Bladder involvement in thyroid dysfunction - Thyroid UK

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Bladder involvement in thyroid dysfunction

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ling
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ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

Thyroid dysfunction is a common problem, especially among women.

Thyrotoxicosis is characterized by exaggerated responses to catecholamines, while in hypothyroidism, narrowing of adaptive responses is observed.

It is, therefore, not surprising to see gastrointestinal and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) in patients with thyroid dysfunction.

(Paper shared courtesy of TSH110 )

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Judithdalston profile image
Judithdalston

Interesting. I have always associated my bladder problems ( waking up x4 in night feeling the need to pee, though in fact little there...‘early first sensation’ presumably of this paper) not with my hypothyroidism but with my more recent fibromyalgia ( but then fibromyalgia has been credited as under-medicated hypothyroidism). But no amount (well up to 75 mcg of T3 only) thyroid hormone seems to have reversed this ailment, nor other symptoms. I have relatively recently started B12 injections, and on day 1 or 2 after this have noticed a decrease in this sensation. Obviously needs more research, but hardly high on doctors’ priorities, although surprisingly problematic...been tested for sleep apnoea due to possible poor sleep but nothing re. bladder!

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to Judithdalston

Frequent need to urinate in the night can also be due to adrenal problems. Before my adrenals were treated there were nights when I need to go every half hour, on the half hour. Obviously, I didn't get much sleep. But, I can't explain the connection.

Judithdalston profile image
Judithdalston in reply to greygoose

Oh that’s interesting, never thought of that! But as systematically going thru possible causes of pain, weakness etc and trying DIY ‘treatments’ had cortisol 24 hr saliva test done ( unfortunately not DHEA) that I posted here back in April: 8am 10.1(6-21), noon 11.4(1.5-7.6), 4pm 7.43 (0-5.5), 11.45pm 2.36(0-2)... an admin. suggested high protein breakfasts( which I am still on largely), and for a month plus I took an adrenal salts/vit C cocktail too. Didn’t notice any difference to my symptoms. Gave the results to my Gp commenting on then symptoms, but the only outcome was more general blood tests ( including thyroid which I didn’t ask for as taking T3 DIY)... receptionist phoned up with results: limited to ‘drop Levo. down from 125 to 75 mcg’ ( dr.hadn’t seemed to have noticed nil FT4, over range FT3, just the suppressed TSH!)... but nothing re. adrenals etc. etc. My surgery has large notices up akin to ‘only one problem at a time’...that seems to be mentality of GPs too....decide what is wrong with you before and adjust tests to support that, regardless of what patient says!

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to Judithdalston

Actually, it was me suggested the high protein breakfast. I'm not admin. :) But if you haven't had your cortisol retested, you won't know if it worked. Do you also take plenty of B vits. How about a supplement like Adrenavive? A lot of people find that helpful.

It's highly unlikely that a GP would know anything about adrenals - most of them don't even seem to know where they are! And, it's true, most GP care is abominable! There's little attempt to find root causes, just treating the symptoms. A doctor that has a notice like that in his waiting room, I don't know how he even dares to call himself a doctor. If you only talk about one thing at a time, how do you find out if the symptoms are connected? OK if you're just complaining about an in-growing toenail, or something, but anything more complex is going to be totally lost. Actually, even an in-growing toenail isn't always simple, could be a symptom of Pernicious Anemia! Sorry for the rant. lol

Anyway, it was just a suggestion of a possible cause.

Nico101 profile image
Nico101 in reply to greygoose

Just noticed the ingrowing toenail bit. This is really weird because I had that problem - i noticed it this time last year. I had an op scheduled for 10th July and cancelled it, as I realised the pain had gone.

Could this be due to me addressing my low ferritin?

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to Nico101

No, I don't think there's any connection between in-growing toe nails and iron. But nails will grow wonky if B12 is low.

Nico101 profile image
Nico101 in reply to greygoose

Ah, well, my B12 is now so high I've had to leave off it for a while - perhaps that? Or maybe ingrowing toenails just go away sometimes.

