A newbie and scared

[Roxyhaart]

Hi everyone

I was reading the thread and I have got myself all worried about stuff

I had a number of symptoms, constipation , heart palpitations, hunger, fatigue, tremors and nods swings and mental health , I went to the gp on Monday because I thought I had IBS, my gp was very nice and checked my stomach and sent me to have blood test on that day, she did ask if I had thyroid problems in the family? - which I do, mum, gran (passed) and aunty, the next day , I have received a call to come to urgent client, I was told that my blood test show I have overactive thyroid , I took a blood pressure was fine but my heart rate was 90 which the doctor said was high ( because I am semi professional footballer) and should of had lower

I have been prescribed propranolol

She booked me in for a ultrasound and luckily I have had an ultra sound on Saturday morning, the doctor who completed the ultrasound didn’t say much ( I don’t know why) was I was asking and she noted abnormal activity and to wait fir result

I am now waiting for the results of the ultrasound but reading the grouo has got me a bit worried If I am do in v it correctly.

I do not have blood test results but I can get and I will call tomorrow about blood test results, And my practice offers online . I have blood tests to be had on the 14th January .

Is there anything else I should be asking my gP?

Thanks

[Roxyhaart]

Sorry for grammatical errors

[helvella in reply to Roxyhaart]

You may not realise that you can edit, or delete, any posts or responses you have made here.

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[Roxyhaart in reply to helvella]

Thank you I will know for next time

[Lalatoot]

Roxyhaart

Anxiety is also a symptom of thyroid problems. What you are experiencing is part of your condition,; it is not the real you. Life will get back on an even keel but at the moment you need to take each moment as it comes and remind yourself that better times will be once you get through this.

You need to ask the gp about the cause of your hyperthyroidism as that will affect treatment. If the gp doesn't know then you need to have antibodies tested.

Remember we are on here to help. Many of us have been in your shoes and we managed to get by so you can too.

[Roxyhaart in reply to Lalatoot]

To lalatoot

Thank you so much for your message ! I didn’t think it was me and I wondered why I felt so down suddenly and so tired!

Thank you it means a lot to know tgrr ET e is a supportive community there, because none of my friends are experiencing it at my age so now I don’t feel so alone

I will pose questions if worried xx

[Roxyhaart in reply to Lalatoot]

I will ask the gp just that and see what happened but thanks

[Greentoms]

As previous message said, anxiety is a symptom of hyperthyroidism. Propranolol will help, and with your racing heart. Ultrasound results and blood test results should make it all clearer.

[Roxyhaart in reply to Greentoms]

Thank you , I did wonder why I wasn’t feeling myself and sometimes you can read and self diagnose yourself the wrong way!

I will wait for the ultrasound results but thank you for responding xx

[Greentoms in reply to Roxyhaart]

Keep in touch.

[pet-lamb]

Hi roxyhaart as others have said anxiety is one of the symptoms of over active thyroid disease I had graves which is the autoimmune version and has treatment for that . At that time I also had increased palpitations increased hunger but weight loss ,too warm even in winter tired tremors loose bowel .etcetera.

It's been nearly 30 years since that happened and although I have an under active thyroid now I'm still here increased heart rate constipation dry skin etcetera.

Try not to worry I know how hard that is but you will be ok ,it sounds like the doctors have there fingers out .

[Roxyhaart in reply to pet-lamb]

That pet- lamb

I was bit worried because that some people were being mis diagnosed and I wanted to know that my GP was doing the right thing

I will update and let everyone knows when I get the ultrasound , but I’m very appreciative of your reply and understand that you have gone through it and I’m feel better to know the quick response that I just had to my post

As someone has mentioned I will ask they cause of the it? If there is no answer I will ask for antibodies to get tested?

Thanks

[greygoose in reply to Roxyhaart]

I was bit worried because that some people were being mis diagnosed

That is why you need to insist on antibody testing - a lot of doctors won't bother. But they cannot possibly know the cause of it unless they test the antibodies. You can't just guess at these things. You need:

TPO and Tg antibodies to see if you have Hashi's.

TRAB or TSI to see if you have Grave's.

Don't let them fob you off.

[Dodgi in reply to greygoose]

I have never even heard about antibody testing before. I thought that Graves didnt actually have anything to do with thyroid problems 😳

[greygoose in reply to Dodgi]

What would it be to do with, then, if not the thyroid?

