Update /Edema/water retention??: Hi , i a hypo... - Thyroid UK

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Update /Edema/water retention??

234556 profile image
31 Replies

Hi , i a hypo patient since years , and using Levo , but since few weeks im having horrible water retention all over my body though the day and at worst at night ( it is sometimes 3-4kg difference over night ) has anyone experienced this ? Is it something to do with thyroid or something else ? Thank you

update : my blood test results are out now I'm more confused:/

Serum free T4 16.9 pmol ( 9.0 - 23.0 )

Serumfree T3 3.1 pmol ( 2.5 - 5.7 )

TSH 0.1

These are my thyroid levels turns out that my prolactin is below referance range and my estrogen is low too now I don't get how my waist is thicker than few months ago when my diet and exercise is same :/ how did I gain 5lbs when my thyroids are working well and what's the cause of water retention has anyone had similer results? Many thanks

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31 Replies
Cassandra profile image
Cassandra

I am exactly the same - my GP told me it has nothing to do with thyroid or thyroxine but I don't agree. You say you have had this for a few weeks so I'm wondering if you have changed your dosage?

234556 profile image
234556 in reply toCassandra

No I'm on 100mg for a long time I actually gave blood and gonna see my results ( thyroid plus my gp asked for kidney function)on Tuesday but I feel so depressed , trying to figure out . Is your glands swollen too ?

Daylin profile image
Daylin in reply toCassandra

Yes it is. I researched Sodium intake! A safe daily allowance is 1500mcg - thru my Levothyroxin it comes to 2500mcg cos of the filler Sodium. Sodium causes fluid and too much wrecks the kidneys. When the red cells of the artery connected to the kidneys are overloaded with too much fluid causing the fluid to lodge outside the cell. This is called Osmosis. Not at all beneficial for the kidneys I believe.

Phone the manufacturer of your Thyroid Brand, you will find the result extremely interesting.

I wish you well in your research. Drs I believe only work for the government.

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply toDaylin

If this were the case, we'd all be blown up like balloons! lol Where did you get your numbers from?

Sodium - salt - is not a filler in the tablet, levothyroxine sodium is the name of the chemical the medication is made of. I think you should recheck your definition of 'osmosis', too...

Josiesmum profile image
Josiesmum

Water retention can also be caused by food sensitivity. The most common problematic foods seem to be gluten and dairy, so it may be worth cutting them out to see if this relieves your symptoms. Also, drink plenty of water as your body will store water if you are dehydrated.

234556 profile image
234556 in reply toJosiesmum

Thank you for replying, I hoped it would be this simple I did try everything no gluten lots of water almost no salt etc.. nothing changed :(

E_lizab8 profile image
E_lizab8 in reply to234556

Lower your carb intake, (no flour products,cereals or sugar, try to just eat veggie carbs) eat normal amount of chosen proteins and up your natural fats, (olive oil,coconut oil,grass-fed butter), and as others have said drink more water, I have done all this and notice the difference if I slip off my diet even for a day or two. I have Hashi and am celiac so gluten free too.

Serendipitious profile image
Serendipitious

Mucin or Myxodema is used synonymously with severe hypothyroidism. How your GP can deny this is just ridiculous but I've heard it all when it comes to GPs.

In fact when you complete an FP92a form at your surgery to qualify for free prescriptions, as a reason it states Myxoedema and in brackets hypothyroidism.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myx...

Actually there is one other condition that can cause excess water weight alongside hypothyroidism. Not having enough progesterone to balance out oestrogen during your monthly cycle.

234556 profile image
234556 in reply toSerendipitious

Thank you for replying, this sounds it might be my problem as I'm not having my period for like 4 month and never happend before :(

Serendipitious profile image
Serendipitious in reply to234556

I'm not sure whether that would cause your periods to stop. Having less progesterone in relation to oestrogen is basically known as oestrogen dominance.

There could be other reasons for that such as stress or sometimes when people come off the pill they have problems with having regular periods again.

Mols_Bols1 profile image
Mols_Bols1

I add T3 to my Levo around 7 months ago and after years of suffering with water retention/ Myxoedema, don't suffer anymore.

Good luck x

jacrjacr profile image
jacrjacr in reply toMols_Bols1

I agree my legs were so puffy etc and I knew they were not just fat so I changed to nature throid and slowly all the swelling is leaving but it is a slow process...I was low in free t3.....so what is your tsh free t3 free t4....free t3 is the active hormones and if you don't convert well it can cause edema like problems.....I also found out that I had some weird slightly off cortisol issues from a 4x a day saliva test, and I will say taking a thyroid support supplement to help your thyroid meds work better since you need zinc, selenium, iodine and many other things to process your thyroid meds inside the body....

