Is breathlessness associated with not enough Thyroxin? I am TT and been on 75mcg now for a year and the last 3 months or so started to feel breathless which worries me.
Many thanks
Breathlessness: Is breathlessness associated with... - Thyroid UK
Breathlessness
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ThyroidHell
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You need an increase. Yes, breathlessness IS on of many symptoms of not enough thyroid.
75mcg of Levo would be barely adequate if you weighed five stones. that is certainly nowhere near enough if you have no thyroid. What on EARTH is your doctor thinking of.
In addition, it is very possible that levothyroxine alone may not be right for you, as evidence has been published suggesting that once the thyroid has been removed, you don't convert the T4 in the levo to the T3 your body needs. As it is early days yet. you may not notice this but as time goes on, it becomes apparent.
I have had a TT and was on Levo only (150mcg) for abour 32 years and became more and more ill, eventually my GP reduced my dosage to 100mcg and it precipitated a crisis leading me to have several mini-strokes.
I do hope that you can go back to whoever is supposed to be looking after you and get that dose increased.
Marie xx
I think you may not be converting properly so I would find a doctor that will add T3 to your current dose of T4
I take it that it is difficult to find a doctor who will do that then ?
Well they all go by the TSH range which is rubbish and also FT3 and FT4. The FT3 and the FT4 are just indications of what is in the blood and the TSH the message from the pituitary to the thyroid gland.
If they would just realise how the body worked and just used these tests very loosley and looked at the ailing patient there wouldn't be a problem but they have become technocrats, just looking at blood results and their screen.
There are doctors out there but not many and you normally have to go outside the box. I am under Dr Lehmitte in Belgium, I go once a year and have all tests done, they put the UK to shame. However, their insistence on NDT hormone for everyone is not something I agree with and I have told Dr Hertoghe this. The ratio is wrong for some people and by taking T4 and T3 you can adjust the ratio.
I adjust myself and tell my doctor when I go and see her and she says that's fine. She checks for physical symptoms of over stimulation but there never are any.
I hope this helps.
Yes thanks it helps , my own GP does respect my interest and certain knowledge of things so he doesn't try to fob me off, the reason he says is that ( I have had heart palpitations in the past ) so he doesn't want me to go on higher because of having a stroke. I am fine now and palpitations stopped amongst other things when I quit smoking . I will bring up the subject couple of weeks time when I see him and ask for blood tests too , thanks for reply Marja x
Hi, I am in the UK with a standard gp on Levo 125 mg .. I could no way operate on 75 mg!
I started off at 50 mg then. 75 mg then 125mg
I kept a diary and in there I stated breathless on 50 mg with heart strain feeling.
75 mg breathless. And heart palpitations ( might be due to rai though)
No energy tired.
Now on 125 mg feel ok ish but weight gain is a issue and still tired.
How are your levels of B12 - Iron - Ferritin - Folate - VitD ? Low B12/iron/folate can also cause you to feel breathless. Red blood cells contain iron - oxygen clings to the iron for transportation around the body 
Low iron means there is not enough for the oxygen to cling on to....am not an expert - it is just a thought. Also it was my own experience. Climbing 17 steps to our house was once a problem ! - not anymore once levels of B12 etc. were improved....
2/11/2014 my levels were TSH 0.13, T4 17.6 , Folate 7.3 , Ferrtin 87.5 and B12 299 . I quit smoking last year and when I take a deep breath it feels good and clear. I managed to get an appointment to my GP on 16/6 ( joke isn't it ) and will have to ask new blood tests . I have few packets of 100mcg left from previous trials , but he seems adamant I should be on 75mcg and started taking them from today to see if it helps.
Thyroidhell, Congratulations on quitting smoking. When exactly did you stop smoking? Smoking lowers TSH, so your TSH may have been falsely low and you need a dose increase. As others have said 75mcg is unlikely to be sufficient for someone without a thyroid.
B12 299 is very low and may be contributing to breathlessness. Supplement 5,000mcg methylcobalamin sublingual lozenges, spray or patches for 6-8 weeks to build levels and then cut back to 1-2,000mcg daily. Take a B Complex to keep the other B vits balanced and improve your folate.
Hi Clutter , I quit 1st of February this year ( coming 4 months now ) . I actually have Jarrow formula Methyl B-12 5000 mcg Methylcobalamin in cupboard . Is this worth taking?
Thyroidhell, well done on quitting. It will be interesting to see whether your TSH has risen, as I suspect it may have done.
Get stuck into the B12. You should notice an improvement in energy levels in a few weeks.
As Clutter says the B12 is very low. Hopefully the supplements will help. Do you have any stomach issues that may be hindering the process of B12 absorption ?
