Hi all , anyone diagnosed with Thyroid issues, particularly overactive? If so please can you tell me your symptoms? Previous medical history is anxiety and blood test last year showed low iron which I'm taking medication for. Past 6 months, I have felt awful and have symptoms which I initially thought was bad anxiety, but fluoxetine and propronol have not touched me! Symptoms are severe tiredness, pale skin with dark circles under eyes, weird shaky feeling inside, nervousness, on edge feeling, ice cold feet, waves of hot flashes,skin on torse feels tender/sensitive, eating a lot, menstrual changes, slow movements, stiff and sore thighs, heart palps, tummy like a washing machine!!
Yes, a lot of these symptoms are anxiety type, but I have had anxiety for years and my symptoms are never like this, they're quite come and go. For the last 6 months or so I have felt awful. I am taking at least one or two days off work a week which is unlike me. App at docs on 10 march but can anyone tell me their experiences?
Thanks xx
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Rm84
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Fast heart rate very hot palpitations and very agitated and anxious I’m still waiting on an endocrinologist appoint so my Gp started me on carbimazole and beta blocker and am now suffering with constant diarrhoea along with the rest and feeling very unwell I just feel like no ones cares x
Thanks for reply. Yeah I have been feeling agitated too, it's like I have gone through a personality change! I cannot seem to tolerate as much as I could before, like I get angry easily which is not like me. At first I thought it was because we had just bought a house so with all that and the moving process it's stressful enough. One point over Xmas I was just sitting there, severe nervousness feeling, heart palps etc. Went to doctors and asked for anxiety meds. Been on them in the past and always had good results but like I said, no improvement at all! Since then even more weird symptoms developing. Had full blood count done last year and thyroid apparantley okay.
So sorry to hear you are still feeling very unwell. I hope you get the app very soon xx
I’m actually thinking of going private I feel that unwell I’m usually very active and this has floored me and have been real upset but like you the agitation is the worst and my heart rate of 140-188 constant can’t be bothered to do anything I’m that breathless but I don’t even know if I’m on correct dose or how quick they actually work Are you on carbimazole??
No not on carbimazole but seen Doctor few days ago who said will run testing and then go from there. Continuing with the beta blocker. This has taken a very slight edge off heart palps, but still noticeable. Years ago having severe panic attacks, the beta blocker would work completely, so it's strange it's not making much of a difference now. Yes it's strange, I'm very agitated with an urge to do things, but littlest of things leave me knackered and like I have run a marathon. He did also mention B12 levels to me. I'm not surprised you want to go private, it may be costly but at least things will move quicker and you can get better. Not very clued up with thyroid meds etc, but I know it can take a while to get right dosage etc. A friend of mine is underactive (has been for around 12 months) her meds have just been upped for the third time, but no improvement in her symptoms x
No I’m not well up on thyroid treatment either but good luck and hope you get sorted out and are soon feeling better Someone told me to check b12 and bit D levels too which I will also get done this week take care
Ask for thyroid function test again (things change and quickly - a year sgo is out of date) and test of Vit D and B12 levels. Even if come back as NHS
" sufficient" suggest that you supplement and monitor for improvement in symptoms. Racing heart, shaky tremors, can be indicator of over active thyroid as can 'medically angry' as my daughter calls it, but low B12 can do same and ultimately B12 deficiency is associated with autoimmune disease, eg thyroid.
If B12 is low and you have good balanced diet (if you are vegan this is harder - sorry) then you should be asking dr about why failing to absorb efficiently. If gut problems mentioned (especially unprovoked diarrhea episodes with persistence) are a feature - or IBSD long term or recent- google Bile Acid Malabsorntion and if it could be you, ask fo a SehCat test. Don't take any notice of the gut and thyroid not connected story. Good luck to both. Ask questions, make a list before you see dr, take notes and take a friend. Two sets of ears better than one as are two sets of observation about quality and pertinence of answers received.
