Old symptoms back

[Angelic69]

Hi all, one of the main symptoms I had before I started taking levo was very weak hands, struggling to open lids ect. After a while on levo it went away but now its back. Doc has put me on D3 with calcium and have been taking now for about I week. Hands still weak with little strength. I have not been getting appointements to see the Endo despite him saying he wants to see me in three months. Not sure whats going on.

[greygoose]

Did your GP test your thyroid levels? It could very well be that you need an increase in dose.

Why did he prescribe calcium? Did he test it and find yours was low? If you're taking vit D and calcium, you should also be taking magnesium, and vit K2-MK7. Taking vit d increases the absorption of calcium from food, and the K2 makes sure it gets into the teeth and bones, and doesn't build up in the soft tissues.

[Angelic69 in reply to greygoose]

Went of old test results, I had weakness in hands, trouble getting up from toilet, pains in wrists, shoulders, knees, hips and back. Can not sleep on left or right side for any period of time due to acute pain in shoulder joints.

[greygoose in reply to Angelic69]

But, you've already said most of that. That doesn't answer any of my questions. It's difficult to help anyone when you don't know any of the details. We need to know your latest blood test results. Sorry.

[Angelic69 in reply to greygoose]

Had appointment with pip they stopped the appointment sayng I wasnt well enough to continue and she got me straight into see doc. Doc said stop taking levo for couple days. Weakness in hands improved, mental state improved energy still crap.

[greygoose in reply to Angelic69]

So, what you're saying is that levo is responsible for your symptoms. But, difficult to know without knowing your blood test results. It could just be that you're not taking enough of it. How much are you taking?

It is a well-known phenomena that when you stop levo, for the first few days - or even weeks - you feel very much better - happens to everyone. But, that doesn't mean you don't need it. Before long, all the hypo symptoms will come creeping back again. If you are hypo you need thyroid hormone replacement. And, you need to be on the right dose. Just stopping someone's levo is not going to solve anything.

And, what about that calcium? Excess calcium can cause muscle weakness. Why did he prescribe it?

[Angelic69 in reply to greygoose]

I guess the computer said he could.

[greygoose in reply to Angelic69]

Don't you ever ask your doctor why he does what he does? Just blindly accepting that doctor knows best has killed an awful lot of people.

[Angelic69 in reply to greygoose]

When im hormonally imbalanced it impossible to fight or speak as you just feel weak. Someone knows this and makes a decision to give mw strength or keep me weak. Ive asked for functional medicine but have not been allowed or given medical assistance that produces wellness to fully function by the services available in my area for people in my criteria. Despite taking regular meds im getting sicker and weaker. My gp asked if I was taking levo regular and at what dose before saying do not take for a couple of days, I quote he did not know by my appearence and symptoms.

Ive been ok with this generic with less symptoms then it gives me headaches. Generics which were intolerable I can now tolerate, teva. Nothing is constant and I wish they would stop swopping things around. The same with the suppliments, you find one that wprks then they change it. The ask them why theyve cchanged it and they say they havent. So im I taking counterfeit suppliments and should I stop as the company not mentioning names tells me they havent alltered it in any way. Im standing with the assistant at this point who can also clearly see the colour has changed and also the smell. And after usage the efficiency also. What do we do.

[greygoose in reply to Angelic69]

It's far far better if you take charge of your own supplements. Doctors know less about nutrients than they do about hormones - and that's saying something! They prescribe the wrong type and the wrong dose. But, even so, nothing is going to help if you don't need it. So, I ask again, did you have your calcium tested? What have you had tested? Do you get copies of your blood test results? That's always the first step to wellness, getting copies of blood test results and learning to understand them.

Don't pin your hopes on functional medicine. They know no more about thyroid than any other doctor, but have some very funny ideas about treatment - we see that here all the time.

[Angelic69 in reply to greygoose]

For me levothyroxine has been successful in shutting my gob, the only reason the quack thought I hadnt took it, which I had, everyday was the fact that my gob had been going and with such suppressed tsh I should have been quite passive. I had though had some other hormone replacement which gave me my voice back sadly for some.

[greygoose in reply to Angelic69]

I'm sorry, I don't understand any of that. What do you mean by your 'gob'?

A suppressed TSH doesn't make you passive. Do they really think it does?

What other hormone replacement did you have?

[Fruitandnutcase]

Had a similar problem a few years ago. My hands were so weak that I ended up buying things to attach to plugs so that I could get a grip of them to pull them out of sockets, still find lids tricky at times.

