alywest
Member
- Joined
- Apr 19, 2017
- Messages
- 1,028
Hello, I wanted to share some of my recent experiences and what I've been supplementing in case it would be helpful to anyone.
So just a bit of background, I am a 40 year old woman and I have had severely debilitating migraines and PMS for the past couple of years in particular, although I've had both for a long time. It's just that recently they've both gotten so bad that it's actually wreaked havoc on my life and health. I got to the point with my migraines where I was very sure that they were actually causing some sort of long term damage as my brain actually felt as if it was pushing up against itself and causing actual brain injury. After researching and seeing that this was indeed a risk factor for dementia, alzheimer's, etc. I decided to take action. This started me on this journey about two years ago and at that point I found Peat. The path has not been sunshine and roses, however, I finally feel that I have made some headway.
I am certain that the single most important intervention has been taking t3 and learning how to use thyroid supplements properly and figure out what works for me. While this hasn't resolved the migraines or the PMS I believe that it was the foundation of everything else that was to follow. For a while I became fixated on the idea of using progesterone as a way to balance my hormones as I was clearly estrogen dominant, however I have realized that progesterone is not enough and thyroid has always been the key for me. I was actually clinically hypothyroid so fortunately I knew that I needed to take thyroid, but of course no regular doctor was going to prescribe me t3 and even if they had, the generic t3 that we usually get in our US pharmacies is terrible (I know, I tried it.)
Fortunately I found a naturopath who actually specifically prescribed cynomel "with no substitutions", and it was the first time that I actually felt normal in a long time. However, I was still struggling with so many other issues that it wasn't enough by itself, of course. The same naturopath actually prescribed progesterone, and it made me really moody at first. I was so confused that I actually tried taking estrogen (also prescribed by the same naturopath) and woke up the next morning with dark lines under my eyes, it actually looked like someone took brown eyeliner and drew lines under my eyes. I immediately stopped the estrogen and then I went on a mission to determine which hormone is the right one, and after a full day of confusing information that basically didn't get me anywhere at all I found some information from Ray Peat and for once saw what was definitively pro-progesterone and anti-estrogen, and it discussed thyroid issues having a connection to it and I knew I had found the information I needed. It was also exciting to me because I saw that the things that I had never been able to completely avoid in my diet like sugar, coffee and dairy were not the villains they had been portrayed to be by so many "health gurus" who seem to prey on people with thyroid issues because they know how desperate we are.
So I won't bore you with all the details of my trials and tribulations over the next two years, but I will just tell you what I have landed on at this point because it is finally working. Working so well that I haven't had to take one of my triptans (basically for emergency level migraine pain) in well over a month, which is just not even possible (or is it?)
Thyroid: levothyroxine and cynomel. Taking t3 several times a day, basically anytime I think of it and at least a couple of hours have passed. I take small nibbles. When my hands start to feel cold I know that I need to take my t4, but I really only need to do that once a day, sometimes it's slightly less than 24 hours apart, though. I do it when I need to.
Progesterone: 200 mg either orally or vaginally during luteal phase. This helps me sleep better, keeps me a lot calmer. I am hoping that I won't need to take this forever but I will if I have to!
Acetazolamide: 125mg-500mg/day, usually broken up into at least 2 doses if it's more than 250mg. This has been a game changer for me. During the last week of my cycle and during my actual period I used to have so much pain in my whole body, and I believe it was an insane amount of lactic acid that would build up and just accumulate until I was actually violently ill with migraine and vomiting. The pain leading up was not as bad as the actual migraine days but it made me hate life and feel absolutely miserable and not want to do anything at all.
Thiamine: at least 1,000mg, usually 1,500 during the luteal phase. Helps me sleep better, reduces apnea that I get especially when I'm closer to my period.
CortiNon/Pansterone: 4-8 drops/day on abdomen
TocoVit: After trying several cheaper E formulations I decided to bite the bullet and get the real thing and it has already made a tremendous difference for me. The first few days I had some painful bm's but that passed and now I just take about 5 drops a day and there's no discomfort whatsoever. I know that I have a really heavy pufa load and this makes me just feel better all the way around. Less cramps during period, warmer hands, feeling of calm. It's amazing.