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to Nico101

Well, improving my B12 got rid of the one on the right, but I've still got the one on the left, so who knows? lol

CapnM profile image
CapnM in reply to Nico101

greygoose Nico101 I too have re-occurring symptoms of what I though was an ingrowing toenail. it is on the right side of my right foot/big toe. The it just goes, then comes back again. The nail is fine, is this a hypo symptom? I had assumed it might be

Nico101 profile image
Nico101 in reply to CapnM

Don't know, TBH. Mine was on the left foot/big toe. Never had anything like it before.

Judithdalston profile image
Judithdalston in reply to greygoose

I thought Adrenavive was for boosting low cortisol, mine is/was only low first thing, but too high other times of day, so is this appropriate? See it comes in different figures eg 2 and 3 ..different formulas or for different problems? I am enjoying the high protein breakfasts combining black pudding, and egg, hits the need to increase ferritin too😇

greygoose profile image
greygoose in reply to Judithdalston

If your first reading of the day is low, what you need to do is increase the cortisol at that particular time, and then the other readings should come back into range. The reason they are high is that the adrenals are struggling to make the high level needed first thing in the morning to wake you up and get you out of bed. If you help with that level, once the adrenals have achieved their quota, they don't need to go on struggling throughout the day. They can cut back and just make small amounts of cortisol for the rest of the day. That's the theory, anyway.

Good thinking for the breakfast! :)

Nico101 profile image
Nico101 in reply to Judithdalston

That's exactly my situation after years of low cortisol. It's bounced back a little too much - except first thing.

I've started taking one adrenavive first thing and that's it. I've ordered some Holy Basil to try and get it lowered before bed.

Judithdalston profile image
Judithdalston in reply to Nico101

Your cortisol problems same as me as in relatively low on waking, but relatively high for optimal rest of day/evening? So adrenavive first thing, on empty stomach , so could take it on waking in bed? I take my thyroid hormones in middle of the night, but do take a variety of meds after breakfast, then also take meds after dinner/ bedtime ( I have fibromyalgia and need insulin) ... does adrenavive or holy basil need to be taken away from other meds/ supplements? Have seen that there are different types of adrenavive 2 and 3 ...do you mean just bog standard adrenavive? I am rather reluctant to spend yet more money on private cortisol test, as my Gp ignored everything on last appointment anyway.

Nico101 profile image
Nico101 in reply to Judithdalston

Yes, we seem to do the same symptom-wise, and they way we take our meds and supplements.

I also take my NDT during the night, and I have my adrenavive 1 as soon as I wake up proper. within about 1/2 hour-40mins I have bone broth and some salt, then about 60-80 kins of waking I have a smoothie with minerals, vitamins, l-glutamine, l-tyrosine, Q10, etc., in it. not sure if that's the best way to do things, but not sure how I could fit things in any better - so many supplements and only so many hours/meals in a day!

I then have a protein-based meal within about 30-40 mins of finishing my smoothie and have betaine & pepsin with it and my B vits after. I have chicken livers with this meal, as I'm low in ferritin.

A bit later I'll have myo-inisitol with selenium and vit E, and later still a drink with l-glutamine, vit C, and zinc.

And so on.

Right before bed I have cannabis oil and 5-HTP and a spray of magnesium oil.

I sleep ok most nights - especially now that the awful peeing every hour has stopped - but I want to take Holy Basil late evening to lower my cortisol.

I was taking my multi-Bs before bed, and then I was told best to take during the day.

I'm not taking D3 or B12 at the moment, as my levels are very high.

SilverAvocado profile image
SilverAvocado in reply to Judithdalston

I agree with GG, doctors won't pay any attention to cortisol results. We are on our own to treat them. Yours look high, there.

Adrenals can be tricksty to treat. I seem to have been treating mine off and on for the past 5 years or so, slowly improving all the time. I think I might have to work on them again as I seem to be getting that wired but tired feeling lately.

ling profile image
ling in reply to SilverAvocado

How have you been treating your adrenals and what are your symptoms?

