I was diagnosed 10 years ago as hypothyroid, and was on 175mcg Levo. Before this I had been the living dead, (my mum used to say I looked like death warmed up), and went to the docs with my symptoms, weight gain, hair loss, lethargy, chronic tiredness, low mood, aches, brain fog, all the usual suspects. He put me on antidepressants. No tests. After going back and back as they didn't work, with him saying, "give it a few more weeks" etc, I read an article about Coeliac disease and thyroid, and as I am Coeliac I asked him to test me for Hypothyriodism. (He was not aware of any connection). I got the raised eyebrow/smirk but he agreed, SO good of him to do his job, like, and results came back positive. So I have been taking them for years, but never feeling like I know I should, you know, like, "normal" so that everyday stuff isn't a chore, that I don't need a nap on the hour every hour. I have been back to all the different docs at my practice, saying I still feel tired and sluggish but my results are within range. Gradually I was getting worse and resigned to my fate! However, about 12 weeks ago my thyroid test results were TSH 65.7 (0.3-6)
FREE T4 12.8 (9-24) and FREE T3 2.4 (3.5-6.5). So he has increased my Levo by 25mcg. I said to him about T3, and he said all of his thyroid patients do well on just Levo, as they are monitored. Well nobody asked me I said, and I am one of them. Crossed his arms and off you go batty old woman, you obviously need Prozac....and possibly an anger management course...
So. I got some T3 online and after a week it was astounding, I felt fine for the first time in soooooo long. Normal energy, weight loss, clear(er)! thinking, shoulder pain gone, and after 6 weeks I got retested and results are within range apparently but he hasn't asked to see me as he obviously thinks it was his increase in Levo that has made me better. I will have to go to see him and am dreading it, truly. Only thing now is I have no more T3 left, and the online source says they have none, and it has been 2 weeks and I definitely feel worse, and worried about not being able to get any more. I feel it was 10 years of my life I lost, when there was no need. Getting my own T3, and reading up about stuff was dare I say it 'empowering', and now I have lost that. I am still trying to source some but have had no luck, possibly the US is a source? Strange how an ignorant wee man (GP!) has the power to decide my health.
On another tack, which may have been covered, was sourcing natural animal thyroid? What happens to the thyroids and other glands from slaughterhouses? Dog food? Should we eat dog food?!! I wonder if there is thyroid issues because we don't boil up a hare for soup, thyroid and all, anymore?
Sorry to go on, if there is anyone still reading. I found once I started it just kept coming. There is more....ok, ok, I wont. Thank you to everyone who is on this, I find your stories inspiring, I do love reading them, only I get lost going off on the tangents!
Wish me luck with GP. Sigh.
Written by
dinglebell
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
dinglebell As you have been on Levo for many years and you recently had results of TSH 65.7, I think there may be a distinct possibility that you have autoimmune thyroid disease aka Hashimoto's, which is where antibodies attack the thyroid and gradually destroy it. Antibodies fluctuate causing fluctuations in symptoms and test results, and this could account for your very high TSH. Many Hashi's patients are Coeliac, Hashi's and gut problems seem to go hand in hand.
You could ask your GP to test antibodies, but there are two types - Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) and Thyroglobulin (TG). NHS rarely test TPO and almost never test THE, certainly not at GP level. You can do a private fingerprick test with Blue Horizon or Medichecks, they do several thyroid bundles and some of them include both antibodies.
If doing a private test, it's advisable to get vitamins and minerals tested too. These are often low or deficient in Hypo patients, and as you are Coeliac this may affect absorption and you could very well be deficient.
I suggest the following test, post your results on the forum and if you do have Hashi's there's lots of information we can give you to help, and we can help with suggestions for any nutrient problems too
Thank you for the info and advice, and yes I think so too. Just recently I have started taking iron, folic acid selenium, B complex, and I'll see if the Doctor will do more tests. Will the T3 I was taking before show up in tests done next week, so about 3 weeks ago? I don't want an inaccurate result for the doctor to decline my requests! I felt pretty good on the T3 though, like a different person.
dinglebell Did you get vitamins and minerals tested before supplementing? If not you should. Too much iron is as bad as too little. As there's folic acid or methylfolate in a B Complex, then supplementing two forms of folic acid may send your folate level too high. A high folate level is OK as long as B12 is high.
T3 has a half life of approximately one day, so after 3 weeks I imagine there should be no detectable T3 showing in your test.
The level of Free T3 may have returned to "normal" after three weeks without it but getting the TSH back to "normal" may take a bit longer. It could turn out to be lower than expected.
We need to support any claim such as "derived from petroleum products".
We really don't need any more un-supported statements which get quoted, repeated, recycled, and end up obscuring reality. If levothyroxine is derived from petroleum products, that information will be available. Let us avoid "understand" without evidence, please.
Which liothyronine (other than Tertroxin from Glaxo > Goldshield > Mercury Pharma) did he try?
Pfizer Cytomel (might have been King then) has the following ingredients:
Each round, white to off-white Cytomel (liothyronine sodium) tablet contains liothyronine sodiumequivalent to liothyronine as follows: 5 mcg debossed KPI and 115; 25 mcg scored and debossed KPI and 116; 50 mcg scored and debossed KPI and 117. Inactive ingredients consist of calcium sulfate, gelatin, corn starch, stearic acid, sucrose and talc.
Of course, that is no proof of ingredients many years ago.
It is also intriguing to consider how natural petroleum is. Formed many millions of years ago before even proto-humans existed. Frequently flows onto the surface by itself. What is unnatural about it?
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Tsh
How Do Those on T3 or Combo Therapy Navigate TSH Obsessed Doctors
TSH 
Is tsh alone enough to diagnose?
Tsh and thyroidectomy 
