Thyroid

Symptoms of hypothyroidism  included fatigue, cold and heat intolerance, hypotension, fluid retention, dry skin and/or hair, constipation, headaches, low sexual desire, infertility, irregular menstrual periods, aching muscles and joints, depression, anxiety, slow metabolism and decreased heart rate, memory impairment, enlarged tongue, deep voice, swollen neck, PMS, weight gain, hypoglycemia, and high cholesterol and triglycerides. Yet, more than half of all people with thyroid disease are unaware of their condition.

T4 (thyroxine) is an inactive form of thyroid hormone that is converted in the body to T3, the active form. Some hypothyroid patients remain symptomatic on T4 therapy and T3 may also be required for optimal thyroid replacement therapy. However, the only commercially available form of T3 is the synthetic drug Cytomel  in an immediate release formulation which is rapidly absorbed and may potentially cause serious side effects including heart palpitations.

Research indicates that to avoid adverse effects, patients and their physicians may wish to consider the use of sustained-release T3 in the treatment of hypothyroidism, particularly when the response to the synthetic T4 drug Synthroid has not been complete. Another option is to use a physiologic blend of T4/T3 commonly reffered to as Armour thyroid.