ruined my health

[susiebow]

Is it possible to ruin your health by frequent changes of doses of thyroxine for 14 years.

Never been on a stable dose longer than 3 months.

[rosetrees]

I think it's unlikely that changing doses has ruined your health. It's more likely that inappropriate treatment and undiagnosed underlying problems are the cause.

Have you had ALL of the following tests done:

TSH, FT4, FT3, thyroid antibodies, Vit D, Vit b12, iron, folate, ferritin

Ask your doctor for a print out of your blood tests with ranges for, say, the last 5 years. Look to see which tests haven't been done and go back and ask for them. You might have to insist on FT3, but this is the most important test, especially if you are still unwell, as T3 is the active hormone that your body uses.

When you have all the results, come back and post them, with ranges and members will help you work out what you need to do to improve your health.

[Clutter]

Susie, it's unlikely to have ruined your health but not being on a stable optimal dose doesn't help your metabolism to recover properly.

[susiebow in reply to Clutter]

Thanks clutter Endo wants me to stay on same dose for 6 months ,had all test which are within normal ranges .Only test not done is rt3 ,will request this at next blood test.As you know had Hashimotos for 14 years ,but all went haywire and been really ill for over a year now.Having to take early retirement from NHS.I just cannot get metabilixm back in kilter again.Endo said she would try adding t3 if no better in March.

I just feel so ill all day,every day ,some days better than others.Fatigue ,muscle pain, desperetly low mood,nausea ,malaise,hot ,jittery anxious,any form of excersion and all my cells feel exhausted and shaky, no stamina.

Has ANYONE else been like this .

[Clutter in reply to susiebow]

Susie, I felt like that with Hashi's before I was on thyroid replacement and on T4 after RAI. I felt better on T3 for a couple of months prior to RAI after thyroidectomy (thyCa) but it may also have been that there were no more Hashi flares without a thyroid to attack. Everything went downhill on T4 until I was mostly bedridden. Very high FT4 and FT3 for 7 months and then FT3 plummeted below range. Pain was bad but the shortness of breath, palpitations, internal tremors and shakes were worse.

I asked for rT3 but endo said NHS wouldn't test it so I don't know whether it was just a build up of T4 from being over-replaced or rT3 which made me feel ill. I stopped T4 for 12 weeks to clear it from my system but palpitations started a day after I restarted it and then stopped when I added T3 which seemed to have a calming effect on the T4.

I'd also been found folate and vitD deficient. Correcting these helped with pain, fatigue and low mood too.

[susiebow in reply to Clutter]

Thanks Cutter