Hand and arm shaking? Thyroid related?

[Slc411]

Good afternoon, I have recently had my thyroid medication dose upped from 50mcg to 75mcg. Since I have started taking 75mcg I have had some strange shaking feeling in my hand and forearm. When I lift my hand it shakes but does feel worse than it looks. It is mainly in my first 3 fingers. There is no pain, no numbness just a tingling feeling and the shake. Could this be down to my thyroid medication? Starting to get a little worried. TIA x

[Nanaedake]

You could always try dropping dose by 12.5mcg for a week or 2 and see what happens so long as your TSH is not too high. How long ago did you start taking levothyroxine?

[Slc411 in reply to Nanaedake]

Thank you for replying to me. I started levothyroxine in November 2017. Due to me needing a certain brand and they only do their dose in 25mcg I have to take 3 a day to make it to 75mcg. I spoke with a friend of mine who is also on thyroxine and she said it sounds like maybe I’m now taking too much? My levels were going up though when I was on 50mcg so wonder if I need somewhere in between. I think I best book in to see dr and get them to check my bloods

[Marz]

How are your levels of B12 - Folate - Ferritin - VitD ?

[Slc411 in reply to Marz]

Those levels were checked on 7th October too, all fine except a little low on the iron so I’m taking iron tablets but I make sure they are not being taken anywhere near the time I take my thyroxine. The shake is also only in one arm. It feels to me that inside it’s really strong but it doesn’t look it but when you touch my arm you can feel it inside. It’s such an odd feeling. Does it usually take 2 years or more to get stable levels? I feel somedays that this takes over my life

[Marz in reply to Slc411]

Good you have been tested. Do you have the results with ranges ? If Iron was low then the others could be too. Low B12 can cause neuro type symptoms. What Iron are you taking ? Do you take it with VitC to aid absorption ?

[Slc411 in reply to Marz]

Serum free T4 level 13.9 pmol/L [11.0 - 23.0]

Serum TSH level 10.2 mU/L [0.27 - 4.5]

Serum vitamin B12 level 274 ng/L [197.0 - 771.0]

Serum folate level 3.9 ug/L [2.0 - 18.7]

Serum ferritin level 6.6 ug/L [20.0 - 130.0]

Haemoglobin concentration 116 g/L [117.0 - 149.0]

Outside reference range

Total white blood count 8.6 10*9/L [4.3 - 11.2]

Platelet count - observation 344 10*9/L [150.0 - 400.0]

Red blood cell count 4.27 10*12/L [3.85 - 5.15]

Mean cell volume 85.0 fL [81.0 - 97.0]

Haematocrit 0.362 [0.347 - 0.445]

Mean cell haemoglobin level 27.2 pg [26.9 - 33.0]

Mean cell haemoglobin concentration 320 g/L [320.0 - 359.0]

Neutrophil count 4.92 10*9/L [2.1 - 7.4]

Lymphocyte count 2.36 10*9/L [1.0 - 3.6]

Monocyte count - observation 0.55 10*9/L [0.3 - 1.0]

Eosinophil count - observation 0.72 10*9/L [0.02 - 0.5]

Basophil count 0.07 10*9/L [0.02 - 0.1]

The iron I have is ferrous fumarate and yes I take daily vitamin C of 200mg

Thank you for taking your time to reply to me

[Marz in reply to Slc411]

Oh dear ! Your thyroid results are dismal. TSH too high for someone on Levo - better around 1. FT4 too low in range which means the most important T3 will also be low. A hormone needed in every cell of your body and when low can be the cause of many symptoms. Yours was not tested. Do you have Hashimotos ? How do you take your Levo ?

B12 would be better around 500 and Folate and Ferritin around mid-range. Your Ferritin is so low - was a FULL Iron Profile done ? What supplements are you taking in addition to the iron & VitC ?

Are you taking any other meds ?

