The nurse at my health center today called with blood work, and all was normal except for thyroid. She said it was just one point above normal range. She said they might not treat it, because it could be due to my pregnancy. I have all the symptoms of hypothyroid. I'm scared of hormones, and taking it with adderall. Does anyone have any experience with this?

no big deal with thyroxin. i was hypothyroid when i had my first kid and it wasn't good for the kid. she was premature and floppy. didn't catch up to normal until about age 2. intellectually she's fine but physically she didn't get the best start in life.

The nurse at my health center today called with blood work, and all was normal except for thyroid. She said it was just one point above normal range. She said they might not treat it, because it could be due to my pregnancy. I have all the symptoms of hypothyroid. I'm scared of hormones, and taking it with adderall. Does anyone have any experience with this?As someone who's been on thyroid for years (after my kids got older) I can say it seems to be among the most 'benign' forms of treatment. I've met lots of Lady ADDults over the years who take it too, and I've never heard one of them complain or worry about mixing it with stimulants.

That said, I would in general go Googling before starting any new med and get a wide range of opinion and see a few studies before I made up my mind.

All best wishes for an easy pregnancy and baby!

Thank you for your replies! Sorry, I worded my situation incorrectly. I'm not pregnant, but the Dr.s think I may have postpartum thyroidism. THis has an onset of 8-12 mths after birth. Sometimes it goes away and sometimes it's permanant. I read that the meds used to treat hypothyroid can cause cancer. I'm just scared, but I'm so tired and miserable my adderall doesn't even seem to work anymore.

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism after my children were born and have been on Synthroid for about 7/8 years. Started Concerta about a month ago. I haven't noticed any interactions with the two meds. As I understand the disease, you either have or don't :confused: . I do know that there are a few different tests that can be given and some measure T4:confused: and some don't. (Not a nurse and has been quite a while since I have seen what test they give me). Some tests are more "sensitive" than others??

I do recall being told that after you are on meds for thyroid, your thyroid stops producing any hormones and you will be on meds for the rest of your life. Again--I am no nurse so please do some research.

Good luck !!:)

i guess it's one of those conditions that's a potential problem if we are in a world war situation and can't get our hands on thyroxine pills. we'll have to go out and kill animals, remove their thyroid glands and dry them gently in the oven, grind them up and try to figure out how much of the powder we need daily. :)

we could create all sorts of scenarios to justify all sorts of decisions. however, taking thyroid hormone in appropriate doses certainly does not cause cancer. i've heard this said before and find it all bizarre. why not worry about something more realistic: like getting run over by an SUV?

worrying never solved anything.

I would question your TSH level. What was the actual number? Here is some information I put together regarding Hypothyroidism:

Do YOU suffer from Hypothyroidism and are going untreated???


The Board of Endocrinology changed the range of appropriate TSH levels in January of 2003. The appropriate range was .035-5.00 but is now .035-3.00. Anyone having a TSH over 3.00 is considered to have hypothyroidism and should be treated. Anyone between 2.00 and 3.00 with symptoms should be suspect and considered for treatment.

The labs have not caught up with this change even 2.5 years later. So, PCPs and Surgeon's get TSH levels above 3.00 but they are showing within the acceptable range on the blood work. Therefore, people are going untreated. I'm a good example as over 10 years ago my TSH was topping to 5.00 (I had suddenly gained 20 lb for no apparent reason) but I was within normal limits - never mind that I had all the symptoms. Later, it would go over 5.00 but they considered this "slightly elevated" and didn't rush to treat anything as they were being conservative. So, I suffered needlessly for 10 years.

If you have symptoms of hypothyroidism such as the following, please inquire with your physician(s) and/or surgeon about your TSH level. Symptoms of hypothyroidism usually develop slowly over months or years. Symptoms and signs may include:

*Co**** and thinning hair.
*Dry skin.
*Brittle nails.
*A yellowish tint to the skin.
*Slow body movements.
*Cold skin.
*Inability to tolerate cold.
*Feeling tired, sluggish, or weak.
*Memory problems, depression, or difficulty concentrating.
*Constipation.
*Heavy or irregular menstrual periods that may last longer than 5 to 7 days.

Other, less common symptoms may include:

*An enlarged thyroid gland (goiter).
*Modest weight gain, often 10 lb(4.5 kg) or less.
*Swelling of the arms, hands, legs, and feet, and facial puffiness, particularly around the eyes.
*Ho****ness.
*Muscle aches and cramps.

Some doctors diagnose and treat based on the whole profile of the patient, even if a TSH test comes back "normal". (Similar to John Ratey's book "Shadow Syndromes".)

Some pts find that the synthetic Thyroids do not work much for them -- but that the animal-derived Thyroid. (eg. porcine, or pig's thyroid.)

Armour (Forest Labs) used to make Porcine Thyroid medication. However, recently they stopped. Not sure who is making it now.
I know that my Mom has always done MUCH better on the animal-derived Thyroid replacement.

Keep in mind that Thyroid disorders are often immune-system mediated.

This means that anything affecting that immune system changes [including Thyroid Disease; Arthritis, etc] can be stimulated by illness, stress, pregnancy, etc. Almost every woman i have met with thyroid disease has had one pregnancy. (NB. except for young women with PCOS -- but that's a whole other physiology lesson, folks.)

ttfn,

emma


Emma

Thanks for everyones replies. I went to the Dr. today, and my TSH is at .39 which is low. He said it could be caused by a virus and to check it in 3 months. We'll see what happens. Thanks again!

Ann74, if your TSH is low then you are Hyperthyroid (overactive or too much thyroid) TSH is Thyroid Stimulating Hormone. It's levels are inverse to the amount of thyroid in your body. Here is the best site I have found for Thyroid education and support. http://thyroid.about.com/index.htm?terms=thyroid

I have had an underactive thyroid, hypothyroid for almost 18 years now. I CANNOT take any of the synthetic thyroid replacements. I take Armour thyroid, I just started on it a year ago and the difference is night and day. Not taking replacements is much harder on your body than any replacement. As I said, the about.com site is a great place to get up to date pertinant information about thyroid disease. Best Wishes !

Anonymouse, thank you for your reply. The information was helpful. I have to have my thyroid checked in another 3 mths. I'm just hoping it's not the adderall causing this.

I had a benign goider pressing up against the left side of my thyroid (the right became dormant, it was something they hadn't seen before) when I was in 6th grade. I had surgery, it was taken out, they left the parathyroids in. After a few years, they took me off my meds. But I still had problems as far as concentration goes, so I was in later years diagnosed with ADD, etc. They check my thyroid levels and they're always fine. Do ADD people just seem to get thyroid problems a lot?

I think it's the other way around. People with thyroid problems have symptoms that mimick ADD. I am worried that the adderall is causing my thyroid to be a bit off. Maybe??? Anyway, I have to get it checked next month.