Hi everyone! Very nice forum. I'm a new member. I’ll start chelation on DMSA in a few days. I'll keep you posted on my progress in another thread. However, I just wanted to give out some useful information for those of you who might want to check out their thyroid gland status before chelating. I know that some people here have requested this kind of information. I've been suffering from Hashimoto's thyroiditis for quite a while and I've been through the works with hypothyroidism! The list of symptoms is long and IT IS related to CFS/Fibromyalgia, depression, bipolar II, psychiatric illness and of course... the culprit, as you know, is mercury toxicity. Mercury puts the immune system upside down. This is why these illness are oftenly accompanied by allergies.

The first blood test to do is called the TSH test. TSH stands for Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, produced by the pituitary gland (the hypophysis) that controls the thyroid's production. The TSH can give you an indication of your thyroid status. It is extremely important to keep in mind that the TSH test is absolutly no silver bullet. Usually, a normal TSH range is between 0.3 and 3.0 mU/L. If your TSH result is greater than 3.0 there is no doubt that you are hypothyroid (yes, this is counter-intuitive: when the TSH is near to suppression it means you are HYPERthyroid). If the TSH is between 1.5 and 3.0, you can check your Free T4 and Free T3 tests results (always have them done if possible, they give precious information). Whatever the reference range specified by the lab for these tests, if the results are not OPTIMAL, that is, not at the top of the reference range, then you are hypothyroid, and this is especially true for the Free T3 result, especially when you have a long list of symptoms. You can also do the anti-thyroperoxidase and anti-microsomal antibody titres blood tests. A high antibody titre confirms that the immune system is attacking and destroying the thyroid gland.

The thyroid produces both thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). Althought T4 has some active properties in itself, it acts mainly as a pro-hormone: T4 needs to be converted to T3 by an enzyme. The most metabolically active molecule is T3.

The effects of mercury on thyroid status is fourfold : 1) mercury can cause the dysfonction of the immune system, now attacking the thyroid and God knows what other organs (like the brain?!); 2) mercury has an affinity with iodine atoms (the thyroid is one big juicy iodine sponge) so it is theorized that maybe the antibodies are actually attacking the gland because there is mercury present; 3) we know for a fact that mercury inhibits the enzymatic convertion process of thyroxine (T4) into liothyronine (T3) and 4) mercury can bring the pituitary gland to ‘malfunction’, thus giving out false TSH values and an improper thyroid control resulting in either hyperthyroid or hypothyroid status, or both within a certain interval of time, causing a bipolar like symptology and psychotic-like episodes.

I have been able to confirm that I have this ‘convertion problem’ because any T4 dosage raise I do is very hard for me (it's really 6 weeks of pure hell) and my T4 supplement is not doing as good a job as my T3 supplement. I can also confirm the results from a study that stated that the brain is pretty fancy-pants, in that it likes to convert its own T4 into T3 according to its needs. I have not been able to get rid of the infamous “brain fog” with T3 alone. T4 is better at this – yet T3 still remains by far the best anti-depressant of the two.

Not everything goes away with thyroid hormone replacement therapy. Although most of the time thyroid replacement brings the adrenals back on track after a few months, I have observed that brain fog is separate from the “attention deficit” or concentration problems. The mercury, in itself, must be causing my attention deficit. Also, not all my fatigue went away but I saw a vast improvement. I am convinced that getting your hands on a thyroid supplement could help you fight candida because it re-establishes a normal ATP metabolic activity. Personally, my digestion and my stools have improved greatly since.

You can choose from many brand names. Armour Thyroid is dessicated hog thyroid that contains both T4 and rapid-release T3 (I didn’t like it and had a minor skin allergic reaction). On the synthetic side of things, for T4 there is Synthroid, Unithroid, Levoxyl and the such. The only brand of synthetic T3 available is called Cytomel. Cytomel is also a rapid-release format. That means that approx. 95% of the drug gets absorbed within an hour or so in the stomach. Thus, rapid-release is not for everyone. Usually, patients spread the dosage throughout the day, and take it 3 to 4 times a day, so to avoid mood swings, exasperation, and a general feeling of yucky-ness. It’s not very practical.

It is my experience that the really good stuff is SUSTAINED-RELEASE T3, that you must get from a compounding pharmacy. The pharmacist takes the liothyronine and mixes it with a special agent that will release the T3 over 10 to 14 hours (depending on your physionomy). The result is a really smooth feeling. If you suffer from fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and depression, SUSTAINED-RELEASE T3 is the wonder drug you want to try out, believe me. The problem is finding a doctor willing to prescribe any T3 at all (they are all pretty much stuck within a T4 dogma these days).