These are the big ones. I am taking other vitamins and I have to take some other things at times to manage pain when it does occur, but those times are fewer and further between. I rarely have to use my inhaler, like I stated before I don't have to use the triptans. I sometimes take ondansetron when I feel a bit nauseous or queasy, but at the rate I'm going a 30 day supply should last me a year. I also was starting to have really high blood pressure before I started the acetazolamide, so I was put on Losartan. I am going to take that until I feel that the higher dose of thyroid, e and acetazolamide are fully in place meaning I have been taking the correct dose long enough that my body doesn't need the support. I will update on that if anyone is interested.
Diet wise, I really try to avoid PUFA but I am not perfect. I will avoid potassium sorbate and carageenan like the plague, as well as things like red wine and other things high in sulfates. Besides that I am really not perfectly Peaty, but I drink a lot of milk and OJ. I don't always have a strong appetite and I do have some excess weight to shed that has started to come off slowly. Sometimes I put some sugar in my milk if I'm feeling like my blood sugar is low.
Some other supplements I take less often:
Ascorbic Acid
B12 (hydroxy)
niacinamide
myo-inositol
Choline
methylfolate
mistletoe extract
To me the biggest take away is that I believe I was underestimating my thyroid needs, and I'm starting to really understand why Ray Peat is always talking about thyroid. Of course it's possible to become hyperthyroid and that's not good for anyone. However, being subclinical hypothyroid is actually really dangerous and raises your risk for heart disease, so it's a fine line. Also it seems that a lot of men on this forum have issues taking t4, so maybe women are better at processing it. I don't know. Anyway, I actually don't like to talk about myself on this forum or on any website for that matter, so I'm doing this simply for the sake of helping people that might relate to the issues I have. I am in no way advocating that anyone take acetazolamide just because. I think anyone with metabolic issues probably can use some thyroid but it can take a lot of trial and error to get the right amount and figure out what works for you. Everyone is different. I'm just sharing this so you can maybe learn a thing or two from my mistakes and if you have any questions feel free to comment!
So just a bit of background, I am a 40 year old woman and I have had severely debilitating migraines and PMS for the past couple of years in particular, although I've had both for a long time. It's just that recently they've both gotten so bad that it's actually wreaked havoc on my life and health. I got to the point with my migraines where I was very sure that they were actually causing some sort of long term damage as my brain actually felt as if it was pushing up against itself and causing actual brain injury. After researching and seeing that this was indeed a risk factor for dementia, alzheimer's, etc. I decided to take action. This started me on this journey about two years ago and at that point I found Peat. The path has not been sunshine and roses, however, I finally feel that I have made some headway.
I am certain that the single most important intervention has been taking t3 and learning how to use thyroid supplements properly and figure out what works for me. While this hasn't resolved the migraines or the PMS I believe that it was the foundation of everything else that was to follow. For a while I became fixated on the idea of using progesterone as a way to balance my hormones as I was clearly estrogen dominant, however I have realized that progesterone is not enough and thyroid has always been the key for me. I was actually clinically hypothyroid so fortunately I knew that I needed to take thyroid, but of course no regular doctor was going to prescribe me t3 and even if they had, the generic t3 that we usually get in our US pharmacies is terrible (I know, I tried it.)
Fortunately I found a naturopath who actually specifically prescribed cynomel "with no substitutions", and it was the first time that I actually felt normal in a long time. However, I was still struggling with so many other issues that it wasn't enough by itself, of course. The same naturopath actually prescribed progesterone, and it made me really moody at first. I was so confused that I actually tried taking estrogen (also prescribed by the same naturopath) and woke up the next morning with dark lines under my eyes, it actually looked like someone took brown eyeliner and drew lines under my eyes. I immediately stopped the estrogen and then I went on a mission to determine which hormone is the right one, and after a full day of confusing information that basically didn't get me anywhere at all I found some information from Ray Peat and for once saw what was definitively pro-progesterone and anti-estrogen, and it discussed thyroid issues having a connection to it and I knew I had found the information I needed. It was also exciting to me because I saw that the things that I had never been able to completely avoid in my diet like sugar, coffee and dairy were not the villains they had been portrayed to be by so many "health gurus" who seem to prey on people with thyroid issues because they know how desperate we are.
