Adaptogens and thyroidectomy - Rhodiola Rosea

Hi Mark

Unfortunately, compared to the gazillions of people taking thyroxine for underactive thyroids, there are relatively few of us without thyroids due to thyroid cancer. Consequently it's hard to find proper data on likely interactions between thyroxine and supplements such as the one you describe. I've also found that many other things that aren't 'supposed' to impact on thyroxine uptake (i.e. things for which interactions have not been reported) can and do mess up your blood test results. If in doubt, I try to avoid anything I don't absolutely 100% HAVE to take. Even my vitamin D tablets (taken due to deficiency) seem to mess with the thyroid function test results - and my GP and I both came to that conclusion and neither of us could find any evidence on line.

So I'd suggest to ask your doctors and - even if they say it's OK - be sure to get blood tests before you start and then 6 weeks later just to see if it has any impact on your normal blood results.

Our thyroid cancer nurse specialist Geri () is on holiday until the new year now but I'm tagging her to ask if she can get the librarians to have a good search and see if they can find any info for you on this one.

Hi Mark

As a thyroid patient (not through cancer though), my understanding is that anything else should be taken 2 hours away from levothyroxine.  

You say a standard dose of 125 mcg, but there is no standard dose, you need what your body needs, not some standard.  

There is a lot of useful information on this site which is linked to from the NHS direct website.  

Although it talks of all forms of thyroid conditions, once your thyroid has been removed, the treatment is pretty much the same as for hypothyroidism, but you don't get your GP going into a panic if your TSH is suppressed like we do!  

Sorry I can't help with the interactions, but you can have a look on the Sloan Memorial site here where you can see all kinds of interactions. The page I have linked is for cancer drugs, but you might find other pages more useful.

Thankyou Helen i will have a look through these sites see if i can find what im looking for. 

Regarding the standard dose i referred to, my oncologist said this is the dose what most people of my age\size start on, ive been tested and they have kept the dose the same saying my levels are within the range they should be, so the they got it right first time by the sounds of it.

I understand most doctors treat thyroidectomy as hypo, but most drug interaction seem to occur with the drug in question causing the  thyroid production for hormones to go up or down, once your thyroid is removed surely this risk is then removed as the thyroxine takes over?  Other than making sure you dont mix them and as you say give a 2 hour window you should be good to go?

I asked my oncologist about amino acid tyrosine, this again causes thyroid production to increase, he said it was ok for me to supplement with it because its already in food and its not marked as having an interaction with levothyroxin direct, it is marked as a no for people who are hypo though, i guess because they still have a thyroid.

As you can see this is the brick wall ive hit, there are no hard facts out there only peoples opinions which are usually to air on the side of caution, im looking for some scientific evidence or experiences of other people who have tried it, for good or for bad to help me make an educated decision.

Its a grey area i understand and maybe something that should be explored more for the better and for those who are not keen on taking prescription meds, myself being one who has tried many without success.

Thankyou again for replying, this might have pointed me in the right direction if i get any info ile post it back here for others to read.

Mark

You're welcome, Mark - I think you will learn from these sites that most doctors and endocrinologists actually know very little about the thyroid, and therefore the more you can learn, the better you will manage your condition.

Always get printouts of results, and question everything.  There is no such thing as normal, if you have had ThyCa then you should have a suppressed TSH, not just "within range" (which is very arbitary anyway), and you should also have your Free T4 and Free T3 measured.  These should be in the top third, not just in range.  

So much to this but if you fancy a giggle (with a serious note), have a look at this YouTube video which gives you a good clue as to where we start from!

Hi Mark

I’m Geri the Thyroid Cancer Nurse at Macmillan and I see that Barbara has tagged me in this discussion.

Finding information on herbs, botanicals or complementary therapies is as you say “a bit of a grey area”, as there is such a lack of research. People in the business of selling remedies can claim all manner of benefits that we don’t really have a lot of evidence for. That’s not to say they may not have benefits, but the evidence can be lacking. 

I see that someone has linked the Memorial Sloan Cancer Centre (MSKCC) in the states. It’s a great site and has some really good information on herbs and botanicals. Their information is clear, factual and unbiased. You will find information on Rhodiola Rosea here. The MSKCC have been practicing integrative medicine for many years. They combine traditional cancer treatments with various aspects of complementary therapies and supplements. We’re not quite at the stage of America with our integrated medicine but we are starting to see this changing in the UK, with many centres in the UK offering integrative medicine.  

Best Wishes and I hope this is of some help

Geraldine (Geri) Hamilton

Thyroid Cancer Information Nurse

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