Overtreat and overactive Thyroid

[Barann]

My doc tells me 3 weeks ago that " they usually overyreat and overactive thyroid" So that you can live a cr@ppy life until you die?" That's the reason I was given when in the past 4 months my Levo intake has almost doubled. Is this really the practice? I was pot on Carbizimol (something like that) And after a few blood tests for the white blood cell count I took the decision to stop taking them myself. Now I live with an underactive thyroid. However I'm taking a Thyoid Healthy supement and def feel the lethargy and tiredness has started to dissipate. Maybe I'm one of the fortunate few. However the weight gain is dreadful. For 5 months ive been eating between 1300 and 1500 calories and cycling every second day for 5 to 10 miles and the other days I'm on my cross trainer and doing weights and sit ups. Not a single ounce or pound gone! I do feel for you who are battling and suffering such dreadful effects. I will be seeing my GP and ask for a referral to a specialist when I get back from my overseas trip. Thank you everyone for your comments and advise. I'm more knowledgeable but still learning

[cjrsquared]

Carbimazole only temporarily suppresses your thyroid and when you stopped them your thyroid would work on its own, but if you had an overactive thyroid you probably have Graves' disease, an autoimmune condition which initially causes overactive thyroid, but eventually destroys the thyroid leaving you underactive. In some people in the overactive stage symptoms can be difficult to regulate so they sometimes have radioactive iodine or surgery to remove half or all the thyroid and then these people need levothyroxine to replace the hormone they no longer produce. So if you didn't have radio active iodine or surgery your underactive thyroid is the result of Graves' disease.

The counter to whether surgery or radioactive iodine is 'overtreatment' is very subjective as the severity of symptoms in hyperthyroidism can be life threatening for some people, but I agree endocrinologists err on the side of caution and are often reluctant to allow people to stay on medication long term.

[Barann in reply to cjrsquared]

Thank you for that. I was put on these Carbimazole because my thyoxine level was so high I was a "walking heartache" and yes I was a bit slim but had put it down to emigrating and the stress and emotion that goes with leaving family and friends for a new country. No mention has ever been made of Graves disease. Will definitely be querying this with my doctor.

[Barann in reply to Barann]

Heart attack not heart ache .

[shaws Administrator in reply to Barann]

O.K. but very few doctors know best how to treat someone with any dysfunction of their thyroid glands. As far as I understand, especially with reading many posts, is that lots of patients remain undiagnosed or undertreated.

It now sounds as if you are hypothyroid which causes everything in our body to slow down, i.e. pulse and temp and weight is gained and doctors blame the patient instead of knowing it is a clinical symptom.

What you need is a full thyroid function test. If GP wont do all (sometimes lab doesn't) you would have to get your own. We have recommended labs who do home pin-prick tests. If you decide to do this make sure you are well hydrated a couple of days before.

All tests have to be at the very earliest, fasting (you can drink water) and allow a gap of 24 hours between last dose and test and take afterwards. This keeps the TSH at its highest. Doctors only appear to take notice of the TSH alone.

You need TSH, T4, T3, Free T4, Free T3 and thyroid antibodies.

Your GP should test B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate. Deficiencies also cause problems.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

How could a doctor reassure his patients by making the comment:

"they usually overtreat and overactive thyroid" So that you can live a cr@ppy life until you die"

Always post the results with the ranges. Ranges are important so that patients can comment upon them.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

The aim of thyroid hormone replacement is to relieve all of our clinical symptoms and we feel well.

[Barann in reply to shaws]

Thank you. I will see if my surgery will do that when I get back. You are very kind to give me all that info

[shaws Administrator in reply to Barann]

Not at all - you will find nearly everyone of us on this forum have had setbacks due to either remaining undiagnosed: never had a test to confirm or not whether hypo: remain undiagnosed etc etc etc.