Does Anyone Work Towards Getting OFF Of Thyroid Supplement?

[Mad]

I am not taking any thyroid supplement yet.
Was diagnosed hypothyroid in Dec 2016. Started learning about Peat and changed my diet and lifestyle. TSH was 6.1 in December. A couple of weeks ago TSH was 6.8. Really discouraging.
Anyway, I meet with my doctor in a few days to discuss a thyroid supplement. Have been resistant to taking a supplement because I'm young and feel that I have a chance of improving without thyroid supplement.
But I am now more willing to try a supplement but I'd like opinions on:

Has anyone had success with correcting thyroid by supplementing with thyroid AND fixing diet/lifestyle - so much so that they are able to work towards getting off of thyroid supplement eventually? I feel like once people are on, they're on for life and that does not sound beneficial to me. If I am supplying thyroid hormone through a supplement, won't my own thyroid say hey, I don't need to even try anymore? (obviously I'm no expert here - that's just what makes sense to me.)
If I should try a supplement, should I start with a t4+t3 synthetic, or ask for a NDT?

 

[DaveFoster]

Why do you feel you can improve your thyroid if you have no idea of how to improve your thyroid?

Coffee, progesterone, and aspirin can help.

 

[Mad]

hmm ok well...I wouldn't say I have no idea of how to improve my thyroid unless everything I've read about Peat's work is untrue.
I have read a lot - yes I am new ish to Peat but like I said, I have been doing my best to change diet and lifestyle for the past 4 months based on his work.

Yes I have been having coffee, progesterone, and aspirin.

My question is more about supplements now and if the end goal of supplements is ever to be able to get off of the supplement? Does anyone here have experience with that or does anyone feel that they may be able to work towards that? I'm interested in the ability of Peat's ideas to heal rather than just help. And I'm also just genuinely wondering - is that EVER the end goal of supplements (to be able to heal and get off of them)?

 

[mayweatherking]

ive questioned this a lot myself if thyroid is "necessary" in my understanding of peat principles .. this has helped in my situation in understanding more... maybe u can relate

The pituitary hormones, especially prolactin and TSH, are pro-inflammatory, and darkness increases TSH along with prolactin, so to compensate for a light deficiency, the pituitary should be well-suppressed by adequate thyroid. Armour thyroid or Thyrolar or Cynoplus, Cytomel, would probably be helpful. (Eye-drops containing T3 might be a way to restore metabolic activity more quickly.) Limiting water intake (or using salt generously) helps to inhibit prolactin secretion. The saturated fats protect against the body's stored PUFA, and keeping the blood sugar up keeps the stored fats from being mobilized. Aspirin (or indomethacin) is generally protective to the retina, analogously to its protection against sunburn. Adequate vitamin E is extremely important. There are several prescription drugs that protect against serotonin excess, but thyroid and gelatin (or glycine, as in magnesium glycinate) are protective against the serotonin and melatonin toxicities. Copper and magnesium deficiencies predispose to retinal damage. Red light is protective, blue light (or u.v.) is harmful, so wearing orange lenses would be helpful. Progesterone and pregnenolone, by reducing the stress reactions, should be helpful--in the eye diseases of infancy and old age, as they are in the respiratory distress syndromes.


http://raypeat.com/articles/aging/a1.shtml

 

[Makrosky]

What I understand is that if you keep correcting your metabolism, that is : increasing fun and joy in your life, lowering endotoxin, increasing micronutrients and right ammount of macros, right diet choices, avoiding PUFA, increasing natural sunlight and a myriad of other things we talk about in this forum that are prometabolic, eventually you reach a point where you won't need thyroid supplementation.


To put it in another way, an example. This last summer I was living in a very beautiful place full of nature, sun light, and best of all because I wanted to do it and I managed to do it (not easy). I wasn't having much stress either. That gave me such a metabolic boost that I barely needed any supplement at all and I was feeling great and full of energy. Only a small pinch of pregnenolone on fridays or saturdays if I wanted to go out by night. Whereas in the big city that I hate I have to take fat solubles, b-complex, pregnenolone, tianeptine every once in a while, magnesium, etc. just to "keep going".

