[drgirlfriend]

Thank you very much for your comprehensive reply.

My initial TSH was 4.53 (age 22), and only total T3 and T4 were measured. I was running 70 miles a week, a vegetarian eating a lot of processed soy food, and at one point was gaining 2 pounds a week. Over a year and a half, I gained 54 pounds.

My doctor at the time, a standard internist and gynecologist, put me on levoxyl. I felt better for about a week and then felt progressively worse than I did before. Severe muscle aches, fatigue, shakiness, hair loss. I asked to be put on armour, but she refused, saying my T3 was in range.

I went off levoxyl completely and consulted a chiropractor who treated athletes with adrenal fatigue. He put me on 10mg of dhea/day and 50mg of pregnenolone, both sublingually. I had severe insomnia at the time, usually up until 3, 4, or 5am every night. He instructed me not to exercise for a month, only walking where I needed to go. After a month on the dhea/pregnenolone, I was sleeping better and had a bit more energy. He allowed to exercise 45 minutes 4x/week. He did a saliva sex hormone text in which I spit into a tube several days a week for a month. My progesterone/estrogen/testosterone seemed to be cycling correctly and in range. I even had my first natural period in seven years after being amenorrheic for a year.

I had a period two months in a row and then they became sporadic. Around that time, an osteopath started me on armour, after another TSH test came back above 5. It was like I was taking candy. It didn’t seem to make a difference. I think I went up to 3 or 3.5 grains, and then I started having insomnia problems again, and no weight loss. I was also not menstruating.

In October of last year, I saw the doctor who prescribed hydrocortisone. I am part of a rollerblading group that goes out a few days a week to skate on the city streets for a couple hours. It’s fairly low intensity, but it’s a long, sustained effort with a few breaks. I was on 20mg, and I was exhausted the next day. I couldn’t exercise without being extremely fatigued the next day. I think I was on 2 grains of armour at the same time. I was also taking 100mg of progesterone sublingually at night during the last two weeks of my cycle. This induced a period too quickly, so I reduced the progesterone to 50mg during the third week each night and 100mg the fourth.

The symptoms of low cortisol I complained of were: having a very hard time waking up with my alarm in the morning, despite 7 hours of sleep; fatigue after exercise; eye aches with light sensitivity. He encouraged me to continue raising hydrocortisone. He had prescribed me 200mcg of Cytomel, but every couple weeks, I would continue to raise, as I assumed the swollen tongue and non-weight loss were symptoms of hypothyroidism.

But it’s gotten to the point where I’m on a ridiculous dosage, which is unsustainable, and I don’t want to cripple myself for life. I had a number of Armour grains in my refrigerator from about six months ago, so while I wait for my pharmacy to get Westhroid, I am taking two grains of Armour/day and moving quickly down in Cytomel, with 200mcg yesterday and today, and I plan on taking 150mcg + 2 grains of armour today. I actually feel surprisingly good today, despite not getting to bed when I wanted to last night. I took 30mg of HC yesterday.

Another persisting problem is a yeast infection on my back, shoulders, and chest. It’s been there since I went hypo 3 years ago, but I didn’t know what it was at the time. I’ve been treating it for 7 weeks now, with only minor results. I assume this is indicative of my poor immune system and the need to decrease HC.

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