Hypo/erthyroidism and Diabetes Type 2

[Abi-Abster]

Hi All,

I have ME/ CFS, Fibromyalgia, ADHD and hypothyroidism.

For over fifteen lost years I was unsuccessfully treated for the hypothyroidism with T4, until I found you lovely lot who helped turned my life around by recommending the addition of T3 into my treatment regime.

Yesterday I went for an overdue health check-up, and it was discovered I had developed Type 2 Diabetes. This is despite not ticking any of the classic risk factor groups such as being overweight, a smoker or inactive (I can’t walk far but I can yoga!). I’m only 41 so I can’t even blame age for the diabetes. It’s perplexing.

Having since done a little research I now realise that there is a strong correlation between thyroid disfunction, autoimmune issues and diabetes.

I found this scientific study, which explains a lot of the above, but I’m confused by the content (I haven’t had my ADHD meds today so I’ve had to read everything 6 or 7 times and I still can’t quite process it). The study thoroughly explores the relationship between T3 and Diabetes.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

Because today I’m struggling to understand the gist of the piece with regards to hypothyroidism, and I want to be clued-up for a discussion about all of this with my GP - who wasn’t happy that I’d added T3 against his recommendations (see previous post) - I was wondering if you guys could offer some clarity on the following:

a) If I could have been partly responsible for tipping my body into being diabetic by adding T3 to my thyroid treatment - or conversely, if I could have helped avoid Type 2 Diabetes by taking T3 earlier.

b) Whether having the diabetes treated will have an impact on my thyroid treatment and medication, or vice-versa

c) If I should avoid taking my new ADHD meds before my blood test: I’ve been on LisDexamphetamine for the past month, and if I don’t take it that morning I’ll be completely useless all day, but equally I don’t want to waste the opportunity of an accurate blood test.

d) Should I eat/ not eat before my diabetes and thyroid test

e) If anyone has any Type 2 Diabetes thyroid-friendly maintenance tips for me. The link clearly isn’t uncommon!

I am due to have further blood tests to confirm the Diabetes Type 2, and these will also take in all my thyroid tests (the nurse included all of them bar RT3 which I’m going to see if I can ask the NHS phlebotomist to add, because you never know!).

Thanks in advance for your input, I need any ammo/ defence I can get for my GP and potential Diabetes Endocrinologist,

Abi.

[gabkad]

Abi-Abster, if this helps: my endo played around with T3/T4 dosages because I don't convert T4 well. First it was 5 mcg then 10 mcg, then 12.5 mcg. The smaller doses were okay with my blood glucose but the higher doses wreaked havoc. From eating nothing more than 2 bites of cooked potato, my blood glucose would spike up to 18 and then two hours later it was down about 3.5. My hbA1c test was flagged by the lab because it had gone from 5.2% to 5.8% after 6 months. T3 can cause diabetic reactions in some people. I think everyone who is using it should have a glucose monitor to check what is happening. Tired Thyroid's website has an article about this subject.

One day as an experiment I took 12.5 mcg at 10 p.m. and another 12.5 mcg in the morning. It drove my blood glucose so low after eating breakfast that my vision was adversely affected. I don't know how low it got because I was not home, but it must have been below 3.0. It subjectively felt as though I was looking out at the world from the inside of the back of my skull. And my ears were ringing like cicadas were breeding in my head. I was out grocery shopping and had to eat in the store because my body was shaking too much to be able to drive home.

So for me, possibly a small dose of T3 is okay but anything above that will eventually do damage to my ability to regulate blood glucose.

I take 150 mcg of T4.

I have written about my experience on this forum.

[wellness1]

I'm sorry I don't know the answers to your questions, Abi-Abster. But I just wanted to let you (and anyone else interested) know that there is a Diabetes Summit starting tomorrow and running until the 29th. If you register, they will send you a link that gives you free access to each day's talks for 24 hours. At the end of the summit, all the talks are replayed for 48 hours or you can pay a fee to own the material covered to explore at your leisure.

Tomorrow one of the featured speakers is Izabella Wentz. She'll be addressing 'Hypothyroidism and Diabetes: What You Need to Know'. If you aren't familiar with her, she has Hashimoto's (not sure if you do) and has mentioned diabetes and blood sugar regulation on her blog a few times.

Good luck with your upcoming appointments and treatment!