Amanda: Hi everyone,

I did search the archives...so bear with me.

From what I read, seems that at LEAST 1 IU is needed to see some
effect. My doc started me 5 days ago on .2mg (injecting with the
pen). I'm getting this from a legit U.S. pharmacy.

I am 38 and weigh 140 (I SHOULD weigh 120!). I'm almost certain my
deficiency is more than that of your typical 38 year old (medical
issues that likely stem from GH deficiency).

I am already taking hydrocortisone and T3 replacement. So maybe my
doc is starting slowly to see how the GH will affect my HC and T3.
But I feel absolutely NOTHING. I've read in other posts (Ellis) that
it's possible to feel a difference after one day. Is this true? Can
anyone else tell me if they've had a similar experience?

Ellis, I want your opinion on something. Before I started taking ANY
hormones, I had all of your typical hypothyroid symptoms: fatigue,
memory problems, brittle nails, low libido, digestive issues, achy
feet, cold feet, skin problems, hair shedding ALOT, etc.

I'll never forget how profound I felt after taking ONE sythroid
pill. I took my dose around 10 a.m. that day... I felt no different
that day. I went to sleep as usual.

But sometime later, I opened my eyes and felt completely awake and
alert - but the room was pitch black. I was confused for a
moment...thought I'd slept thru the whole day and missed work! I
looked at the clock and it was 4:30 (as in AM!). I felt more
refreshed than I have in 20 years.

I got up and cleaned my house before heading in to work.

Unfortunately, this effect didn't last. On days 2 thru 4, I felt
less good... by day 5 I was back to same old me... exhausted and
dragging myself out of bed at 8 a.m. after popping a caffeine pill.

So I keep wondering WHAT it was that made me feel so good that first
morning. It obviously wasn't the synthroid I took.

Ellis: I don't know... maybe it was WAS the synthroid... you say you
weren't taking any other hormone, so what else could it have been?

Amanda: But there must have been some kind of cascade effect...
SOMETHING changed. I just haven't been able to figure out WHAT.

First I thought maybe cortisol. But the hydrocortisone that I take
has never made me feel that good. Then I thought maybe GH... but the
dose I'm on hasn't had ANY effect. What do you think? Any guesses?

Ellis: I thought you said this was BEFORE you took growth hormone.

If you did take growth hormone, even if it was 1/2 iu, then this was
it. If you did not take growth hormone when you took the synthroid,
then it was the synthroid.

But... in any case... whenever I hear "exhausted and dragging myself
out of bed" the first thing that occurs to me is to ask: What is your
RED BLOOD CELL level? If you are LOW in red blood cells, it doesn't
matter if you take synthroid or growth hormone or anything else, if
you don't have enough OXYGEN going through your body, there is your
answer... So... please look at a recent blood test, or take a new
blood test, and see what does it has for "hematocrit" and
"hemoglobin"...

And as for 1/2 iu of growth hormone... it is what Dr. Hertoghe
recommends in his book... and since Hertoghe is the God of anti-aging
endocrinologists, this is what all doctors new to anti-aging
recommend until they have enough experience to recommend 1 iu....
which is also too little.

Thanks for writing. If anybody has an explanation of what could
have caused a one-time great reaction after taking one pill of
synthroid (synthetic thyroid) please tell us.

By the way, Amanda... many people who take thyroid think that
synthroid is the wrong thyroid for you... they recommend Armour
dessicated thyroid.

see http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com

You can get it at http://www.antiaging-systems.com/

- Ellis


Amanda: Thanks, - Amanda