I was diagnosed with overactive thyroid in 2004 following the birth of my second child. This sorted itself out after a year of carbimazole.
In 2012 I went to GP with exhaustion, weight gain, and generally feeling unwell. I was diagnosed with underactive thyroid and thyroid antibodies. As I had previous overactive thyroid I was only started on 25 ug of levothyroxine.
My TSH has been running at 2.5/2.6 since then. Latest lab results show TSH at 3.37. And I feel awful. Have just called GP who said that my results are fine (are they really???!) but that a lot of thyroid treatment is symptom based so to start on 50 ug for a while and see how symptoms go.
Is this ok? I don't want to overmedicate but I really do feel awful. I am so exhausted, can't think straight, weight gain, poor sleep, puffy face, feel quite down for no reason etc. But he says bloods are ok? They won't do the T3, T4 although I am thinking of paying privately for these.
I'm also on ramipril for high BP and folate and B12 for deficiency.
Any info and advice would be greatly appreciate as I'm a self employed mum of 3 who is also doing a part time uni degree and need to feel well!!
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emma76xx
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my thyroid was at 5.8 and i felt awful - falling alseep at 7pm after the kids went tto bed. etc. weight gain - i gained 11lbs in 2 weeks.. and it kept gaining and gaining. i was prescribed 50mcg and my latest results show a tsh of 2.96 ( this week i got my first loss of 2.6lbs) and im now after 8 weeks of being on it finally starting to stay up till 10pm major achievement - doctors have said my tsh is now normal - however im aim ing for a tsh to be 1-2, so im self medicating 100mcg a day then 50mcg a day every other day. i feel great. ive started college in the evenings and i last the whole day at work and college at night - its awesome.. i swear my hair is a bit thicker but it has a long way to go - go by how your feeling. only you can tell the doctors how you want to feel - they cant tell you, your normal if your still feeling pants - i was only prescribed levo as i was borderline but so so symptomatic.
have you had thyroid antibodies checked? There are two sorts TPO Ab and TG Ab. (Thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin) Both need checking, if either, or both are high this means autoimmune thyroid - called Hashimoto's the most common cause in UK of being hypo.
(NHS rarely checks TPO and almost never checks TG. NHS believes it is impossible to have negative TPO and raised TG. It's rare, but not impossible, there are a few members on here that have this.)
Make sure you get the actual figures from tests (including ranges - figures in brackets). You are entitled to copies of your own results. Some surgeries make nominal charge for printing out. Alternatively you can now ask for online access to your own medical records. Though not all surgeries can do this yet, or may not have blood test results available yet online.
When you get results suggest you make a new post on here and members can offer advice on any vitamin supplements needed
If you can not get GP to do these tests, then like many of us, you can get them done privately
Blue Horizon - Thyroid plus eleven tests all these.
This is an easy to do fingerprick test you do at home, post back and they email results to you couple of days later.
Usual advice on ALL thyroid tests, (home one or on NHS) is to do early in morning, ideally before 9am. No food or drink beforehand (other than water) If you are taking Levo, then don't take it in 24 hours before (take straight after). This way your tests are always consistent, and it will show highest TSH, and as this is mainly all the medics decide dose on, best idea is to keep result as high as possible
If you have Hashimoto's then you may find adopting 100% gluten free diet can help reduce symptoms, and lower antibodies too.
You do not need to have ANY obvious gut issues, to still have poor absorption or gluten intolerance
Low stomach acid (due to gluten/hypo) can cause low B12
Usually recommended on here , if taking B12 that we also take vit B comple "to keep the B's together"
Best advice is to read as much as you can. Vitamin and minerals levels are very important, but standard NHS thinking, doesn't at the moment seem to recognise this. You will see, time and time again on here lots of information and advice about importance of good levels of B12, folate, ferritin and vitamin D, leaky gut and gluten connection to autoimmune Hashimoto's (& Grave's) too.
I am going through this at the moment. Previously diagnosed with Graves but levels dropping since 'remission'.
GP prescribed 25mcg Levo then upped it to 50mcg, am now waiting to do my third blood test after starting Levo. I still have hypo symptoms. Not sure where I go next with it as Im moving abroad and will have to find a sympathetic GP!
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