So I won't bore you with all the details of my trials and tribulations over the next two years, but I will just tell you what I have landed on at this point because it is finally working. Working so well that I haven't had to take one of my triptans (basically for emergency level migraine pain) in well over a month, which is just not even possible (or is it?)
Thyroid: levothyroxine and cynomel. Taking t3 several times a day, basically anytime I think of it and at least a couple of hours have passed. I take small nibbles. When my hands start to feel cold I know that I need to take my t4, but I really only need to do that once a day, sometimes it's slightly less than 24 hours apart, though. I do it when I need to.
Progesterone: 200 mg either orally or vaginally during luteal phase. This helps me sleep better, keeps me a lot calmer. I am hoping that I won't need to take this forever but I will if I have to!
Acetazolamide: 125mg-500mg/day, usually broken up into at least 2 doses if it's more than 250mg. This has been a game changer for me. During the last week of my cycle and during my actual period I used to have so much pain in my whole body, and I believe it was an insane amount of lactic acid that would build up and just accumulate until I was actually violently ill with migraine and vomiting. The pain leading up was not as bad as the actual migraine days but it made me hate life and feel absolutely miserable and not want to do anything at all.
Thiamine: at least 1,000mg, usually 1,500 during the luteal phase. Helps me sleep better, reduces apnea that I get especially when I'm closer to my period.
CortiNon/Pansterone: 4-8 drops/day on abdomen
TocoVit: After trying several cheaper E formulations I decided to bite the bullet and get the real thing and it has already made a tremendous difference for me. The first few days I had some painful bm's but that passed and now I just take about 5 drops a day and there's no discomfort whatsoever. I know that I have a really heavy pufa load and this makes me just feel better all the way around. Less cramps during period, warmer hands, feeling of calm. It's amazing.
These are the big ones. I am taking other vitamins and I have to take some other things at times to manage pain when it does occur, but those times are fewer and further between. I rarely have to use my inhaler, like I stated before I don't have to use the triptans. I sometimes take ondansetron when I feel a bit nauseous or queasy, but at the rate I'm going a 30 day supply should last me a year. I also was starting to have really high blood pressure before I started the acetazolamide, so I was put on Losartan. I am going to take that until I feel that the higher dose of thyroid, e and acetazolamide are fully in place meaning I have been taking the correct dose long enough that my body doesn't need the support. I will update on that if anyone is interested.
Diet wise, I really try to avoid PUFA but I am not perfect. I will avoid potassium sorbate and carageenan like the plague, as well as things like red wine and other things high in sulfates. Besides that I am really not perfectly Peaty, but I drink a lot of milk and OJ. I don't always have a strong appetite and I do have some excess weight to shed that has started to come off slowly. Sometimes I put some sugar in my milk if I'm feeling like my blood sugar is low.
Some other supplements I take less often:
Ascorbic Acid
B12 (hydroxy)
niacinamide
myo-inositol
Choline
methylfolate
mistletoe extract
To me the biggest take away is that I believe I was underestimating my thyroid needs, and I'm starting to really understand why Ray Peat is always talking about thyroid. Of course it's possible to become hyperthyroid and that's not good for anyone. However, being subclinical hypothyroid is actually really dangerous and raises your risk for heart disease, so it's a fine line. Also it seems that a lot of men on this forum have issues taking t4, so maybe women are better at processing it. I don't know. Anyway, I actually don't like to talk about myself on this forum or on any website for that matter, so I'm doing this simply for the sake of helping people that might relate to the issues I have. I am in no way advocating that anyone take acetazolamide just because. I think anyone with metabolic issues probably can use some thyroid but it can take a lot of trial and error to get the right amount and figure out what works for you. Everyone is different. I'm just sharing this so you can maybe learn a thing or two from my mistakes and if you have any questions feel free to comment!