Another example : When the summer ended and the autum came (I could feel it happen in a week) suddenly my light exposure was much lower, fun got restricted, temps were colder, etc. so I had a metabolic slowdown again, I had to take some fat solubles daily.

So it all depends on many factors. You have to look at supplements as tools to shift your body in the right direction BUT at the same time keep working on improving.

I don't think Peat's approach work in a way that you do something for a while (like a cleanse, a diet, a liver flush, an antiparasitic cure , a chelation or things like that) and then you get "healed" and you don't have to do anything else in your life. You magically get well and get good health. That is not the way it works I think. If you're looking for that then you're going to get disappointed I think.

That doesn't mean a Peat approach will make you much more resilent to stress. But it's a lifestyle I think.

 

[encerent]

What I understand is that if you keep correcting your metabolism, that is : increasing fun and joy in your life, lowering endotoxin, increasing micronutrients and right ammount of macros, right diet choices, avoiding PUFA, increasing natural sunlight and a myriad of other things we talk about in this forum that are prometabolic, eventually you reach a point where you won't need thyroid supplementation.


To put it in another way, an example. This last summer I was living in a very beautiful place full of nature, sun light, and best of all because I wanted to do it and I managed to do it (not easy). I wasn't having much stress either. That gave me such a metabolic boost that I barely needed any supplement at all and I was feeling great and full of energy. Only a small pinch of pregnenolone on fridays or saturdays if I wanted to go out by night. Whereas in the big city that I hate I have to take fat solubles, b-complex, pregnenolone, tianeptine every once in a while, magnesium, etc. just to "keep going".

Another example : When the summer ended and the autum came (I could feel it happen in a week) suddenly my light exposure was much lower, fun got restricted, temps were colder, etc. so I had a metabolic slowdown again, I had to take some fat solubles daily.

So it all depends on many factors. You have to look at supplements as tools to shift your body in the right direction BUT at the same time keep working on improving.

I don't think Peat's approach work in a way that you do something for a while (like a cleanse, a diet, a liver flush, an antiparasitic cure , a chelation or things like that) and then you get "healed" and you don't have to do anything else in your life. You magically get well and get good health. That is not the way it works I think. If you're looking for that then you're going to get disappointed I think.

That doesn't mean a Peat approach will make you much more resilent to stress. But it's a lifestyle I think.

LOVE (passionate, young romantic love) will annihilate stress hormones and your metabolism will be on fire. Once you got this and you avoid PUFAs (which isn't too hard if you've been at it for a while) you feel like a super human being.

 

[Makrosky]

LOVE (passionate, young romantic love) will annihilate stress hormones and your metabolism will be on fire. Once you got this and you avoid PUFAs (which isn't too hard if you've been at it for a while) you feel like a super human being.

hahaha don't you think relying on falling in love like a teenager to lower stress hormones is very unpractical ?

But yes of course big psychic things like falling in love boost metabolism.

And youth hormones (PREG, DHEA, etc.) help you falling in passionate, young love.

 

[Lecarpetron]

What do you think caused your hypothyroidism? If you can identify it, can you change it? If not, and it's mandatory life stress (traffic, boring work, angry family), then you may want to avoid paddling upstream and just try the T3.

 

[Mad]

Thanks @mayweatherking and @Makrosky .
Some good perspective there that gives me some hope and makes me feel more comfortable with giving thyroid supplement a try.
I think I haven't always made a priority of finding joy and having fun, but seeing it as a choice that is good for my health will help me to focus on that. I'm also going to start getting out in the sun as much as possible.
Do you take thyroid supplement... If so, any opinions on the best kind to start with?

 

[Mad]

What do you think caused your hypothyroidism? If you can identify it, can you change it? If not, and it's mandatory life stress (traffic, boring work, angry family), then you may want to avoid paddling upstream and just try the T3.

