Tired and fat

[Lynds75]

Hi, I've been on 75mcg levy thyroxine for about 3 years. In the last 8 months I've been prescribed fluoxetine for my anxiety. I feel really tired all the time and putting on weight at a rapid pace. I go to spin class 3 times a week and always watch what I eat. Had a blood test and doctor has put me on 100mcg & feel worse than ever. When I see him he just tells me to exercise and lose weight. Any advice?

[Nanaedake]

If you can post your latest blood test results people might be able to help. Please also post the ranges which are the numbers in the brackets after the result. If you haven't got your blood tests results you can get them from your GP via reception or register to view online results.

Have you been tested for autoimmune thyroid disease and vitamin deficiencies such as iron, folate, B12, vitamin D and ferritin? If not, I'd ask your GP to test them. Many people with thyroid conditions find they are deficient.

A lot of doctors prescribe SSRI's for thyroid patients, but often the patient finds out their anxiety clears up when they sort out thyroid and vitamin imbalance. Your doctor needs to be properly looking into why you are feeling unwell and giving you more information about your results so that you can understand why you might be experiencing anxiety and make informed decisions.

I discovered I was very low in range in iron and the doctor did not tell me because they don't treat on the NHS if you fall even at the botton of their range but thyroid patients need to be well in range in order for thyroid meds to work properly. Always get your results and check it out yourself. It's not fair for your doctor to tell you to lose weight but not help you to explore possible reasons for feeling so unwell.

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You appear to have a doctor who is equally ignorant of how it feels to have a thyroid problem as the doctor I have.

Telling you to exercise and lose weight is quite ridiculous when you are in such a state as it is the medicine you are being prescribed that is giving you the problems.

You will get relevant advice if you give a fuller picture of the history of your condition and recent blood test results. I would steer clear of anti-depressants as they are quite likely to react with levo and make your condition worse.