Does Rupp or the Gouchers take thyroid medication?

sjm1368 wrote:

I've been on thyroid meds since HS and will be on them for the rest of my life unfortunately.

Have you hit a level of sythroid that keeps you constant for exteded periods or have you had to constantly switch dosages. My levels just keep rocketing up. I will get there and then weeks or months later I will feel like crap again and go in and sure enough, I have to up my synthroid because my TSH is high again.

My doc said it is pretty uncommon. When looking at those studies it does say that in some cases TSH goes up w/ endurance activity. I am just curious if my doc has not done his research and is overdoing my synthroid because of the effects of my training.

Hypo wrote:

If they were once on it they are still on it. To correct thyroid the pills must be taken for the rest of your life. It does nothing but bring your body back to homeostasis. It can offer a boost in preformance once the medication kicks in because you are finally "normal" after a long time of training with an undiagnosed problem.

These drugs are performance enhancers, period. Just becase they're legal doesn't mean they don't enhance performance. Yes, they enhance performance because you wouldn't run as well without them. Just like asthmatics don't run as well without inhalers.

Hey, I have a very low testosterone level...can I take some steriods to bring me up to "normal"? Hey, my blood cells have an unusually low oxygen carrying capacity...can I take some procrit to bring me up to "normal"?

"Normal" is widely varied. Using drugs to bring people to "normal" means some are being given an advantage where others are not.

or all the spanish asthmatic bikers, 51% or similar.

local doc told me there are no asthmatics in the village,

but it's something bikkies seem to catch when others don't.

I was just diagnosed a week or so ago with hypothyroid and have immediatly started taking the meds. How long did it take for you guys to feel difference in training? What should I expect in these next couple of weeks?

I'm pretty constant now. The right mix right now is one dose 5 days a week, then a higher one on weekends. For a while, I was like you and my dosage would fluxuate every couple of months.

Make sure you are taking your synthroid at least 2hrs after a meal and an hour before you eat anything else. Also, don't take iron anytime near it.

You may also want to try taking it with distilled water. I have to do this, as something in the water was probably affecting absorbption of the synthroid.

Ghost of BYU- You miss the boat on this one. It's not akin to taking testosterone b/c your testosterone levels are low or anything like that.

For example, in my case I have Hashimoto's disease which basically means that my immune system is attacking my thyroid gland. Is there something wrong with trying to fix that?

It's performance enhancing in the same way that taking antibiotics is when you have some sort of infection.

When your thyroid is not working, your metabolism is not working. This is what leads to those people who have to have holes cut in the side of their house so that crane can get them out (along with other factors of course). This is a body system that basically stops working. It is not even about running. I could not perform normal daily functions with it.

Yes, a person with low testosterone can be prescibed it if it is affecting their physical wellbeing in a negative way. If it brings the person to a normal level they will be healthier. It is not always about running.

The comparison between giving someone testosterone and thyroid also does not work because giving too much, even by just a little bit, thyroid severely impairs performance, while giving a little extra testosterone can aid performance.

With synthetic thyroid there's no going beyond "normal" to get benefits like with test.

We are all born with some sort of genetic potential for how fast we can run. Some are blessed with perfect cardiovascular systems, effortless stride, etc. Others have problems....thyroid, asthma, what have you. Taking drugs to fix these problems aids your performance. End of story. I realize you all think it's OK because it's legal, but if you can't perform at a high level without them, then it's a performance enhancer.

You are correct. I am not disagreeing with you on that. I think the main reason that things are declared legal or illegal are the negative health effects and the unfair advantage that some things give.

Of course we can go and discuss performance enhancers all day. We will get back to say that nearly everything is a performance enhancer and we should not even have air to aid our body's performance.

The line has to be drawn somewhere and it is there because of medical research and personal health issues. Things are added and taken away all of the time (ex. caffeine).

Again, you are correct when thinking of that as a performance enhancement. So is a person's diet, training load, etc.