[jimh111]

Your care has been very good so far, often thyroid disorders are poorly treated. Your symptoms suggest an overactive thyroid (Hyperthyroidism) and your GP has confirmed this. It’s quite usual for the thyroid to be abnormal in hyperthyroidism, either because it is inflamed (thyroiditis) or over stimulated. Much less likely is thyroid cancer, which incidentally is the ‘best’ cancer to have as it has the best survival rates. Your hyperthyroidism seems to have been caught quite early. Since you have relatives with thyroid disorders your hyperthyroidism is probably due to an autoimmune condition as these run in families.

Initially hyperthyroidism is treated with beta blockers to protect the heart and a medication such as carbimazole to reduce thyroid hormone levels. If in the longer term your condition is not controlled surgery or radio-iodine ablation may be used to remove the thyroid. This is looking further ahead so I wouldn’t bother about this at the moment.

You have been prescribed propranolol which steadies the heart beat and also reduces the active thyroid hormone ‘T3’. As well as the physical symptoms high thyroid hormone levels induce a feeling of anxiety and sometimes vertigo also. This anxiety is of biochemical origin and can be difficult to differentiate from genuine anxiety, especially when you have a genuine concern also. Try to remind yourself that much of your anxiety is biochemical and will stop when your hormone levels are lower.

A common cause of hyperthyroidism is Graves’ disease, this can cause problems with the eyes if not treated early. Usually you will be referred to an endocrinologist and they will check for this. Smoking aggravates Graves’ disease.

There’s not much you can do in terms of questions for your doctor at this stage. I would ask for copies of all your blood test results and examination reports. Perhaps get a folder to keep them in. This website btf-thyroid.org/hyperthyroi... has good information on hyperthyroidism. I feel ThyroidUK is the best support group for hypothyroidism but the BTF is good on hyperthyroidism (not so good on hypothyroidism).

Eventually you will probably become hypothyroid as your thyroid fails. Its important you make your doctors aware of your symptoms and how you feel. You could also join ThyroidUK for further information.

[Dodgi in reply to jimh111]

Hi I'm new on here.

I didnt realise that propranolol were given to help treat over active thyroid. I have an underactive thyroid and was prescribed propranolol to help with anxiety, which now seems odd if they are used to reduce thyroid levels when mine are already underactive.

I also suffer with spells of vertigo.

[Roxyhaart in reply to Dodgi]

Mine was given for heart rate initially I don’t think I have been given med for thyroid just yet x

[Lalatoot in reply to Dodgi]

Propanalol is not used to treat the thyroid. It is used to treat the way the body is reacting. It can be used if you are hyper or hypo depending on your symptoms.

[jimh111 in reply to Dodgi]

Hyperthyroidism causes anxiety and vertigo, both of which can have other causes.

Propranolol is used to treat over active thyroid because it is a beta blocker which slows the heart rate and it reduces blood T3 levels. T3 is the active hormome.

The thyroid secretes mostly T4 and a little T3. Most T3 comes from converting T4 to T3. Propranolol affects 'deiodinase', the enzymes that convert T4 to T3, T4 to rT3, T3 to T2 etc. The net effect of propranolol is to reduce blood T3 levels and so mitigate the effects of excess thyroidal secretion. So propranolol has two benefits: it steadys the heart and reduces blood T3 levels. It can bring rapid relief until the hyperthyroidism has been resolved.

Apart from some very rare obscure cases propranolol isn't used in hypothyroidism, it will only make the patient worse. If a beta blocker is needed the doctor should prescibe one that doesn't affect thyroid hormones. If a hypothyroid patient starts to get anxiety it would seem wiser to try reducing their levothyroxine dose a little to see if the anxiety was caused by too much hormone. If its not thyroid hormone related I think it would be better to use something other than propranolol to treat anxiety since propranolol conflicts with thyroid hormone supplementation.

[Dodgi in reply to jimh111]

Hey.

Thank you for that info... I haven't had to take them for a few months but went for blood test in December as I was feeling drained and had to go up to 150mcg from 125mcg. Dont think the increase has helped at all.

