Dear Ann,

One of my favorite conditions to treat with T3 has been panic attacks. Anxiety and panic disorder can frequently be corrected completely with proper T3 therapy, such that the symptoms often remain improved even after the treatment has been discontinued. Panic attacks are rewarding to treat because they can be so debilitating on one hand, and respond so predictably well on the other hand.

The panic attacks tend to go away if the T3 therapy can help the patient achieve normal and steady body temperature patterns. This can frequently be accomplished with cycles of T3 therapy. With each cycle of T3 therapy the patients tend to need less T3, until eventually, hopefully they won't need any and they will be able to maintain normal and steady temperatures on their own.

The good news is that the body is very good at maintaining STEADY temperatures on its own. The problem is that the body doesn't always maintain NORMAL temperatures. In such cases, T3 can help get the temperature UP, but T3 also has a tendency to make the T3 level in the body and the temperature UNSTEADY.

When the temperature is low or unsteady, symptoms like panic attacks can result. People can have panic attacks from LOW temperatures before treatment and they can have panic attacks from UNSTEADY T3 levels during treatment. Even so, a cycle of T3 can often leave the patient improved overall.

Thus, the goal of T3 therapy is to work hard to ensure steady T3 levels DURING treatment (to minimize problems) by taking the doses as correctly on time as possible and using T4-test doses and weaning as necessary. Another goal is to proceed through the T3 therapy so that patients get better and better on less and less medicine (that's easier to keep steady) until their temperatures are normal and steady off medicine.

I know of no other thyroid medicine that would be better. However, some people do notice different results with T3 from different pharmacies (we recommend Medaus Pharmacy, their phone number is 800-526-9183).

Also, some people are able to get their temperatures up with supplements (ThyroCare, Thyroid Px)

Hope that helps,
Denis Wilson, MD  

Dear Carolyn,

As you know, certain drugs can contribute to photosensitivity (like certain antibiotics, diuretics, antihypertensives, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories). It may be the shot you received has photosensitivity as a possible side effect. I'm not aware that steroids frequently contribute to photosensitivity but maybe there was something else in the shot.

I've not treated enough Lupus patients to see a pattern and have not heard from other doctors about how much Lupus can be affected by body temperature patterns. It would be interesting to find out. Lupus is an autoimmune disease where the body is reacting against itself. It is a disease of body function. Body temperatures have a great bearing on body function. So it is easy to see how low temperatures could have a bearing on Lupus.

Best wishes,
Denis Wilson, MD  

Dear Verlinda,

Nausea and stomach cramps are not typical symptoms but WTS can affect people in a wide variety of ways. I don't recall a patient complaining of nausea from WTS, but it wouldn't surprise me if low temperatures could affect someone in that way.

Best wishes,
Denis Wilson, MD