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested. Also EXTREMELY important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if you have Graves’ disease (hyperthyroid) or autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) - hypothyroid....diagnosed by raised Thyroid antibodies. Hashimoto’s frequently starts with transient hyperthyroid phase
Ask GP to test vitamin levels
You may need to get full Thyroid testing privately as NHS refuses to test TG antibodies if TPO antibodies are negative
Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and before eating or drinking anything other than water .
This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)
Private tests are available. Thousands on here forced to do this as NHS often refuses to test FT3 or antibodies
Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven are the most popular choice. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw. Both companies often have special offers, Medichecks usually have offers on Thursdays, Blue Horizon its more random
If you can get GP to test vitamins and antibodies then cheapest option for just TSH, FT4 and FT3 £29 (via NHS private service )
Hi thank you very much for your reply. Last blood test was actually April 2019. This was when everything else looks okay( as they say!) except my iron was on the low side. I have been quite naughty and was supposed to go for bloods done a few months after but didn't!
Anyway it was around the time I was supposed to go, that I started developing these symptoms. They seem to have started off subtle, but now almost constant. I'm absolutely convinced thyroid is out of whack. Yes I have also been thinking about my b12 levels.. Thank you so much for this information, this will help me a lot. Yes I have heard doctors don't always do full check so I think if this happens, may have to look into it privately. Thank you so much for links too. X
Hi Rm! Have been hyperthyroid in the setting of lupus flare. Had all the symptoms you are describing. Even wound up in the ED with ventricular tachycardia, rate in 180s. Def looks like anxiety but for those who experience hyperthyroid, you know it feels primarily physiologic and not reactive.
I was treated with high dose steroids initially and propranolol. Very sensitive to meds. Propranolol helped until I got Plaquenil in my system long enough to help with whatever was causing hyperthyroid. Still don’t know exactly what caused it. Saw endo twice with no answers. My TSH was always normal so docs thought it autoimmune/lupus. I switched to atenolol a few months ago since propranolol crosses blood brain barrier and can cause sedation. Finally stopped atenolol a few weeks ago. Made me so tired. My thyroid is now back to normal but my TSH remains the same/a little higher.
I think evaluation and treatment plans all depend on causes which can be deduced by labs/imaging. I like the algorithm on this website.
I was high free t4, low free t3 and normal TSH. Based on this figure, I was treated appropriately despite wanting more done at the time I was going through it. Find a good endocrinologist. Will make your life easier.
Hope you feel better soon! Please keep us up to date. ❤️
Thank you so much. I was reading about Lupus last night. Yes been having these symptoms for a good few months. Usually with my anxiety there is always a let up- they come and go- but this is consistent. I could be just sitting here and heart is racing. In work the other day I was cleaning things away off the floor and just a slight activity like that sent it racing!
I was on propronol about 8/9 years ago after panic attacks out of nowhere. Prior to this, I lost a lot of weight in the period of weeks despite being hungry and eating all the time. They thought it was thyroid then but tests okay. The propronol stopped the attacks but was left with anxiety after. They presumed I had these attacks due to birth control. Anyhow the anxiety came and went, but went back on meds December after all these symptoms started happening. But no change, so I'm thinking it's something else. It's very strange though as most of the symptoms point to overactive, but I'm also experiencing some which are signs of underactive. Wow you must have been scared with the heart rate that high!! Thank you so much for your information, it's all new to me at the moment. I know it sounds stupid but I hope results say it's a little out of function so I'm know I'm not going mad!! X
Hi SD! Don’t know if you were replying to me or RM. If me, my antibodies were negative and my TSI was normal. I really do hear you. I thought the same thing. My grandfather had Hashimotos and I carry HLA-DQ8 which is highly associated with Hashimotos but all my tests came back negative. 🤷♀️
I ask my GP to test TSH and free T4 every 6 months waiting for my thyroid to possibly burn out.
Full thyroid testing done. Vit D and B12 were low and now replenished. I can’t cut out gluten completely. I’m allergic to rice which is a major gluten substitute soooo....
