Are BP and Pulse Reliable Indicators for Hypo/Hyper Levels?

[NadeNud]

Hi

Is checking heart and blood pressure a reliable or effective way to check the effect of thyroxine levels in the body?

Thanks

[HIFL]

Both are tricky, because both can be high when hypo or hyper, for different reasons. You have to know how to read the numbers. This explains how thyroid levels can affect BP: tiredthyroid.com/blog/2014/...

[NadeNud in reply to HIFL]

Thanks for the link. Very much appreciated

[Heloise]

I think the temperature is a better guide for one or the other. Or are you bouncing back and forth? In hypo, you can go from very high to very low BP.

[NadeNud in reply to Heloise]

It seems that my pulse goes high and my BP low when I take too much....and then the reverse for hypo...

However, I'm not really very experienced and will have to do a bit more research.

Also, I need to find out my temperature when I am optimal...I remember vaguely it was around 36 as a nurse once remarked on it a few years ago. However, when I was burning up as I'd taken too much it was 37.05 which is an average normal one...I'm not at a consistent dose yet, too.

Thanks for the reply

[Heloise in reply to NadeNud]

I relate to that, Nade. My own personal thought is when my blood pressure drops (and once in a while it is 90 over 50), my adrenals throw out adrenaline and my heart will start racing. I've never really read anything about that but just my personal opinion.

If you don't get on with levothyroxine, think about making a change.

[silverfox7]

I only have to think doctor, hospital and it goes through the roof!

[faith63]

I had an issue with low pulse and heart rate caused by over medication on t3.. i was toxic..my Liver, blood sugar and kidneys were really off on testing. So they aren't too reliable of indicators.

[Eddie83]

In some cases, BP and pulse are good indicators of hyperthyroidism, which can happen when (as is typical) you are trying to get to an "optimum" dose via experimentation. For instance, I had been on a T3+T4 dose of 12.5+112 prior to January 4, then switched to 7.5+125 in the hope my TSH would drift up a bit from 0.017 (in case I get stuck with a TSH obsessive-compulsive doc in the future). When I went into an orthopedic doctor's office, they took my BP but did not tell me it was 162/87, which I found out later. So I took BP+pulse at home and it was 153/96+77. That pulse of 77 is a red flag; my pulse has been about 64 ever since FT3 and FT4 have been in the normal range. And, my BP has been down around 130/75 in the past. Based on this experience, it seems like a good idea to use BP+pulse in combination with the usual thyroid blood tests. I have tried using basal temperature in the past to gauge where I am, but found it time-consuming to take, and the result never went as high as Broda Barnes said it should.