The half-life of T4 is very long (14 days), so it takes quite a while to reach the dosage level in the blood stream and thus T4 can only be raised each 6 to 8 weeks. T3 has a half-life of only 2 days at most. It takes only 6 to 8 days to reach the dosage level in the blood stream. So you can safely raise T3 doses each 2 weeks. With both T4 and T3 you can get some palpitations and sweats, but these symptoms are temporary. The goal is to bring the TSH somewhere between, say, 0.5 and 1.2 depending on the symptology and to get an optimal Free T3 result.

T3 has a pretty strong effect on the central nervous system. It can cut depression pretty fast. I suggest you start with 5 to 6.25 mcg (MICROgrams) and raise by such increments each 2 weeks. T4 is easily available from a GP if the TSH is out of range. The initial dosage for T4 is 50 mcg with 25 mcg raises each 6 to 8 weeks but beware the nasty side effects during the first 4 to 6 weeks of each raise.

Don't go too fast on T3 raises. Give your adrenals time to cope. Go slowly, give your body time to adjust. Try to get your TSH back to around 1.0 and try to keep a 4:1 ratio of T4 to T3 if possible, but go with what works for you. If you feel fine with only a T4 regimen, then fine. People with convertion problems will have a higher T3 ratio, of course.

I hope this has been usefull.

The only thing that has relieved my suicidal thoughts and depression are T3 which is in Armour thyroid. The phsyciatric industry are now using T3 and getting good results. Anti-depressants can make you feelworse, some actually kill the thyroid because .
they contain fluoride.

This is very interesting, and I agree with you on the need to take T3, rather than T4 only meds. Most mercury toxic people have a problem converting T4 to T3, so T4 meds are about as useful as a sugar pill for us. I use Armour, but can't get up my Free T3 levels without going over range on T4, so I have cut back my dose and am using additional T3 in 6mg doses.

Just a comment about using TSH to evaluate thyroid status. It is largely useless, and no indicator of how the person will be feeling. I have a totally suppressed TSH (0.2), yet I still have hypo symptoms. Once the TSH is suppressed, you have to dose largely on how you feel, not by the numbers on a piece of paper. I thought I was at the right level, took some more T3 and felt loads better, so there is clearly room for improvement. Also, I have been hypothyroid for many years - I estimate since childhood, when I had my amalgams placed - so healing from decades of hypothyroid will take months or years at the right dose. So getting the TSH down to around 1 may not bring any real improvement quickly for a person who has been hypothyroid for a long time.

Best
Nicola

I have found these posts really informative and interesting. I actually have a few questions. I found out about 3 months ago that I have Hashimoto disease hence autoimmune thyroiditis. I was not particularly shocked when the doctor informed me as I had a sneaking suspicion for a few years that something was up with my thyroid. Along with all my other mercury symptoms it was just another piece of the puzzle.

When I saw the doctor last week he also mentioned that I have very low Iodine levels. He suggested that I purchase an iodine/tyrosine product, which I did. However, a few days later I recalled from the recesses of my mercury toxic mind that if you have an autoimmune thyroid problem and low iodine, it does not necessarily mean that you have to supplement with iodine. In fact I recall that it can make things worse.

I then did some searching and I discovered that if this is the case (autoimmune thyroid issue + low iodine levels) one needs to have a Thyroid Perioxidase Antibody test and if it reveals high levels, iodine is a big no no.

As far as I know, my doctor did not run this test for me, so in the meantime I have quit the supplemental iodine. Does anyone have any comments about the iodine factor?

Cheers from Rachel

Is Saliva testing reliable for thyroid profile? I found a website that tests for all the TSH, Free T3 and T4 and also looks for gluten intolerance and insulin an dadrenal status as cortisol and DHea's......Or would blood testing be better? apparently saliva is more accurate for cells and blood is just for the temp status.

I would definitely go for the saliva testing.

Nicola

I'm in a similar boat. My thyroid hormone levels were out of whack (which I believe is due to my amalgams/mercury). My doc also gave me a Iodine challenge test and I turned out to be incredibly deficient in iodine.

I did a lot of research on the subject of iodine and found a great book that all mercury toxic people should read: "Iodine, Why you need it and why you can't live with out it" by Dr. David Brownstein.

http://www.drbrownstein.com/singleproduct.asp?id=787

Our S.A.D (standard american diet) is incredibly low in iodine now. This is due to the removal of iodine in the bread baking process and all of the iodine killing chemicals in our environment. Those of us who were subjected to flouride supplementation in our youth often have thyroid issues because flouride will kill iodine and starve your thyroid of the one element it needs to be able to function. Take all the thyroid hormones you want...but if you don't give your thyroid motor the fuel it needs to run (iodine/iodide) it will sputter and starve.

Taking iodine has made me feel wonderful. My extremities have gotten warmer (always cold hands/feet/nose) and the constant daily fatigue is gone. Iodine has a natural chelating effect which pulls out bromine and chlorine (and other chemicals) from your system. There are some detox symptoms that go along with that (weird taste in your mouth and odd smell to your skin sometimes) all that goes away though. A few epsom salt baths and some exfoliation scrubs away the chemicals being pushed out through your skin.