Demitria profile image
Demitria

I too have this badly. I've been dx for a couple of months now and nearly finished the 75mcg programme. Should be going up to 100mcg by the 22nd of this month. My levels when first dx was only 3.9 t4 and 110 tsh. So yes.. Hypothyroidism for sure. I believe it is another symptom we have to suffer. I hope my edema will start to disappear soon. X

jacrjacr profile image
jacrjacr in reply toDemitria

check your free t3 levels

Marymary7 profile image
Marymary7

I am a veggie and I have this problem too but I think I am on to the reason being too low iron...? I eat spinach etc. But this problem is involved with the two things I have discovered so I am taking Floradix iron meds since yesterday.

I will try to attach a link.

rt3-adrenals.org/iron.html

234556 profile image
234556 in reply toMarymary7

Thank you for replying, I'm not tired actually and eat very healthy I hope mine will be solved too

Marymary7 profile image
Marymary7 in reply to234556

234556 Im not tired either but have terrible fluid retention and I thought the iron/thyroid link very interesting and not spoken about enough. An under functioning thyroid cannot move the fluid away and I get really swollen bags around my eyes for instance....they practically will hardly open!

Good luck.

M 😎

thyroidnodules profile image
thyroidnodules

i too had swelling and it felt like someone had pumped me up. levo made it worse and I put on more weight. I changed to thiroyd and am eating healthy and the weight is coming off and I no longer feel bloated or swollen all over and I have now lost 8 pounds and still losing. I feel normal again and can pinch the top of my arms. no matter what I tried while using levo I could not lose weight and in fact was gaining weight.

234556 profile image
234556 in reply tothyroidnodules

I never used any other med other than Levo actually did loose weight anytime I made effort , I'm however using Levo but a different brand I wonder could it be the reason :/

angiegt profile image
angiegt in reply tothyroidnodules

My daughter has awful problems with edema and levo has not helped. What is the medication, thiroyd, that you are taking and how much do you take?

thyroidnodules profile image
thyroidnodules in reply toangiegt

i was on 75/100 evo I couldn't get right dose and kept putting on weight. I got my thiroyd from thyroidshop.com - it took quite a few months to get the dose right I started off at 1 tablet then increased by a quarter at a time - it got up to 2 but felt that dose was a bit too high. I am now on 1 and 3/4 and have joined a slimming club and in 5 weeks I have lost 9 lb - the first time in 4 years and all that puffiness has gone away

Serendipitious profile image
Serendipitious in reply tothyroidnodules

That's probably what I need. I haven't been able to pinch my arms for years. A healthy person can separate the fat from the rest of their skin. My personal trainer can never measure my body fat for this reason.

I hope things also change for me soon.

thyroidnodules profile image
thyroidnodules in reply toSerendipitious

good luck I know what that I like. no one believed me about mucin until I told my daughter to pinch my skin at top ofarms and then pinch her own skin. she now knows what I am talking about - its horrible - good luck

Demitria profile image
Demitria

Link? Can't see it 😕

Demitria profile image
Demitria

Fankoo!!!!

fibrolinda profile image
fibrolinda

Link doesn't work :(

Demitria profile image
Demitria in reply tofibrolinda

Oh no. It doesn't, does it ....

lifexperience profile image
lifexperience

I am on Levothyroxine and I have water retention in my legs, feet. My GP told me it was gravity when I asked. I have been on directics for years because of it. Trouble is Naproxen, Ibuprofen and codeine make it a lot worse and I tend to gain four or more pounds of liquid depending on how many days I take them. I am also on HRT. But didn't notice any improvement when I stopped taking them 6 months. I hadn't considered the Levothyroxine before, but this problem started a similar time to being diagnosed with a underactive thyroid. I find that GPs always deny that drugs they put you on are coursing side effects.

E_lizab8 profile image
E_lizab8 in reply tolifexperience

I'm not a dr but I think diuretics make it worse, my mother was on them for years and her legs were always terribly swollen, think diuretic pills make the body hold on to water more.

Agaynier profile image
Agaynier in reply tolifexperience

Yes I have swelling in legs that I have never had before. Not even during pregnancy. I think it's from levothyroxine too. But doc said no way (?)

lislog profile image
lislog

I have generalized edema. From everything that I have researched, diuretics do not help with this type of nonpitting edema...only optimal thyroid levels will alleviate the retention.

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