Hi I am new here - i have been taking levithyroxine for 5 years now when found to have underachieve thyroid and chronic anaemia . The anaemia was sorted soon after and since then been on thyroid medication. I have put on 2 stone in weight over this time and although i go the gym 5 times a week which includes interval training and weight training i cant seem to shift the weight. I have over the last 3 years had hot flushes , itchy skin, hair loss, extreme fatigue, mode swings and now my periods a re erratic and fluctuate from really painful to quick then frequent periods to missing 2 or 3 months. Currently 46 days since last period which was painful, feel bloated a lot of the time, get stomach cramps and swollen breasts but nothing happening. I am having my thyroid blood test tomorrow as check up. I have no libido at all and feel blue. Whats happening to me? is this the run up to the menopause or is my thyroid out of step. back in May 2017 my blood tests was Serum folate level
they told me to increase my thyroid from 5mg to 75mg and get retested then after retested they reduce me back down to 50mg. i take my thyroid tablet 1st thing before the gym on empty stomach then have breakfast when i get back from gym and take my multivitamins and green tea later in the day after lunch.
i just keep feeling unwell, i have changed my diet, no carbs, then more protein, then low fat but nothing is working. I am 49. I have just started to take green tea supplement for last week to see if that will help me shift some weight and stop feeling bloated. Just so conflicting information re perimeonpause and then low thyroid - not sure what i should not should not be eating anymore....really confused and just want to feel well again!
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jojotwin
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Welcome to the forum. You've got a lot going on, health-wise. I'd suggest that at 49 you will be in perimenopause, given the average age of menopause is around 51 yrs. That of course is messing with your hormones. But not only that, you're hypo on top of it (and in desperate need of more Levo with a TSH of 5.36), plus, from your test results, your ferritin is way too low. It needs to be much higher for your thyroid hormone to work.
The bloating thing can be down to eating gluten and/or dairy. Are you gluten free? If not, it would be worth your while to work towards that goal. It could help with the weight gain and bloating a lot. Don't go low fat whatever you do, it's not advisable. Nor should you do excess physical activity as it's using up all your T3 (active thyroid hormone) and you'll feel worse, since your thyroid is struggling to keep up.
See SeasideSusie 's profile and click on 'replies' to see more posts re iron supplementation.
There is a lot to untangle for you, but it can be done, in stages. At least you are here and there's a ton of people with a lot of experience to help you.
Thank you so much for replying - its such a relief someone actually understanding what you are going through (got tears in my eyes!) - i have since had another thyroid check once i went back down to 50mg and that result was Serium TSH Leve 3.4 mis/l (0.35 - 3.5) - i dont really understand what that means but i have been asked to have another blood test now on Friday (tory earlier i said it was 2morro in error). They didn't mention my iron on last test so assumed all ok but i have had chronic anaemia in the past. I am not gluten free but will certainly look into that from now on. Will also look to reduce my gym visits to 2 - 3 times a week and moderate training then.
I agree with jojotwin, don't go low fat. If you go carb free you need high fats such as olive oil, full fat yoghurt, cream, butter (unless dairy intolerant).
Why did the doc reduce your meds? Exercise will not help if you are undermedicated.
Thank you so much for replying - its such a relief someone actually understanding what you are going through (got tears in my eyes!) - i have since had another thyroid check once i went back down to 50mg and that result was Serium TSH Leve 3.4 mis/l (0.35 - 3.5) - i dont really understand what that means but i have been asked to have another blood test now on Friday (tory earlier i said it was 2morro in error). They didn't mention my iron on last test so assumed all ok but i have had chronic anaemia in the past. I am not gluten free but will certainly look into that from now on. Will also look to reduce my gym visits to 2 - 3 times a week and moderate training then.
jojotwin Well you certainly have some menopause stuff going on there. But as for your thyroid:
First of all, you will be taking Levo in mcg (micrograms) not mg (milligrams) and with the following level 50mcg isn't enough, you need an increase.
Serum TSH level 5.36 miu/L [0.35 - 3.5]
But TSH on it's own is no enough. TSH is fine for diagnosing hypothyroidism and telling us when we're not getting enough Levo, but we also need FT4 and FT3 as well so we can see what exactly we are getting from our dose of Levo.
What were your results on 75mcg Levo, and why did they reduce it back down to 50mcg?
Have you had thyroid antibodies tested, if so what were the results?
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For thyroid hormone to work we need optimal levels of vitamins and minerals, not just in range.
Serum ferritin level 34 ng/ml [23 - 300]
For thyroid hormone to work ferritin needs to be at least 70, preferably half way through range, so you obviously need to do something about this. You could ask your GP for iron tablets, but as you're in range he might not be willing to prescribe any. If you are prescribed some then take each iron tablet with 1000mg Vitamin C to aid absorption and help prevent constipaton. Always take iron 4 hours away from thyroid meds and two hours away from other medication and supplements as it will affect absorption.
You can help raise your level by eating liver regularly, maximum 200g per week due to it's high Vit A content, and including lots of iron rich foods in your diet apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/in...
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Serum vitamin B12 level 527 ng/L [130 - 1,100]
Serum folate level 15.8 ng/ml [2.7 - 15]
These are good, but an extract from the book, "Could it be B12?" by Sally M. Pacholok says:
"We believe that the 'normal' serum B12 threshold needs to be raised from 200 pg/ml to at least 450 pg/ml because deficiencies begin to appear in the cerebrospinal fluid below 550".
"For brain and nervous system health and prevention of disease in older adults, serum B12 levels should be maintained near or above 1000 pg/ml."
