I would be interested to know if any members of the forum who have hypothyroidism experienced reduced libido and/or erectile dysfunction as a symptom of hypothyroidism and if so how was it managed?
For example:
Did libido increase when an optimal dose of T4 was reached?
Did T3 help in any way if T4 alone didn't?
If so how long did it take to recover?
Did anybody use viagra to help their hypothyroid symptoms (not ED without hypothyroid symptoms)?
Did this part of the hypothyroid list of symptoms have any affect on your relationship?
I ask because there is very little information about this side of hypothyroidism and hypothyroidism is not on the list of conditions that viagra can be prescribed for on the NHS.
Written by
holyshedballs
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I have been having both a low Libido and occasional ED issues ever since diagnosis 4 years ago but progressively worse as time goes on.
I spoke with my GP about a year ago and he put it down to anxiety and prescribed Viagra to try.
Unfortunately I think I was so eager for it to work that anxiety did take over and no joy :(.
I am currently trying to get my Vitamins and minerals up to see if it helps with the libido but changes in my Levothyroxine didn’t appear to make a difference but then my T3 has never been optimal since I started treatment unless my T4 is way up.
Whilst my wife is supportive it still affects me now and then as I just want to be normal.
No I haven’t. My last GP looked at me after I suggested a test and said I doubt you have a Testosterone deficiency 😐. My Vit b wasn’t ever low but it wasn’t optimal either so I just take B and a B complex.
Yes, hypothyroidism causes ED and low testosterone. Many posts reported that all these conditions will reserve when euthyroidism was achieved. But the problem is that no confirmation or feedback from hypothroid reached euthyroidism & restored his erectile.
Well, your situation reminds mine, i´m 40 years old , has been TEEEN YEARS with this issues and under medical negligence. Has been long years where i tried everything urologist, endocrinologist, psychologist, psychiatrist; urologist or endo sent me to the other two, and the other two sent me back with endo or urologist, so i tried with an andrologist and did testosterone shots, and the same always the same, no desire, no erections(even with viagra oir cialis)and feel like smacked shit, ´cause no one tell you that testosterone shoots dont work if thyroid hormones are unbalanced, i had to learn it spending much money. Desperate, i began to enter into patients forums to see that there´s much people like us, so i decided began to read, and test some things that found. Since 2010 i had had tsh over 4.5, and no one endo measured anything else beyond TSH, when i began to massively loss my hair(eyebrows, bodyhair, beard) i decided to do something, by my self i payed FT3, FT4, Ferritin and vitamins, i learnt that to me FT3 didnt change with levothyroxine dose changes, my ferritin was so low barely on the low end so vitamin d3, FT3 low but high FT4 indicating a conversion problem. I began to read papers, at that point began to consume iron supplements and with caution assesing my levels, to vitamin D i used(and still i do) cod oil, and found a third overlooked mineral zinc, only with zinc my eyebrows began to regrow, having d3 and iron on check, at that point (iron, d3 and ZINC) TSH went from nearly 6 to 2.3, but i still felt like a shit and with low libido. Begining this year, i found some amazing papers where is told that t4 to t3 conversion depends from gluthation levels(technical name to conversion issues is non thyroidal illness), and one way to heal levels of that compound is use NAC(n-acethylcysteine) so i decided to give it a try, after all it has been ten years on this situation and nothing to loss. To my surprise, in one month and half on NAC my tsh went from 2.3 to 0.01!!!!!!and FT3 OVER THE ROOF(5.4), so i suspended NAC, and lowered levo, later i was checking my levels cautiously every month. When my levels were FT3>3.8 and TSH=0.8, FINALLY, FINALLY i felt that i was recovering my sex drive again, i had forgot what was a morning erection or enjoy porn. I´m not completely OK yet, ´cause know that, i wanna make a slow transition since suboptimal levels to my optimal knowing that NAC does work for me, now my TSH is on 2.6 and FT3 on 3.3, both under my optimal levels, but now i know that there´s hope. It has been amazing that after the NAC use, hair on my legs and my beard is growing again, too in my hands, and YOU CANT IMAGINE MY HAPPINESS about feel again a hardwood in the morning, after many, many years. Knowing that, again, cautiosly i´m gonna return to nac, and i´ll be checking my levels to mantain my self on optimal levels without go hyper. Resuming, give it a try to NAC, and dont forget iron, d3(on cod oil in my case), ZINC(this one activated whatever were doing the other two), i also use complex b. Good luck, i know how it feels!!!! I felt like a Ken doll :'(, and that feeling over mine WHOLE 30´s
Hello Hollyshedbels, I'm a male with hypothyroidism had zero lidido and impotence when under medicated. I found a few papers confirming this can happen. When I started T3 this rapidly resolved. I'm now on T4 only again at a dose that better suits me and have no problems. I discussed this all with my new endo and dismissed it completely and said he'd never heard of this being an issue but I'm quite clear and confident about what my experience was. It's probably rarely discussed by doctors with men or women with hypothyroidism.
Hope that helps, I posted about this before and can't remember if I linked the relevant research article. I'll try to find it.
Again, thanks for being candid. it looks like low libido in women and erectile disfunction (as well as low libido) in men is rarely mentioned in the surgery or consulting room.
It's interesting that one doctor just said "I dont think so". Pft. My professor asked about this without any prompting.
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