fast heart rate

[Traceyd331]

hi my heart has been beating really fast lately it is 70 beats per min and is usually 44 to 50 am I likely overmedicated I take 25mcg levothyroxine diagnosed hypothyroid 2010 thankyou

[Ari3]

Hello what are your lab results pls?latest once

[Traceyd331 in reply to Ari3]

TSH 6.5 (0.2 - 4.2)

FT4 14.4 (12 - 22)

FT3 3.2 (3.1 - 6.8)

TPO ANTIBODY 288.4 (<34)

TG ANTIBODY 376 (<115)

[Ari3 in reply to Traceyd331]

Quite opposite you are under medicated in my opinion there is a space little more for Levothyroxine increase.How do you feel yourself?

And also it looks like you have High Hashimoto antibodies .Hashimotos can flare up at times and cause these feelings .Gluten free diet might help .Again iam not an expert here just giving advice as people had been giving advice to me .Has your gp mentioned you about Hashimoto disease ? Do you know how to minimise it’s symptoms?Have you tried gluten free diet?

[Traceyd331 in reply to Ari3]

thanks I am tired, feet feel like they are blocks of ice, constipation, haven't opened my bowels in days, muscle cramps, depression, puffy eyes, heavy periods, breathless, dry hair, pins and needles, aching all over, dry skin I didn't know I have hashimotos and I didn't know how to minimise symptoms. gp wants me to do coeliac screen so not gluten free

[Ari3 in reply to Traceyd331]

Personally I think you need to increase a dose of Levo as per results have a word with gp about this def!

Talking about heart palpitations how often do you have this ? does it come and go and than heart beats alright for the rest of the day? what else do you feel besides the palpitations?

Yes he will first test you for COeliac and if this comes alright than most likely you have Hashimotos which means gluten free ! because I have raised antibodies and I have gone gluten free and it helps.

Again iam not specialist here but iam just giving you suggestions .There is person called GreyGoose and SlowDragon you can contact about deeper things they will both help you and tell you more!

[researcherUK in reply to Traceyd331]

You are undermedicated and this is why you are experiencing all those symptoms. You have elevated TSH and very low T3. Most people feel better when their TSH is 1 or a bit lower and T3 nearer to the top of the range with T4 half-way within the range or a tiny bit more.

With low T3, the body slows down and goes into almost a hibernation mode; hence, the low heartbeat and low body temperature.

Good call that your GP is offering to screen you for coeliac's. As you have noticed, you have elevated thyroid antibodies indicative of Hashimoto's, an auto-immune disorder and so is Coeliac's. Always with Coeliac's you have low absorption of vitamins and minerals, typically B12 and ferritin which add to you feeling exhausted and breathless.

Going gluten-free is the way forward in the presence of auto-immunity but not before you are tested for Coeliac's. Stopping before the tests (blood test and a biopsy) may alter the results and may indicate a false negative.

[SilverAvocado in reply to Traceyd331]

These results show you are extremely undermedicated. The most important number is freeT3, the rule of thumb is it should be in the top third of the range. Yours is absolutely on the floor!

You need an increase of 25mcg as soon as possible, then a retest on 6 weeks and your dose adjusted again. You will likely need two or more increases to get your numbers into a good state.

[silverfox7]

Have you ever been on another dose than 25 mcg? When diagnosed we should be retested every 6 weeks until we are on the correct dose for us. 25 is a very low dose to start with and generally given if you are elderly or have a heart condition as this amount is only really enough to get your body used to the medication and doesn't do much more.

[soppysokes]

Unless you are very fit that low heart rate at rest is not such a good thing! Under 60bpm is considered low and should be looked into just to eliminate any other problem.its likely low thyroid function is causing it but go should look into it.it would seem you could well be undermedicated.

[SilverAvocado in reply to soppysokes]

I was going to say the same thing! 70 is a much healthier heartbeat.

The low heartbeat is likely due to hypothyroid as it's a common symptom - your whole body is slowed down.

[crimple]

Even if your coeliac test comes back negative, it is not an accurate test. 80% of Hashimoto's sufferers (raised antibodies) have a sensitivity to gluten. Going gluten free should make a big difference and also help your leaky gut which most Hashi's people have and which leads to poor absorption in the gut and many poor Vitamin and mineral results e.g. low Iron, ferritin, folate, zinc, selenium, Vit B12 Vit D. Ask for blood tests for Iron, ferritin, folate B12 and Vit D. Check out Seaside Susie on here who is a mine of information on lab results and supplements

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Make an urgent appointment with GP for 25mcg dose increase in Levothyroxine

You are very under medicated.

Hashimoto's affects the gut and leads to low stomach acid and then low vitamin levels

Low vitamin levels affect Thyroid hormone working

Yours on other post are terrible

Poor gut function can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances. Most common by far is gluten

According to Izabella Wentz the Thyroid Pharmacist approx 5% with Hashimoto's are coeliac, but over 80% find gluten free diet helps significantly. Either due to direct gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)

But don't be surprised that GP or endo never mention gut, gluten or low vitamins. Hashimoto's is very poorly understood

Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and slowly lower TPO antibodies

Ask GP for coeliac blood test first

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

amymyersmd.com/2017/02/3-im...

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

scdlifestyle.com/2014/08/th...

drknews.com/changing-your-d...

Dr Toft, past president of the British Thyroid Association and leading endocrinologist, states in Pulse Magazine,

"The appropriate dose of levothyroxine is that which restores euthyroidism and serum TSH to the lower part of the reference range - 0.2-0.5mU/l.

In this case, free thyroxine is likely to be in the upper part of its reference range or even slightly elevated – 18-22pmol/l.

Most patients will feel well in that circumstance. But some need a higher dose of levothyroxine to suppress serum TSH and then the serum-free T4 concentration will be elevated at around 24-28pmol/l.

This 'exogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism' is not dangerous as long as serum T3 is unequivocally normal – that is, serum total around T3 1.7nmol/l (reference range 1.0-2.2nmol/l)."

You can obtain a copy of the articles from Thyroid UK email print it and highlight question 6 to show your doctor

please email Dionne:
[e-mail]

Prof Toft - article just published now saying T3 is likely essential for many

rcpe.ac.uk/sites/default/fi...

We must get vitamin levels optimal, Levothyroxine dose up high enough to lower TSH to around one and FT4 towards top of range

Most find gluten free diet helps or is essential

If FT3 remains low, after all these steps, then may need addition of small dose of T3

Ask Thyroid UK for list of recommended thyroid specialists

[Angel_of_the_North]

70 is normal for anyone who isn't an athlete but 44-50 is very low (unless you are an elite athlete). But it is probably disturbing if you have been hypo for a long time and therefore had a low heart rate.