Am I over-medicated?

[Andree]

53-year-old female, diagnosed with hypothyroidism/Hashimoto in May.

Started on Levothyroxine 50, which was upped to 75 in June, as was still struggling with tiredness. Asked doc for iron as well as my Ferritin level was very low.

She prescribed me Ferrous Fumarate and upped my Levothyroxine to 100.

Also at this point I went on a gluten-free diet, and have been taking brazil nuts daily for Selenium.

Now feel I am hyper, lots of energy now but having extreme sweating and flushing day and night, feel like I'm in a sauna and can't sleep because of it. Having to get up to go to the toilet during the night much more than before.

Noticing hair loss for the first time, since the increase to 100.

Took only 75 today and sweating is not so bad. Going for bloods on Wednesday, and unsure what's best - to continue on 100 or drop to 75.

[Clutter]

Andree, your symptoms do sound like you may be overmedicated. It usually takes a few days to feel any difference in increasing/decreasing dose but some people are more sensitive to dose changes and notice quicker. Stick with 75mcg for a few days and see if your symptoms improve.

Don't take your Levothyroxine until after your blood test on Wednesday as it will skew the results.

I had to drop my Levothyroxine due to the increased heat in June. It is common to need to adjust the dose between summer and winter.

[Andree in reply to Clutter]

Thank you. I only ever get my TSH and my free T4s tested. Should I be asking for Free T3s and Reverse T3s to be tested? Have read about the importance of T3s - could synthetic T3s (Cytomel?) taken along with the levothyroxine 75 create a better balance for me, do you think?

Also, with my antibodies > 1,000 is a gluten-free diet the right way to go?

Please could I have your opinion on my B12 reading - it's 471.0

in a range of 211-900. Doc says it's ok.

[Clutter in reply to Andree]

Andree, Labs often refuse to test FT3 when doctor's request it if TSH is not suppressed and I don't think rT3 is tested on the NHS. You can order private thyroid tests from Blue Horizon and Genova via thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

If you feel well on Levothyroxine there's no need to supplement T3. If you don't feel well and your FT3 is low then T3 is beneficial.

Your B12 is just over half way in range so you'll get away without supplementing if you eat more meat and fish. Otherwise consider supplementing 500-1,000mcg methylcobalamin from health stores or via thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/go_sho... to maintain your levels.

[Andree]

Thank you, Clutter. I'll stay on 75 and wait for my blood results. Hoping my TSH will have dropped significantly again.

This site has been very helpful to me. I don't know anyone else with this kind of problem so the advice is much appreciated. Helps me keep my GP up to speed

[GrittyReads]

I would be careful that you don't overdo the brazil nuts. They do/can contain a 'lot' of selenium, and a couple of handfuls could provide your daily dose - but that's not counting what you could also get from wheatgerm, oats, garlic, brown rice etc .

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to GrittyReads]

I think 2 nuts are supposed to be all you need.

[GrittyReads in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

Hi,

Yes, I wasn't advocating 2 handfuls, just that they would add up to about the daily dose. So I would take far less than that, given that quite a lot of other foods in a good diet will also be adding to the total daily requirement.

My guide suggests about a daily dose of 50-60 micrograms of selenium for a female, and says that 100g of brazil nuts provides about 100 micrograms. So a quick check on the kitchen scales suggested 2 handfuls (I have small hands) was 50g = way too much, given that most healthy diets will also be providing selenium from other sources.

[Andree]

Thanks. I just grate 3 brazil nuts into a glass of natural yoghurt, with a little spoon of apricot jam, as a dessert. Delicious & nutritious!