[JumpJiving in reply to jimh111]

I had two different GPs prescribe propranolol for different conditions (hyperhidrosis and migraines) even though I am hypothyroidal. I told them both about the potential issue. Neither of them knew anything about it. I did try taking the propranolol (low, starter dose) after the second GP prescribed it. I felt awful. Lots of side effects. Weaned myself off it. Started taking magnesium (Triple Magnesium Complex, containing citrate, taurate and bisglycinate) instead. Only one very minor migraine since, even though I have been exposing myself to the trigger that previously brought on a migraine pretty much every time. Even the hyperhidrosis seems to be improving (I've been taking vitamin D3 + K2 MK7 as well, the D3 might also have helped with the hyperhidrosis).

For anybody hypothyroidal, I would be very wary of taking propranolol, regardless of what GPs might say - they either don't know about the conflict, or they are experimenting with your health.

[jimh111 in reply to JumpJiving]

Very helpful advice.

[Redlester in reply to JumpJiving]

Hi JumpJiving.

As a matter of interest how much D3 are you taking and why do you think it specifically is helping with the hyperhidrosis? I am sure you are right, it is just I know someone who has hyperhidrosis and they are just left coping with it by themselves and would like to pass on to them something which might help.

As a fellow migraine sufferer whose prescribed meds are now off the market I am also interested in the Triple Magnesium Complex - is that the Igennus one? and how much of it do you take?

[JumpJiving in reply to Redlester]

I've been on a loading dose of D3. Just had a blood test done this morning - I'm hoping that when I get the results back it'll show that I'm ok to go to a maintenance dose.

As for whether the D3 is helping with the hyperhidrosis, it's nigh-on impossible to know for certain without before very controlled in keeping other things constant whilst changing the D3 intake (I'm more controlled than most, but not that controlled). However, having taken care of other things that might make a difference (weaning off GP-prescribed drugs, particularly amitriptyline hydrochloride which I was prescribed for migraines, also helped although my hyperhidrosis pre-dated taking amitriptyline - taking amitriptyline just made it worse), the thing that I was doing when I noticed the hyperhidrosis improving was addressing my low vitamin D level (which needed doing as it was low, but I had also read that doing so could help hyperhidrosis so wanted to try it). Of course, as part of addressing my vitamin D level, I also started taking magnesium, so it could be either or the combination that is having the effect.

Yes, the Triple Magnesium Complex that I take is the igennus one. The directions say for adults to take 3 tablets per day. I typically take one, two if I'm organised enough to keep an appropriate gap between that and my thyroid meds (NDT). I found that taking three had a laxative effect on me (as did magnesium citrate on its own at the recommended dose). The blood test that I had done this morning included magnesium, so it'll be interesting to see how my levels have changed, although I believe that magnesium levels in the blood can fluctuate.

[Redlester in reply to JumpJiving]

Thanks for this Jump Jiving - I would imagine that if you had hyperhidrosis before starting the amitrip. then taking it would only serve to make it worse. I am glad you are managing to come off it. That is an odd one too as the person I know who has hyperhidrosis has in the past taken amitrip. and was taking it for quite some time - although this predated the hyperhidrosis by about 2 decades so it is hard to discern whether there is any causal link between the 2 things. The D3 is interesting - yes, if you are taking it you would of course want to be taking magnesium anyway, so it could be either of those or both of them in combination which are helping the condition - I must look into both of those for hyperhidrosis. I googled the igennus triple magnesium complex. I am currently only taking magnesium bisglycinate at a fairly low dose - I take 125mg in the run up to bedtime which helps with sleep. Oddly, a couple of months ago I was taking a higher dose [250-375mg] quite religiously but still ended up with migraines - so it seems to be a case of what works for one person might not work for another - and since I have dropped down to the single dose of 125mg I haven't had any. All we can do is continue to experiment and hope to get there in the end!!

[Hidden in reply to jimh111]

Yes, thanks for that information. Problem is when your head is still "Hypo" and your heart is somewhat "Hyper"!

But there are other meds you can take, thankfully

[Cincolo in reply to Dodgi]

With autoimmune disease, people also have problems with vitamin/mineral absorption. The anxiety is common with low magnesium. If your D is low and you supplement with D3 (drops or gels only), you need magnesium (such as glycinate), K2, A, and zinc with it. They are cofactors and help absorption. Magnesium is also used to to process D, so taking D without it will lower your magnesium level. The K2 will direct the calcium to the appropriate areas, away from the arteries for example. If you have trouble sleeping, taken an hour or 2 before bed, the magnesium will help calm you and improve sleep.