I definitely think it was caused by years of long distance running while way under fueling/low carbing. I love running but have not run at all since I was diagnosed and instead have opted for leisurely walks outside or short sessions of weight lifting.... Or just doing nothing and resting! I have also been doing my best to refuel my body and eat as much good sugar and protein as I can. It was just really discouraging that doing this for 3 months didn't improve my tsh. But, I persevere!

 

[sweetpeat]

A Peat quote that may be relevant to your situation: "After a year or more of good health, the amount (of thyroid) needed will usually decrease, if the diet has been good during that time."

 

[Mad]

A Peat quote that may be relevant to your situation: "After a year or more of good health, the amount (of thyroid) needed will usually decrease, if the diet has been good during that time."

Something palpable to give us a sense of what might be expected... Thanks sweetpeat, very relevant!

 

[Regina]

LOVE (passionate, young romantic love) will annihilate stress hormones and your metabolism will be on fire. Once you got this and you avoid PUFAs (which isn't too hard if you've been at it for a while) you feel like a super human being.

 

[Makrosky]

Thanks @mayweatherking and @Makrosky .
Some good perspective there that gives me some hope and makes me feel more comfortable with giving thyroid supplement a try.
I think I haven't always made a priority of finding joy and having fun, but seeing it as a choice that is good for my health will help me to focus on that. I'm also going to start getting out in the sun as much as possible.
Do you take thyroid supplement... If so, any opinions on the best kind to start with?

I don't take thyroid although I have a bottle of idealabs NDT and I take one drop or two every once in a while when I feel stuck in some situation that needs an extra kick.

Since you are unexperienced I would go for idealabs products. Either NDT or syntetic T4/T3 (TyroMax or TyroMix). Because you have lots of other people using them in this forum, they are reliable products and you have specific threads for them.

Anyway reading a bit more on the forum or Ray's articles before jumping into thyroid it's a wise idea. Just so you are prepared with some theoretical information.

haidut's threads on thyroid are very worth reading so you don't shot yourself on the feet.

Good luck.

 

[Peatful]

I am not taking any thyroid supplement yet.
Was diagnosed hypothyroid in Dec 2016. Started learning about Peat and changed my diet and lifestyle. TSH was 6.1 in December. A couple of weeks ago TSH was 6.8. Really discouraging.
Anyway, I meet with my doctor in a few days to discuss a thyroid supplement. Have been resistant to taking a supplement because I'm young and feel that I have a chance of improving without thyroid supplement.
But I am now more willing to try a supplement but I'd like opinions on:

Has anyone had success with correcting thyroid by supplementing with thyroid AND fixing diet/lifestyle - so much so that they are able to work towards getting off of thyroid supplement eventually? I feel like once people are on, they're on for life and that does not sound beneficial to me. If I am supplying thyroid hormone through a supplement, won't my own thyroid say hey, I don't need to even try anymore? (obviously I'm no expert here - that's just what makes sense to me.)
If I should try a supplement, should I start with a t4+t3 synthetic, or ask for a NDT?

I have not read the previous responses. But, yes, you can possibly get off of thyroid meds, if warranted. I was on 120mcg of Armour, and now use approximately 30 daily.
Please be careful thinking thyroid will fix this road bump for you.
Primarily u should look at easy to digest foods, with balanced macronutriemts 40/30/30. Eating very frequently throughout ur day. You must lower cortisol and keep blood sugar stable.
I learned this to be true for myself the hard way.
Best of luck.

 

[tankasnowgod]

Has anyone had success with correcting thyroid by supplementing with thyroid AND fixing diet/lifestyle - so much so that they are able to work towards getting off of thyroid supplement eventually? I feel like once people are on, they're on for life and that does not sound beneficial to me. If I am supplying thyroid hormone through a supplement, won't my own thyroid say hey, I don't need to even try anymore? (obviously I'm no expert here - that's just what makes sense to me.)
If I should try a supplement, should I start with a t4+t3 synthetic, or ask for a NDT?

