Hyperthyroid

[HyperChol]

I have an overactive thyroid and I'm not on any medication at the moment. I recently did a cholesterol and thyroid test. I'm currently 26 and also anemic.

Cholesterol 8.0 H. (3.8-5.2)

HDL 2.4 H. (0.6-1.9)

Tri 0.9. (0.4-1.8)

Chol/hdl ratio 3.33 (0-4.44)

LDL 5.2 H (1.5-3.6)

T3 free 4.3 (2.15-6.79)

T4 free 14.32 (9.30-22.37)

TSH 0.03L. (0.30-5.00)

I keep hearing how weird my results are. I'm not overweight, nor underweight. I do have an increased heart rate and sweat a lot. Can someone explain these results to me and is anyone going through the same thing?

[HughH]

You have not given the normal ranges with the results so it is hard to comment. You can edit the post to add them.

Why do you say that you are hyperthyroidism?

[HyperChol in reply to HughH]

I have updated the information with the normal ranges. I was diagnosed 7 years ago with hyperthyroidism caused by graves disease. I was prescribed with radioactive iodine, propranolol and neomercazole. I stopped taking the iodine on my own, since the doctor didn't tell me anything about it and only said I should take it. I was euthyroid for 5 years, then last year I was told that my thyroid was overactive again.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to HyperChol]

Ah, often TSH never rises again after Graves (if you ever had Graves - did you have positive TRab or TSI antibodies?). Radioactive iodine isn't something you take yourself it is administered in a hospital setting to destroy the thyroid, and after that you should be prescribed levothyroxine. Are you sure that is what you had? At any rate, you are now slightly hypo. You can sweat and have palpitations when underactive as the body increases adrenaline to keep you going

[HyperChol in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

No, I never did those tests. In fact the first time I did an executive summary ( which showed I was anemic and had high cholesterol, was in 2016 when I saw another doctor). Yes, the doctor gave me RAI without fully explaining what it was meant for. Even though I told her I didn't want to remove my thyroid or go hypo. I didn't like how she didn't explain the side effects and stopped taking it after a week, when I started to do my own research. I did an ultrasound on my thyroid as well, it wasn't destroyed at all and showed it was overactive.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to HyperChol]

That doesn't sound like radioactive iodine - it's a one-off drink or capsule and you have to go to the Nuclear Medicine Department to get it, so you couldn't stop taking it after a week - it's usually one single dose and you have to avoid children and animals for about 3 weeks afterwards. High cholesterol is also a symptom of underactive thyroid.

[HyperChol in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

She didn't even tell me to avoid anyone. But that's what she said it was and I was supposed to take it for 2 weeks if memory serves me right. I remember the liquid being black and it was bitter. I had to take a drop or 2 mixed with water or juice.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to HyperChol]

That's Lugol's iodine - quite different

[HyperChol in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

Thank you so much for telling me that. I should've had you as my doctor. I kept wondering why she said it was RAI and didn't fully explain anything to me. Like avoiding people, that's the main reason I stopped taking it, because my younger brother is autistic and would hate for him to be affected by anything I'm taking.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to HyperChol]

The jury is out as to whether iodine is good for thyroid problems or not. It is an old-fashioned treatment for overactive thyroid, but I'm not sure that is what you have.

[HyperChol]

I updated the information with the normal ranges and t4 is actually normal.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to HyperChol]

But very low normal - most people would have it > 18

[Angel_of_the_North]

Nothing overactive there. Underactive if anything. Low TSH is unusual but might indicate either end of a Hashi flare, or central hypothyroidism, or taking a B vitamin supplement containing biotin in the days before the test.

[HyperChol in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

Wasn't taking any medication at all.

[HyperChol]

This is the result of the test I did in 2016, before I was diagnosed again with an overactive thyroid.

FT3 5.72 (2.15-6.79)

FT4 18.8 (10.30-25.74)

TSH 0.22 (0.30-5.00)

I don't have the results of the test I did last year, as I only had one copy at the time that I gave to the doctor.

I only took iodine when I was first diagnosed in 2011, for about a week. I stopped immediately when I did my own research. I forgot to add that I only went euthyroid after stopping all medications and just resting for a year. I did the same thing when I got diagnosed again last year, as I was going through a difficult time and the medications were making me extremely depressed.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to HyperChol]

Not overactive then either. Overactive is when Free T3 and free T4 are over range and yours were not.

[HyperChol in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

Those were the results when I first found out I had high cholesterol in late 2016. They said I had subclinical hyperthyroidism. The test I did last year April, showed FT3 and Ft4 was over range with TSH being low. I also did a thyroid ultrasound that showed it was over producing and I had GED.

[HyperChol]

I'll see if I can request to have my thyroid antibodies checked.

[HyperChol]

My father has issues with high cholesterol and it seems to run in his part of the family. Which could explain why I have it. But if I have Hashimotos or hypo and it was left untreated, wouldn't it have affected my body's systems and functions?

[HyperChol]

When I discussed my results with another doctor, they kept saying I was weird. Since I was showing both hyper and hypo symptoms, but my body was functioning normal even though I wasn't taking any medication.