[Slc411 in reply to Marz]

I don’t believe my drs test for anything else apart from tsh and t4. To be honest I don’t have a clue about thyroids as I just seem to get fobbed off by the doctors and leave their office none the wiser. I take my levo as soon as I wake and then don’t consume anything else until an hour after taking it. My levels did start going down when they put me on to 50mcg as at one point my tsh was 100! Due to the drs taking me off levo all together as they said it could have just been because I was pregnant so wanted to see what my levels would do!! I went on to 50mcg and the test before the above my levels were in range and then a month later they started rising again, at that point she said to take 75mcg and that is when I’ve started with this shake, I am also struggling to sleep at night and keep having a fast heartbeat even when relaxing

[Marz in reply to Slc411]

Yes I have read some of your other posts from a year ago. Do you have Hashimotos ? Have you had your vitamins and minerals tested? Are you taking any other meds or supplements? See my Reply above 😊

Do you obtain copies of all your results with ranges ? It sounds as if your adrenals have been affected. Can you have Private Testing through Thyroid UK ?

[Slc411 in reply to Marz]

I’m not really sure what hashimoto is so I’m not sure, sorry? The dr just called me and told me to do 62.5mcg instead of 75 with bloods on 22nd. I don’t take any other meds or supplements either just iron and vit c. My records on my gp account only go back 6 weeks so cannot obtain the past results. I feel slightly lost in the world of thyroid as I don’t really understand it. My cousin has done quite a lot of research etc so going to meet up with her and she’s going to educate me further on it all. I will have a look in to private testing also

[Marz in reply to Slc411]

Go to throiduk.org where you can read everything thyroid - including Hashimotos. Also about Private Testing. Reading and reading about our condition is the best way forward ....

[Nanaedake in reply to Slc411]

As your TSH is elevated to 10.0 you need more, not less levothyroxine. I wonder if your tremor may be a result of your heart struggling for not getting enough T3? Your heart needs enough thyroid hormone to function well. If it's 6 weeks or more since your last thyroid blood test I would return for another blood test and ask for a full iron panel too. Your ferritin is much too low. Low ferritin coupled with insufficient thyroid hormone will make you feel very unwell.

It sounds like your reduction of levo post giving birth was not well managed to allow TSH to rise to 100. Bloods should be tested 6 weeks after any dose change.

[Slc411 in reply to Nanaedake]

Thank you. I am booked in for bloods on 22nd. I don’t believe my drs check for T3 just TSH and T4? When I asked this morning to see a Dr they just said they’d get one to call. I feel a bit stuck when it comes to the Drs as I never go away from there feeling like I’ve understood anything or that they have just fobbed me off by asking me to try this and try that. Do you know of anywhere I could pay to go and see someone privately? I found something online this morning where you pay for a kit? Send it off and they send you the results? Is that a normal thing? Thank you again for your replies

[Nanaedake in reply to Slc411]

Many UK people on this forum use Medichecks or Blue Horizon labs. When they've got the results they post on this forum for advice from the admins. This might be advice on vitamins or what else to ask your GP to test or rule out. Sometimes signposting to a relevant organisation for more information. Medichecks has a special offer at the moment on Thyroid ultra vit, I believe. If you search for Lynne Mynot, on this forum. I think she posted the link yesterday or day before.

We all get fobbed off with suggestions from docs like cut out caffein, lose weight, exercise more, all of which might be true but impossible when you feel completely floored with thyroid disease, low vitamin levels and under-functioning metabolism or dreadful acid Reflux and gut problems, joint/muscle pain and so on. The docs never or seldom ever give whole rounded advice that tackles all angles of thyroid imbalance. So we fix one bit and don't feel any better because the other aspects are not addressed.

Relaxation or very gentle exercise, good hydration and nutrition, being kind to yourself, optimising and stabilising thyroid hormone levels, sorting out gut function and critically optimising vitamin levels are essential starting points. You need to get all your ducks in a row before you start to feel an improvement.