I have been taking 75mg thyroxine for a year now and I cannot function proper. My gp will not increase it because my bloods are acceptable. I have some thyroid S and I have been taking it for a week 2 tablets while I wait for my amour thyroid to arrive from usa . I'm off sick from work I look fine but can't function like a normal person. Has anyone taken thyroid S and if so how much. My BP is good and my pulse is around 60 . My hair has today stopped falling out I just have no energy thank you
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lemondrop123
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I requested a print out it took a few days but unfortunately when I opened the envelope all that was there were my TSH and this was 0.66, the results were from Christmas time. No other results so not much use really. My pulse had gone up so I haven't take any thyroid S for three days. My other thyroid drugs have arrived from USA but I have to collect them to pay tax on them and I am too tired to go out or drive safely. I am starting to wonder if it is my thyroid it may be hormone levels may be low, post early menopausal . It is difficult one at the moment. I am sure I will get better soon, just need to sort out the problem. It is little use going back to my GP because I have now been told twice that I am probably not taking my medication correctly when I complain I cant function . In between my bouts of exhaustion I run a business, employ people and I am doing a post degree diploma but hey ho I must be stupid if I cant get my tablets out the blister packet each day. Sorry to sound like a moaner but this condition does tend to spoil your quality of life and I get bored with myself saying 'I'm tired' so it must be a pain in the rear for my family .
I am a moaner , I am going to cheer up and maybe roll off the bed and see what happens , have a good weekend
You're not taking thyroid replacement properly if you stop taking it for 3 days at a time. If your pulse is high try skipping one dose and reducing your daily dose.
Do you have a print-out of your latest blood test results with the ranges that members can comment upon?
75mcg of levothyroxine v 1 grain of Thyroid S (which is about the equivalent between 75mcg and 100mcg of levo). So you may have overshot slightly if you've started on two tablets after a week which I believe would be 1 grain each = 150 to 200mcg of levo?
Usually when switching to NDT, we take the equivalent of our levo dose (in your case 1 grain would be around 100mcg of levo) and after two weeks a small increase and so on until you feel much better.
You should take pulse/temp before you begin and several times a day thereafter and if either rise too much you must drop down to the previous dose.
Some NDTs come in 60mg or 65mg which isn't mcg. and might cause some errors in dosage.
As you've been on 2 grains, maybe lower dose to 1 1/4 gr and then depending on how you feel, increase by 1/4 every 2 weeks. If heart/pulse goes up too high drop down to previous dose.
My TSH went from 6.31 to 0.03 after 6 weeks on Thyroid-S. I went from 0.5 grain to 2 grains. If I were you I certainly wouldn't increase any further now. You need to get your TSH, Free T4 and Free T3 tested after six weeks to see whether you need to adjust the dose.
I found Thyroid-S helpful. My hypo symptoms have mostly disappeared. Unfortunately I'm still very tired and struggling with insomnia but it's most likely caused by exhausted adrenals.
I've been taking Thyroid S for 15 years. It works, but like any thyroid medicine, it takes a bit of fiddling to get it right, and it needs all the other nutrients to be good too.
With a TSH of .66 you should really be feeling fine, so its likely to be something else that is either interfering with your thyroid, or just something else causing the symptoms - hence when you take what may be too much thyroid medicine you just get the extra symptom of the fast heart rate.
It could, of course, be anything, but B12 deficiency, Vitamin D deficiency and iron deficiency (low ferritin on the tests) are prime suspects with hypothyroidism because we tend not to absorb our nutrients too well. Have you had those tested? Do you know the results?
Thank you for your reply. I have just been searching for providers of blood tests , blue horizon do not have a hospital near me but I have found a site called medicheck. Would vitamin deficiency show its self in a full blood count do you think or would it have to be a more specific test.
Could you recommend any providers ? My GP is not really a option , they are too busy and I cant actually describe my symptoms other than sounding like I am complaining about my thyroid. They did a FBC last summer when I collapsed without reason but that came back normal so I am reluctant to ask for another test.
I found this test...... Everything in the Well Woman Check, this profile also includes thyroid function, female hormones FSH, LH and oestradiol as well as ferritin, vitamin B12,...
The thyroid function in this test is unlikely to include FT3 or RT3 (which is worth checking when your TSH looks good, but you feel rubbish) so I would ask what their thyroid function test consists of.
