About 15 months ago, I suddenly start to sweat a ridiculous amounts and feel hot in any environment. After backward and forwards to the GP, eventually had Thyroid tests done.
They showed as having a TSH of 15 and a Normal T4. After the wait and see approach, I eventually started on lvythyroxine in September at 50mg. Blood results went towards normal ranges but symptoms remained. This was upped to 75, but caused my TSH to be 0.2 and my T4 to be high. So this was dropped to 50, then to 25. Getting blood results next week and the pattern would suggest everything should be normal.
However, not once during this process have my symptoms gone. I alway feel hot and sweat, so much so I struggle to wear shirts, something I've always done. This causes my skin to itch and rub, making my entire body feel uncomfortable. Literally can't put my arms down by my side without feeling uncomfortable. I've been on the 25 mg for 4 weeks now and the last week has been awful. Felt cold, yet my skin is still super hot and sweaty. Its awful.
Does this pattern sound familiar to anyone else, as the blood results have never seemed to match my consistent symptoms.
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mishoakes
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With the mixture of "hypo and hyper" that you are describing, this sounds like it could be autoimmune thyroid disease aka Hashimoto's. This is usually confirmed by raised antibodies but you can have Hashi's without antibodies being raised. Also, because antibody levels fluctuate, you can be tested when they are low, but next time they may be high.
When you have your new results, post them on the forum for comment. Ask at the surgery's reception desk for a print out.
I do have more detailed numbers somewheere, but I've had so many tests in the last 15 months I've lost count haha current plan for GP is to 'wait until bloods show normal, then explore other tbings'. Frustrating!
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested.
Also extremely important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if Thyroid antibodies are raised
Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting. Last Levothyroxine dose should be 24 hours prior to test, (taking delayed dose immediately after blood draw). This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)
Is this how you do your tests?
Private tests are available. Thousands on here forced to do this as NHS often refuses to test FT3 or antibodies or all vitamins
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 special offers, Medichecks usually have offers on Thursdays, Blue Horizon its more random
If antibodies are high this is Hashimoto's, (also known by medics here in UK more commonly as autoimmune thyroid disease).
About 90% of all hypothyroidism in Uk is due to Hashimoto's.
Low vitamins are especially common with Hashimoto's. Food intolerances are very common too, especially gluten.
So it's important to get TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested at least once .
25mcg is an incremental dose. Starting dose is 50mcg with 25mcg every six weeks. It would seem to me that your doctors (like many others) concentrates and adjusts according to where the TSH is. Rarely do they do all of the following:-
TSH, T4, T3. Free T4, Free T3 and thyroid antibodies. This is a Full Thyroid Blood test.
The most important to know if FT4 and FT3, the reason being is in this link:-
There are private labs that do home finger pin-prick tests. You should be well hydrated a couple of days before and make sure hands/arms are warm if you decide to do this.
Blood draw should be at the earliest possible, fasting (you can drink water) and allow a gap of 24 hours between last dose and test and take afterwards. Levo should always be taken with one full glass of water and wait an hour before eating.
Post your results, with the ranges for comments on a new page.
Your GP should test B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate. Everything has to be optimal.
This pattern of an increased dose then reducing it again sounds like a doctor who just doesn't know how to dose you, and is yanking you around on a whim.
This symptom is definitely an unusual one, I don't think I've heard of people so hot that being sweaty is a constant issue. Usually a symptom of being hypo is not to sweat as much. Although I have heard of people being hot all the time while hypo. The most common symptom is to feel cold all the time, but personally I feel more like I'm not able to regulate my temperature, so I go from being way too cold to way too hot. It's possible that you just have a more unusual variation of this.
A TSH of 15 is quite substantial, so barring an error with your results, I would say this is definitely hypothyroid.
It may be that the biggest problem here is your doctor being a bit of a clothhead, and not giving you the treatment you need.
I agree with others that you should get hold of a printout of your blood test results and post it there. Also push for those vitamins to be tested. If your GP won't do them get mail order finger prick tests, look on the ThyroidUK website for how to do it. Being hypothyroid trashes vitamin levels, and more unusual symptoms are often caused by vitamin deficiencies (or even just sub optimal vitamins).
Yes, vitamin and mineral levels have to be optimal, not just "Within range". That gives you a fighting chance of being able to make good use of the Levothyroxine.
Your doctor seems to have no idea! Probably the fault of poor training in the subject, and of course the prevailing obsession with TSH, instead of T3 as a marker of your thyroid health! TSH is good for diagnosis - especially when as high as yours was. After that...
Something similar happened to me (I was first diagnosed with Hashimoto's and had symptoms of a low thyroid, then symptoms changed to palpitations, shaking and not sleeping). I saw an endocrinologist and found out I had Graves' disease as well as Hashi's. This was diagnosed using the TSI antibody test. I was then told to stop taking thyroxine and was given Carbimazole to treat the Graves'. From reading on here some people do get hyper type symptoms with Hashi's and haven't got Graves' so think you need to see someone who understands the thyroid to get a firm diagnosis. Do you have palpitations too?
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