Does anyone here have an underactive thyroid?

melbury

[quote=TomsMom;10424831
What is your age? Are you near menopause? If so your hormones could be changing. When was the last test done? You could always ask your doc for another hormone test if you think it could be this.

[/QUOTE]

Yes I am undoubtedly near the menopause as I am 53. Trouble is I can't tell the from the usual way of periods stopping, as I had a hysterectomy five years ago! Last hormone test was done around Christmas and that is when I was told oestrogen levels were normal.

It just seems to me that it would be a very big coincidence indeed that menopause should kick in at the exact same time as my thyroxine does was upped to 100mcgs

TomsMom

melbury wrote: »

Yes I am undoubtedly near the menopause as I am 53. Trouble is I can't tell the from the usual way of periods stopping, as I had a hysterectomy five years ago! Last hormone test was done around Christmas and that is when I was told oestrogen levels were normal.

It just seems to me that it would be a very big coincidence indeed that menopause should kick in at the exact same time as my thyroxine does was upped to 100mcgs

Just out of interest, did you go on HRT?

This is some information about HRT and thyroid medication (which may or may not be relevant in your case)

Oestrogen

Any oestrogen raises the levels although thyroid activity is unchanged. This could make your levels look within the normal range, whereas they are really below it. Oestrogen provides more of the transport protein, making the hormone inactive. After starting on any oestrogen therapy, a woman should always have TSH tested to see if the oestrogen is having an impact on overall TSH and thyroid function and might require a dosage adjustment.
Prempak C/Premanin etc. – HRT made from mares urine and interferes with thyroid availability.

Also, if you are going to have symptoms of the menopause then you really are just about the right age to be having them and it just could be a coincidence.

poppy_f1

well for me it seems like the tyhroxine seems to be kicking in, have a bit more energy and not feeling as tired as much, was at the docs yesterday and he said my levels had improved(cant remember what they were) and he wanted to keep me on the same dosage at the moment and to have repeat bloods taken in 2 months
imonly on 25mg of lethyroxine not 50 as i first thought but happier that its finally been sorted out, the doc thinks i've had this since i was about 16/17 (31 this year) and it explains the 3 stone weight gain in 3 months when i was 18 which we had originally put down to the contraceptive jag

melbury

TomsMom wrote: »

Just out of interest, did you go on HRT?

Also, if you are going to have symptoms of the menopause then you really are just about the right age to be having them and it just could be a coincidence.

Thanks for the information, I thought that perhaps because of my age the thyroxine was interfering with my oestrogen levels, but from what you say it doesn't. No I haven't ever taken HRT because until now I haven't had any symptoms of menopause. GP did say that if I want he will prescribe HRT, but I don't think I want to go down that road at the moment. I hate taking tablets of any sort and am only just getting to grips with having to be on thyroxine for evermore.

Don't know if I have mentioned this before, but the heart palps seem to have stopped over the past week, even though I was told they were absolutely nothing to do with having an underactive thyroid!

TomsMom

melbury wrote: »

Don't know if I have mentioned this before, but the heart palps seem to have stopped over the past week, even though I was told they were absolutely nothing to do with having an underactive thyroid!

That's interesting melbury, and good news. Make sure you keep a diary of all these changes, however insignificant they may seem, note your symptoms, include dates etc. so you can relate to when they happened, what meds you were on etc. It all helps when talking to your GP.

For example, you may be able to say something along the lines of "I noticed that after changing to Eltroxin, after X number of weeks the palpitations disappeared and I've not had them since. They were very noticeable whilst on Brand Y. I've also noticed ....blah blah.... so as far as I'm concerned I do feel that Eltroxin suits me better than any other type of thyroxine so could you please name it on my prescription so that I may stay on it."

You'll see from my above post that the difference is brands is now documented by a leading NHS thyroid specialist in the most recent version of Understanding Thyroid Disorders and that should back up anything you have noticed with a different brand when discussing with your GP.

I hope things continue to get better for you.

kassikoo

Hi Ladies i seem to have energy in the morning up till lunchish then i get suddenly tired and weak and irritable i am waiting for my antibodies and diabetes test to come back at the mo i feel i want to ask my GP for more thyroxine but i am scared of going over,i take 75mcgs now my TSH is 2.69 at the min but with my symptoms it makes me wonder if i need more, can anyone give me any advise please love Kassikoo:eek:

TomsMom

kassikoo wrote: »

Hi Ladies i seem to have energy in the morning up till lunchish then i get suddenly tired and weak and irritable i am waiting for my antibodies and diabetes test to come back at the mo i feel i want to ask my GP for more thyroxine but i am scared of going over,i take 75mcgs now my TSH is 2.69 at the min but with my symptoms it makes me wonder if i need more, can anyone give me any advise please love Kassikoo:eek:

If you are getting tired and weak before lunch it sounds more like a drop in blood sugar levels. Low GI foods contribute to sustained energy levels and leave us feeling satisfied and full after eating.

So breakfast could be porridge or a banana yoghurt and milk smoothie, wholegrain toast with banana or a couple of boiled eggs, muesli with yoghurt. Snacks could be dried fruits, fresh fruit, yoghurt.

If it's after lunch then a more satisfying lunch with low GI foods would help.

Wait and see the results of your tests.

As for your thyroxine and blood tests, take a look at my post #161 at the top of this page as I've added some more information, and getting the book would be helpful.

ms_london

A fab website I have found:

www.stopthethyroidmadness.com

There is a forum on there too, but not on the main site, its via another link on the site.

Really really helpful and great to chat to others with the same conditions xx

saraho_3

This is really interesting reading... I've recently been diagnosed and put on a low dose of Thyroxine (25mcgs), which has brought my TSH levels down from 7.6 to 5.9. My doctor says this is the healthy range, so I should stay on this dose. However, I'm starting to get a lot of the symptoms again (tiredness, feeling the cold and dry skin in particular), and it seems that 5.9 is considered high. Should I ask for a second opinion/retest ?

TomsMom

saraho wrote: »

This is really interesting reading... I've recently been diagnosed and put on a low dose of Thyroxine (25mcgs), which has brought my TSH levels down from 7.6 to 5.9. My doctor says this is the healthy range, so I should stay on this dose. However, I'm starting to get a lot of the symptoms again (tiredness, feeling the cold and dry skin in particular), and it seems that 5.9 is considered high. Should I ask for a second opinion/retest ?

Page 5 of this thread, post #93 gives approx ref ranges and explains where most people are best.

Your TSH is probably still outside the range and needs to be lower. If your GP is saying "this is the healthy range" ask him what the ref range is for the lab he uses. I would put money on you being over the top of range.

Most people are started on 25mcgs thyroxine and retests are usually done about 8 weeks later, then every couple of months until GP is happy with test result (in range) and patient is relieved of symptoms.

See post #161 on this page about the book Understanding Thyroid Disorders, consider buying it and take it to your appointment so that you can discuss the relevant parts with your GP about where people should be within the range.

If you are not feeling well and still experiencing symptoms on your present level of thyroxine then you and your GP should work together to get you well again.