Why I can't sleep (Clutter help me please) - Thyroid UK

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Why I can't sleep (Clutter help me please)

adin profile image
adin
29 Replies

I don't know what happened to me. About one month, I was overmedicated(on135mcg levo +1/4ndt) my ft4 was 24, 5<12-22 and my tsh was 0,12. Now i'm just on levo. About 4 weeks ago I reduced my levo at 125mcg but my sleep didn't improve, I can't sleep without pills(2,3hrs). I never had this problem before, I slept very well on levo with our without ndt or if I added t3. This sleep problem is slowly kill me. I can't get into a deep rem sleep. I'm very tired, lose my concentration, etc. Now my ft4 drops to 22 and my ft3 it is 4(it is low I know). My endo referred me to a psychiatrist who told me I'm little depressed and anxious maybe due to my levo medication. She offered me 6 month tratament with sertraline (zoloft) or buspirone (buspar). I never used this medications before and I'm a little scared. I don't know if those pills will help me sleep. I don't think I'm depressed and don't know what to do.

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adin
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29 Replies

What nonsense. Refer you to a psych when the problem is lack of sleep? How stupid they are. Don't take anti depressants if you are not depressed, is my view.

Why is your T4 high and your T3 low? Are you not converting? What's the range for the T3?

Can you feel your heart pounding at night?

Clutter no doubt will be along soon.

adin profile image
adin in reply to

My ft3 range is 3,6-6,8. Yes I think I'm not a good converter. The doc thinks that the lack of sleep is linked to my anxiety (and eventually depress). The anxiety was getting worse in the evening. My sleep problem started when I became overmedicated but now when my ft4 is in range my sleep problem won't go away.No, now I don't feel my heart is pounding (maybe a little) at night.My brain doesn't want to sleep.

bluebug profile image
bluebug in reply toadin

It seems that your anxiety is causing you not to sleep and your lack of sleep is making you more anxious about going to sleep so you are in a circle, which started of when you were over medicated.

I do agree with @Aspmama that your GP shouldn't have referred you to a psychiatrist. The drugs may make you less anxious so help you to go to sleep but you will just be on them for the rest of your life, and it would have been far better for you for the GP to have referred you for a talking therapy

There is loads of advice about sleep problems out there. The first thing you need to do is sort out your sleep hygiene and not worry about not going to sleep.

patient.info/health/insomni...

mind.org.uk/information-sup...

adin profile image
adin in reply tobluebug

Thankyou very much for you advices, maybe should I try some 5HTP, or Gaba I heard it's ok for anxiety and depression disorders.

in reply toadin

Some people with hypo report anxiety as one of the symptoms. Your T3 is v low so your hypo has not been dealt with. It is highly possible this is causing the anxiety.

It is even possible, though I am speculating, that the sleeplessness is due to thyroid dysfunction, ie down to the high t4 low t3, you won't know till you get your T3 high in range for a bit. If you think you are a poor converter, have you tried T3 only?

adin profile image
adin in reply to

T3 only, oh no? I don't know how I will do it. I think it's a bit too much for me.

in reply toadin

Maybe post again, saying your T3 is so low and your t4 v high, what should you do, and mention sleeplessness as a possible side effect.

kathy1029 profile image
kathy1029

I know people don't like to take medication if they don't need it, but, if I didn't take my antihistamine (two over the counter allergy pills) before bed every night I would be in trouble, i have issues turning off my thoughts (i am a worrier) and the allergy pills relax me, after 2 years, they still work the same with no "tired" morning feeling, and not habit-forming, and i never take more than two at a time, it can have the opposite affect as i understand.

bluebug profile image
bluebug in reply tokathy1029

Anti-histamines primary purpose is to deal with allergies. One of the side-effects of some of the old ones is that they make you drowsy.

One of my old GPs' kept prescribing them to me for a condition I didn't and don't have. While I actually used some of them to deal with insect bites I ended up giving some away. (That's a whole another story about their issue in listening to a patient and not referring to a specialist.)

Anyway this is different from taking prescription medication whose primary purpose is to make you sleep.

adin profile image
adin in reply tobluebug

And what you think about 5htp?

bluebug profile image
bluebug in reply toadin

Try it and see if it works with the other measures suggested in the links I sent you about good sleep hygiene.

I did watch a programme with an experiment some time ago and if found lots of people weren't getting to sleep due to poor habits before going to bed.

I got some melantonin when I was in the US but actually found it was better for me to sort my sleep hygiene out. So I now know what sends me to sleep.

Pastille profile image
Pastille in reply tobluebug

Can you share what works for you please bluebug , I know most of it is common sense but just wondering. Apologies to adin for jumping on post. I have a lot of trouble with sleep

bluebug profile image
bluebug in reply toPastille

I've learnt not to worry about not sleeping. This I think is the biggest thing you have to overcome.

