secondary hypothyroidism

I had a blood test about 3 months after I was started on Armour. I cant find the results now but my tsh was below 1 and my t4 under the range. The highest my tsh has ever gone is 2 yet I have every hypo symptom possible and a skin condition lychin schlorosis (spelt badly) that you only get if hypo. I have recently been treating myself with thyrogold with fluctuating results and think I have secondary hypo.

If it is my pituitary gland then I am worried there might be other hormones and problems that need to be looked into by an endo. Should I stop my thyroxine and try to get a clear result from another blood test and then endo refferal

I have also lactated on and off for most of my life. I am now 48 and have had problems since 15 years old.

If I did have secondary hypothyroidism I will sue every bloody GP I have ever had.

[Clutter]

Mandyjane, If you had low TSH and below range FT4 before you started Armour you probably did have secondary hypothyroidism. A pituitary function test ought to have been arranged to check out growth and sex hormones and the pituitary dysfuncton.

If FT4 remained below range after starting Armour you may have been undermedicated. If you've switched from Armour to Thyro-Gold and are feeling hypo you probably aren't taking enough Thyro-Gold. There's no need to stop taking Thyro-Gold to have a thyroid test but leave 24 hours between last dose and blood draw.

I don't think you have to be hypothyroid to suffer from lichen-schlerosus.

nhs.uk/conditions/lichen-sc...

[Hidden]

Hello Manyjane,

Sorry to hear you feel so unwell.

Secondary hypothyroidism is when the pituitary gland is failing to produce enough TSH to stimulate the thyroid. Therefore the thyroid might not produce enough hormone to meet our needs.

Prolactin is a hormone produced in the pituitary gland and plays a big role in lactation. When this hormone is over produced it is called Hyperprolactinaemia and may be caused by an under active throid or pituitary problems.

Any hormone imbalance is a nightmare and you definitely need a referral to an endo.

Make sure the fundamentals are in order by having optimum levels of Vit B12, Vit D, Folate and Ferritin and getting blood tested for antibodies. Vit deficiencies and high unchecked antibodies can skew blood test results, stop thyroid meds working efficiently and generally delay any healing path.

Good luck.

yourhormones.info

[Jackie]

Hi My endo says that on NDT it is the FT3 that matters and t4 may be low. It is unusual to need armour and levo.

Jackie

[Maldives2016]

Hi - did you resolve this, was it a prolactinoma? As that's what I have been diagnosed with! And am hypo with low tsh!

[Maldives2016]

Wish I could sue even the DR's I deal with now, my prolactinoma has been proved twice via blood tests & via mri scan & my dr still insists it's a incidentaloma, an adenoma found by accident, meanwhile we were specifically looking for it!!!

[Hidden in reply to Maldives2016]

Not really resolved but feeling much better in fact better than I ever have on some homepathic remedys. Have you looked up the NICE guidelines to show your doctor or asked for a second opinion. How long have you been dealing with this?

I would consider legal action if I was you.

[Maldives2016 in reply to Hidden]

Hi Mandyjane,

Issues were first discovered in March, then the prolactinoma in April, but 2 different DR's, unfortunately if I had to sue every Dr that has misdiagnosed me in the last 5 years, it would be an epidemic, from glandular fever & coxsakkie virus to now hypothyroidsm & prolactinoma!

Have you followed Dr Amy Myers at all, she just released "The Thyroid connection" so I will follow her diet next month when I'm land based again & can cook my own food hopefully that will help with the hypothyroidsm & I'm hoping the ayurvedic can help with the prolactinoma as I don't want to go back on cabergoline.

I will have a look through NICE & see if they can help at all.

There is only 1 endo in the maldives so he is my only option. If the ayurvedic dr doesn't help, then next will probably be a neuro dr in India, however all these things take so long to see results that its hugely demotivating to think I have to deal with worsening syptoms while someone figues it out, I do spend a lot of time doing reseach & without the internet they never would have found the prolactinoma, Dr here would have me on cholesterol meds & Dr in SA on anti-depressants!!! Which ironically is hugely contra-indicated to a prolactinoma so lucky I didn't follow that prescription

What are you on now that's making you feel so much better?

(Excuse bad punctuation, typing in a rush)

All the best in health