Am I going mad? : Hi all, I am feeling desperate... - Thyroid UK

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Am I going mad?

CRelp profile image
21 Replies

Hi all, I am feeling desperate. I have received my Medicheck blood results back and the recommendation suggests my Thyroid function is ‘normal’? I was taken off Liothronine approx 10 weeks ago and I feel dreadful.. exhausted, aching, no motivation... existing not living..

TSH 1.97 (0.27-4.2)

FREE T3 4.49 (3.1-6.8)

Free thyroxine 16.3 (12-22)

Thyroglobulin Ant 12.3

Thyroid Peroxidase Ant 9.12

??? Any feedback would be so much appreciated as I feel I’m going crazy.. Thankyou in advance x

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CRelp profile image
CRelp
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21 Replies
CRelp profile image
CRelp

I currently take 75mcg Levo... up until recently I was on 20mcg lio and 50 mcg Levo.. I was taken off lio due to nhs funding.

Angel_of_the_North profile image
Angel_of_the_North in reply to CRelp

Well you've gone from the equivalent of about 110 mcg levo to 75mcg so it's no wonder you feel awful

Jazzw profile image
Jazzw

Hi CRelp. Well, without question your body is going to “notice” not having T3 coming into it, but those results aren’t as “bad” as one might expect, are they? Although not as good as they could be either. You could do with another raise in levothyroxine, I’d say. Another 25mcg would definitely help. You’re missing 75% of your thyroid, so they shouldn’t be reluctant to raise your dose again, not while there’s wriggle room in the ranges.

What are your ferritin, Vit D, folate, B12 levels like? Because if any one of those - or even all of them - is low, you’ll feel quite ill - similar to being hypothyroid.

Do you have results for those?

CRelp profile image
CRelp in reply to Jazzw

Thanks Jazzw, for your info.. I did originally think that I was getting the vit tests included then afterwards realised they weren’t on the test ...I will take your advice and do another test to get them get checked out... do you think it could be because the sudden withdrawal of the T3 that’s making me feel so low? I honestly have not had these horrendous symptoms so bad since I had my thyroid out 15 years ago. Thanks again x

Jazzw profile image
Jazzw in reply to CRelp

I’d say it has an awful lot to do with it. 75mcg isn’t a very high dose at all. I’m so sorry that you were effectively tricked into doing without your liothyronine.

SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering

Who removed your T3? GP or Endo?

If it was your GP then you should have seen an Endo before the decision to remove your T3 was made.

Please see SlowDragon 's reply in this post with information and links about this (2nd reply in thread):

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Jazzw profile image
Jazzw in reply to SeasideSusie

It was the “thyroid specialist” Susie. Someone who ought to know better, but as we see here so often, didn’t. :(

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

CRelp profile image
CRelp

Thanks Seaside Susie, it was someone in the Endo clinic who told me I had to come off them.. ( not sure if even doctor or nurse tbh) she said she had to take everyone off T3 as there was a direct correlation to heart problems... I naively took her word for that, came off them... felt awful.. went back, seen someone different.. I said I’d take my chances with the heart problem as I felt so bad since I’d been off T3 and then was told they can’t re prescribe due to nhs funding. So I feel angry that I was originally lied to and that it was always about funding. It wasn’t until I joined this fantastic site that I realised this was happening. My bpm yesterday went up to 147... the palpitations that I’ve had since being off the T3 have been awful.. I can hear my heart in my head and feel like it’s pounding out of the side of my neck ... that’s just one of the symptoms ... I feel if I was an animal I’d be put to sleep by now I feel that bad and then to be told my thyroid tests are ‘normal’ has been a blow.

m7-cola profile image
m7-cola in reply to CRelp

I feel so angry, reading of your experience. It was quite wrong of the person who told you T3 was associated with heart problems. It is, but only when a patient is T3 deficient.

