Flu & Hashimotos Query

[Quest2019]

Hi, I have recently had the flu - sore body/throat/temperature/chills/post nasal drip. I was just wondering when you have Hashimotos does it hit you harder than it would if you did not have it. Sorry if it Is a silly question.

[greygoose]

I would say that if you're under-medicated it hits you harder - and takes longer to recover. Not sure that Hashi's makes any difference, though.

[Quest2019 in reply to greygoose]

Hi. Thank you . I actually just got new results back end of last week and I am from previous advice on previous post to ask my GP to up my Levo tomorrow. I have normally dealt with it with my endo - who I have not seen for 4 months now. (Private) I am going to try get into the NHS for this now - or treated for it. Just hope they up the dose.

[greygoose in reply to Quest2019]

You're welcome. Good luck!

[LAHs]

If you are under medicated your immunity will be lower and you will catch colds and flu. I did that experiment once i.e. took the dose that the doc kept telling me I should be taking instead of the one which appeared to work (1/4 grain higher) and I had a whole spectrum of hypothyroidic symptoms - until I got what seemed like a life threatening flu. I then packed up the experiment, went back up to dose I knew worked, became perfectly well again and never believed a doctor again (on thyroid matters). So, yes, if you have Hashi's and you are under medicated you can expect to have colds and flu (together with other symptoms) at the drop of a hat.

[Quest2019 in reply to LAHs]

Thank you for that! I do think I’m under medicated. I have another post I put up yesterday. If you can find it , I would be interested in your thoughts ! Thanks again for the reply.

[LAHs in reply to Quest2019]

Basically how do you usually feel (apart from the flu that is)? Your results are interesting in as much as your T4 and FT4 are very low, barely in the normal range but your FT3 is OK, not great but a lot more than I would have expected with the T4's almost dropping off the scale. I would recommend increasing your dose a little, say to 125 mcg so that your FT3 moves into the upper half of the normal range. You can try this yourself - keeping an eye on your pulse and blood pressure, if either rises drop back to 100 mcg. Get a medichecks blood test for FT3, FT4, and TSH. Wait 14 days until you get a blood test, Levo has a half life of about 7 days. If you feel well then it's fait accompli, tell your doc and stick with it. Your TSH will probably drop to a level that will upset your doc and that is a problem we all face here. Mine has been .002 IU/mL for about 14 years and has not caused any mythical problems. btw to go from 100 to 125 is not a big increase for Levo, you may see no effect at all or at least, very little.

[Quest2019 in reply to LAHs]

Hiya, thank you very much for your input! Honestly , symptoms wise, my extremities are constantly cold. I have noticed my body hair takes ages to grow. I wake up most mornings and feel so lethargic. My partner has started to tease me as I start a sentence and forget what I’m talking about. I was diagnosed in November 2017 and have steadily gone from 55 kgs ( I’m 1.53 cm on height) to 92 kgs!! And still going 😭. No sex drive at all. Tired a lot. Feel like my face is puffy all the time. My nails - they just tear. Major memory lapses. They most upsetting is just really the weight / sex drive/ ability to be as active or “ awake” as I normally have been. I will definitely give it a go and test again . I did use medi check first time. Last week I used Thriva - as the had a special on test prices.

Thank you once again for your input ! It is much appreciated. 😊

[LAHs in reply to Quest2019]

Yes, I am going to stand by my recommendation, increase your dose a little bit and after a couple of weeks check how you feel. I think some of those things will clear up.