Iodine has also been studied to be effective in healing up fibrocystic breasts and other breast cancer related issues. The breasts are the number two place in the body that needs iodine!

So, all I wanted to share here is that if you get tested and have issues with thyroid....please please please have your iodine levels checked too! The test is easy...you take a loading dose of 50mg of Iodoral (an iodine/iodide supplement) in the morning when you first wake up. Then you collect your urine for 24 hours. After the 24 hours you drop the collection off at the doc/lab and they send it in. They test for the amount of iodine you excrete. A person with adequate iodine levels in their food supply will excrete on average 90% of that 50mg supplement. A deficient person (like me) may excrete 20% of the supplement. This means that the deficient person's thyroid soaked the Iodoral up like a sponge cuz it was starving for it. Woo hoo...that loading dose made me feel so awesome! I had more energy that day than I new what to do with. All that with no buzzed feeling or racing heart.

Now I'm on 25mg of Iodoral twice a day (total of 50). I feel awesome and can't wait till the merc is out of my mouth and I can sit back and let my thyroid soak up all my iodine with out competition from the merc anymore.

Sorry if anyone thinks I hijacked this thread. I just wanted to share something that is an important "next step" to getting your thyroid tested.

In health!

A great resource for iodine testing and iodine deficiencey info:

http://www.helpmythyroid.com/iodine.htm

Oh no you didn't hijacked this thread. In fact all of you have shared some very important information.

Yes, the TSH is quite unreliable. As I said, it's really no silver bullet. As for the iodine supplement, well I'd love to try one but my antibody titres are off the chart! So I don't know if it's a good idea...

I still have enormous fatigue and concentration problems but I think its the damn mercury...

I know my merc toxicity contributes to my fatigue and all the other crappola I have, however, I do know that through the stuff I have read that mercury can knock out your iodine in your body...so an supplement would help your body have a better chance at balancing itself while ditching the mercury, I would imagine.

That book I mentioned is a gold mine....check it out if you can...or Dr. Flechas website. www.helpmythyroid.com

Hi getdasilverout,

Just wanted to know though if you have autoimmune hypothyroidism? You mentioned that you had hypothyroidism but if it is due to an autoimmune dysfunction wouldn't iodine been contraindicated?

I recently read that if you have hypothyroidism due only to a lack of iodine then iodine supplementation is a good thing. But if you supplement with iodine and have autoimmune hypothyroidism the iodine (even though your levels may be super low) will attack and destroy the tissue of the thyroid gland.

Rachie

A GREAT website is www.stopthethyroidmadness.com.

When I first began researching mercury poisoning I noticed I was really only interested in anything that had to do with chelating. However, as I have chelated and some of the symptoms have left I kept having this feeling that other things needed to be addressed.

I finally went to the website mentioned above (recommended on Andy Cutler's adult chelation and frequent-dosing forums) and was completely enlightened. I, too, was diagnosed with Hashimotos thyroid disease. After reading everything on the website, yes, it took an afternoon, but was worth every minute, I know this is part of the whole picture.

I just started hydrocortisone 3 weeks ago and had another feeling that maybe I was not on enough of the ARMOUR thyroid meds (right now on 1.5 grains and the suggested minium dosage is 3 grains spread out over the day, just like the hydrocortisone).

I added just 1/2 a grain and noticed an immediate increase in energy. I am not saying this is the answer for everyone, however, I am encouraging the review of the website to all.

If you are like me, I have only been able to digest so much at a time and consider what other issues might be going on along with the mercury poisoning, or as a result of the mercury poisoning. As I take the time to review all the suggested websites and reading, it has given me power to understand and discuss with my doctor my needs and possible treatments.

If you can, please take the time to review the above website at least to review the symptoms and see if this might be you:

hyper or hypo thyroid and/or adrenal insufficiency.

Another thing the website does is a good job of tying the two together, since many folks tend to have both.

Gabriella

Hi. I don't know how I missed this thread. Great information here.

My TSH has run anywhere from .28 to 2.4 within the past 4 years at different times. It always on the hyper side after having my babies and in the 2 range all other times. All the Dr.s said this was "normal".

Once I finally found a holistic MD she did a T3 and free T4 on me and my T3 was( 65 )and my Free T4 was( 1.4.) My TSH was 2.1 at that time. She said I was not converting my T4 to T3 very well and put me on Thyrosol which is just a vitamin supplement with only 76mcgs of Iodine in it.

My question is.... Is this enough to help my thyroid?

I did the Iodine skin test where you put a silver dollar size patch of that Betadine solution on your skin. Mine dissapeared in about 5 to six hours. So does this mean I'm deficient.?

Thanks bunches,
Veg

btw... I just finished 2nd round of 12.5 dmsa. I definitly feel better on round. We'll see what I feel like in a couple days. I usually get severe brain fog, ADHD symptoms, depressed and irritable around day 5.