Month 23: Recovery SUCCESS with thyroid support!

At month 21 (since starting a Dr. Lam-style recovery program) I was still in a hit-or-miss energy state -- some days I felt nearly normal, some says I didn't.

I would usually be able to make it through a full time (office) work week until Thursday or so... at which I would become more fatigued and depressed... but could still function at work on Friday. When I'd get home from work in the evening... I would usually be "done"... no energy to go out, minimal energy for cooking and cleaning. Weekends I had to stay home and rest plenty, so I would feel refreshed and able to make it through the next week. I also suffered from heat intolerance, which Klauss alerted me was probably a thyroid symptom.

I was still also having a bit of racing thoughts and sleep onset insomnia. During the day my mind would race, and I would get over anxious about "small stuff". WAY too much anxiety over things like an offensive Facebook post or a parking ticket.

Then I read Dr. Shames' "Thyroid Mind Power" which was very eye opening about the symptoms of the subclinical (doesn't show up on tests) thyroid issue / T4-to-T3 conversion issue I had.


The most enlightening information I found in the book was the following paragraph:

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"According to many recent studies,a significant percentage of low thyroid patients present themselves as nervous and apprehensive. When one energy hormone, such as thyroid, is low, the compensatory mechanism is to release more of another energy hormone. This is often cortisol, adrenaline, or both... the adrenal gland, trying to compensate for the slugging thyroid. The result is that you have more energy to get through your day, but it comes at the price of greater edginess, a result of extra adrenal hormones. This effect of low thyroid is often confused with high thyroid. Thyroid hormone, as a source of energy for the body, is preferred over adrenaline asa source of energy. Adrenaline is best utilized for fight-or-flight situations. When adrenaline is used for daily energy due to low thyroid hormone, the person experiences its side effects, which can be anxiety and nervousness."
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When I added thyroid support herbs and vitamins, I felt an immediate and dramatic improvement in my anxiety, energy levels, mood, sociability, stress tolerance, heat light and noise sensitivity, and sleep onset insomnia.

The only down side I felt was that I "woke up too early".. like 5 am every morning, like clockwork. Luckily, that effect dissipated in about a month and now I sleep until 6:30 to 7am, as desired.

I have spent the past 6 weeks slowly experimenting with thyroid support options and trying to find what works for me. I made a number of mistakes... such as going too fast... or switching doses around too quickly.

Other posters and have said: be very cautious about adding thyroid support until your adrenals are significantly stabilized. I had good success after adding it almost 2 years into my recovery.

One thing I learned about thyroid support is that start low and go slow really, really applies. I took too much and got wired, cut the dose in half and felt wiped out... it really helps to verrrrrry slowly, verrry patiently add elements of it and increase the dose over several weeks. The body gets used to the thyroid boost... and stabilizes on being given an slow and steady diet before adding more. IF you change doses quick, you are liable to either "overdrive" or "crash."

I also found that taking OTC thyroid glandular is best done in smaller doses 3x per day, rather than a bigger dose in the A.m. It only seems to work for several hours...and then I noticeably "run out of steam." Multiple doses solves this well.

Now, at month 23, I am pretty much asymptomatic and I feel GREAT. Working full-time, dating, working out, bike rides, sometimes parties and clubs after 10pm. Emotional stress or physical over exertion causes "normal" tiredness... but there is no crash or significant price to pay the next day! My sleep is great also... I get right into bed and fall asleep within 10 minutes on most nights.


My only remaning symptom is photosensitivity. Being out in the mid-day tropical sun, physically exerting, causes much more fatigue than it used to.

I have plenty of energy and feel much BETTER than I did before developing severe AFS, although I am not longer able to live in the extreme, party, adrenaline addict way I used to. I now can do a normal, moderate amount of "normal person stuff" as long as I watch my diet and give myself some healthy downtime.

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My late stage (month 23) AFS recovery support formula:

1000 mg Vitamin C with Quercetin & Bioflavanoids
450mg pantethine
6mg day Astaxanthin (for reducing photosensitivity)
6,000mg inostiol (for anxiety, OCD)
4000 I.U Vitamin D3
2 capsules of DHA fish oil
400mg magnesium (at bedtime)

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--Thyroid support in the AM--
1 NOW Thyroid Energy capsule
1 Metagenics Thyrosol capsule
1/8th tablet of Planetary Full Spectrum Ashwagandha

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3 x 1/2 tablet of Standard Process Thytrophin (thyroid glandular) take one before each meal


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Best of luck and may God bless you and guide you towards the answers you need. Don't give up hope!!!!

Breakthroughs and miracles happen! You can discover one supplement or lifestyle tweak that can make a quantum breakthrough, faster than you imagined possible.