I don't really understand the debate to tell you the truth. I was a solid prep runner who suffered anemia all through college. One I started supplementing with iron to get my ferritin levels back above 10, my times dropped dramatically, allowing me to temporarily at least, fulfill the promise I had shown in high school. Does that mean I was taking a performance enhancing drug since it made such a huge difference? Let's not forget that Rupp ran a 13:37 5k in high school, which showed the ridiculous amount of talent he had. His 27:33 should come as no surprise.

using that logic then taking any antibiotic, advil, iron for anemia, electrolytes, vitamins, any drug you take when your sick, hell maybe even food, is performance enhancing. You could even add in shoes, clothes, water, etc. if you wanted to be picky.

The logic is flawed. You have to draw a line and the IAAF and WADA has for our sport. Taking thyroid medication is no different than taking iron for anemia.

Ghost of Brigham Young wrote:

We are all born with some sort of genetic potential for how fast we can run. Some are blessed with perfect cardiovascular systems, effortless stride, etc. Others have problems....thyroid, asthma, what have you. Taking drugs to fix these problems aids your performance. End of story. I realize you all think it's OK because it's legal, but if you can't perform at a high level without them, then it's a performance enhancer.

This is retarded logic. If someone has cancer and can't run anymore and gets cured with chemo is that a performance inhancer? If someone has a broken leg and gets a cast to fix it that must be a performance enhancer right?

Logic isn't flawed: if it helps you perform better, it's a performance enhancer. It's really a simple premise.

EVERYONE has equal access to shoes, vitamins, water. Not all genetic/health problems that can be addressed with drugs are allowed to be. IAAF has simply decided that thyroid meds and the asthma inhalers are somehow OK. That's fine, but don't tell me they don't help you run faster if you use them. They do.

UR Clueless wrote:

This is retarded logic. If someone has cancer and can't run anymore and gets cured with chemo is that a performance inhancer? If someone has a broken leg and gets a cast to fix it that must be a performance enhancer right?

A broken leg is a temporary problem, as is (hopefully) cancer. We're talking about meds that people are using for a lifetime. Without those meds, they could not compete.

cdavis wrote:

My doc said it is pretty uncommon. When looking at those studies it does say that in some cases TSH goes up w/ endurance activity. I am just curious if my doc has not done his research and is overdoing my synthroid because of the effects of my training.

when TSH increases, it means that T3 is decreasing...see if you can find the book "Exercise Physiology" by Brooks Fahey, and White. in the 1996 edtion, Page 168 there is a graph that shows and inverse association between T3 and exercise...the longer the time of exercise, the lower the T3 goes. it makes me think that endurance athletes who are hypothyroid have to be on a dose that is high enough to account for that drop. i've heard a couple of people on the board that say their docs want them at 1.0. a family practice doc i know said that some of his patients do best when they are somewhat below 1.00.

okay,so let me get this straight.....it has to be a life long thing?

okay so diabetics, anyone who uses orthotics, anyone who wears shoes that correct pronation, anyone who has any allergies, etc. They all fall into the same category.

Your logic is not sound.

Sounds like your just looking for a way to discredit people's accomplishments.

Don't go crazy here guys. I understand what he is saying. I do not think he is bashing anyone he is merely stating that since it can help performance it IS performance enhancing. There is no question there. It does help performance if it is needed.

Everyone just relax... and move on.

Hypo wrote:

I was just diagnosed a week or so ago with hypothyroid and have immediatly started taking the meds. How long did it take for you guys to feel difference in training? What should I expect in these next couple of weeks?

I felt better and better but it does take a lot of time to get things right again and get back on an even keel. Give it time, don't miss appointments and stay on it. Your doc will get it worked out and you will be ready to roll.

I was back to running and feeling good after about a month and I was back into shape and running near PR levels in 4 - 6 months.

Good luck

I'm not calling anyone out specifically, then again the incidence of hyperthyroidism is approx 1 in 2,000 or 0.05% or 136,000 people in USA. Clearly the incidence amongst eite American runners is much higher, why, I have no idea. What do YOU think?