Thirst and joint pain has increased as well as fatigue. Feels like I am being weighed down.
Newly diagnosed hypo and hashi's. Also stage 2 adrenal fatigue with low progesterone and cortisol. Not on any medications. Have recently gone gluten, dairy, and soy free.
Any thoughts or ideas?
Well, I guess my thoughts are that if you have Hashi's and symptoms you will feel unwell if you're not on any meds.
Do you know what your b12 and d look like? I get sore feet when low in b12 and sore hands when low in d.
To my knowledge, it's early stages. No antibodies were present in August, just retested and awaiting results. Was diagnosed through thyroid nodule biopsy. In august tsh was 0.01, now is 2.61 and ft4 just went low to 0.79 (0.93-1.70). So my doc prescribed Synthroid 25 mcg, because of the levels flip flopping, she was hesitant to prescribe and told me not to take it if it makes me feel weird. I took it once and my brain felt like it was vibrating in my skull, so I didn't take it again. In all fairness, I also increased my B12 that day, so it could've been from that. Perhaps I should give the Synthroid another go?
Vit B12 and D were in normal range in august, but have been on a high supplement dose of each to make it in optimal range.
Thank you for responding pb 
No worries.
I think 25 is such a small dose it may cause your levels to go down rather than up, which can make you feel worse. In my layperson's opinion I'd rather you tried 50mcg and see how that feels. If you became overmedicated you could stop. But 25 just seems like no man's land.
If you do a cursory read/straw poll here of folk who've been on 25mcg, I don't ever remember anyone saying 'Oh, that's better, I'm so glad I started taking meds' but more like 'I didn't think I could feel worse on meds but I do' and 'I was asymptomatic before meds and now I feel awful.'
How long were you on 25? The other problem is that there's usually a lag between taking levo and feeling any different, so it can seem like nothing good is happening. So unfortch you may need to commit to it and see it out to know if it will help, which could end up making you feel bad for a while. Thyroid stuff can be a beast of a problem, only made worse by the fact that doctors don't seem to know a lot about it.
I only had the 25mcg the one day. I posted on here about it and people did mention feeling worse on a lower dose.
So exhausted I can't think straight to figure out what to do. Sounds like either no levo or taking two 25mcgs. Trouble with taking two is my insurance only covers 30 tablets for a 30 day period and my doc is on holiday for two weeks, so I can't request 50mcgs.
I was really hoping I'd not need meds and my diet changes would be enough, but I feel absolutely horrid. Wonder if detox from all the diet changes, removing gluten, soy, and dairy, could be making my feel temporarily worse as well.
Tbh I don't believe in detox nor do I have a lot of faith in dietary changes, or at least I don't believe they will change the way you feel - for better or for worse - unless you have an underlying problem. By all means give it a try to see what happens (a non-dairy diet did wonders temporarily for my hay fever) but you may not feel any different.
I was strictly gf for a year (coeliac style, no cross-contamination) and it only had the most modest effect on my antibodies (in fact I think one went up and one went down) so I went back to eating normally. I didn't feel better/worse when gf and I didn't feel any different when I stopped. Some people find all kinds of mysterious ailments vanish on some kind of diet so it is always worth a try, but I guess what I'm saying is manage your expectations.
It may work for you, it may not, but don't sweat it, and if you feel too ill right now to carry on with it it will always be there to come back to.
Thank you, will keep that in mind.
If I do try the 50mcg levo, how long is a reasonable time to try it to see if I feel better?
Ideally you'd be on it for 6wks and have a blood test. Obvs if during that time you had palps or other signs of overmedication you could reduce it every other day and see if it improved. Then you could see if your numbers looked better.
Curious what has helped you to feel better?
Ha! Lowered expectations. Also t3, b12 injections, vit d, iron, reducing carbs in my diet (but only 'extra' carbs like cutting out the evening serving of potatoes, one slice of toast instead of two, nothing drastic), doing what I like whenever possible, hmm...
I'm also taking low dose naltrexone but I can't say it's deffo helping, so I'm putting that in the category of 'remains to be seen.' I did stop taking it for a while and imagined I didn't feel as good, so as it isn't a huge investment I went back on it.
By all means take what I say with a grain of salt. I sometimes think people make themselves feel bad because when ill they don't have the energy to overhaul their diet or there are too many confusing messages about what kind of food is good for you, then they come here and read that in order to feel well you *must* cut all gluten/soya/dairy/sugar/alcohol/fill in the blank and 'no cheating' etc and I feel it is a harsh message. My heart goes out to anyone who feels dead on their feet, sad at their loss of health, trying to keep up with their responsibilities and the first thing they encounter when they try to get help is a very restricted diet and list of dos and don'ts, some of which are based on nonsense.
Plenty of people take their levo every day then have toast with jam for breakfast and feel fine. If you don't feel well you must look deeper of course, and diet has its place, but we must all treat ourselves with compassion and do what's right for ourselves when we're ready. That's all I mean.
