A very long story short (or maybe not 😉) I am 52 year old female , always been active, healthy, non smoker. ( A little over weight now but wasn’t before) . I have been ill now for 5 years +. I was misdiagnosed with fibromyalgia with my previous GP. Who was less than helpful. During my time with them I also had a number of tests for Thyroid Function, and according to them the test results were all fine. During this time I have ‘been’ on (and still am on some of them, as I can’t stop imediatley) a cocktail of medication (oramorph/co-codamol /fetanyl /gabapentin/amytriptaline/venlafaxine ) to name a few ! I worked full time but part way through all this I had to give away a promotion and go part time as I was on sick leave a lot. Which was heartbreaking. Some days I was unable to even get out of bed. I have managed to keep hold of my job (still part time).
Fast forward to the beginning of the year and I am sick and tired of ‘being sick ! And I have always felt that I never had Fibro and that there was something else going on, but what and where to start!
I changed GPs and my new GP is far more understanding and is helpful. Next thing I did was have a private health MOT. And the results were staggering. Along with other things that needed attention, the biggest underlying thing was my thyroid. I will attach the results on at the end for you.
I am currently on Levothyroxine 2 x 50mgs a day. However I am far from Ok. I have had my bloods repeated again with my GP last week and await the results . But in the meantime does anyone have any advice regarding medication or dosage. My body is aching like I’ve been run over by a bus. I’ve got no energy at all..and the list goes on, you get the drift. I just want me life back. So if there is anyone out there with any advice I would be very greatful.
Results attached . Regards Neata
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First thought is why is your Levo split into 2 doses? It isn't a quick acting thing, it is a hormone, it builds up in the body so no need to split the dose. You could take your full weekly dose all on one day a week if you wanted to. There will be no benefit from splitting the dose, in fact it makes it awkward with timing of food, drink and supplements/medication.
Levo should be taken on an empty stomach, one hour before and two hours after food, with a glass of water only, no tea,coffee, milk, etc, only water one hour each side.
Levo should be taken 2 hours away from other medication and supplements, some need 4 hours, and some as far as possible.
So, with regard to your results, you are undermedicated with a TSH of 4.827 and a below range FT4. The aim of a treated hypo patient generally is for TSH to be 1 or below or wherever it needs to be for FT4 and FT3 to be in the upper part of their respective reference ranges when on Levo if that is where you feel well. So you need an increase of 25mcg immediately, followed by a retest in 6 weeks time then another increase of 25mcg, repeat retesting/increasing dose until your levels are where they need to be for you to feel well.
Your TPO antibodies at 246 are very high and confirm autoimmune thyroid disease aka Hashimoto's which is where the antibodies attack the thyroid and gradually destroy it. The antibody attacks cause fluctuations in symptoms and test results.
Most doctors dismiss antibodies as being of no importance and know little or nothing about Hashi's and how it affects the patient, test results and symptoms. You need to read, learn, understand and help yourself where Hashi's is concerned.
You can help reduce the antibodies by adopting a strict gluten free diet which has helped many members here. Gluten contains gliadin (a protein) which is thought to trigger autoimmune attacks so eliminating gluten can help reduce these attacks. You don't need to be gluten sensitive or have Coeliac disease for a gluten free diet to help.
Supplementing with selenium l-selenomethionine 200mcg daily can also help reduce the antibodies, as can keeping TSH suppressed.
Hashi's and gut absorption problems tend to go hand in hand and can very often result in low nutrient levels or deficiencies. If not already done then you need the following tested:
Vit D
B12
Folate
Ferritin
All need to be optimal for thyroid hormone to work, just "in range" is not good enough, optimal levels are
Vit D - 100-150nmol/L or 40-60ng/ml
B12 (serum) - minimum 550, best is top of range
Folate - at least half way through range
Ferritin - half way through range
Your cocktail of drugs wont be helping, and it's very likely that some (if not all) of them have been prescribed for symptoms that are actually to do with your undermedicated thyroid or maybe nutrient deficiencies.
When having future thyroid tests, advice here is to always book the very first appointment of the morning and fast overnight (water allowed) . This gives the highest possible TSH which is needed when looking for a diagnosis, an increase in dose or to avoid a reduction. TSH is highest early morning and lowers throughout the day. It also lowers after eating. Also, take your Levo after the blood draw because if you take it before then your FT4 will reflect this and show higher than what is normally circulating. We usually advise 24 hours between last dose of Levo and blood draw so if you take your Levo in the morning then delay until after the test, or if you take it at night then delay that dose until after the test. These are patient to patient tips which we don't discuss with doctors or phlebotomists.
If you do this every time you can then compare results accurately which is useful if your doctor wants to change your dose as you will have a record of how you feel on a certain dose and where you feel best.
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