WELL NOW ---- it's the THYROID GLAND

all other previous complaints have been settled . my daughter glucose level went to 400 and the aforemention meds were stopped. Okay now , after all of this and testing the thyroid is found to be very low functioning. the only drug that she is takes ( (is zoloft 150 mg once a day. the clorizil and cogintin regiment is over, so they say, but at what cost to normal metabolic funtioning? ( what ever is normal) . SO, TELL ME ABOUT THE DRUG SYNTHROID, this may be the new med. Sorry about rambling and seeming self centered.

Synthroid I have found has helped me with some physical issues and maybe even cognition, I was put on it this spring, only 25mcgs. I have read a lot how thyroid overactive or underactive can wreak havoc in so many ways involving almost every organ/system(s), including brain function,
Many doctors only prescribe thyroid med for hypothyroidism(slow functioning) if the various levels of thyroid hormones are not within the "normal" limits, but studies have shown that may not always be the only reason when med should be prescribed cause what is normal limits for one person may slightly vary or in my case I was on the fringe till more characteristics prompted another re-test and then it showed not within "normal" limits. I have many of my aunts,my mom and my grandmother who is 94 y.o. BTW that have been put on Synthroid and they all see a positive difference.
I had a gyn once that didn't believe in solely going according to the tests, he observed other physical features that were signs of hypothyroid, when I wasn't getting pregnant as we thought I would he said the next step was to try thyroid meds, boosting internal organ function that slight sluggishness could contribute to near inability to become pregnant.
Sorry, I got carried away, but in my opinion I wouldn't be afraid to give the Synthroid a try. I wish I could remember this website that had a psychiatrist who has done research and also uses thyroid meds often in addition to psychiatric meds and in some cases alone and the patients condition(s) improved, some turned out to only need thyroid meds.
There are some really good books about this at Borders or even other good book stores, I recently bought one printed in the UK by the Oxford press and I think the title was just Thyroid, I do not have the book close by, but can get the info you decide you are interested.
I apologize if this "2 cents" of mine wasn't of any use to you, but just wanted to assure you that Synthroid is a commonly used thyroid med. for thyroid disorders and/or adjunct to some psychiatric meds.
I wish you lots of luck with this
"darkeyes"

In giving advice seek to help, not please your friend
SOLON

I'm sorry that your daughter is having so much trouble. I just wanted to say that I have taken synthroid for about 15 years now for an underactive thyroid condition. I've not had any side effects or problems whatsoever. Every year my doctor does a blood test to make sure it's at the right level. Hope this helps.

thanx very much for your reply. i have been reading -up on synthroid and it does'nt seem too bad. i am very glad at this point, that she is off the clorzril and cogentin. that combination was causing the bedwetting,and ran her glucose level up. all i can do is observe her actions and pray that she will be mentally better.

thank-u for the reassurance about the synthroid med. i'm hoping once it it's in her system that it will help on her depression and other mental situations..

Hey Darkeyes! - WOW!! Your answer was far better than anything I could have posted. Maybe the only thing that I can add is that thyroid gland is controlled by the pituitary gland (via TSH - thyrois stimulating hormone) and regulates many unconcious bodily functions (click on "See How It Works" for a good overview).

The link between the butterfly-shaped thyroid gland and depression is that the activity of the thyroid gland is heavily influenced by the HPA axis, the body's unconscious "fight-or-flight" mechanism which is an <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.stressstop.com/articles/article1.html>"evolutionary response to stress"</A>.

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Sorry, I gotta interrupt. As I was researching some trivia facts for this article I came across <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.orgonomicscience.org/therapy/flight.html>this site</A>. I stress, however, that the information incorrect, if not highly amusing.

If anyone is old enough to remember several books in the 1970s on UFOs and paranormal (parabnormal?) by Frank Edwards, they will remember "orgone therapy" (bptoo, I know that you-re old enough - and crazy enough - to have read these books, too)

Orgone was supposed to be some sort of aether-like substance (remember ether, as in ethereal?). This smart guy and scientist, Wilhelm (William?) Reich was a leading citizen and leading proponent of the health giving properties of orgone. I believe that it was claimed that one could somehow siphon (attract?, concentrate?) this energy into oneself and it would prevent one from getting ill. I think that Reich sold time in his orgone chair, room, or something like that.

