Update on progress

[BooBoo81]

Hi,

I posted 3 months ago when I was about to start levothyroxine 25micrograms after being diagnosed with hypothyroidism.

It has now been 3 months and it seemed to go well at the start but once I was moved up to 50micrograms,side effects have really kicked in and I am not in a good place right now. I suffer from GAD, which I take an antidepressant for and had my gallbladder out 6 years ago which seems to have given me endless problems with my stomach. I am so confused on what seems to be the culprit and making me feel so unwell both mentally and physically. I have tried to research online to gain some piece of mind but doesn't really relate to the special circumstances I find myself in.

My symptoms include very low blood pressure in the morning which can wake me up any time after 3 in the morning as I feel so ill. I am extremely irritable and my mind is racing with thoughts that I am finding it impossible to concentrate on anything at all. I feel like I am loosing my mind. I feel very weak in the legs and nauseous all the time. If I eat it makes it a bit better but the feeling of uneasiness and fatigue comes back after a while. I have been on 50 micro grams for over a week and have been suffering from diarrhoea for 3 days now. I feel absolutely drained. I am drinking water but feel sick if I fill my stomach too much. I feel so helpless as no advice has been given by my doctor at all.

I already struggle profoundly with my mental health and this past week I have been very close to the edge of complete breakdown and worrying thoughts. I am finding it harder to put on my happy face for my husband and kids as I literally feel I have nothing left to give.

Is there anyone who can relate to the complications of having bad mental health and stomach problems due to having no gallbladder while trying to manage a dodgy thyroid?

I asked my local surgery to post out my test results to me and I was told that a doctor would have to approve that. I have never received a copy of my test results yet.

I have dropped down to 25micrograms again to see if it alleviates my awful side effects as I can't function like this and look after my kids. 😔

[marsaday]

Thats the first thing to do when things go off like this, drop back to where you felt ok.

What were your blood tests prior to taking 25 T4 ?

Quite often people have issues with getting T4 to work (or NTH) when initially having to use hormones. The TSH signal can be lowered and so your own production can slip.

Also the balance between thyroid hormones and cortisol can be altered and this balance can typically upset the mental health.

Have you tried taking the T4 at bedtime as this is a very natural time to take T4. We make T4 when we go to sleep and this has a knock on effect on cortisol production.

More thyroid means more cortisol production to match the new T4 level. The two hormones will be in a better balance.

There is so much you can do to correct a thyroid issue it can be overwhelming. Others will ask about your vitamin levels as these can be important. Do you know if you have antibodies from the thyroid ? Has hashimotoes every been mentioned ?

What is GAD by the way ?

[BooBoo81 in reply to marsaday]

Hi,

I have no record of my results and have only been told that they were better than before after 6 weeks on 25micrograms and that I should increase my dose to 50. I will try to get a copy of my results but they don't seem to be forth coming with them.

Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is a debilitating illness where the sufferer is in a constant state of heightened anxiety. As you can imagine any changes in my health is a huge burden to bear given my already anxious mindset 😳

[marsaday in reply to BooBoo81]

Yes get these results.

GAD is closely linked to low thyroid issues. Your body is running on adrenaline rather than thyroid hormone and so you get the anxiety. Again taking thyroid meds at bedtime can really help lower adrenaline for some people. I much prefer taking most of my T4 at bedtime, but i also take some spread through the day. I find T4 to have an impact straight away and if i lower a dose it takes 10 days to show up.

[greygoose]

If you had your gall bladder out six years ago, it's possible you've been hypo for a long, long time. That is a hypo symptom. And, if you have been hypo for a long time, it is very possible that your stomach problems are due to low stomach acid. Which will more than likely mean you have nutritional deficiencies, which will make it difficult for your body to use the hormone you're giving it.

So, ask your doctor to test vit D, vit B12, folate and ferritin.

In the meantime, you could try taking some nutrients yourself, that don't need testing : vit C, magnesium and selenium. But, in order not to upset your tummy further, you should start on low doses, and leave a couple of weeks between trying each one. Start with the vit C, and you could take that with your levo to help it through the stomach to be better absorbed.

Depression and other mental problems can certainly be symptoms of low thyroid. But, I think your present problem with diarrhoea etc. are coincidental, because if you've only been taking the increase for a week, it won't have had time to do anything, yet. It takes six weeks for an increase to take full effect.

[BooBoo81 in reply to greygoose]

This is something I have considered and then leads me to think that the levo is somehow interfering with my antidepressant which I take in the evening. I take levo in the morning.

[greygoose in reply to BooBoo81]

I really don't think that can happen. Levo isn't a drug. Drugs you are taking can interfere with your levo, if you take them too close together, but I don't think levo itself interferes with anything. Why do you think that? Probably, when you're on an optimal dose of thyroid hormone replacement, you won't need antidepressants at all.

Do you take your levo on an empty stomach, with water, at least one hour away from food or any other drink than water; at least two hours away from vit D, iron, calcium and oestrogen; six hours away from magnesium?

[BooBoo81 in reply to greygoose]

In the morning with water an hour before breakfast. I have read that some antidepressants can be affected by levo.

I will phone the doctor about my diarrhoea tomorrow as it may be a virus and not the meds.

Thanks

[greygoose in reply to BooBoo81]

OK, that's good.

I've never read about levo affecting antidepressants. In what way?

Yes, your diarrhea could very well be some sort of bug. There's a lot of them around, at the moment!

[BooBoo81 in reply to greygoose]

Apparently, levo can amplify the effects of your antidepressants. It says on the leaflet you get with the meds.

[greygoose in reply to BooBoo81]

Ah, ok! I thought you meant levo was stopping the antidepressants working!

Well, perhaps it has, and maybe you should ask your doctor about decreasing your antidepressants, as you increase your levo. They don't always think about things like that, and have to be reminded.

[BooBoo81]

I spoke to the Doctor today to get to the bottom of what is causing the diarrhoea so fingers crossed. I also asked about receiving a copy of my recent test results for my thyroid but still very reluctant to do so. She gave me the numbers but was in such a hurry to get off the phone i only got that I have went from 6 to 9 to 12. I expect this is my TSH levels but she wasn't very clear. They really make you feel like it's a crime to manage your own condition and almost get offended by you asking.

I get that we have to be very grateful for the NHS system in the UK but I feel you only truly see the strain on our healthcare system when you come to rely on it. It has its limits and for me I have been let down far too often to see the benefits.