Using T-3 to treat Bi-Polar

In my prior topic on the connection between thyroid and bi-polar disorder I provided a link to an article citing thyroidial abnormalities and presence of thyroid auto antibodies in people with bi polar, particularly bi polar 2. ( bipolar/topic102604.html )
There is much research that implicates disorders of the thyroid as the possible source of bi polar in many individuals.

Its no secret to anyone who follows my posts that I am not a big fan of the commonly prescribed, mainstream treatments of mental illness.
I feel that they have failed us, horribly, with many people continuing to suffer life-sapping symptoms and sometimes crippling side effects of medications. In light of the huge leaps we have made in research in the past ten years it is obvious to me that a wider scope of treatment options is long overdue.

Treatment with, or augmentation of current medication regimens with the active thyroid hormone T-3 has shown some promising results.

From about.com

"Thyroid Hormone Helps Treatment-Resistant Bipolar Depression"
You've tried 10, 12, even 14 or more medications for your bipolar depression and they just haven't worked well enough. Well, maybe your doctor should consider adding another type of treatment altogether. The thyroid hormone triiodothyronine - better known as T3 - has been shown to be effective for treatment-resistant depression in patients with bipolar disorder.

A study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders was a chart review of about 160 patients, mostly with bipolar II disorder, who had tried an average of 14 different drugs for their depression, who were given T3 from 2002 to 2006. The results were impressive: a whopping 84% of the patients experienced improvement, and 33% full remission. Not one experienced a switch into mania. Although the doses were higher than normal for many patients, the researchers report that the medication was well-tolerated, although 16 patients (10%) dropped out because of side effects.

The authors do point out that a chart review study has its limitations, but this is still exceedingly hopeful news for those of us whose depression stubbornly hangs on. ~Marcia

Link: http://bipolar.about.com/b/2009/08/07/t ... ession.htm

I like your posts on treatments that are aimed at helping to restore the body to it's correct function. One reason is that it just seems more natural than medications. Another is that there are no side-effects because the body is simply returning to it's correct state.

It is very likely that thyroid function improvements, possibly due to the methods that you've suggested, can improve the way the body functions - thus affecting mood for the better. So thanks for the posts HaxX.

I'm glad you like my health posts. I want to inspire people to look outside of the box in regards to their health. It is unfortunate that in modern medicine we have reams of information on diseases, medications and symptom management, but very little in the way of literature on the nature of wellness.

According to to many alternate practitioners there are individuals who need extra thyroid hormone beyond the currently used spectrum of laboratory normalcy.
I am inclined to think this is true as many people have had their health restored with supplementary thyroid hormone (both T3 and T4) despite normal lab results. This not only includes people with depression and bi-polar, but also individuals with chronic fatigue, fibromyalga, infertility, high cholesterol as well as many other conditions.

Optimal thyroid hormone is vital for human health, and what is optimal for one person is not necessarily optimal for all. Current patient complaints suggest that the lab ranges currently in use need to be updated, as many in the normal range still suffer with symptoms.

Serious side effects from thyroid hormone supplementation under the care of a knowledgeable doctor is rare. side effects of excess thyroid are dosage based and usually include rapid heartbeat, chest tightness, diarrhea. This can be resolved by lowering the dose or going off the medication for a few days.

I have zero thyroid problems, it is dangerous and can be very bad for you to put hormones into your body that you don't need. T3 is a hormone just like serotonin, it is not much different from neurotransmitters as it is a naturally occuring chemical in the body.

playing with them can put your body out of whack just as easily as your pharmaceuticals.

You have adverse reactions when you have too little and to much of a hormone. You don't want to cause an extra problem on top of what you're already dealing with.

I'm not advising anyone "play" with them. I'm demonstrating research backed articles of how they can help SOME people when prescribed with care. No one should overdose on hormones, that is obvious.
But likewise many labs are outdated and there is, dare I say, a raging debate about what normal thyroid function is..
A person with an "optimal" TSH of 1 and/or "low Normal" free T4 can still be blatantly hypothyroid for example, suffering hairloss, low basil body temperature, thickening of the skin, confusion and depression etc, which resolve when thyroid hormone is given.

