thyroid and heart problems

[hairdresser51]

Hi there, I have just joined this group. I was diagnosed with autoimmune hashimotos disease, in 2016 have very high anti bodies but tsh level normal, I also have me and fibro aswell, under cardiology with tachycardia and high blood pressure they say this is because of my hashimotos but the endocrinologist says it cant be because I'm on no medication yet for my thyroid can anyone help thanks

[Judithdalston]

Can you add your thyroid results, including autoimmune antibodies? What is 'normal' TSH to most doctors is not normal to forum members! Hashimoto's is better controlled with TSH at 1 or under, so you might be able to get well and fit with levothyroxin. Hypothyroid symptoms can include fast heart, high Bp, and I believe fibromyalgia ( as I have diagnosis of fibromyalgia and hypo/Hashimoto's and get high bp/fast pulse when under treated). Have you considered going gluten free for Hashi, and have you had VitD, B12, folate and ferritin tested? A characteristic of Hashi is poor gut absorption resulting in low nutrients whether from food, drink or supplementation- and they need to be optimum, at upper end of ranges, for good thyroid health. Worth looking at SeasideSusie's various replies to old posts on Vit/ min levels and how to supplement etc.

[shaws Administrator]

Welcome to our forum and the first two lines - excerpt:-

"but the endocrinologist says it cant be because I'm on no medication yet for my thyroid can anyone help thanks"

tells me you should sack this person as he is completely unknowledgeable.

Hashimoto's is the commonest form of hypothyroidism and people who have thyroid antibodies in their blood regardless of their TSH should be prescribe levothyroxine.

No wonder you feel awful having no thyroid hormone replacement.

Many on this forum have been let down by the professionals and we treat ourselves and get our own blood tests and recover our health. Fibromyalgia is thyroid hormone resistance and you need to be prescribed T3 to relieve pains. Unfortunately, if you are in the UK T3 has been withdrawn because the pharma companies increased it by 6,000% but you can source your own.

To source your own put up a new post asking for a private message to be sent to you with information on how to get your own T3. The other doctors are correct when they state:-

fibro as well, under cardiology with tachycardia and high blood pressure they say this is because of my hashimotos

are correct and your Endocrinologist is very, very wrong.

There are two thyroid hormones, T4 (thyroxine or levothyroxine) and T3 (liothyronine). T4 is inactive and has to convert to T3. T3 is the only Active Thyroid hormone and we have millions of T3 receptor cells in our body and they all need T3. Most convert T4 into T3 and some who don't need T4/T3 combination.

Our heart and brain need the most T3 and that's the reason your Endocrinologist is wrong, wrong and wrong. He is probably a diabetes man and knows nothing but TSH and T4 and no symptoms. Tick off your symptoms and tell him so that he has caused you to have other problems due to his inefficiency and lack of knowledge. Send him a copy of your symptoms and tick them off. His inefficiency is due to how he has been trained.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

When you have a blood test for thyroid hormones it has to be at the very earliest, fasting (you can drink water) and if you're given levothyroxine allow a gap of 24 hours between last dose and test and take afterwards. This helps keep the TSH at its highest as that's all doctors take notice of.

Always get a print-out of your rersults with the ranges for your own records and post if you have a query.

We have to read, learn and ask questions if we are to have a quality of life and not be disabled through inefficient doctors.

You need the following, TSH, T4, T3, Free T4, Free T3 and thyroid antibodies. Doctor or lab may not do all of these so those not tested will have to be done privately and I'll give you a link to our two private labs who do home pin-prick tests so make sure you are well hydrated a couple of days before blood draw. Medichecks have some sort of offer every Thursday but both they and Blue Horizon are good. Make sure arms/hands are warm for blood draw.

Always get a print-out of your results with the ranges for your own records and you can post if you have a query. GP should test B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate. Everything has to be optimum. Going gluten-free can reduce the thyroid antibodies caused by hashimoto's which attack the thyroid gland (wax and wane) until you are hypo but treatment is the same.

[Vote in reply to shaws]

Thank you! I am new to this group also. The comments offer suggestions and experiences that are invaluable. Thank you!

[shaws Administrator in reply to Vote]

I forgot to say always take levo or any other thyroid hormones with one full glass of water as tablet can stick in throat and the water enables it to reach stomach where it dissolves.

If you'd like a copy of Dr Toft's advice re hashimoto's/antibodies, in the Pulse Online (doctors magazine) email Dionne at Thyroiduk.org.uk email below. He is the physician to the Queen when she is in Scotland (usually August). Highlight were he states if antiodies are present it should be enough for prescription of levo.

[e-mail]

This is from Dr Toft too.

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Hashimoto's trashes vitamin levels

Essential to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12. Always get actual results and ranges. Post results when you have them, members can advise

Hashimoto's affects the gut and leads to low stomach acid and then low vitamin levels. Low vitamin levels affect Thyroid hormone working .

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)

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

Ideally ask GP for coeliac blood test first, plus vitamins and also magnesium as you have heart issues.

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

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

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

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

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

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

please email Dionne at

[e-mail]

For list of recommended thyroid specialists. Your current one is obviously not helping

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4, TT4, FT3 plus TPO and TG thyroid antibodies. Plus very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Private tests are available. Thousands on here forced to do this as NHS often refuses to test FT3 or antibodies

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven are the most popular choice. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw. Both companies often have money off offers.

All thyroid tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting. This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, GP will be unaware)

[humanbean]

You can get tachycardia for lots of reasons, including hypothyroidism which is untreated. Your TSH level may have been "normal" in 2016, but it is not TSH that determines how well your thyroid is functioning, although endocrinologists would dispute that.

What you need to know is the level of your Free T3 and Free T4 which are the actual thyroid hormones. TSH is a pituitary hormone.

Free T3 being too low or too high can cause tachycardia.

Another issue with hypothyroid people is having very low levels of nutrients. And one of the things that can happen with low iron and low ferritin (iron stores) is tachycardia.

[shaws Administrator]

I'd change the endocrinologist due to him stating that:-

but the endocrinologist says it cant be because I'm on no medication yet for my thyroid can anyone help thanks

He is wrong, it is being hypo and untreated that can cause palpitations because we do not have sufficient T3 in our body which the heart and brain need to function. Our heart struggles to pump because we have little energy to do so i.e. low T3.

[hairdresser51]

Thank you everyone for your comments, I have had only a tsh result recently at 3.85 and they said that was normal and all they told me was my tpo antibodies were very high and gave me no t3 or t4 reults, maybe need to be retested, and ask for full results. Also my endocrinologist said I will only go on medication if my tsh is 10.0, so confused. I have been tested for all vitamin deficiencies and only deficient in b12, I take this as a spray, works well, aswell as lots of other supplements, I have also tried gluten free diet, didn't help my symptoms but probiotics help. I see my cardiologist soon after having different tests see what they come up with but thanks for all the great information