Posted by Lycaste on December 7, 2000, at 16:07:06
In reply to Re: Cytomel, input needed---Dr. Arem's book, posted by Noa on December 6, 2000, at 19:01:49
Hi Noa,
I just bought the book so it was fresh in my mind.
While I have you here, so to speak, I was hoping you'd be willing to answer a couple of questions for me.
I, of course, have thyroid disease. In my case, I been treated to both hyper- and hypo- episodes over the years. So far, I've been treated only with Synthroid (T4.)
I am toying with the idea of adding T3 to see if helps with my long-standing dysthymia. Suppressing my TSH entirely doesn't appear to be an option for me. In my last test 2 months ago, I was down to .30, and I am now showing clear signs hyperthyroidism.
But playing with T3 still would be an option, which my endocrinologist is willing to do once we get me stabilized again on T4. (My dose needs adjusting because I've lost 25 lbs over the last 6 months or so.)
My main symptom--or the one that seems to most negatively affect my life and self-confidence--is what I'll call lack of mental energy or motivation. I really want to make a distinction here between mental and physical energy, because I honestly don't think I have a problem with physical energy. I can take long hikes, work out intensively at the gym, etc. without feeling undue fatigue. And many of the things I have trouble motivating myself to do take little or no physical energy at all--in fact, I may even expend more physical energy in the long run in avoiding the task.
What I seem to have is a puzzling and chronic inability to translate thought into action. From little things to big things, from chores to pleasant activities, it doesn't matter: I'll think, and think, and think again about doing them and that's often as far as it goes. It takes a forcing of will for me to do things most people do without any effort. This is true even when my mood is good.
Oddly enough, once a month I get a taste of what normal motivation looks like. More often than not, the day before my period my motivational clutch stops slipping and I am rather effortlessly able to get into gear. (I often joke that I seem to have reverse PMS.) However, to have normal motivation once a month hardly leaves me with much a life. In fact, I think my low mood is as much a symptom as a cause of my lack of motivation: it is hard to feel upbeat when you are chronically understimulated (I think the technical description is "bored outta your gourd") 'cause you can't seem to get off your duff.
Does any of this seem similar to your experiences before you got your thyroid adequately treated? In particular, did you feel a distinction between physical and mental energy (motivation) and did the adding of T3 help?
Thanks for any sharing of your experiences that you are willing to do.
Lycaste
> Thanks, Lycaste. That is such an important book. I forgot about checking there for more info. That book really helped me hone in on my thyroid problems and a treatment plan.
poster:Lycaste
thread:49900
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20001130/msgs/50152.html