# Chronic constipation? Have you thyroid levels tested?



## Guest (Mar 26, 2009)

I wanted to post my story as it might be what some here are suffering with constipation.I have thyroid disease - specifically Graves disease and until I was treated I rarely had constipation. When I began the med's to slow my thyroid down I had constipation episodes occasionally. After 4.5 years on med's for my thyroid I had my thyroid completely removed. I had regular BM's for about 6 weeks post op then everything changed and constipation became more common, all the while with my doctor telling me my now thyroid replacement meds were putting me at "normal" thyroid levels. I felt so much better having had the surgery and getting rid of the constant anxiety caused by Graves I went along with what the doctors were saying, even though my active thyroid hormones (Ft-3 especially) were low or at the bottom of the range. You see, if you are in a "range" then the doctors label you "normal" even though you may be having symptoms of low thyroid. for as much as I know about thyroid disease I never until a few weeks ago thought it was my levelsIt's my own fault because I know better but like I said losing the anxiety I overlooked the new side effect - constipation.I went on iron replacement which only complicated my constipation issues, had endometrial ablation in order to eliminate the iron from my diet, had surgery on an old c-section scar to rule out scar tissue causing the pain which I now realize is actually caused from being constipated, had a colonoscopy, a CT scan all of which showed normal but"tortous" bowels.So my point... I finally decided to raise my thyroid medication and get my FT's up, most doctors only treat thyroid by TSH which is wrong - FT-4 and FT-3 show the actual available thyroid hormone in the body which controls metabolism. My TSH frequently is at the low end of range which says I a hyper but my FT's are also showing low range which is hypo. Most doctors only treat by the TSH so I have been kept in a hypo state thus constipated, one of the key hypo symptoms.After increasing my thyroid replacement for only 9 days now I have had a BM every day - the hard stool issue has completely resolved. I don;t have to watch my diet as closely as before and things just keep working. I can frequently hear food moving through my colon and the abdominal pain has gotten 90% better. I have tried several different doses in the last 6 weeks and every time I begin a new dose I begin having BM's immediately. This last dose change is in my opinion my "set point" and as long as I continue to have normal BM's I will argue with every doctor I go to treatment with if thy try to reduce my thyroid medication.For years I have tried different fibers, stool softeners, probiotics , diets and the list goes on and everything always worked for a few days then quit. I hope my story helps some of you and I encourage you to have your thyroid levels tested. If you choose not to go to your doctor you can order a lab sheet in the USA from HealthcheckUSA.com and if you use discount code 12345 you receive an $11 discount. The test you want is the Thyroid Panel II.


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## Bhagwat (Apr 4, 2009)

With folded hands I thank God and invoke that God's blessing be showered on you for your good work in helping others like me by posting your story. Thank you. I have HypoThyroidism and i am chronically constipated. I do take Thyroxine but your letter convinves me that the dose is too low. Could you please share what does you started with and what you consider your optimum dose. I know that this can vary widely but it will give me some idea of the dose.Thank you and God BlessLilly


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## Guest (Apr 8, 2009)

Lilly,The first thing you need to do is get some thyroid lab's run, in addition to TSH you should have a FT-4 and if lucky a FT-3 run to see where exactly you are within the range. Do you feel tired at all or have brain fog or memory issues?People feel different at every part of the range but if you are experiencing constipation and you know you have a thyroid issue than it's a strong chance it could be that you are not on enough replacement. This was the issue for me and although I am well versd in thyroid levels it even caught me off guard. I have been constipation free for almost 2 weeks now since I have increased my thyroid hormone.Please try tot get those labs run and if you prefer you can order an online lab request sheet from HealthcheckUSA for around $85 that includes the TSH, FT-4 and FT-3. The the package is called the Thyroid II and if you use discount code 12345 you get a discount.