That all makes perfect sense. Since I received the first abnormal tsh two months ago I've been physically and mentally consumed with finding answers, doctors, tests, results, diet dos and don'ts, supplements, medications, and constant research. Plus all the conflicting results, opinions, and advice, never mind being sick to top it all off. Guess it's no wonder I'm completely shattered. So being kind to myself and taking everything with a grain of salt is a good reminder. I've been working hard to get the 'right' foods in my fridge and pantry, so am going to give that a go and see if it helps. I'll consider starting the higher levo and simplify everything else.
Greatly appreciate everything, thank you pb!
Misscshell,
Gut issues and diet are huge in Hashimotos and adrenal issues, and many people have found dietary changes and a healthy life style has proved beneficial to their health. I believe these changes can make a big difference and as this can only encourage an overall positive effect, it is prudent to try.
If Hashi is caught in time there are a few people who have managed to lower their antibodies enough to stop the diseases progression and avoid the need for thyroid hormone replacement. Unfortunately this is unusual because hypothyroidism is insidious and by the time we are diagnosed, we have many health problems that take years to recover (if ever).
Detoxing can make you feel very unwell as toxins leave the body. Eating fibre will help collect and excrete the toxins, instead of dumping them back into the small intestine (making you feel sick).
Your previous results show euthyroid (normal) thyroid activity and that is why your doctor hesitantly prescribed Levo but if Hashi has been diagnosed by biopsy you will be in the first stages of onset hypothyroidism.
Long term low thyroid hormone will compromise the adrenals glands, and high cortisol decreases TSH (lowering thyroid hormone production) and inhibits the conversion of T4 to active T3. If you have stage two adrenal fatigue, your cortisol reserves will now be low and other adrenals hormones will be compromised in an effort to keep things running.
Your test results are only indicative of what is in your blood and not what is working on a cellular level. You may find adrenal support would help (adaptogens//glandulars). There are also glandular supports for the thyroid which may be enough at this stage of your disease as your thyroid hormones are not excessively low.
Thyroid nodules are common in Hashimotos and ..[..flip flopping..] .. is caused during Hashi attacks when the dyeing thyroid cells release large amounts of hormone into the blood stream.
Treatment for secondary hypothyroidism is the same as primary but doses should not be based on the TSH level. I have primary (Hashi) and experienced huge balance issues before and after initially medicating thyroid hormone replacement six years ago. I also have experienced an insatiable thirst but both of theses issues have improved with optimal thyroid hormone. Thick gooey saliva changes continue to improve but at a much lesser rate.
If you do medicate Levo, ask your doctor to retest thyroid hormones after six weeks and post results for members to comment. Usually a small improvement in symptoms is initially seen but whole wellbeing can take many months//years depending on how long you have remained undiagnosed.
Levothyroxine definitely should not be taken with ...[ ...toast with jam for breakfast ...] .. because food will affect absorption of the hormone by binding with it and decreasing access to absorption sites. It will also alter the rate it dissolves and change the stomach's pH balance.
I think you would find "The Root Cause" by Isabella Wentz an interesting read. Also"Adrenal Fatigue: The 21st Century Stress Syndrome" by Dr. James L. Wilson
I wish you well.
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Adrenal and Thyroid Connection
hypothyroidmom.com/cortisol...
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Gut and Thyroid Connection
chriskresser.com/the-thyroi...
Thank you very much, Radd. A lot of helpful info. I am working with a functional medicine practitioner to hopefully find the root cause. I have an appt scheduled when she returns from holiday in a couple weeks to go over the remaining test results. Hopefully that will give all the pieces to the puzzle to properly diagnose and treat.
It sounds like your symptoms gradually improved with the right dose of thyroid hormone. Can I ask, does it seem that it would be wise for me to start the 50mcgs?
Thanks again, I will read the links and look into the books.
Have you considered autoimmune Addison's as well ? It can run alongside autoimmune thyroid disease and autoimmune type 1 diabetes.
Lots of good info on this site:
addisons.org.uk/index.php/a...
Feel like I've been tested for everything under the sun, will ask my doc if I've had Addison's tested. I did ask my doc if she thought my symptoms could be from diabetes, she didn't think so, but did say I have insulin resistance secondary to adrenal fatigue, I believe and not entirely sure what that means.
Hi - have a look at that website , a lot of people who have primary Addison's due to autoimmune reasons can take a fair while to get to diagnosis as their adrenal function tails off over a period of time, plus there may be other autoimmune things going on at the same time to confuse the issue.
Maybe print off the info and let her have a read. Addison's is pretty rare so GP 's are usually not very well informed. Will she refer you to an endocrinologist?
Best of luck
I am seeing a functional med practitioner and she seems pretty clued up. My GP did put in a referral to see an endo, there is a four month wait, so seeing them in two months. Also have an MRI for pituitary on Monday.
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