Does exogenous thyroid shrink the thyroid gland?
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This is an important question that I haven’t seen much addressed in the Peat spheres.
Does taking thyroid long-term lead to shrinkage or atrophy of the thyroid gland?I need to know what are the risks of taking thyroid meds when one has a functioning thyroid gland.
I understand that for people who had their thyroid removed or they had severe hypothyroidism, there aren’t much risks, but for many of us Peaters who have a functioning gland and we have just a slight degree of hypothyroidism, is it worth it?
Will we regain our thyroid function fully when going off meds? -
User: Does exogenous thyroid shrink the thyroid gland?
Peatbot.com: Yes, exogenous thyroid supplementation can shrink the thyroid gland. When you take a large dose of a thyroid supplement, the gland can quickly begin to shrink to a normal size. This is because the external supply of thyroid hormone reduces the need for the gland to produce its own hormone, leading to a decrease in its size. If the thyroid is shrunken by taking too much thyroid supplement, you might see dents between the big muscle at the side of your neck and your voice box. However, the thyroid adjusts very quickly, and if you stop taking the overdose, the gland can return to its normal size overnight.
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@DavidPS thanks, but I’m talking about long term effects.
Say someone takes thyroid meds for 5 years and wants to quit or doesn’t have access to meds anymore. Does the thyroid regain its full function it had before jumping on the meds or not? -
@GreekDemiGod - thanks for the clarification. I am watching this thread to learn from others.
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@GreekDemiGod said in Does exogenous thyroid shrink the thyroid gland?:
This is an important question that I haven’t seen much addressed in the Peat spheres.
Does taking thyroid long-term lead to shrinkage or atrophy of the thyroid gland?I need to know what are the risks of taking thyroid meds when one has a functioning thyroid gland.
I understand that for people who had their thyroid removed or they had severe hypothyroidism, there aren’t much risks, but for many of us Peaters who have a functioning gland and we have just a slight degree of hypothyroidism, is it worth it?
Will we regain our thyroid function fully when going off meds?If despite diet and lifestyle changes a person is still hypothyroid, even if slightly, I think supplementing thyroid is worth it, given how important the thyroid is to all bodily processes because nothing in our body works in isolation. Without the thyroid functioning optimally, we’re dependent on its backup, the adrenals, and the backup hormones produced by them are catabolic to the body long-term so it seems to me that even a slight degree of hypothyroidism can have potentially devastating effects down the line. Along with dairy, which naturally contains small amounts of thyroid, my ancestors consumed all parts of an animal, including the thyroid gland, so I think of my use of NDT (Armour) as something that would have been a regular part of my diet if today’s meat processors weren’t required by law to remove the thyroid gland because “gullet trimming” is now banned in the US. Ray said this when asked if there is long-term effects from thyroid supplementation:
“Experimenters using isotopes gave large doses of thyroid until the subjects' glands were completely shut off, and when they stopped giving the doses, everyone's gland returned to normal activity in just 2 or 3 days. The gland is extremely quick to adjust its activity, both up and down, except when it's inhibited by stress, or PUFA, or estrogen, etc.”
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According to Peat it jumps right back up after stopping. He also talked about someone overdosing for a longer time and causing holes in the thyroid that he could feel with the hand. It regenerated in a short time.
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@natureman Overdosing effects sound scary I wonder what qualifies as overdosing. 100mcg T3? 300mcg T4?