[jimh111 in reply to Cincolo]

Magnesium deficiency is quite common and can lead to stress or anxiety. Good forms are magnesium citrate or glycinate but not the oxide or hydroxide. I don't see how drops or gels make any difference from tablets, the magnesium salts will dissolve in the stomach and it will all be the same by time it meets the small intestines where magnesium is absorbed.

Vitamin D helps magnesium absorption but too much vitamin D increases renal loss of magnesium.

[Cincolo in reply to jimh111]

Liquid D is shown to absorb better, especially for those with absorption problems. D3 is the one that liquid is notably better. Liquid vitamins in general are better absorbed, but it's especially obvious with the D3. I've had Hashimoto's 22 years. I'm an admin for a Hashimoto's group and it's continuously repeated by members how they get their D level up faster with liquid. That's been my own experience as well.

"Generally, supplements in liquid form are much more readily broken down and absorbed. Additionally, it has been shown that liquids are more completely and quickly absorbed than most capsules and pills." It's easy to understand why liquid is absorbed better-with autoimmune disease many of us suffer from low stomach acid and/or intestinal permeability, which interferes with breaking down the non liquid forms.

medicare-europe.co.uk/scien...

[Dodgi in reply to Cincolo]

Thanks for the info 😁 I have never been on a site for thyroid sufferers before , and I stumbled on this one by accident. For which I'm so glad I did. Having an underactive thyroid for over 25 years I know nothing about it compared to so many people on here.

[Buddy195 Administrator]

Welcome to the forum Roxyhaart.

I had very similar symptoms to you. I just wanted to reassure you that you will feel so much better when you are properly medicated. Keep posting & asking questions- we are all on this forum to help and support one another. I’ve received the best advice & information here.

[Roxyhaart]

Thanks yes mine is for heart rate

[MH504]

I’m new to thyroid issues too. Recently had an ultrasound after a CT to look at my lymph nodes showed up with thyroid nodules. I’ve learned never to ask the technician doing the ultrasound/CT scan how it looks. Not sure if it’s different in other countries but here in US they aren’t allowed to interpret tests. Sometimes they might give you a general idea that everything looks normal but depends how much they are willing to bend the rules. I decide not to ask at all because then I will overanalyze their response and drive myself crazy! My results were available 24 hours later and dr called to discuss.

[Starr666 in reply to MH504]

Hi, MH504 It is not the worst news, you sound strong docs will sort you out.

[Hidden in reply to MH504]

I don't think they are allowed to tell you exactly what is wrong as they are not doctors, but the only time I had a scan for stomach pain not thyroid) she told me everything looked OK.

[Roxyhaart]

Of course they can’t tell

Me details but I just asked for a general idea which I think it ok because otherwise patients leave knowing the worst, leaving the rooom didn’t make me feel uneasy but put my mind a bit at rest as the doctors information felt a bit overwhelming

[vocalEK]

I followed you link and found "tell your doctor before staring propanalol if you have

* severe blood circulation problems in your limbs (such as Raynaud's phenomenon), which may make your fingers and toes tingle or turn pale or blue

* lung disease or asthma"

Ironically, a hospital doctor started me on the drug when I was in for having one lobe of my left lung removed due to a nodule that tested as cancerous.

I was using an inhaler for my asthma at the time, but did not develop Raynaud's until 5 years later (this year.)

I took myself off the drug when I learned that it can reduce T3 levels.

[DebTex in reply to vocalEK]

I hope you are doing better now!?

[vocalEK in reply to DebTex]

Oh, yes. Much better. Thank you.

[DebTex in reply to vocalEK]

Glad to hear that!

[Starr666]

It's Starr666 here. Not been too great the last couple a weeks. Had a heart attack! Roxyhaart, I was the same as you I was working as a bus driver, took ill, went to docs blood test, a history of my toilet habits, if i am anxious about things. The next day a phone call from my doctor to come in right away. She told my Thyroid was busted, I've went through hell the last 20 years, but, I'm still here!

[Buzcat in reply to Starr666]

I had a heart attack to I had been on Mercury pharma Levothyroxine for years then the pharmacy changed it to Teva Levothyroxine my health went right down racing heart etc then a heart.

[DebTex]

Sounds like they are doing a lot of tests trying to get to the bottom of the problem, I hope they get it figured out soon, things like this are scary and hard to go through but you aren’t alone, this is a great group! Hang in there.

[Greentoms]

How are you doing?