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## Bhagwat (Apr 4, 2009)

Dear Rose,I thank God almighty for connecting me with you. Thank you for your post and providing me with your email address. I am 85 years old and not always prompt with email. Please forgive me. I am on 75 mcg Thyroxin on one day and 50 mcg the next. But since I got your letter I am taking 75 mcg every day and intend to go to 100 mcg until I see an effect. I have had blood tests and my T3 and T4 are at the bottom of the range. What do you think? Thank you again. A very Happy Easter to you and your family and a wonderful Spring I sent you an email but it was returned as the address was incorrect. My email address is [email protected] Lilly BhagwatHome phone: 914-961-3027


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## Alexanderfromdenmark (Dec 17, 2008)

I think this is a very good poiny. IMO IBS isn't just normal. It dosn't just happen. After having done a lot of study on hypothyroidism/CFS/FMS. It's pretty clear that doctors are pretty crappy at diagnosing and treating hypothyroidism. I think are lot of IBS'ers are undiagnosed hypothyroids because their TSH is "normal".


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## Alexanderfromdenmark (Dec 17, 2008)

I am undiagnosed with regards to hypothyoid. Maybe I'm not hypothyroid. But I've started self-medicating with T3 since yesterday and already the results have been good for the constipation. I don't advise anybody does the same with without having blood tests show low ft3 or sub-optimal ft3. I'm just putting my current experience out there and don't advise people to start self-medicating. But the results are showing already.


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## Guest (May 11, 2009)

Alexanderfromdenmark,How are you self medicating with T-3? You need to be careful because T-3 is powerful stuff and can cause heart issues if you take too much. Please be sure to have a lab shortly to be sure you don't take too much. Your body will let you know if you are taking too much with anxiety and heart palpitations but you still should test.I had a horrible time rising my FT-3 level because it had been low for almost 4 years after my thyroid was removed but now that my body has adjusted to having the higher FT-3 I don't have anymore issues. At one point my body actually felt like it was vibrating.On another note for those of you who wonder if this is really a "cure all" ... I have been having regular movements for weeks now - I have lost count. Most days I go 2x a day which is a miracle because going 1x was such an effort. The best part is I can eat whatever I want and the constant obsessing of whether my body would pass a certain food is gone completely. This weekend I had my first steak in over a year and did not have any issues at all.I just had lab's done but do not have the actual numbers which I expect in today's mail. My doctors office said all was within range but for those of you who do get regular thyroid tests it's important to get the actual numbers because in range can still keep you in a hypo - thus constipated state. I was in normal range in January and completely constipated and miserable.


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## karoe (Sep 22, 1999)

Hi, I've been diagnosed with a whole range of low hormones/thyroid/adrenal etc. Regular doctor did nothing for years, claimed I was normal. Finally went to an integrative medicine physician and one of the things she specializes in is hormone treatment for women. I started a very low dose of Cytomel T3 (5 mcg. 2x perday) six weeks ago. It is relieving my crushing afternoon fatigue, little by little. I have never taken any other thyroid meds. The low dose is intenede to push my own system into readjusting after menopause, not to replace my thyroid hormones for life.Here is the interesting part............when the fatigue doesn't show up in the afternoon, neither does the gut pain. I'm looking for the relationship between thyroid and gut symptoms........I don't have constipation. I've been working on mainly the gut issue for the last ten years and just read some thyroid books last year. The best is The 10 Step Hormone Makeover by Phuli Cohan.Lots of ideas. This is a big area of controversy-- Amy Shlomon is the web guru about it.


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## Guest (May 17, 2009)

Karoe,I bet some of the success from supplementing with Cytomel is the fact that you metabolism has increased thus digestion - which may have been the cause of your pain.Cytomel is a very powerful drug and you should be aware it can cause heart palpitations during the adjustment period or if you are taking too much.I'd be interested to see if your system is readjusted after you quit taking the Cytomel. Do you by chance have the thyroid test results and ranges? Did they run any thyroid antibody tests? It is quite common as we age for our thyroid to either slow down or quit working. Taking a thyroid hormone replacement for the remainder of your life isn't really a big deal and fairly common.


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## karoe (Sep 22, 1999)

