Dr. Chris Heimlich DC, DACNB, Arizona Thyroid Doctor Comments:

I wanted to share a recent experience I had in the office with a patient that was trying to self regulate her thyroid medication.  A woman brought her mother into the office with complaints of brain fog, constipation, hair falling out fatigue, depression, and insomnia.  The daughter had also been diagnosed with low thyroid and was on Natur-Throid, the mother was on Synthroid.

Since the daughter was on a different medication and felt a little better than the mom did, the mom decided to just start taking some of her daughter’s medication.

It was a bad idea!

It is always a bad idea to take someone else’s medication. 

As you can imagine, she felt even worse.  I think it is a bad idea for anyone to self dose medications. If you feel the medication is not working, consult the prescribing physician.  If they change dosages and just can’t find the dosage that alleviates the low thyroid symptoms-like hair loss, fatigue, weight gain, mental fogginess, constipation…… then maybe it is time to take a different look at your low thyroid condition.

The research shows the number one reason people have low thyroid symptoms in the United States is due to an auto immune condition called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.  An auto immune condition means that the body has lost its ability for self tolerance.  Meaning, the body cannot tell the difference between its own tissue and foreign invaders.  The body actually attacks itself.  In the case of Hashimoto’, it attacks the thyroid.  It also has a propensity to attack the brain, pancreas, and gut in Hashimoto’s.

Taking thyroid hormones only replaces the hormones that are not being produced due to the destruction of the thyroid gland.  It does nothing to stop the attack of the immune system on the body.  It also does nothing to reduce the cytokines that block the thyroid receptor sites.  When the immune system attacks the body cytokines are released and they block the thyroid receptors.

Here is something to remember:    Every cell in the body has a thyroid receptor site.  Can you see why you can feel so crummy when you are not receiving the proper management of your thyroid?

So now you know why it is important that you don’t self dose your thyroid medication, even if it is natural or bio-identical hormone replacement.  Talk with your doctor before changing dosages.  If you have tried this and you are still suffering with low thyroid symptoms, find a doctor that understands what we just talked about and get the help you need.

If you haven’t requested a copy of our Thyroid Recovery Report that reveals the pieces of the thyroid treatment puzzle that nearly every doctor fails to recognize or acknowledge then simply fill out the form to your right.