Hello friends. I'm taking 50mcg Thyroxine with a TSH of 3.6. 2 weeks ago I raised it to 75 mcg, trying to resolve what is mainly exercise intolerance. I used to play 2 hours of basketball every other day, and be fine and now it seems I lose my breath after 10-15 minutes. It also takes 3-4 days to recover from that, which is ridiculous. Also, I get NO runners high, just a drained lifeless gray feeling.
For those of you that are on an optimal dose and a TSH around 1, were you able to continue exercising like before? Did runners high, recovery and performance return?
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Mallibu
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You need to get your TSH, T3 & T4 tested, not just TSH.
It’s T3 that gives us energy and regulates our metabolism.
If your results T3 results are low then pushing yourself will not help, in fact you will feel worse, as your probably using your T3 just doing day to day task without using it for additional exercise.
Shortness of breath, I had that, even just walking.
If you haven’t been tested for all three as mentioned above, ask your GP or arrange private blood test. Medi checks or blue horizon offer private blood testing.
Normal procedure when on Levothyroxine, is blood tests every 6 weeks, testing TSH, T3 & T4 with an increase of 25mcg Levo each time, until your TSH is 1 or below, T3 & T4 in the upper figures of the range, and most importantly you feel well.
Vitamins have an important role in thyroid, iron, Ferritin, vitamin D & B12 need checking as well.
Hi Mallibu. TSH at 3.6 while on medication means that you are very under medicated and very hypo. When very hypo, metabolism slows down, as well as all of your bodily systems. This is probably the main reason why you're having your exercise intolerance, but your vitamin levels might come into play, too. With TSH 3.6 while on meds, the free levels of your T3 and T4 will both likely be very low. The tests that you need are FT3 and FT4, not the Total T3 or T4 tests (these are the wrong ones).
What are your Vitamin D, iron deficiency panel, B12 and folate levels? If these are too low (or two high), they will contribute to not feeling well. What are your thyroid antibody results, TPO and TG? It's important to know if the cause of your hypothyroidism is Hashimoto's autoimmune disease or not. If you have Hashi's, you'll have to manage your thyroid disease differently than someone who does not have it.
I went through a period of exercise intolerance, too. It would take me 4-5 days to recover from lifting weights. Yes, once my levels became optimal, I could resume my normal workout schedule. I always listen closely to my body and do not push myself too much, otherwise I will pay the price. If you are feeling drained, your body is telling you that you are asking it to do too much and that you need to give it a rest.
Because your thyroid is struggling so much due to being very hypo, doing too much exercise before your thyroid hormones are optimal is not a good idea. Your thyroid is struggling to produce enough hormones, it can't on it's own, and your medication dosage is probably too low. Your adrenals and your entire body can become over taxed. Optimal thyroid hormone levels are in the middle and over 50% of range but not over 75% of range. Over 75% is where people have the most symptoms, just as below 50%. Some people on here think that levels should be in the upper quarter of range, but they end up having unwanted symptoms. Personally, if my FT3 is at or just over 75%, it's way too high for me. If my FT4 is up to 65%, it's also way too high for me. I had heart palpations and had some fatigue at these levels. When I dropped down just a little, these symptoms went away. Everyone is different. The above middle optimal ranges are just recommendations. You'll need to find your level where you feel best and have the least symptoms.
Until your Ft3 and Ft4 levels are where they should be, and your TSH is under 1.0, complete thyroid tests are done every 6 weeks. Medication is adjusted every 6 weeks. So you've got four more weeks to go before you can test and increase medication.
Hi malibu to reply to your specific question yes when you are on an optimal dose your performance and recovery will return. I compete in sports and I feel the same. Only when my levels are in a good range can I make the most of my recovery and performance otherwse I literally need a nap after too much training. Also get your Iron checked because low Iron levels are common with hypothyroid and also in people who exercise regularly so the breathlessness could also be related to that . hopefully the increase of 25mg will do the trick for you.
When we are on an optimum dose we can exercise as normal. When first diagnosed and slowly increasing and we do 'sports' or activities, it depletes what little T3 we have in our T3 receptor cells. T3 being the only Active Hormone and T4 (levothyroxine inactive) and it has to convert to T3.
Your aim is a TSH of 1 or lower with an FT4 and FT3 in the upper part of the range. I will give a link re blood tests:-
My GP flatly refuses to test fT3 and 4. So long as my TSH is ticking along in range they do nothing. Only an endo can request it. Gatekeeping or what...
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