Bi polar and thyroid hormone T3 from PubMed:

BACKGROUND:

Thyroid hormone plays a role in both serotonin and catecholamine functions in the brain, and has been linked to abnormal mood states in bipolar disorder. Unlike most studies which have included only patients with bipolar I, this study evaluated triiodothyronine (T3) as an augmentation agent for treatment-resistant depression in patients with bipolar II and bipolar disorder NOS.
METHODS:

This study was a retrospective chart review of patients treated in a private clinic between 2002 and 2006. The charts of 125 patients with bipolar II disorder and 34 patients with bipolar disorder NOS were reviewed.
RESULTS:

Patients had been unsuccessfully treated with an average of 14 other medications before starting T3. At an average dose of 90.4 mcg (range 13 mcg-188 mcg) the medication was well tolerated. None of the patients experienced a switch into hypomania, and only 16 discontinued due to side effects. Improvement was experienced by 84%, and 33% experienced full remission.
LIMITATIONS:

The limitations are those associated with the retrospective chart review design.
CONCLUSIONS:

A high percentage of bipolar II and bipolar NOS patients with treatment resistant depression improved on T3. Despite the use of higher than usual doses in many of the patients, the medication was well tolerated. Augmentation with supraphysiologic doses of T3 should be considered in cases of treatment resistant bipolar depression.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19215985

T3 as augmentation to antidepressant in patients already receiving T4

Abstract
BACKGROUND:

Clinicians may not consider using the thyroid hormone liothyronine sodium (levorotary isomer of triiodothyronine [T3]) for augmentation of antidepressant drugs in depressed patients who are also receiving the precursor hormone levothyroxine (levorotary isomer of thyroxine [T4]) for thyroid disease. We now report on the successful use of T3 augmentation therapy in seven of nine depressed patients who were also receiving T4 for thyroid disease.
METHOD:

Following an earlier single case report, we prescribed T3 augmentation therapy for eight depressed patients who had not responded to an adequate antidepressant drug trial and who were receiving T4 therapy for thyroid disease. T3 was prescribed in open-label fashion, and response was judged by the clinician, whose assessment was supplemented by the use of standardized rating scales.
RESULTS:

Seven of the nine patients were judged to respond to T3 augmentation.
CONCLUSION:

These results are consistent with a report of differential effects for T3 versus T4 augmentation in depressed patients free of thyroid disease. The results have implications for the treatment of depression in the presence of thyroid disease and for the mechanism of thyroid hormone potentiation of antidepressants.
Comment in

* T3 is at least as important as T4 in all hypothyroid patients. [J Clin Psychiatry. 1993]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1737734

I have actually worked in drug research, and am currently working on my nursing degree.

Those studies are incredibly limited. So limited as to not even really be considered as a viable treatment option by the medical community.

If someone else wants to try out a new treatment that messes with your hormones, by all means do it.

Just know that last one is an old trial, 1993. Two decades ago, if it was so promising it would be prominent by now.

I'm just not willing to be a guinea pig. Too many bad possibilities for me.

Also very few doctors like to go off of the beaten path.

After I had my last baby I asked my doctor for retinol (acne med) to use on my stretch marks. She looked at me like I had two heads, and there IS significant research on retinol for wrinkles/new stretch marks.

I am aware that studies involving the use of T3 in the treatment of psychiatric conditions are limited compared to research of other options, but it does not render them invalid. Like other studies they are added to the databases of clinical research, which can be accessed and the information referred to for the benefit of future research.

If you have worked in drug research you should not have a problem with the age of the study, as it is not uncommon for studies as old as from the 50s to be cited in modern medical literature, usually for the purpose of outlining a hypothesis. The question is only what the data is to be used for. In this case I'm using to inspire an inquisitive spirit in the patient.

There is as much dogma in medicine as science, treatments may fall by the wayside not only if they are ineffective, but also if they are unprofitable or unpopular, and physicians are afraid of going off the beaten path because of potential liability as well as possibly being ridiculed by the medical establishment.

The connection between thyroid hormones and the brain has been known for over a hundred years. (In 1888 a report by the Committee of the Clinical Society of London explored the association of hypothyroidism with psychosis.) So the idea is far from new.

Im not trying to start an argument. If you feel that such a venture would be too risky for you then don't do it. Some people may feel more brave, or that they have nothing left to lose. I know it has worked for me. I am a living example of its viability, and feel well for the first time in my adult life.