Has anyone else's whole metabolism gone haywire... - Thyroid UK

Thyroid UK

141,243 members166,489 posts

Has anyone else's whole metabolism gone haywire after years of Hashimotos ,on same dose of thyroxine for years but now on reduced dose .

susiebow profile image
13 Replies

I keep going hyper if I try to raise dose.If I reduce still feel terrible ,I feel as though everything has gone wrong.Been really ill for months.

Written by
susiebow profile image
susiebow
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Read more about...
13 Replies
shaws profile image
shawsAdministrator

Maybe you've become sensitive to the fillers/binders in the levo you're taking at present. Can you change to another make and see how that works.

Heloise profile image
Heloise

Hi susie, I may have read other posts by you but can't recall for certain. I do think changes can occur at certain points in life which one doctor told me was, teenage, 35 years and menopause. I don't know if you are close to any of those. On the other hand, thyroxine may never have agreed with you. Dr. Lowe is not in favor of it and one question in this list might relate to your problem.

drlowe.com/QandA/askdrlowe/...

susiebow profile image
susiebow in reply toHeloise

Hi Shaws,thanks for your reply,was on teva make for years they were withdrawn and it took me 3 makes of thyroxine till I found workhardt last year then went hyper ,now on mercury pharma.

susiebow profile image
susiebow

Hi Heloise,Thanks for your reply.I went through the menapause at 48 with no problems ,I am 53 now.I have been thinking about trying Armour ,but scared .

I was on Teva make thyroxine for years,they were withdrawn and it took me 3 makes of thyroxine till I found workhardt make, last year then went hyper.Now on mecury pharma.

Heloise profile image
Heloise in reply tosusiebow

mercury pharma is still a type of thyroxine, right? I'm not sure what frightens you about Armour. All thyroxine is made in a lab (to me that is more frightening) while Armour is made from porcine and has been for about a hundred years with NO evidence of causing harm. It does contain more than just T4 which is good and saves the body possibly in the conversion process. On the other hand, if you have secondary hypothyroidism, you may not be able to process T4 completely as Dr. Lowe refers to in the link I gave you. This may be why you are experiencing problems. If you are really stuck, give Armour a trial perhaps on a low dose to begin. If you have built up reverse T3, it may help though no guarantee.

If your adrenals are weak, that may be blocking some of your hormone.

Ransom profile image
Ransom in reply toHeloise

Heloise - can you define secondary hypothyroidism? Is it when it's caused by, say, radiation or surgery? Thanks -

Wendy

Heloise profile image
Heloise in reply toRansom

Hi Ransom, I found this article and it mentions the aspect of radiation and surgery. clinicalkey.com/topics/endo...

Ransom profile image
Ransom in reply toHeloise

Thanks,Heloise.

Ransom profile image
Ransom

Susiebow - I don't have hashimoto's, as my thyroid only became underactive after radiation for hyperactivity. But I did find after many years on the same dose of thyroxine that it wasn't working, so I increased it by a tiny amount, only to find that made me hyper. I did this for a few weeks with the same miserable results you seem to be having. After that, I tried alternating one day on the lower dose, the next day on the slightly higher dose, then back to the first. I stayed doing this and it worked better. After some time doing that I finally decided to try T3 along with T4, which was better yet. Perhaps alternating the two doses every other day would work for you?

Wendy

susiebow profile image
susiebow in reply toRansom

Hi Ransom Yes ,I have tried alternate days dosing with higher and then lower dose ,,tjust cant seem to get right dose though,thanks for support and input.

puncturedbicycle profile image
puncturedbicycle

Hi susiebow.

Sorry to hear you're so unwell. This happened to me too. I was on 150 t4 and added 10 t3, then eventually reduced t4 to 125 and gradually increased t3 to 25, felt great for six months, began to go slightly hyper but had terrible side effects trying to reduce t4 and didn't dare reduce t3 because it had made such a difference to me. The plan was for me to reduce t4 very very slowly but in Oct suddenly felt very hypo and was unable to raise meds due to palps. I hadn't had palps when I was supposedly hyper, just when all my other symptoms were hypo.

In Dec doc suggested that I reduce everything right down and have a blood test (I think the palps were a worry). When my results came back doc said I could raise my meds again but it has been a very slow process due to palps. Now tests show that all my levels look great, so meds should be perfect. I feel awful though.

Goodness knows what happened in Oct. It was such a dramatic difference. One day I was running six miles per day, a week later I was constipated and exhausted. I never recovered that good energy and stamina.

I did wonder if it was something to do with returning to the UK (I had been away dealing with a family crisis for eight or nine weeks) and the difference in climate or light or something.

Right now I'm on approximately the same dose of meds I was on when I felt well, but slightly different proportions (more t3, less t4). I've thought about raising t4 and reducing t3 but less t3 makes it so hard to get up in the morning.

At the moment I'm focussing on taking loads of supplements - I'm now anaemic again and b12 was low - and thinking about what to do next. I feel like a blancmange.

susiebow profile image
susiebow in reply topuncturedbicycle

Hi punctured bicycle,thanks for input.I hope you get to feel better soon ,it is a comfort to know you are not alone .Like you I am consumed with what dose next to feel better ,such a night mare .I am thinking of going on Armour if I can get it on NHS.

puncturedbicycle profile image
puncturedbicycle in reply tosusiebow

Yes, it's so hard to know what's the best thing to try. Good luck. x

Not what you're looking for?

You may also like...

Why would I need less thyroxine after 30 years on same dose?

I've been on 150 mcg thyroxine for around 30 years. My reading over the years have been within...
Catseyes235 profile image

On same dose of Levothyroxine for over 30 years????

Hi - I have been on the same dose of Levothyroxine for over 30 years ad am feeling fatigued most of...
Seaside3 profile image

Why has my TSH increased after several years of taking the same dose of Thyroxine?

Background - following RI treatment for an overactive thyroid I have been taking 75mcg...

Has anyone gone back to levo after years on NDT?

I have recently had pretty bothersome hyper symptoms, such as increased sweating, rapid heartbeat...

Have Hashimotos, been on too low a dose of thyroxine for 6 months, slowly raising dose but just raised dose for 2 weeks and have hyper

symptoms,can this be possible to raise by just 12.5 mcg to 112.5 mcg daily and feel hyper or am I...
susiebow profile image