With Blue Horizon they offer home skin prick tests which don't require a phlebotomist, you just squeeze out a few drops of blood. I'm not sure which tests are covered that way - but its a cheap way of doing it if you are brave, (or have a masochistic friend!). Go via the Thyroid UK website to get a 10% discount.
Or you could ask at the doctor's whether the phlebotomist will take the blood for your private tests. They are very accommodating at my doctor's and will do it that for me. Maybe they reckon its easier and cheaper than having me take up GP time yet again!
Medichecks are fine too, some members have used them.
Oh, and no, a general FBC will not be checking nutritional levels. They check a few crucial electrolytes but not, in general B12, folate or D3. They may have checked ferritin when you passed out since anaemia is a possibility for that, or they may not. That is why you need your printouts, because with them you can learn what they mean on the net, and then ask for opinions here too.
Always ask for your test printouts - what a doctor/NHS lab thinks is normal may be far from optimal. Normal is a statistical term, and for example 'normal' for weight and height has changed hugely over the last fifty years. Share your results here - there is always a member who knows about pretty well everything!
When preparing for a doc's appointment its worth going through some of the checklists for symptoms. When I stumbled upon the idea of thyroid disease I downloaded the list from the net and was able to tick off two thirds of the list - whereas lots of the things that were suggested only scored maybe 10 or 15 percent. Not scientific. There's also a website that used to be called 'wrongdiagnosis.com' but has been renamed to the much more PC 'Right Diagnosis'. They have a symptom checker that with a bit of time and determination can help you make a list of possible diagnoses. Not a bad way to while away an afternoon if you aren't watching the tennis!
And then simply sit there and ask the doctor, if its not thyroid(and I can see why they are saying that its not) then what is it? Surely I am not supposed to feel like this?
Why have you bought Armour Thyroid when you already had some Thyroid-S? Armour Thyroid isn't "better" than Thyroid-S it's just a lot more expensive.
Thyroid-S might or might not agree with you - it's really impossible to say given the information supplied here. But there are other inexpensive NDTs available before breaking the bank with Armour.
Your best bet, in my opinion, is to choose a dosage of either levo or Thyroid-S or Armour and stick to it for 4 - 6 weeks. Then pay for a full set of thyroid tests from Blue Horizon. You really need to find a baseline otherwise you are just flailing around in the dark with no idea what to do.
You mentioned "My BP is good and my pulse is around 60". I have to say, I think a pulse of 60 is too low unless you are a healthy athlete. I think a pulse in the high 70s or low(ish) 80s is more likely to make you feel better. One obvious reason for low pulse is being hypothyroid, suggesting you are under-medicated, despite what your doctor thinks of your TSH.
At the moment you don't have enough information to make a decision. If you can, paying for a test would be good idea to start with :
and look at the various thyroid tests that can be done. I would recommend the Thyroid Check Plus Eleven to start with, which costs £99. You will probably want to get the finger prick collection method (Microtainer - collect at home) rather than the full "blood sample from the elbow", unless you know someone who can take blood for you.
For home blood testing :
1) Order the test then wait for a blood collection kit and instructions to be sent to you in the post.
2) Once testing kit arrives, follow the instructions, prick your fingers and let blood collect in little test tubes. Lancets and test tubes are provided. Ask for advice on the forum if you want advice on how best to get enough blood.
3) Parcel up the bits you need to send back to BH, then take it to the Post Office and get it sent "Guaranteed Next Day Delivery".
4) Wait for results, which are sent via email.
Once you have your results post them in a new post (including the reference ranges) on here and ask for feedback.
Good luck. Hold on to the fact that people can and do improve their health immensely. You aren't doomed to feel the way you do for ever.
Thank you for your reply. I suppose I thought armour would be better because it came from a pharmacy and not amazon, daft really.
I did notice blue horizon but I thought I would have to visit the hospital and there isn't one near, so in my haste I have ordered a test from medicheck for a thyroid screening , after I ordered that I noticed a better blood check that would do the tests that another forum user kindly suggested .
This is funny I haven't even got myself off the bed yet and I'm already getting in a muddle !
My pulse went up to 77 this I thought was high for me because I hover around 58-60 but you are correct I am rambling around in the dark. I will take the thyroid S for 6 weeks ( probably stick to one tablet this time ) then order another test, at least this test I have already ordered will give me a comparison.
Thanks for your encouragement , I now have a plan ,
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