hypothyroidism, thyroxine medication and constipation?

Submitted by Sanguine on February 6, 2017 - 2:47am
Body: 

I am over the acute phase of discovering urethral prolapse, my symptoms have dramatically improved thanks to the help from WW. I now used honey and the toileting position recommended by Christine. I have a cystocele and rectocele (which I understand is commonly the case with post-menopausal women) and I am still left with great difficulty in effective BM. I am trying to address all aspects of my lifestyle, but I already eat very well and am very active and generally fit.
I believe hypothyoidism is common in post-menopausal women. I have been on levothyroxine for 8 years now. I have always been uncomfortable with the thought of being on medication for life, but I have to admit here to an element of complacency, I just accepted the diagnosis. I am now wondering if taking this medication could be having an effect on my bowl and difficulty passing stool (it is the only medication I take). I wonder if this is an area Christine has ever had the time or necessity to explore? I have tried googling myself but didn't find anything helpful.
My other thought is the vagus nerve, which I understand has tremendous ramifications and especially on the bowl. I am on the anxious side of the emotional spectrum although I am not taking medication, I channel and am what is considered artistic/creative!!!!
I wonder if anyone else is in a similar position and I also would like to ask Christine if she has any insight into this and if so, would a skype consultation (I live in the UK) be helpful?

Forum:

mummyduck13

February 6, 2017 - 3:22am

Whilst I don't have thyroid issues I do have adrenal fatigue which has an effect on the thyroid. I'm not quite menopausal but heading that way. Since my prolapse became noticeable I have issues with bm. I have been able to improve them very quickly by eating more raw veg, especially carrots and taking probiotics. I also live in the uk and now two excellent practitioners who could help you. I don't know whereabouts you live in the uk, but if you are interested in a natural approach from a qualified doctor I am happy for you to have my e mail address.

Aging gracefully

February 6, 2017 - 6:51am

Hi Sanguine,
Yes, I think a skype would be very helpful! Christine tends to know things we wouldn't and the correlations more readily.
I also had a great degree of constipation and difficulty having bowel movements at first, but I also had a retroverted uterus pressing on my rectum, so through dietary and the whole woman work, I was able to get over it, but it took me almost a year.
It could very well be the medication, but I wouldn't know for sure. I know some medications can be very constipating. Do you eat any fermented foods, stewed prunes, etc. for your constapation? There has also been much discussion on here about constipation and remedies, so would be worth looking around.

Sanguine

February 7, 2017 - 1:51am

Hi mummyduck13, Aging gracefully, thank you for your comments. I really don't think I could do any more with my diet. I am largely vegetarian with some dairy and some fish. I eat wholefoods, largely organic, fermented foods, herbals teas, etc... you get the picture. If only a little more roughage was the answer!!! I have read many of the posts on the site but generally it is recommends eating habits that I already have.
I am intrigued mummyduck13 about the medical practitioners you mention who have a natural approach. I have a very kind endocrinologist, but of course he has a completely conventional approach to hypothyroidism. I don't know anything about adrenal fatigue, but I will look it up!

mummyduck13

February 7, 2017 - 2:48am

My experience with diet is that I constantly have to listen to my body and make changes. Sometimes it is a little tweek, like adding more raw veg, other times I have eaten too much of something over a period of time and I need a rest from it. Do you sort your diet out yourself or have you seen a nutritionist? The medical practictioner I speak of is amazing. He would understand your current medication. Any side effects and work with to address all your health concerns in a more natural way. I am happy for you to have my e mail address if you would like more details. I know several other people in this field that can help too. What part of the U.K. are you in ?

Christine

February 7, 2017 - 10:36pm

Hi Sanguine,

I apologize for missing this post yesterday! It has been an especially busy week at WW.

I can understand your wariness about long-term medication. In my peri-menopausal years I was diagnosed with borderline low thyroid and prescribed levothyroxine as well. After taking a few pills, I experienced the only hot flash I ever had, which caused me to wonder what role the thyroid plays in hot flashes - it is the body’s temperature control after all. I threw the pills away and increased the amount of seaweed in my diet, and my thyroid has been just fine all these years.

Yes, the thyroid is intimately connected with bowel function. A major problem with hormone supplementation is that these medications never perfectly mimic the body’s complex feedback loops, so that too much exogenous hormone can cause natural glandular systems to weaken or even shut down. No endocrinologist, no researcher, and no hormone expert can actually tell you all the myriad internal relationships being affected by the drug.

The mucins in brown seaweeds are some of the best foods for constipation and are especially helpful in removing excess estrogen (estrone in your case) from the body. Unless we have a true deficiency disease, we all make plenty of estrogen, but what is important is how much estrogen we get rid of on a daily basis. Researchers have long been aware of the correlation between chronic constipation and breast cancer.

I wouldn’t worry about your vagus nerve :-) Perhaps a regular meditation program would be useful.

Wishing you well,

Christine

Sanguine

October 7, 2018 - 3:18am

After reading you post Christine I vowed to come off thyroxine. Of course I have done so under the guidance of my endocrinologist. He said he had never heard of anyone weaning off thyroxine, but was persuaded to guide me through an attempt. It has taken me nearly 2 years, but I have slowly whittled down from 80mg a day. I am perfectly fine. Unfortunately I still continue to have issues with BM but the point is I am drug free. Whoopee!