After advice from other hypo men

[Johnljc]

Hi , a bit of an embarrassing and frustrating position , I got diagnosed about a year ago, been on levothyroxine since started at 25 then to 50 I'm now at 75 .

The problem I've got is since I've been taking this medication my libido is virtually none existent and when it's there I can't maintain or get a solid erection.

I'm hoping for a bit of advice , before taking meds I never really had a problem.. I was probably the total opposite.

Cheers

[shaws Administrator]

I am sure other males who have had a similar problem will respond.

I am going to give you a couple of hints - to get the best results from your blood tests. It is not a matter of getting the TSH reduced to 'normal' - as most doctors seem to think but you need a Full Thyroid Function Test. I don't think 75mcg of levo may be sufficient.

All blood tests have to be at the very earliest, fasting (you can drink water) and allow a gap of 24 hours from the last dose of levothyroxine and the test and take it afterwards. This helps keep the TSH at its highest as that's all doctors appear to take notice of.

Your doctor, I doubt, will do all of the following but you can get a private test - which is blood drawn at home with finger pin-prick test. Make sure you are well hydrated a couple of days before and hands/arms are warm.

You need a Full Thyroid Function Test - not just a TSH and T4 - which is:-

TSH, T4, T3, Free T4, Free T3 and thyroid antibodies.

Your GP should test B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate.

T4 - levothyroxine - is an inactive hormone. It has to convert to T3 and it is T3 which is the Active Thyroid Hormone and we have millions of T3 receptor cells in our bodies and all receptor cells need T3, without which we cannot function normally.

Any of the following labs will do home blood tests and Medichecks usually have a discount on a Wednesday of some sort.

thyroiduk.org.uk/index.html

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

I suppose you could call T3 (liothryonine) the engine - which enables us to function normally.

[Johnljc in reply to shaws]

Thanks for the advice... I've got a blood test in 2 wèeks then a week after that I'm of too see the doctor ...

I've got a number of questions for him

[shaws Administrator in reply to Johnljc]

As long as your blood test is at the very earliest possible because the TSH is highest early a.m. and drops throughout the day.

I hope GP can answer your questions as they usually only take notice of a TSH and T4 result.

[MaisieGray]

Its much more likely that your problems began with diagnosis/onset of your thyroid disorder, than due to your Levo. A study reported in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism tested both hyper- and hypo-thyroid men, during the time of them being symptomatic and once euthyroid on treatment. It found that low sex drive, erectile dysfunction and delayed ejaculation were all massively apparent in the hypothyroid men, but that premature ejaculation was largely a problem for the hyperthyroid men, unsurprisingly perhaps (7.1% and 50%) whilst symptomatic. However, once functionally euthyroid, most symptoms had resolved. You don't mention what are your latest blood results but it's clearly important to ensure you are optimal medicated; and whilst we're all individual in our dosing requirements, nevertheless 75 mcg is not a large dose. The other issue to remember is the psychological aspects of discovering we aren't perfectly fit and well any more, and the direct impact that can have on sexual function.

[RedApple Administrator in reply to MaisieGray]

MaisieGray , Could you please provide a link to this and any other studies that you mention, so that members can see it for themselves, and also have the chance to show to a medic. Often only the abstract is available, but that's better than nothing.

[MaisieGray in reply to RedApple]

RedApple I do provide direct links where I have them, but depending on my own source or how efficient I was when saving something for reference, I may not have a link myself. However, in this instance I gave the source document, expecting that a simple search against that journal's name together with a few keywords, would enable the article or research paper to be readily tracked down if anyone wanted to read further or access it for their GP. I've just searched against JCEM+sexual dysfunction+thyroid myself for instance, and it came up on the first page: academic.oup.com/jcem/artic...

[whatever_]

Hi John

I was in the same situation up untill four months ago when my endo upped my levo to 200mcg i feel better than i have ever done i have lost 5 stone with dieting in the last 5 mnths and my libido restored i had a problem with delayed ejaculation but that seems to have resolved now,as others have said get your meds opptimised and you will feel better in most ways good luck

[Hidden]

John,

Doesn't it seem odd to you that your problem only showed up when you started on medication ? Everybody seems to be advocating more and more levothyroxine but I just wonder what would have happened if your doctor hadn't diagnosed you as suffering from hypothyroidism ? Were you experiencing any other hypothyroid symptoms ? I would love to see a convincing explanation of the science behind the rush to keep increasing your medication.

I too am in a very similar situation....

[Johnljc in reply to Hidden]

I originally went to the doctors with palpitations.

His first question was .... do you do drugs ..hahaha

Then I went for bloods and diagnosed with hypothyroidism.

I'm still trying to understand what is going on

[Hidden in reply to Johnljc]

Yes, me too.

Mind you, nowadays, who doesn't do drugs ?....apart from me ?

Just be wary of what doctors, or anyone, else tells you...and that includes me !

Check and double check everything them draw your own conclusions.