Painful big toe - gout? Can this really be linked to being under-medicated and hypothyroid??!!!

[Barton103]

I have been suffering from under medication and resulting hypothyroid symptoms. Last week my GP increased my levothyroxine dose and I have to say that I am already feeling better and symtptoms seem to be abating (placebo affect?)

That is until last night. Late in the evening my big toe on left foot began to really hurt when I walked on it, out of nowhere and with no prior injury. During the night I woke several times as I was aware of it nagging away, like a pen or throb, but the strange part was that I had to kick the covers off my foot as that seemed to make it worse. I didn't think much of it as I was half asleep. Got up this morning and oh my days did my toe hurt when I tried to walk on it. I sat down and tried to flex my toe back and forth to see if it was just walking, and that hurt too and the joint felt kind of stiff.

So of course I googled, saw that it is likely to be gout, and that there can be a link to hypothyroid issues?!

I am now waiting for a phone call from GP to see if I need to go in.

Has anyone else suffered from gout when hypothyroid? This forum has been great to get information before going to the GP - I have been fobbed off before as I didn't know loads of stuff, and was not forceful enough, hence why I have found myself in the hypo nightmare 😕

[galathea]

I know plenty of people with gout, its much more common than you would think. What works for most of them is a daily dose of cider apple vinegar... The raw stuff with the mother.

Available from amazon.... Or a good independent health food shop.....

The doctor remedy is Allopurinol.... Nasty stuff... Only take if you get nowhere with the raw vinegar.....

Xx

[Barton103 in reply to galathea]

I have cider vinegar in the house? Would that work?

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Barton103]

It depends if it has the 'Mother'. The Mother contains enzymes. This is the sort of thing you need biona.co.uk/product-247-4.html

[Marz]

Have been reading your thread from 7 days ago and can see that your FT3 is at the bottom of the range. This could be part of the reason for your pain. Also there was no B12 result mentioned in your last thread and I seem to remember the VitD was also low.

These all need to be optimal

[Barton103 in reply to Marz]

I have seen info online about a link between the two. So fed up, hypothyroidism, the gift that keeps on giving 😕 Going to GP at 10:30, so will see what she says

[Marz in reply to Barton103]

Have you researched the gout medication ? From memory its not the best

There is a link between the two - yes. But there is also a link with Low T3 and Low B12

There is also a link between thyroid and the kidneys - which again if your T3 was optimal the kidneys would work better - as would all other cells.

[spongecat]

I had pain in my second toe, just like you and it was astonishingly painful but it was prior to my hypo-T diagnosos. In fact it was the practice nurse who thought it would be a good idea to do a full blood test to check my serum uric acid levels for gout.....and bingo TSH very high and in the boots FT3 and FT4!

Since you have just had a levo raise you will need to have another blood test in 6 weeks or so to see how things are going. If you have been brewing thyroid problems for some time the symptoms can all come along one after another and may continue to do so until you are suitably medicated. It also takes time for things to improve at a cellular level especially if your thyroid or auto-immune condition has been silently lurking in the background.

[Barton103 in reply to spongecat]

Thank you, it has felt in the last few weeks that everything has built to a critical mass and I have been assaulted by one thing after another, seemingly all related to being under-medicated and hypothyroid.

It is only a week on since dose increase, and at first I felt great !!! But now I can see that the improvement steps are going take a little time. Have woken this morning absolutely drained and shattered.

But finally on the right path 😀

[Marz in reply to Barton103]

Barton103 - How did it go with the GP ?

[Barton103 in reply to Marz]

Hi, she suspected gout and gave my strong anti inflammatories and sent me off for more blood tests, uric acid and inflammation markers. Much better today, less swollen, just a bit twingy. Bloods should be back by Friday.

[Hidden]

Oh happy memories of gout, not! And Rudolph's nose has nothing on the colour of my big toe back then. Crunching knee joints improved with optimum meds too. Good luck with doc today, stand your ground!