@LucyJ said in Is this estrogen?:
@Jennifer Yes 1 grain. Resting pulse in am 60pbm, temp 36 degrees Celsius. Feet usually cold.
I increased my dose half a grain the other day and my pulse got lower??
I think I do need more but keep being told I have to increase calories first? what are your thoughts on this?
Okay, so definitely still hypo. Cold feet are due to adrenaline, which is compensating for your under-active thyroid, cutting off circulation to your extremities to keep your vital organs warm, and waking at 3 am is a sign you’re still dealing with hypoglycemia, basically, what dapose said—your liver glycogen is being used up during the night while you’re in a fasted state, causing cortisol, the wake-up hormone, to be released to break down your own tissues to raise your blood sugar—which is likely why increasing your thyroid dose lowered your pulse—it lowered adrenaline. It should rebound after some time on the higher dose, assuming your energy requirements are being met.
Is it your doctor and/or nutritionist who keep telling you you need to increase your calories before increasing your thyroid dose? Roughly how many calories are you averaging daily? Some people find that their caloric needs increase when supplementing thyroid, while some such as Ray and myself find they decrease—Ray went from needing 8,000 to 4,500, and I went from needing upwards of 3,500 to roughly 2,500–2,700 depending on my cycle, which is far more appropriate for my size and activity level. I was averaging at least 1,000 more calories than my brother who is twice my size.
With that said, if a hypothyroid person is in an energy deficit due to insufficient calories, their under-active thyroid is likely due to that and supplementation won’t help unless the increase in appetite that can come with supplementing thyroid is honored. I’ve known many people with a history of dieting/food rules/eating disorders/painful digestion who were afraid to honor their appetite and required professional help to overcome it before supplementing. In some cases, overcoming their fear and essentially refeeding was enough to improve their thyroid function, making supplementation unnecessary.
