UPDATE ON Well - I finally did it!

I first published this post last year.  I am delighted to report that I have been Synthroid-free now for 16 months.  I just passed my annual physical with flying colors; my Doctor’s comment was that she is “amazed that I have managed to restart my thyroid”.  So am I -- but I did it after 3 Doctors told me I would never get off this pill for the rest of my life.  I am sharing this success story again with you to let you know that if you passionately believe in something you need to follow that dream.  For me, it worked out because enough time has passed and I am healthy without the drug.  Use the internet as your information superhighway (of course, access reputable sites) and challenge your Doctor(s) with that information.  Your Doctor should have enough of a bedside manner to sit with you and discuss your findings and concerns.  Moral of the story: you are in charge of your body because you are living in it.  Do not give that responsibility to another human being. 

About 15 years ago, the internist that I was seeing at the time decided that I needed to start taking Synthroid.  I had complained about a few things:  morning fatigue, cold hands and feet, low blood pressure and heart rate and slight weight gain.   Now that I look back on the situation, I realize that I probably had symptoms of the start of perimenopause.  The Doctor never mentioned this.  He just prescribed Synthroid and told me I had to start taking it. 
Perimenopause is a natural occurring transition before the change.  Unfortunately, the symptoms often mimic hypothyroidism.  Back then, many physicians were prescribing Synthroid for women approaching menopause. I never realized that I would be on that pill for a very long time.  

As the years passed and I became much more involved in my health, I became irritated that I had allowed another human being to take charge of my life.  Lots of people are fine with this behavior but I was not.  If you allow someone else to make decisions about your body, you relinquish your rights.  I decided that one way or another I was going to get off of Synthroid since studies showed that it decreased your bone density.  This was a concern of mine.  It also causes cardiac side effects.   Being on this medication for the rest of my life was not an option. 

I changed Doctors and found someone who, I hoped, was going to listen to me.   I started monitoring my yearly blood tests and challenging the dosage.  Little by little, he brought my Synthroid dosage down because my thyroid values were improving. I was getting close but my physician told me that I would NEVER completely get off Synthroid.  I sought a second opinion and got the same response.  That word, never, got my engine running.  I was going to prove them wrong. The third physician that I consulted was the charm. When I asked her if I could get off of Synthroid – she responded “Why not? No one should be on that drug”.  That was music to my ears.  We embarked on a program that would assist me, starting off with full blood tests and a thyroid sonogram.  That was 14 months ago.  We cut my pill in half and I took that for the next three months every other day.  I was trying to bring my thyroid back to life.  I went back for a blood test in 3 months and all systems were go.  We then reduced my dosage further for the next 4 months.  The plan was for me to take just 25 MCG once a week and finish off December 31^st.  I did that and felt elated.  

Then the bottom fell out.  I spent the next three months feeling awful.  I woke up every day with aches and pains, my fatigue was overwhelming and I was scared to death that the cold hands and feet would reappear at any moment.  I remember the moment when I picked up the bottle that contained the remainder of the Synthroid pills and just stared at it.  I was ready to go back on the medicine.  I felt like an addict.  

Then spring arrived and my body turned completely around.  I was energetic, happy, my bones felt strong and alive and my aches and pains disappeared.  I had arrived.  The test came last Thursday when I had my first physical in a year.  The Doctor was very impressed with all of my bloodwork.  It was excellent and my thyroid values perfect.  

The moral of my story is that you should pursue your dreams.  Mine was to get off a medication that I believe was erroneously prescribed for me years ago.  I do not suggest doing anything like this without the supervision of a qualified medical professional.  I found one that understood me and listened to me as much as I listened to her.  It was an exchange of information that got me on the road to health and I am forever grateful.