People can and do reduce and eliminate their doses of thyroid supplements. There are some studies on Red Light Therapy with Thyroid patients that did just that. (Check out Valtsu's blog, it's written by Vladimir Heskanian). My own experiments with Red Light have led me to reduce my own dose, I think I might be able to discontinue it at some point.

 

[RePeatRePeat]

I certainly hope it will be possible to eventually discontinue thyroid supplementation, but so far I have not been able to go below the last amount prescribed for me 3 years ago. I began taking thyroid probably 15 years ago. I tried to reduce by just a couple of drops (Tyromax) last week for a week, just as I had tried about a year ago, and all that happened is I started putting on weight and feeling fatigued. Please don't respond saying that is impossible.

Perhaps how long it takes to be able to reduce and even stop thyroid depends not just on how well you eat and live but your history and genetics. But, I am encouraged nonetheless. Following Peat principles and supplementing with Haidut's products have brought me much improvements in my health and I continue to improve.

 

[MyUsernameHere]

I've been Peating for several years now.

In the beginning I used to do very large amounts of thyroid, different combos. 3 grains of NDT, or up to 100 mcg T4 with 25 mcg T3 ... still didn't feel right no matter what I did.

Following the diet and doing Steve Richfield's temperature protocol I managed to get my TSH down from 8 to 3.57 WITHOUT supplementation.
I still feel like I'm missing some hormones though and now I just nibble on a 10 mcg T3 pill during the day and I get more of a benefit from that than I used to get when I was almost on a full replacement dose. I could probably feel even better by taking more but I'm using the least amount that I can to feel decently good as that allows me to judge what my body is doing better than relying solely on the pills, I feel they can make one complacent in searching for ways to improve their health in more robust, long term ways.

Eventually, I'd like to be able to just have good enough thyroid function to not need even the small amount of T3. So yes, I definitely improved my health to the point where I need FAR less thyroid and get more of a benefit from a tiny amount. I'm pretty sure that eventually I can just stop taking it altogether.

 

[Mad]

I've been Peating for several years now.

In the beginning I used to do very large amounts of thyroid, different combos. 3 grains of NDT, or up to 100 mcg T4 with 25 mcg T3 ... still didn't feel right no matter what I did.

Following the diet and doing Steve Richfield's temperature protocol I managed to get my TSH down from 8 to 3.57 WITHOUT supplementation.
I still feel like I'm missing some hormones though and now I just nibble on a 10 mcg T3 pill during the day and I get more of a benefit from that than I used to get when I was almost on a full replacement dose. I could probably feel even better by taking more but I'm using the least amount that I can to feel decently good as that allows me to judge what my body is doing better than relying solely on the pills, I feel they can make one complacent in searching for ways to improve their health in more robust, long term ways.

Eventually, I'd like to be able to just have good enough thyroid function to not need even the small amount of T3. So yes, I definitely improved my health to the point where I need FAR less thyroid and get more of a benefit from a tiny amount. I'm pretty sure that eventually I can just stop taking it altogether.

Thanks for sharing your experience.
I was just so hesitant in the beginning that I needed a lot of reassurance... I'm 24 and have always seen myself as very healthy, so I couldn't imagine that I would be put on a prescription drug for the rest of my life! I've watched both my Mom and sister struggle with thyroid disease for years; they've been on medicine and don't seem to be making much progress or ever see themselves getting off of the medicine.
I did recently start Haidut's tyromix. The more I experience and the more I read around here, I too am convinced that health can be achieved eventually and I won't need thyroid supplement every day.
What is the Steve Richfield protocol? I tried to read a bit about it but I'm not sure I understand.

 

[danishispsychic]

LOVE (passionate, young romantic love) will annihilate stress hormones and your metabolism will be on fire. Once you got this and you avoid PUFAs (which isn't too hard if you've been at it for a while) you feel like a super human being.

Until the romantic love ends because it always does and stress hormones skyrocket and your thyroid tanks. IMO, the opposite is the way to healing and health. No obsession with romantic love, i mean if its there its there... but self-love, lots of solo time and total fortification of mind/body without lots of outside influence. after that happens, layer on... I like the minimalist approach.