Living versus Existing

To Whom It May Concern:

 

This petition is written as a letter as I am not an activist. I am a person with a concern about my health and the health of others like me.
A few years ago I was diagnosed with hypothyroid disorder. I was put on the generic Synthroid known as Levothyroxine. Over time, my numbers have been checked and there has been very little or no change. So, each time, my doctors will up the dosage and I am currently taking 112mcg. The bottom line is that my body doesn't respond to the drug. However, most doctors refuse to accept this is happening and just keep upping the dose. Albert Einstein once said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

The medication(s) (for a majority) causes anxiety and so does hypothyroid. So, why in the world would someone want to compound the anxiety issue by adding a drug that causes more anxiety? Doctors are also reluctant to prescribe medications to help control the anxiety. I'm lucky to have one that will give me an anti-depressant and a nerve pill but I have to be frugal with the nerve pill as the doctor doesn't like to prescribe them. I have had more than my share of anxiety meltdowns and even more frequently with the higher doses. Bringing this to the doctor’s attention rarely does any good as we are told to give the medication time to get into our system and for our system to adjust. *How many people do you know that can work while having an anxiety meltdown? Some people call these episodes "panic attacks" because we go beyond just nervous. We sweat, shake, get scared (for no reason), cry, and this turns and feeds the symptoms of the anxiety driving it higher and higher. Other problems with the Levothyroxine and Synthroid are weight gain, brain fog, depression, and crippling fatigue. What is crippling fatigue? It is when you are so tired that you literally force yourself to get out of bed just to go to the bathroom. Don't confuse this with depression. Depression is a down feeling of sadness. Fatigue sucks all your energy reserves. Easily remembered is that “depression” is mental and “fatigue” is physical. Someone in my support group stated it beautifully, "It’s like someone gave you a sleeping pill and then forced you to function." What is "brain fog"? Well, its horrible memory for short but not being able to focus on a single thought, like the brain is too tired. The memory lapses are horrible and can be dangerous. We keep pocket notebooks to remember what we are doing or questions to ask our doctors. Doctors tell us to "manage weight". The only way to lose weight on this drug is to stop eating completely. This is near impossible as the drug itself stimulates appetite. I finally found a support group for people with hypothyroid and asked lots of questions about their experiences with Synthroid and Levothyroxine. You know what, the majority of the people I spoke to have the same problems. Why would you let something like this onto the market if it is going to cause more harm than good?

There are other "drugs" that are considered "off label" because they haven't been tested by the FDA but doctors won’t prescribe them because they haven’t been tested by the FDA. Here is a link to and editorial that a member of the Hypothyroid group posted. I found it to be very interesting and hopeful. http://thyroid.about.com/od/thyroiddrugstreatments/a/Natural-Desiccated-Thyroid-hypothyroidism.htm

What I would like to see happen is testing on the "off label" drugs so they can be prescribed more freely. Maybe something new that actually works to stop the weight gain (side effect of hypothyroid and Synthroid / Levothyroxine), doesn't cause additional anxiety and maybe even has a component to calm the anxiety, something that doesn't cause hair loss, oil slick skin, rashes, and sleeplessness. The drugs on the market are supposed to be "exactly like the T4 produced in our bodies" and I’m here to tell you its bull squat. If my body was to produce this naturally or anyone's body was to produce this naturally, the entire world would need nerve pills.

Below are the signatures of others just like me. They need and want something that works.

 

Sincerely.