Some doctors, sincere about adrenal diagnosis and treatment, have a lot of confidence in adrenal saliva tests, whereas, others do not. Some common symptoms of adrenal fatigue are Fatigue, Nervousness/Irritability, PMS, Salt Craving, Depression, Sweet Craving, and many others. The adrenal system can affect the thyroid system and other systems as well and can manifest itself in many ways. Two signs that are very suggestive of adrenal fatigue are dizziness or drop in blood pressure upon standing, or a lack of normal sweating. People will say, "I don't sweat when I exercise."

It's interesting, because some people with low adrenal function don't tolerate T3 therapy very well. So many doctors feel that such patients shouldn't be given T3 until they've been given plenty herbal adrenal support, and possibly even cortisol. On the other hand, normalizing body temperatures sometimes relieves the body of so much stress that it can greatly enhance the body's recovery from adrenal fatigue. So many doctors feel that it's a good idea to give adrenal fatigued patients T3 to see if it helps them and to see how well they tolerate it.

I tend to recommend trying some herbal thyroid support such as ThyroCare and/or Thyroid Px to see if that will be enough to normalize the body temperature. Of course, I would also recommend good adrenal support such as Adaptogen, or, if necessary, even stronger support such as Adrenal Px Balance, Adrenal Px DHEA, Adrenal Px LoBP.

Armour contains T3. I feel it's not so much thyroid hormones that stress the adrenal glands, but how they are used. For example, some people would say that water is the most life-giving, soothing, and enjoyable substance on Earth. On the other hand, some people would say it's the most frightening and dangerous force of nature known to man. It all depends on the context of how it's used and how it's affecting us.

Likewise, thyroid hormones can be some of the most life-giving and soothing and calming influences a person can experience. Sometimes they can be very agitating and destabilizing. It's all a matter of the context, and how they are used. I don't tend to recommend Armour very much. Not because it's inherently harmful or bad, but because it's harder to control carefully because the T4 and T3 are mixed up together in Armour and they can't be controlled independently.

If thyroid hormones are needed I tend to recommend careful use of T3. Patients can be started on very small doses. If they tolerate them well, they can be increased, if they don't, they can be reduced or discontinued.

Hope that helps,
Denis Wilson, MD  

Many patients with low reverse T3 levels still respond well to the normalization of their body temperatures with T3 therapy, that's part of why I feel Wilson's Temperature Syndrome is undiagnosable with thyroid blood tests. I think T3 properly compounded into a sustained release form by experienced pharmacists (such as Your doctor can order the T3 from Medaus Pharmacy 800-526-9183) is fabulous.

It is true that results can vary among different pharmacies, and from patient to patient even with pharmacies that are enjoying consistently good results.

It might be helpful to avoid taking iron and calcium supplements within 2-3 hours of the thyroid dose. It is very important to take the T3 medicine very much ON TIME. That is so much more important than taking it on an empty stomach that we don't even mention the dosing in relation to food because people often make the mistake of not taking the medicine on time trying to avoid taking it with food. It's fine to take it with food.

Warmly,
Denis Wilson, MD  

Absolutely.

Many patients experience high blood pressure when their temperatures are low, and many patients' blood pressures normalize when their temperatures are normalized. And weight can be stable too.

Best wishes,
Denis Wilson, MD