*Here's an update I sent out to friends a few weeks ago. My fatigue problem continues to improve slowly.*I went to the doc on Friday to get the results of some recent blood > work. I have been taking DHEA 5mg 2X per day and Cytomel (T3), 5mcg > 2X per day for over a month now.>> My DHEA was 65. At prior testing it was 25. "Normal" range for 50 > y.o. woman is 15-75 but the hormone guru who wrote the book likes to > see it at 75-100 and my doc agrees.>> My T3 (thyroid) was 3.46. At prior testing it was 2.36 and 2.63, > March> '09 and March '07, respectively. "Normal" range is 2.50-3.90>> ("normal" means the generally accepted level of conventional> medicine.)>> These numbers are only snapshots of blood levels; they can vary over > time, however there is such a huge difference that the doc (and me)> think(s) it's significant. The drugs are getting to the right place.> More proof is that I'm having hot flashes again whereas they had > pretty much vanished. The doc says it's because a couple chemicals > use the same receptor...more than that I can't remember. It will > resolve when everything recalibrates. It's really not bad, I actually > find it kind of reassuring.>> So, the real question here is => how do I feel? I stilll have to nap > and rest in the afternoons, but I feel much less desperate to lay down.> The brain fog in the afternoon is gone, I'm just tired. I feel better > earlier in the evening more often. And....ta-da.... I had 2 days in > the past two weeks when I was busy and managed to get thru the > afternoon with NO nap at all.>> I have to remember that I am taking a very low dose of both of these > drugs, and it takes time for changes to happen. Normally docs give up > to 25 mcg of cytomel fairly quickly, and athletes who use it illegally> take up to 100 mcg per day. Same with DHEA. People who buy it in the> health food store and self medicate take amounts like 50 and 100 mg. > The idea here is we are trying to nudge my system back into producing > its own DHEA and T3 with small doses of meds, not to replace those > things with a supplement for the rest of my life.>> I am going to continue these medications exactly the way they are for > a month and then go back to the doc to assess my progress. The doc > also renewed my Rx for vaginal estriol cream and we're putting an > extra kick in it this time...a touch of testosterone. Woooohoo!>


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## Guest (Jun 1, 2009)

> Normally docs give up to 25 mcg of cytomel fairly quickly, and athletes who use it illegally take up to 100 mcg per day. Same with DHEA. People who buy it in the health food store and self medicate take amounts like 50 and 100 mg.


People who take those huge dose are nuts in my eyes and are at risk for heart issues.Glad to hear you are feeling better. One more test you should request is Vitamin D. I also struggle with afternoon fatigue - even with my recent increase of Cytomel to 5mcg 2x per day but have just taken my 3rd of 12 dose of Vitamin D and seem to be able to get through the afternoons now without the nap. I have heard from several people having the proper Vit D in your system helps with energy.


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## karoe (Sep 22, 1999)

Hi, sorry I haven't responded. Is there a way I could flag this thread so I know when there is a new message???My vitamin D was tested and came in around 50. I hope it was a good quality test....Dr. Mercola is always ranting about using the good test and not the bad test. I take 3,000 IU of vitamin D a day, now for about 9 months.I just started the B vitamin complex. Have you read Dr. Brownstein's books?My condition is pretty status quo. I've had just a touch of insomnia which could be the cytomelK


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## Guest (Jul 4, 2009)

Karoe,I always get an email when I reply to a post so look at the bottom when you respond and check the box that says enable email notification of replies.How are you feeling? I have insomnia regardless of what thyroid doses I am on - I have been taking L-triptophan for 2 months now with great success. I take 3- 500mg pills and can now finally sleep 3-5 hours without waking. The L-triptophan is an amino acid which I obviously am lacking of.


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## karoe (Sep 22, 1999)

Update time, here-- I was searching the forums for "adrenal fatigue" and I stumbled upon my own post!I have stopped the T3 -cytomel for the thyroid. I cut the dose in half when I had trouble falling asleep last month, and now I've gone off it completely because I am waking up at 3 in the morning and not being able to fall back asleep.I was focusing on the thyroid as the reason for my fatigue....and my reading led me, just last week, across information on adrenal fatigue. That's the buzzword, I was not aware it existed and my doctor did not describe it to me in those terms. I was amazed and yes, flabbergasted, that the description of syptoms fit my experience very well. Finally, there is at least a name for what I have, and other people who have it! Relationship to gut: aldosterone, a hormone produced by the adrenal glands, directs water balance in the body and there might be a relationship for low adosterone and loose stool. Anyway........I am not saying I am back to square one, but it appears that the adrenals have to be treated before one addresses any thyroid issues. I am going back to my doc this week to devise a new strategy.


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## Brittles (Aug 2, 2009)

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism last september. My numbers are fine now and I still struggle daily with constipation.I think it's great that changing your levels helped you, however, I also just want to put it out there that changing your hormone level is not a magic cure all for constipation for people with thyroid problems.


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