As with much of homeopathy and many other alternate/natural therapies, orgone therapy was to be used when healthy to "prevent", not "treat" an illness. It is a hard call to prove the one remains healthy because of the therapy, or because that person is actively taking better care of themselves (as evinced by going to the trouble of doing the therapy). A person who becomes more self-aware (to a point) usually is a healthier person.

I had forgot about orgone therapy, and can't fathom why people would believe still believe in a theory that had been so totally crushed by a Mr. Einstein's mathematics.

Sorry, just a trip down memory lane (sigh, even my reminiscenses are dull and geeky). Back to some closing comments ......
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Too much stress on one's body overworks the (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis) and can result in <A target="_blank" HREF=http://bjp.rcpsych.org/cgi/content/full/177/6/482>major depression. Many other disorders are also associated with a malfunction of the HPA axis. For example,, certain <A target="_blank" HREF=http://216.239.37.104/search?q=cache:RvWpLuSYEeMJ:www.rheuma21st.com/downloads/cutting_edge_hpa_axis_cutolo.pdf+"HPA+axis"+"mechanism&hl=en&ie=UTF-8>rheumatic disorders</A>, <A target="_blank" HREF=http://://www.cushings-help.com/HPA_axis.htm>Cushing's syndrome</A>, , <A target="_blank" HREF=http://cogent.stanford.edu/hpa.asp>psychotic depression, and a host of <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.biopsychiatry.com/hpa.htm>other disorders</A>. It is thought by many researchers that the breakdown of the HPA axis is involved in major depression.

I hope that you can find the information that you are looking for. - Cam
P.S. Here is some more info on <A target="_blank" HREF=http://thyroid.about.com/blsynthroid.htm>Synthroid</A>



To fully understand a concept is to be unable to convey it's intricacies verbally; only when one can sense it emotionally, does one understand.

Gee, Cam I hope that wasn't a sarcastic remark
I didn't mean to reply at your forum, or try to fill in, you are the expert in this field for sure
I just couldn't help but briefly give out some encouraging info on Synthroid from my own positive experience
Damn, I wish they would "up" my dose a tad, I read that it can be helpful in depression, alone or in adjunct with the "other" meds. . . but the pdoc said "no", the prescribing GP said "no" But then I read how so many pdocs didn't go according to the "within the normal limits" stuff but according to the better mood and general overall well being their patients had at various doses and dose changes.
I guess in my own personal case they fear it may induce mania in the "bipolar-II" patient. A little bit of mild mania aint' such a bad idea about now, ha!ha!
Sorry for adding my 2 cents

In giving advice seek to help, not please your friend
SOLON

Darkeyes - As we have already spoken I thought that I'd clarify your concerns for the rest of the group. No, I definitely wasn't being sarcastic. If anyone, and I mean anyone has something to add to what I say please, please do so.

Much of my experience is from study of the literature and clinical observation. A little comes from talking to those who are taking the medications, but I wish this avenue of knowledge comprised much, much more of my knowledge base.

Nothing replaces practical experience! Please, I would be extremely honored and delighted if others with information in regards to the questions posted here would share their experiences and knowledge. Do not be afraid of thinking that your information may be inaccurate, that is what I am here for.

In dealing with medications there are no "stupid" questions, nor are there any wrong answers. My replies consist of the (hopefully) best of my knowledge at the moment that I am typing the post. In retrospect I realize that in many (if not most) of my replies that I should have added "this" or clarified "that", but unless I have made a grievous error I am too lazy to go back an modify a post.

Please, everyone, help me with my answers. This is especially true of late as I am in the midst of a serious downturn in my mental state. Most days it is more than I can handle to just turn on this darned machine.

Thank you all - Cam

To fully understand a concept is to be unable to convey it's intricacies verbally; only when one can sense it emotionally, does one understand.