Latest Bloods Good - Suffering from joint pain/fatigue

[whatevs]

Here are my latest thyroid bloods (attached), currently on 75mcg T4/35mcg T3.

I think they look pretty good but for whatever reason I've started getting pain in my hips, problems with stiffness/heavy legs along with general fatigue/brain fog.

Given my bloods I assume I can safely rule out any thyroid related causes ?

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

I take a combination of Levo and T3 and with your FT4 result I think I'd be bedbound. We're all different but I need both FT4 and FT3 around 75% of range to feel well thyroid-wise.

Have you had nutrients tested? Joint pain can be low vit D and fatigue can be low ferritin.

[whatevs in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks Suzy - I assume if I increase my T4 to 100mcg then my TSH will become suppressed ?

I haven't had Vitamin D tested for a while now - will speak to my GP and get that done along with Folate and Ferritin.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to whatevs]

If you're asking for folate to be tested, ask for B12 as well, B12 and folate work together.

As you're taking T3 I'm surprised your TSH isn't already suppressed. Taking T3 tends to lower FT4 and will lower, even suppress TSH.

Increasing your Levo will raise your FT4 and will likely raise your FT3 to some extent depending on how much natural conversion you have.

[Marymary7]

Did you make sure before the blood tests that you were not taking any Biotin in any b complex etc. It skews results.

[whatevs in reply to Marymary7]

Hi Marymary7,

I didn't take anything with a b complex or biotin before the test , so I don't think the results have been skewed.

[Marymary7 in reply to whatevs]

Need to leave off Biotin for seven days.

[HashiFedUp]

Have them check your Thyroid Antibodies - anything over 35 might indicate Hashimotos disease which will be causing an immune attack. This causes healthy tissues to be a attacked causing inflammation of structures like tensions which equals joint pain. This is very common. I take a Cox-2 inhibitor- Celebrex - to stop pain and stiffness along with a good but moderate exercise regime.

[whatevs in reply to HashiFedUp]

Hashimotos is the cause of my Hypothyroidism - so definitely have the antibodies but the joint pain is only very recent.

Will look into the Celebrex though, many thanks.

[Batty1 in reply to whatevs]

Celebrex never worked for my 3 year journey with joint and tendon pains and cymbalta was good but I think it messed with my thyroid test and I had just about every moderate side effect. I take Excedrin extra strength every morning and believe it or not It worked better then celebrex...on me anyway.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

As you have Hashimoto's it's EXTREMELY important to regularly retest vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Low levels are very common with Hashimoto's

Are you on strictly gluten free diet? Or tried it?

Hashimoto's affects the gut and leads to low stomach acid and then low vitamin levels

Low vitamin levels affect Thyroid hormone

We often need to supplement continuously to maintain optimal vitamin levels

Poor gut function can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances. Most common by far is gluten. Dairy is second most common.

According to Izabella Wentz the Thyroid Pharmacist approx 5% with Hashimoto's are coeliac, but over 80% find gluten free diet helps, sometimes significantly. Either due to direct gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)

Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and slowly lower TPO antibodies

While still eating high gluten diet ask GP for coeliac blood test first or buy test online for under £20, just to rule it out first

Assuming test is negative you can immediately go on strictly gluten free diet




(If test is positive you will need to remain on high gluten diet until endoscopy, maximum 6 weeks wait officially)




Trying gluten free diet for 3-6 months. If no noticeable improvement then reintroduce gluten and see if symptoms get worse

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

amymyersmd.com/2018/04/3-re...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

scdlifestyle.com/2014/08/th...

drknews.com/changing-your-d...

restartmed.com/hashimotos-g...

[whatevs in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks SlowDragon.

I think we've discussed gluten free before and I'd like to exhaust all other avenues first.

Will definitely get the aforementioned vitamin and mineral tests done.

[tangolil]

SeasideSusie is talking sense. When these tests are done and if the symptoms persist please get yourself tested for Rheumatoid Arthritis which is another autoimmunce disease causing these symptoms. I was diagnosed with this dreadful disease last year after a flare-up which rendered me unable to walk or use my hands requiring me to be hospitalized .

I hope it isn't the same for you.

[whatevs in reply to tangolil]

Yes I had thought of RA but I'm trying not to cause myself too much anxiety just yet.

Will definitely speak to my gp about RA though

[yesendi in reply to tangolil]

Interesting, my hips, knees and wrists have just started to bother me soon after I started T3...connection?

[whatevs in reply to yesendi]

Did you lower your T4 medication ? Or are you on T3 only ?

[yesendi in reply to whatevs]

No, T4 stayed the same at 88 mcg but added 5 mcg of T3, not much but enough to cause joint pain? According to my last lab(two weeks ago)? my T4/T3 are at the optimal levels with a suppressed TSH.

[whatevs in reply to yesendi]

Perhaps it's not caused by the thyroid then since I checked your labs and you aren't at the bottom of the range FT4 wise ?

This damn condition...the complexity....so glad to have this community.

[yesendi in reply to whatevs]

I have no thyroid. I just find it interesting that the pains came right after the addition of T3. Frustrating to say the least.

[DIYqueen in reply to tangolil]

May I ask how your RA was diagnosed? My GP has done all sorts of tests because of deep, increasing widespread joint pain. But RF test and CRP test came back negative.

[tangolil in reply to DIYqueen]

A series of blood tests, ESR, CRP Serum alanine aminotransferase, Serum alkaline phosphate, Serum Albumin, Serum bilirubin, GFR calculated abbreviated MDRD, Serum Creatinine, Serum urea, Serum potassium, Serum sodium, Basophil, Eusinophill, Monocyte,Lymphocyte, Neutrophil, platelet, Red blood cell distribution width, Mean corpusc.Hb. conc. Mean corpusc.haemoglobin,MCV,Haemocrit. Haemoglobin estimation, Red blood cell count,total white cell count. Plus manual investigation of joints by rheumatologist.

[DIYqueen]

Which of these were too high/low?

I had all these except bilirubin, potassium, alkaline phosphate, sodium, albumin, urea

No RF? or anti-CCP?

I also had a positive ANA.

[ilyfunnybunny]

I agree with the comments about low T4.

I've had a few mishaps where the pharmacy couldn't source my Synthroid and I would have to go without it for a day or two. Even though I had plenty of NDT on those days, I would still feel drop-dead tired and sometimes develop short-term joint pain from the deficit in T4 (which is weird, because Levothyroxine is the supposed to be the longer-acting medicine... go figure).