Aspirin And Thyroid

[denise]

I came across this in another thread:

I have experimented with Aspirin (up to 3gm/day) too for reducing estrogen but all it led to was a worsening of symptoms just like thyroid. After all, aspirin mimics the thyroid pretty closely and indeed there are old studies of its effectiveness as an ersatz for thyroid. I think in susceptible individuals thyroid elevates SHBG which is followed by an increase in testosterone and therefore increase in the amount of aromatization to estrogen. It appears that in such cases the increase in progesterone cannot compensate and so must be supplemented if you want to increase the metabolic rate consistently. This is probably at the heart of why many of us don't respond to thyroid in a straight-forward manner.

Perhaps in the medium to long term, the course of thyroid+progesterone can be replaced by thyroid-only, apart from which I really see no options besides Big-Pharma aromatase inhibitors in quelling estrogen.

I hadn't read this before, about aspirin mimicking thyroid, so I stayed up way too late last night trying to read about it and went to sleep very confused.

I found this quotation by Peat:

Since [aspirin's] effects on the mitochondria are similar to those of thyroid (T3), using both of them might improve brain energy production more than just thyroid. (By activating T3, aspirin can sometimes increase the temperature and pulse rate.)

But I also found all kinds of other contradictory (or at least confusing) stuff. Here's a list of things I've read, in no particular order. I'm not sure how relevant any of this is or what to make of it:
- An account of an overdose of aspirin causing a thyroid storm.
- a study in Lancet about long-term use of aspirin (for rheumatoid arthritis) causing lower levels of FT4 and TBG compared to normal values.
- Anecdotal accounts by people who say that short-term aspirin use brought on hypo symptoms in some cases but hyper symptoms in others.
- A study that showed that treatment for one week with aspirin decreased total T4, total T3, free T3, and TSH.
- A UK site says that high-dose use of aspirin (>2g/day) can cause analytical interference (increased FT4 by displacement) when testing for thyroid function. (So aspirin doesn't actually affect anything but just looks like it does.)
- Another article that mentions that the Total T4 reading can be skewed by large doses of aspirin (without affecting thyroid function).
- From the book Aspirin and Related Drugs (you can find this on Google Books):

Aspirin does affect thyroid function tests and changes include competitive inhibition of thyroid hormone binding to serum carrier proteins. Thus serum protein-bound iodine concentrations fall, although free thyroxine levels remain unaltered or only slightly increased. The thyroid uptake of iodine is decreased, as is the clearance of iodine. Aspirin also affects the peripheral metabolism of thyroxine and blunts the response of the release of TSH. Aspirin also inhibits the hepatic conversion of thyroxine to T3.... Despite these changes, patients remain euthyroid.

So has anyone else read up on this or understand it better? Or have any personal experience with aspirin affecting their thyroid function either way?

 

[charlie]

Same thing happens with me just like unexamined_whimsy wrote. My estrogen symptoms get much worse when taking aspirin. From what I gather from my personal observations, it pushes up the metabolism extremely hard.

 

[superhuman]

RP told me that T3/thyroid was better to take for reducing estrogen then aspirin. He said 1 gram aspirin was enough in terms of using aspirin to reduce estrogen.

 

[gretchen]

I feel better on aspirin. I think it has made a major difference in my bowels, moods, sleep patterns, energy, etc. It does push your metabolism up, but maybe that's what some people need.

 

[caroline]

What would be the minimum dose (obviously as opposed to taking none at all) you could take to get some benefit? Any aspirin you all have as a favorite?

 

[jyb]

What would be the minimum dose (obviously as opposed to taking none at all) you could take to get some benefit? Any aspirin you all have as a favorite?

The dose used in studies you see cited in the mainstream media correspond to very low doses (I think 80mg). Then as you go higher, additional effects arise.

 

[Dan W]

Any aspirin you all have as a favorite?

I've been re-organizing my aspirin listing page, and I think most Peat-people are using the brands listed in the "don't need an enteric/safety coating" or "pure aspirin powder" sections:
http://www.toxinless.com/aspirin

 

[caroline]

Great. Thanks for the info!

 

[Tommix]

Old topic but i have question. I have taking aspirin for 3weeks. 250-300mg a day. Single day.
Now my throat feels strange, like i have something in it. hard to swallow. Well harder then usual :) Can Aspirin increase thyroid size?

 

[leethom]

Old topic but i have question. I have taking aspirin for 3weeks. 250-300mg a day. Single day.
Now my throat feels strange, like i have something in it. hard to swallow. Well harder then usual :) Can Aspirin increase thyroid size?

Hi Tommix,

I really do not have an answer to your questions. Did you look at all on the internet or start a new forum with this question. I see that you did not receive a reply so far. I am more interested to find out what happened? Did you stop taking Aspirin in the end and why 250mg-300mg a day? I am trying to find out how much Aspirin I could take daily and I can not see what RP suggested.

 

[Jsaute21]

What is safest brand of aspirin to take? @haidut @charlie

 

[Tourist]

What is safest brand of aspirin to take? @haidut @charlie

Bump --I'm interested too

 

[charlie]

What is safest brand of aspirin to take? @haidut @charlie

I use animal aspirin.

Amazon.com : Priority Care Animal Aspirin Powder, 1 Lb : Pet Health Care Supplies : Pet Supplies

 

[Tourist]

How is this aspirin different from otc aspirin?

I use animal aspirin.

Amazon.com : Priority Care Animal Aspirin Powder, 1 Lb : Pet Health Care Supplies : Pet Supplies

 

[Dan W]

How is this aspirin different from otc aspirin?

I suspect the actual aspirin is completely identical. You do forgo some of the "features" like buffering, easy dosing, etc. contributed by the excipients that are in OTC aspirin.

 

[ddjd]

RP told me that T3/thyroid was better to take for reducing estrogen then aspirin. He said 1 gram aspirin was enough in terms of using aspirin to reduce estrogen.

But loads of us notice Estrogenic symptoms from T3..

 

[superhuman]

But loads of us notice Estrogenic symptoms from T3..

How do you really know that? i dont think thats whats occuring

 

[ddjd]

But loads of us notice Estrogenic symptoms from T3..

dandruff, frequent urination, eye inflammation, i only get these things from high estrogen...ive tested it dozens and dozens of times

 

[Bart1]

Old topic but i have question. I have taking aspirin for 3weeks. 250-300mg a day. Single day.
Now my throat feels strange, like i have something in it. hard to swallow. Well harder then usual :) Can Aspirin increase thyroid size?

I seem to experience the same problem, I take between 250-500 grams. I also got very Estrogenic symptoms. Would aspirin raise metabolism so that if you do not up your calories you will become more hypothyroid, thus increase estrogen?