It does help I know other people with sleep issues including a sibling. Plus I'm not scared of telling people I work with I've not slept for 4 days so can't come in as I'm not safe to drive. (I'm self employed so I don't get paid if I don't work.)

I now get up go in another room and watch either gardening program or a historical program about trains or ships on the BBC or YouTube. Oddly enough they have just the right level of interest but are smoothing enough to often make me sleepy by the middle of it. If one doesn't work I watch another one then another one...

I should add I am one of these people who actually found anti-depressants and other so called relaxation drugs, stimulants that made my sleep a lot worse.

Pastille profile image
Pastille in reply tobluebug

Thank you for that, it makes a lot of sense

adin profile image
adin in reply toPastille

Pastille you are on levo?

Pastille profile image
Pastille in reply toadin

100mcg levo and 12.5 T3, only started T3 7 weeks ago. Slept great for the first week on 6.2 T3 but now I'm back to struggling. Feel much better in general, it's just sleep :(

adin profile image
adin in reply toPastille

Off, that's my problem too, I tried levo +ndt, levo only, levo+T3. Sleep well cople of weeks then hit me the insomnia. I think to try 5htp.

Pastille profile image
Pastille in reply toadin

I have actually not slept for 3 nights. I've had my grandson for the past 2 nights and he's had a cough. Sometimes I can manage a full night's sleep if I get to sleep at a decent time. But if I get past 2am I've got no chance, I'll have a dose at 5am if I'm lucky. I tried 5HTP, I can't say that I noticed anything really, I don't think I have a serotonin problem though so I didn't want to keep it up

kathy1029 profile image
kathy1029 in reply tobluebug

responding to bluebug, all true statements, but, after reading adin first post, it is not just about a new medication, she talks about having a sleep problem, i had the same sleep problems on NDT and on levo, and what absolutely worked for my REM and any other sleep disturbance was zzz-quil (which IS for sleep, and is also the exact same ingredients used for allergy over the counter med) :) we all deal with our sleep issues differently, what works for one as they say

Mimie profile image
Mimie

Hi, personally, I have had terrible nights since diagnosed and my life was a misery. I have taken 5htp after trying many things that have been suggested but fellow suffers. 5htp was another one and I didn't expect much. It has been a blessing. Helped me with sleep and all my symptoms have improved, not perfect but I can live with them now! Don't even need the 5htp any more.

I used 200mg by Lindens ( tried another brand but it didn't work so I stuck to that one). Took it for about 6 months.

Good luck. A good sleep is essential to climb out of this hole.

adin profile image
adin in reply toMimie

Mimie you are on levo ?

Mimie profile image
Mimie in reply toadin

Yes, I am. Since early 2012. Got hashi...

loueldhen profile image
loueldhen

I'd drop your t4 more. When I was on it if I changed brand or increased dose i wouldn't sleep for a week even after I'd worked out the issues and changed brand/dose. And stay away from all the other rubbish pharmaceutical drugs to do with anxiety/depression. They will compound your issues. (Sorry feeling very anti - acquaintance just died of accidental overdose of prescription drugs).

in reply toloueldhen

loudeldhen, are you a poor converter?

loueldhen profile image
loueldhen in reply to

I guess you'd call it that. T4 nearly killed me. I just stopped taking it before I was going to commit suicide! Hopped around like a bunny for a few weeks i felt so good off it. Then the hashis kicked in and I ground to a halt. Now on t3 only and functioning much better (but still searching!).

stop the thyroid madness has a page on this .. google hypothyroidism insomnia anxiety and it comes up.

Ruthi profile image
Ruthi

Adin, I wonder if your period of hyper has affected your adrenals?

Try the adrenal quiz adrenalquiz.com. You could also do the 24 hour saliva test, if it looks likely. Adrenal fatigue (a better name would be adrenal disturbance) is often hallmarked by being sleepy in the day but wakeful, wired even at bedtime.

Maggiemay12 profile image
Maggiemay12

I find I cannot take any caffeine at all ,even ginger tea with liquorice in it kept me awake ,since I stopped all these I can sleep ,

Machinations profile image
Machinations

I'd recommend dosing up on sleep enhancing herbal teas an hour before bed (rotate brands every several weeks to avoid needing more n more of a favoured drink) and chamomile tea from late afternoon, possibly avoid those ' kalming' tablets claiming to relax as they gave me palpitations, yet before thyroid thing they didn't. Essential oils designed by nature to aid insomnia n the pure ones often work vaporized for me. I'm on psychiatric drugs n dislike taking as their side effects make for interesting reading, at times in the negative. Coffee at any time messed up my system but cups of tea don't. Good luck.

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