Hi, I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis diagnosed in 2014. I was also prescribed Levothyroxine at this time. My endo is against increasing my dose of 175mcg Levothyroxine but due to my below symptoms I really feel I need to increase to 200mcg.
Symptoms - dry skin, tiredness, joint pain, cold hands and feet, feeling cold when outside, headaches, memory loss, dizziness, heavy periods, weight gain, goitre, losing hair, sluggish bowels, pale skin, looking and feeling generally unwell, hearing loss, tinnitus, pins and needles, flaking and splitting nails.
Am I being selfish in wanting to increase?
I do take my Levothyroxine properly in that I take it on an empty stomach with water, leaving an hour or so before food and drink and 4 hours before taking any supplements. I take no other medications.
Thanks in advance.
December 2017
TSH - 4.70 mIU/L (0.2 - 4.2)
Free T4 - 14.7 pmol/L (12.0 - 22.0)
Free T3 - 3.3 pmol/L (3.1 - 6.8)
Thyroid peroxidase antibody - 1200 IU/mL (<34)
Thyroglobulin antibody - 884.3 IU/mL (<115)
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KaylaRose
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Why is your endo against raising your dose? Your results show that you are undermedicated.
However, you have raised thyroid antibodies which means that you are positive for autoimmune thyroiditis aka Hashimoto's. Adopting a strict gluten free diet and supplementing with selenium L-selenomethionine 200mcg daily can help reduce the antibodies.
Hashi's and gut/absorption problems tend to go hand in hand and very often low nutrient levels are the result. This is very likely the case for you as your symptoms point to low levels or deficiencies of vitamins and minerals. All must be optimal for Thyroid hormone to work.
Back in the mists of time, thyroid patients were regularly treated with much higher doses than they are now. Enough to resolve symptoms. Right up until the invention of the TSH test, when suddenly they forgot about treating symptoms and started treating a number.
175mcg isn’t an enormously high dose.
But even if it was, has he suggested identifying stomach/absorption issues? You don’t happen to take anything like lansoprazole or omeprazole, do you?
If not, it would be well worth investigating whether you’re Vit D/B12/ferritin deficient.
Good news that you’re having B12 jabs. Have you actually been tested for pernicious anaemia? Checked whether you can produce intrinsic factor? Hopefully you have some folic acid to go with that - your folate levels are woeful!
Re your iron - I’d say it’s very likely you need more iron supplements but it would be best to get a complete iron profile done (your doctor should do this) first.
And yes, keep up the Vit D, every day until the sun comes back in March!
You have thyroid antibodies and therefore have Hashimoto’s - you may benefit from going gluten free. It might be that you’re increasingly becoming intolerant, which is why you’re not absorbing as well.
Iron is low and complete blood count showed MCHC above range. I have been tested negative for intrinsic factor antibodies but not tested for MMA and homocysteine
Well, if you don’t think your doctor would be amenable to doing more tests, you could buy a finger prick blood testing kit. Ideally, your doctor will do the tests (if he thinks you should be absorbing better than you are, then he really ought to be amenable to investigating why not!).
But if you’ve had quite enough of battling with him for now, both Blue Horizon and Medichecks do home blood testing kits.
Your endo is - a numpty on how to treat hypothyroidism. So I’m guessing, not really an endo at all. Diabetes specialist maybe. Nothing against diabetes specialists, it’s just they shouldn’t try to treat people with thyroid disorders.
You need a dose increase. It wouldn’t be selfish at all to increase your dose - well, only in a good way!
Well, I spend so much time helping others I don't really help myself, hence why I came here asking for help really - and feeling like I am thinking about myself for once. Thanks
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