MaisieGray profile image
MaisieGray in reply to CRelp

As a for instance, US researchers carried out a randomised double-blind placebo-controlled study in 2015 to look at the effects of triiodothyronine replacement therapy in patients with chronic stable heart failure and low‐triiodothyronine syndrome (defined as serum Free T3 of less than the lower limit of normal with normal TSH and Free T4 values). They concluded that Triiodothyronine replacement by chronic liothyronine therapy seems to safely benefit stable Heart Failure patients with low T3 syndrome receiving optimal HF medications. The nurse implying that T3 per se, automatically causes, rather than possibly benefits cardiac problems in every situation, is deceitful and unprofessional.

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to MaisieGray

And should be the subject of a formal complaint, in my opinion!

MaisieGray profile image
MaisieGray in reply to greygoose

We're generally all so taken aback by the sheer effrontery of these people that we're momentarily at a loss for words; but if only we could have the sang froid to say "Bear with me a moment whilst I grab some paper and a pen, and I'll be happy to write down the details of your evidential references for that, and check it out later. Then we can have an informed chat about it when I'm back in." ......

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to MaisieGray

Indeed - l'esprit d'escalier! We only think about what we should have said, much later. Quite often happens to me. And I get so mad at myself! But, lodging a complaint with the relative authorities can have a surprisingly calming effect. :)

CRelp profile image
CRelp

Thankyou m7-cola, I too feel so angry and very foolish but I honestly thought they had my best interests at heart.... I want to shout from the rooftop what has happened to warn others, I just need the energy to do so... I think I’m a reasonably intelligent woman and this site has given me so much information and I don’t feel alone with everyone’s support and good wishes to see this through. What happens though to maybe and elderly person? No friends or family and maybe not have access to the internet.. it’s a sham and makes my blood ( with our without T3’s ( haha) boil! X

m7-cola profile image
m7-cola in reply to CRelp

You are definitely not alone. Many here are shouting with/for you!

DippyDame profile image
DippyDame in reply to CRelp

Many of us feel exactly as you do and the word "normal" is an anathema to most of us too.

You will get better advice and support here than from most medics.

I can vouch for that!

Good luck

CRelp profile image
CRelp

Thankyou, that means a lot x

CRelp profile image
CRelp

Thanks DippyDame, I don’t know where I’d be without this site, it’s been amazing... it saddens me though, and maybe a reflection of the bigger picture, that when you’re at your most vulnerable you have to fight a battle with the professionals who are supposed to be ‘caring’ for you.

DippyDame profile image
DippyDame

I doubt there is any other (potentially life threatening) health condition that leaves patients in such a neglected state.

At the end of the day the great chief Filthy Lucre appears to be more important to the powers-that-be than the well-being of genuinely sick people.

It beggars belief!

But.. instead of letting the NHS grind you down stick with us, take control of your own health (I know how hard that is!) and you will improve. It took me until the age of 73 to get to the bottom of my ill health...so it's never too late!

Work is now being done to try to improve the debacle with approaches and petitions having been taken to both Westminster and Holyrood. The latter, I know, is listening!

We must keep talking!

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Sorry to say you were tricked into giving up your T3 prescription

Roughly where in the UK are you?

Which CCG ?

Some are much worse than others ....as you can see here

Search Liothyronine

openprescribing.net

Dossier presented to Lord O'Shaughnessy November 26th

drive.google.com/file/d/1c2...

Liothyronine gender inequality

england.nhs.uk/wp-content/u...

Recent media coverage

thyroidtrust.org/media-cove...

medscape.com/viewarticle/90...

thetimes.co.uk/article/mill...

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vij...

Debates in House of Lords and parliament......still no progress

theyworkforyou.com/search/?...

CRelp profile image
CRelp

Thankyou for all of your replies, it’s much appreciated. I live in Liverpool, I visited my gp in tears explaining what had happened ( I’d never met her before) she asked me to wait to see what the hospital letter says and we will take from there. That was the 31st January and I’m still waiting..

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