Weight gain and thyroxine.

I gained no weight at all during the last 7 months of feeling very ill with fatigue and cfs type crashes, having to stop working out and probably eating a little more due to being stuck at home alone. I eat very healthy, mostly vegan, lots of fruit and veg.

Since starting thyroxine 25mg 6 weeks ago I have gained 8lbs!!!! This is alot for me. I am only 5ft tall and now 123lbs I feel huge and upset. I can't even workout due to my low energy.

I am on mirtazapine 15mg for anxiety the last 3 years. I was a painful 84lbs all my adult life, had a poor relationship with food. The mirtazapine causes weight gain but gaining 2 stone was much needed. I was happy at 8 stone 3 and I am now 8 stone 11 (123lbs).

Also since starting thyroxine I have awful spots all over my back and chest, and blackheads all over my chest???

I am having my thyroid test next week, 7 weeks after starting, then i will be chatting to my GP about everything.

I am just worried will this weight gain keep happening, why wasn't i gaining anything prior to the thyroxine? my TSH was 9.28 when i started treatment.

Oh, I managed the holiday, i found energy every single day, little anxiety, on the go all day, and I didn't let my anxiety and agoraphobia stop me. The children had an amazing time. Since home I am back to huge energy crashes, chronic fatigue has hit badly after a week of pushing through the tiredness and on my feet all day. My anxiety has also returned full pelt. Urgh. THank you all for your kind words before i went away it meant alot to me and really helped.

Julie x

[shaws]

Your starting dose (I assume) is 25mcg so is very small. Usually we start at 50mcg unless we are very frail and then 25mcg increases about every six weeks till we feel much better.

When hypothyroid our whole metabolism slows down, i.e. slow pulse and temps. Some people do gain weight when first on levothyroxine, particularly on low dose. Hopefully as the doctor raises yours the weight will reduce.

The first thing is to feel well and although I'm not medically qualified wonder whether your 'other symptoms' were actually hypothyroid ones but you remained undiagnosed for a while.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

When your next blood test is due it should be the very earliest and fast although you can drink water. Allow 24 hours between your last dose of levo and the test and take it afterwards.

If GP has not tested B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate and antibodies ask for these too as we are usually deficient which also cause symptoms/problems.

Always get a print-out with the ranges of your results from now on for your own records and you can post if you have a query.

[Hidden in reply to shaws]

Thank you. Yes it was a starter dose, I am guessing if the TSH has not come down and I am still so symptomatic my GP will increase to 50mg? He wanted me to wait 8 weeks before a re test but I have ordered my private test so I can have the full works and go by the smaller range. I have been having Blue Horizon tests since January because my GP dismissed my NHS results for a long time. I am going to do the test on Monday then it's been 7 weeks and he can't complain, if I did it at 6 weeks I'm sure he would say I did it too early. I am having tested the full thyroid panel, antibodies again, b12, ferritin, CRP and vitamin D which I haven't had tested before.

I always do my test about 7.30am, fasted and I don't eat after 9pm the night before. Thank you for reminding me not to take the levo before I test, as I usually take levo around 6.30am.

I do wonder if alot of my anxiety and agoraphobia has been caused by thyroid. I did go through a traumatic time 4 years ago and I suffered agoraphobi and anxiety within 2 months of my brother trying to attack me. That happened September 2012 then in January 2013 my GP ran tests as he thought I was hypothyroid. He told me my results were normal. Last year I asked what they were, my TSH was 4.9 (0.35-5.5) andn FT4 10.2 (7-17). I had my thyroid tested again by the same GP in August 2015 and my TSH was 5.35 (same ranges as the previous test) and FT4 was 11. Again he marked them as normal despite by that point having crippling fatigue and anxiety about leaving the house again. I'd had CBT and taken medication for the issues with my brother and the anxiety but I kept relapsing. My b12 was also tested and was 212 (range 150-900) again marked normal. Ferritin was 15 (15-150) he insisted i took iron lol!

My fatigue got worse and worse. Then in October last year my son was being bullied, felt suicidal and it was sheer hell watching him suffer with such awful anxiety and thoughts. My symptoms worsened and my GP diagnosed stress. My son got well thanks to me, NHS were useless, he is now 90% anxiety free and no scary thoughts, back in school and happy. I hoped my faitgue would get better as my health deteriorated throughout the 3 months of my son being ill. My GP refused to think it was thyroid and blamed stress and anxiety. That's when i went private and it showed my TSH was 6.5 (0.27-4.2) FT4 14.7 _12-22) and in March TSH was 7.51, FT4 15.8. May - TSH 9.28 and FT4 15.7. My FT4 has kept climbing which my GP finds strange, he also finds it strange my antibodies are negative yet this TSH keeps climbing. He was even reluctant to trial thyroxine with my most recent results with the high TSH. I feel so confused and it's why I worry all the time is this my thyroid.

I have been supplementing B12, vitamin D, iron..... in March it showed the B12 was at 477 and ferritin at 34 so I hoping next week we see another improvement.

Thank you for your help.

Julie

[shaws in reply to Hidden]

It is ridiculous they keep us unwell. Are happy to prescribe any other prescription for the 'symptom' but not a hormone which we are desperately in need of. This is from a doctor who was hounded by the GMC as he was doing as he was taught and had an uphill battle with the RCoP and BTA and they wouldn't listen to sense but continued with the nonsense for many patients.

Excerpt:

This book was written to draw attention of the medical profession to a major faux pas in the care of patients with hypothyroidism. This arises from the inexplicable refusal of the medical profession to recognise that patients can suffer from hypothyroidism when the thyroid chemistry is deemed to be ‘normal’ if the free thyroxine or the thyroid stimulating hormone lie between 95% reference intervals. There is a further problem that when a patient is diagnosed as hypothyroid many patients receive too low level of thyroid replacement through servile reliance on thyroid chemistry with (often) cavalier disregard of how the patient feels accompanied by an implicit and bizarre belief that a level of thyroid hormone is a better index of wellbeing than the patient’s own view of his/her wellbeing.

worldthyroidregister.com/Go...

[Josiesmum in reply to Hidden]

Sorry to hear you're feeling so unwell. Along with getting meds right, ferritin of 34 will likely cause symptoms, ideally aim to get it mid-range. Also worth investigating food sensitivities:

thepaleomom.com/the-autoimm...

Good luck.

[Hidden in reply to Josiesmum]

Yes my ferritin was 8 3 years ago. It's been low for over 10 years but never caused symptoms really. Hopefully it's come up from 34 which it was in March.

I cut out gluten in December. I also no longer eat dairy

Thank you for replying.

[Iphoenix]

So glad you had an amazing holiday, well done you Julie!

[Hidden in reply to Iphoenix]

Thank you so much

I hope you are doing well x