I prefer to keep mine around 1000 and if you want to supplement to raise yours then sublingual methylcobalamin lozenges 1000mcg daily are what's needed, along with a good quality B Complex to balance all the B vitamins.
High folate is fine if B12 is high.
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take my multivitamins
Multivitamins are a waste of time and money. They contain too little of anything to be of help and usually contain the cheapest and least bioavailable form of ingredients. This is an interesting read greenmedinfo.com/blog/your-...
If your multivitamin contains iron then nothing else will be absorbed, iron needs to be taken 2 hours away from anything else. If it contains calcium then the iron wont be absorbed. Calcium should be tested before supplementing, and if it contains iodine that is something else that needs testing before supplementing.
Best ditch your multivitamin and supplement what's needed after testing.
You should test Vit D and if your GP wont do it then you can get a home fingerprick bloodspot test from NHS City Hospital laboratory for £28 - City Assays vitamindtest.org.uk/
Post results for comment on whether you need to supplement and with what.
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I completely agree about your exercising. Going to the gym 5 times a week is excessive for someone who feels as you do, and it will use up all your T3. As your TSH is over range, then your FT4 and FT3 will almost certainly be low in range. Without any T3 to replace what you are using by exercising, you will only feel more and more unwell. Gentle exercise such as swimming, yoga, gentle walks, for now. Sort your thyroid then consider the gym again when you have enough T3 and it's being replaced by adequate Levo. And you wont lose weight until you have a decent FT3.
thanks seasidesusie - wow there is so much to learn and none of this stuff is explained to you by the GP. I am certainly going to get my full results once i have been on friday (results are usually available to me online at my surgery from the following Tues after a blood test). When they suggested i increase my levythroxine from 50 - 75mcg after using the higher amount they checked again then told me i had become hypo so i need to reduce my tablet back down to 50mcg. I didn't feel any different on the 75 dosage anyway.
They aren't explained by GPs or Endos because they do not know.
That's why there are so many people on this forum, they aren't getting well and have clinical symptoms. Once-upon-a-time before levothyroxine and the blood tests were introduced, we were prescribed NDT (natural dessicated thyroid hormones) due to our clinical symptoms alone until we felt well.
Research has also shown that most feel a benefit when on a combination dose of T4/T3 but just recently there has been a shut-down on T3 due to its exorbitant cost.
All blood 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 keep the TSH at it's highest as that's all they notice.
thanks for the invaluable advice - will ensure i dont eat or take my tablet before blood test this time. As soon as i have results next week will post them.
Make sure the ranges are shown along with results. The reason being that labs differ in their machines thus different ranges, and it makes it easier for members to respond.
You are still undermedicated at TSH 3.4 as most people don't feel well until their TSH is nearer to 1.0 or a little lower. Have you got thyroid antibodies?
You could ask for blood tests for vitamin D, folate and B12 in addition to an iron panel. Also test for TPO, Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies and Thyroglobulin antibodies. We are often vitamin deficient with thyroid disease and antibodies can cause fluctuation in thyroid blood test results.
90% of thyroid disease is caused by Hashimotos thyroiditis so it would help to know if you have antibodies and then read up about Hashimotos if you do.
Never take docs word for blood test levels. Always get a printout of results that include lab ranges or register to get results online. When you get results post them here for help and advise. Docs often say we are fine when erupts are within NHS ranges but bumping along the bottom of NHS range doesn't make us feel well. We need all vitamin levels in mid-range and B12 top of range to feel well and for Levothyroxine to work well.
I doubt all your symptoms are menopause. More likely vitamin deficiency and gut imbalance due to being hypothyroid.
Welcome to our forum and am sorry you have clinical symptoms but that is because your TSH is too high.
The aim is 1 or below but doctors somehow believe that 'anywhere' in the range is fine but you are over the range (3.5). That might be o.k. for someone who hasn't yet been diagnosed with hypo but as the guidelines state that the TSH is to reach 10 in the UK before being diagnosed I think that's what confuses them, i.e. 5,36 seems quite low if you compare it to 10. In other countries we are diagnosed and prescribed when the TSH is 3+ along with clinical symptoms.
Hi guys, just went on line to b=view my recent blood test to check my thyroid - all that it says on my records is "Normal results" no further action - reading was Serum TSH level 2.80 mu/L [0.35 - 3.5]
i still feel very tired, ache all over and cant shift any weight - even reduced my visits to gym now and only doing light cardio. I dont think the doctors are interested in any of this - would i be best to pay for a private blood test to look at everything and then take it from there? If its not the thyroid making me feel rough then is it peri-menopause doing it?
Hi there, i know exactly how you feel. I have all the same symptoms as you. I am not sure if could be my thyroid or perimenopause, i am 41 but have only one ovary and its over worked. Last 6 months is horrible. Lost alot of hair suddenly, periods all over the place, extreme pain and very long in Dec, to normal in Jan and Feb, and suddenly missing in march and april but yet still had period pains and on time just no bleeding. I did also for the first time ever have blood in my stool starting a week after my period was supossed to start. Feeling tired and bloated and weight gain despite being on a diet. Skin very itchy and dry and dizzy spells. Doctors have no answers just prescribing pills and sending me for tests, not helping at all. Did you get any better? Or get any answers?
What about a menopause test? At least you’ll know if some of your symptoms are or aren’t. My GP tried to say that my symptoms were probably perimenapausal but my levels are good.
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You've got a lot going on, health-wise. I'd suggest that at 49 you will be in perimenopause, given the average age of menopause is around 51 yrs. That of course is messing with your hormones. But not only that, you're hypo on top of it (and in desperate need of more Levo with a TSH of 5.36), plus, from your test results, your ferritin is way too low. It needs to be much higher for your thyroid hormone to work.
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