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9,364
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10 y
weaning off NatureThroid - please help
I'll try to make this short. I want to stop taking NatureThroid because I don't think I needed it to begin with.
I was diagnosed with subclinical hypothyroid almost two years ago (August 2012). I was right on the border. I also had high cortisol at night, indicating adrenal issues (probably from marathoning and trying to come off an SSRI too fast).
Whenever I took my VERY small dose of 1/4 grain of NatureThroid (16.25 mg), I would become so tired. I would sleep, yes, but over the course of nearly 24 months, I've just gotten more and more tired. Thyroid lab numbers stayed good but weren't "perfect." Couldn't up dose because my blood pressure would PLUMMET and I'd be dead in the water. Yes, the opposite reaction! I thought thyroid meds were supposed to perk you up. Not me. I think my adrenals are still messed up. Melasma started developing over my forehead and my estrogen went way down. I want off the NatureThroid, and I want to just work on my adrenals, which I think are what caused my subclinical hypo to begin with. I feel if I can get them in order, I can be good again and normal. I can't even exercise now, I have zero energy. I used to run 5 miles a day for 10 years with absolutely NO issues!!!!
So, I'm a month into weaning (taking a half of 1/4 grain, so 8.125 mg), and I get woken up in the middle of the night with these huge adrenaline or cortisol or hypoglycemic episodes. Sometimes I'm up all night, sometimes I sleep and wake up every two hours like this. It's BRUTAL. When I resume the 1/4 (16.25mg), I start to sleep 6 hours + 2 hours, but I have little energy. My thyroid labs still look OK (although low TOTAL T4 but normal/good FREE T4; normal T3; normal TSH).
What is going on with me and the overnight craziness? I'm so tired from the lack of sleep! No hypo symptoms are revealing themselves (I never really had any to begin with!). Please help figure out what the heck is going on and what I should do to get a peaceful night's sleep. I am taking ashwagandha and iodine, mag, Vit D, selenium, multi. Also a vegan (I take an iron supplement). B12 is fine.