thinking about changing drs. but he is in the largest and supposedly best group in town. i was on levothyroxing, but now im on armour. ive seen no difference. does anyone have any other suggestions? i would appreciate any ideas. thanks. cbear