Hi Marz , yes I have severe diverticulitis :o(
...so absorption/production of B12 in the terminal ileum will be impaired. Best to take it in a spray under the tongue - hoping it will be taken up in the micro-circulation there.... The 5000 mcg Tabs you have will also be good as long as you can keep them under the tongue ! They taste so delicious I forget and chobble them up without thinking
How much VitD are you taking - I have Crohns - so take 10,000IU's daily. It is anti-inflammatory so should help to calm the 'itis ' ....
I am not taking any vitD could you suggest a reliable brand for me and of course the added anti-inflammatory is a bonus as my fingers are bending all sorts of ways now!
Oh dear do you have RA - Rheumatoid Arthritis ? Sorry to hear that. Do you have Hashimotos ? It seems auto-immune conditions like to go together 
There are D3 sprays to go under the tongue and some contain VitK2 which is a good combination. This is because taking VitD improves levels of calcium in the blood and the K2 directs it into the bones I have read.
There are many makes of D3 on amazon so you can take your pick. Good to find one without Gluten etc. Also take it with the main meal. I think mine is Healthy Origins at the moment.
Am wondering if you have taken steps to heal the gut - D3 will be part of that. Did you consider adding T3 to your dose - have just looked at an old thread of yours. Going gluten free could well help the diverticulitis.
It's all so complicated - but our health does begin with the gut.... There are so many receptors for T3 in the lining of the gut - so am suspecting your T3 is LOW - especially if the small dose of T4 you are taking is not converting into the ACTIVE T3....
I would love to add trial basis the T3 just to see if there is any difference. I am going try these B12 and VitD too. I had multi nodular glands and right was removed when I was in my 20's then I recognised the symptoms and the left had 7 nodules and of course the strangular feeling was driving me nuts. I asked the last to be removed too. You are right since the removal of the remining gland this diverculitis has really raised its ugly head and I am sure they all are connected ( why wouldn't they be after all thyroid controls many parts of the body including the gut ) Thanks for your advice I am now confident going in the doctors with few questions and asking certain things . Many thanks Marja x
I treat myself with the D3/K2 and B12. I live in Crete and can buy most things over the counter.
Hope all goes well. Sadly Docs are not so good at looking at the basics of our health.....like VitD - B12 - Folate etc....
You need to treat VitD according to your results ....
oK , I looked at the chart and it a bit different to my results as mine was 100 so according to that chart mine is off the chart .
Yes - you have to divide your result by 2.5 to bring it to ng/L - the measurement used in the States. So your result is 40. So that means you need at least 2000IU's of D3 daily - with Vitamin K2....
Thanks :O) Off to shop some VitD , great help chatting to you xxxx
Don't forget the K2 as well .
eek what is K2 please ?
...something I mentioned in my post of 2 days ago ! It is a vitamin
Loving your reply, where can I buy T3?
Also I get tummy issues to so will be buying vit b12 and d3 sprays
I am on Levo 125 mg my issue is no energy and weight gain gets me so down..plus tummy aches at night.
Are you converting the T4 into the Active T3 - you need to know this before embarking on T3 only. You need good levels of Ferritin/Iron/B12/Folate/VitD for T4 to convert efficiently .....
Lots of information on this forum about where to buy T3 on-line....type it into the Search Box on the Green Bar at the top of the page....
I felt breathless in a strange kind of way when I first went on to Thyroxine - felt I needed to take a big breath but couldn't get enough air in. This went when my dose was increased.
That's exactly how I feel !
It's weird isn't it? I have seen somewhere about 'air hunger' but I don't know if it is the same thing. Never had it before I went on to Levothyroxine. My husband thought I was sighing all the time but it's the opposite as it's an intake of air rather than sighing which is breathing out!
Yes, that's what we call 'air hunger'. It's a symptom of low thyroid. Sometimes starting levo can trigger symptoms that we never had before, it's as if the body is saying 'hey! wait a minute! that's what I've been missing all this time, I want more!!!'.
I imagined Mr Levo arrived on the scene and shouted "Hey, Thyroid, I'm here now you can go to sleep, you poor old thing" And so, tired Thyroid took a well deserved rest. Unfortunately Mr Levo was all mouth and no trousers.
Thanks guys , it just dawned to me in bed last night that I must be on too low dose of Thyroxin for this breathlessness. I 1st thought all the bloody senarios from lung cancer to all sorts and there it is plain and simple .
I'm slowly beginning to realise that everything, all the little niggly things as well as the big things are down to my blinkin thyroid!
Well yes , and I am sure my diverticulitis is down to that. I do not eat rubbish and never done that. I make my meals from fresh stuff and eat plenty of fibre to be told that I have severe diverticulitis and they would like to operate is a bit of a shock
Giving up smoking makes hypothyroidism worse for lots of people. And if people haven't already been diagnosed (which obviously doesn't apply to you since you have no thyroid) then hypothyroidism can rear its head for the first time.
For some people, I think smoking disguises hypothyroidism by lowering TSH.
thyroid.about.com/cs/latest...
very interesting indeed
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