I ended up being diagnosed with sero negative inflammatory arthritis, had a three month course of steroids and now take hydroxychloroquine which helps a lot. So might be worth checking that as well as your thyroid.

[Angelic69 in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

I was taking serrapeptase but benefits reduced my housing benefits and also had an overpayment of £800 to pay back so another reduction so stopped taking a fair few suppliments.

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to Angelic69]

Oh that sucks - I feel so sorry for you with an overpayment especially when it’s a housing benefit.

Some years ago the tax people messed up and I ended up working for nothing so that my employer could get back the money I basically owed them. I was freelance so it made sure I got lots of work but not be8ng paid for the first few days was very off.

Couldn’t believe it when I called the tax people to sort out my codes and the boy I spoke to said ‘Oh, I wonder how that happened?’ I took a deep breath and said I couldn’t imagine how it happened when all the t8me I was thinking it was your idiot department.

I hope you get things sorted out soon.

[Angelic69 in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Thanks, for me my sons earnings had gone up and the agency pertemps website had got issues for apparently 7+ weeks and could not prove income to housing ben. In the end I called there head office and a week later we got the wage slips. We had been paying about 65% of the rent anyway but they still calculated £800 overpayment which I still carnt work out with rhis brain fog, im sure they know this. Thought our rent account would have been in fair bit of credit but no sign of the overpayment. You can not argue with these people. Same with council tax, most people on my income pay £12 per month. They charge me £40.

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to Angelic69]

Really sorry to hear that - you’re right, it’s hard to argue with that sort of thing. I was fed up when they got things wrong and gave me the wrong tax code, work used that and I had to stump up for the tax people’s mistake! Very annoying. Maybe you could try speaking to your local MP about it - or the CAB?

[Angelic69 in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

I did last time it happened they said the award was incorrect and spent 45 mins on hold at the cab to housing benefits they finally answered and then the adults put the phone down on us.

I was a tax payer myself and would like functional meds so I can earn again for all moaning tax payers that snub those forced on benefits.

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to Angelic69]

☹️

[HLAB35]

Despite my best efforts I get the symptoms of RA in my thumbs and general stiffness, but it's not progressed recently*. On Dr Myhill's website she mentions using Niacinamide - studies have shown big improvements in both types of arthritis... so I am going to take additional B3 to see if she's right. She also mentions her 'Bone Mix' that contains glucosamine which I may start to try at a later date. I already use p5p, methylfolate and b12 which are good for peripheral nerves. When it comes to Calcium, personally I believe dietary sources are best.

*One thing I find does last for most of the day is to put Magnesium lotion on my hands before bedtime... this was recommended by a long term RA sufferer and it does improve mobility in the joints.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Previous post shows low vitamin D

Have you been supplementing to improve?


only TSH was tested

That's completely inadequate

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. This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)

Last Levothyroxine dose should be 24 hours prior to test, (taking delayed dose immediately after blood draw).

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

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

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

Medichecks currently have an offer on until end of May - 20% off

thyroiduk.org.uk/index.html

[Hidden]

What dose of D3 is in the tablets you were prescribed? If they are the same as I was given they are worse than useless because there is not nearly enough D3 in them and the calcium means that you can't take enough to have much effect on vit D levels without overdosing on calcium. The total D3 in a day you can get from them is only 800iu from 4 tablets.

I was taking far more than that (with K2 and magnesium) and my D3 levels only rose a bit, so I had to increase to about 8,000 - ten times the prescribed amount! And my D3 wasn't as low as all that.

[Angelic69 in reply to Hidden]

Accrete D3. 10mcg vit D 600mg calcium( calcium carbonate1500mg)

[Hidden in reply to Angelic69]

Mine is Adcal brand 750mg calcium and 200iu Vit D (5mcg), 4 tablets/day. Useless anyway, and if I take them back to the chemist they will have to throw them away. What a waste!

[Angelic69 in reply to Hidden]

Probably the same ones.

[Exausted]

My husband was taking d3 and and calcium and started with shaky hands, weakness walking, like sudden onset dementia type symptoms. His calcium levels were critically high!

[vocalEK in reply to Exausted]

The potential for critically high calcium levels is why we need the K2 MK7 along with the D3. To get the calcium to teeth and bones. And I agree with greygoose that unless blood calcium levels are low, it is a bad idea to supplement calcium.

[Angelic69 in reply to Exausted]

Same my mental health has mafe me practically house bound.