Thank you

SilverAvocado profile image
SilverAvocado in reply to ling

I think adrenals are very unspecific in terms of symptoms. I think the biggest reason for members in general is not getting the improvement they hope out of thyroid hormone, because adrenals need to be working well for thyroid hormone to work.

A few specifics are being vulnerable to stress. Also insomnia that wakes you up around 2-4am after getting to sleep fine.

I don't have time to write more, now. Its discussed quite a bit on the forum but not in as much detail as I'd like!

ling profile image
ling in reply to SilverAvocado

Thanks. It would be interesting to hear more when you've the time.

SilverAvocado profile image
SilverAvocado in reply to ling

When I was first ill after thyroid cancer, and on very much the wrong dose, my 24hr saliva cortisol test looked dreadful. It was very high in the morning, then too low at parts of the day and out of its proper shape. The first more functional doctors I saw put me on quite an extreme treatment, including DHEA, Nutri-adrenal (which contains extract of adrenal gland - similar to thyroid hormone in NDT) and a cocktail of other things. At one point I got an improvement of energy on that, but later I seemed to be overdosed and his advice kind of tailed off. I've also had opinions from others that I shouldn't have been on DHEA at all, and I now have hair on my chin and at the times got spots.

This was 5+ years ago. I'd always kind of known my result was high, and it stayed high. But it got a lot less bad. Recently I was prepared to start treating with Rhodiola, an adaptogen. There are several different ones, which all balance out cortisol but some tend more to increase and others to decrease, Rhodiola is more of a decreasing one..

But then I had a set of retests, and my 24hr saliva test had improved loads. This coincided with my thyroid hormone dose getting a lot better. The only other big things I changed in the time were taking up meditation and tackling my insomnia. In some ways I think adrenal fatigue and related things are just an indicator of how well we are generally, if a person has been seriously ill for a long time they will probably have adrenal fatigue too. Especially if it's thyroid illness, as the two systems work so closely together. But on the other hand, to get completely better it may need to be resolved.

I've recently been feeling more jumpy, and even though my thyroid dose is better, and I'm more comfortable moving around the house and doing basic things, my stamina is possibly worse than ever. If I go out for the evening or do something bigger than my usual activity I will often get injured or have heart arrhythmia or something else very nasty.

Quite a few forum regulars are working on their adrenals long term, and taking adaptogens, adrenal glandulars, pregn--- (I can never remember which of the terms it is, there are several drugs with similar names, I think it's pregnenolone, which is a precursor to several hormones).

ling profile image
ling in reply to SilverAvocado

Thank you very much for sharing.

Judithdalston profile image
Judithdalston in reply to SilverAvocado

So what would you suggest if cortisol bit high during day into evening, but not high enough on waking SilverAvocado?

SilverAvocado profile image
SilverAvocado in reply to Judithdalston

The hardest thing to say is if it's a mixed picture :( There are quite a few options for low, a few for high, and then when its mixed you just have to hope that things have a balancing effect. I dont know enough about it to comment :(

Dr Myhill is very good on this topic. Stop the Thyroid Madness has a bit. This website is also good: rt3-adrenals.org/

Its a matter of cobbling ideas together, because there doesn't seem to be a clear pathway to treat :(

The only sure thing is lifestyle factors. Rest more, learn to meditate, cut out vigorous exercise but bring in gentle exercise like walking, eat healthily and don't skip meals, avoid stress, treat vitamin problems and other illnesses.

Nico101 profile image
Nico101 in reply to greygoose

I'd second that! I was peeing every 1-2 hours with low cortisol. had my adrenals checked recently and cortisol now slightly high, so off the prednisone and Adrenavive... but, I noticed I wasn't peeing so often during the night about 2 months before the test.

last night went just once and my need for salt has declined massively - another indication that my adrenals are recovering.

but my thyroid is still under-medicated and I have thyroid symptoms, so it's clearly not related to that.

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