Thank you!! Yes I was talking to my friend today who is underactive and she said they sound like Hypo symptoms, but with a touch of hyper too? I'm just under 8 stone, never been big. But did lose a lot of weight and had heart palps about nine years ago, had big appetite too but bloods normal so they put it down to panic attacks/anxiety..and I think at my lowest weight I was about 6.5 stone...could never get my weight back up for years later, but it's now steadied. Aww thank you so much, information and links very welcome , will let you know how I get on.
Never think anything is stupid. It’s your health and your body.
One other thought is something like postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) which is also treated with propranolol. I also have dysautonomia which is when your sympathetic/parasympathetic/fight+flight system short circuits. This can also cause wide variations in heart rate. A diagnostic criteria for POTS is if your heart rate jumps 30+ from sit to stand. This is diagnosed with a test called QSART.
After my thyroid normalized, my heart rate and BP stabilized but I still have other dysautonomia symptoms present so I know most of the heart pounding/racing, skyrocketing BP was probably thyroid.
Hopefully your appt on 10 March will be fruitful. Keep a journal of your symptoms and take it to the appt. Docs like to see this. In the meantime, have a glass of wine...if anything, it may help with symptoms.
Iv'e got over active Thyroid after taking Amiodarone for A F, i eat all day but still loosing weight and get anxiety at times, cold fingers and toes as well
been on Carbimazole for 3 years, But still got plenty of energy and work full time, i'm 63
Seems like hyper symptoms except for hot flushes. Thyroid probs and perimenopause has similar symptoms. But better have it checked for both especially if you are in your 40"s.
I had Grave"s for second time last year and in remission now. But still have symptoms. All antibodies and thyroid hormones were normal since july ( ive blood tests every 3 weeks) stopped taking meds since sept. Turned out i am perimenopausal. Hot flushes, anxiety, muscle.aches, internsal tremors, and sometimes fatigue too. I am 46 yrs old.
Thanks for reply! Yes I have been thinking about pre menopause- I'm 35 but I know it can happen( my sister was 32!)I have heightened anxiety similar symptoms near the time my cycle is, which doctor said was due to the fluctuating hormones etc..great you are clear of graves!! But still frustrating you don't feel right because of other symptoms.
I would recommend you follow the advice of Slow Dragon. I had very similar symptoms & was initially diagnosed with Graves, but when I was encouraged to dig deeper into my blood tests, the antibodies clearly indicated Hashimotos. My GP recommended counselling and beta blockers for the anxiety & I bought every self help book on dealing with anxiety. These were not actually needed- my ‘eureka moment’ was joining this forum and realising that the increased anxiety, palpitations etc were symptoms of being undermedicated/ increased inflammation in my body.
I feel so much better having optimal Levothyroxine dosage and key vitamins higher in the range. Going gluten free has also helped reduce inflammation. I feel empowered taking my health into my own hands by having my bloods and vitamins regularly checked on Medichecks & posting the results in this forum for knowledgable members to advise on.
Keep posting if you need further advice or support👍
Jittery, hands shake when held out. Eating a lot yet losing weight. Feeling very anxious, loose stools. Energy quite strange as once you start doing something you cannot stop. Then the opposite happens you dont want to do anything. Going upstairs was horrendous, I had to stop half way as my heart was going 10 to the dozen. Went to USA on holiday and had to see a Doctor, he made me promise to have the thyroid removed when I got back home as my heart rate was so high. I had sub total thyroidectomy and then approx. 12 years later I had the same symptoms again. Weight dropped to 7 stone 4 lbs and then had radioactive iodine treatment. Been on Levothyroxine ever since but even that is hard to cope with.
Personal anecdote : I've suffered from low iron to various degrees throughout my whole life. In the last 6 or 7 years I have learned what I can about iron testing, paid for my own private testing and bought my own iron supplements. The closer I got my iron testing results to optimal the less anxiety I had.
It has got to the point now that if I start suffering from anxiety I know it is likely my iron has dropped. (I do take a maintenance dose of iron to keep levels as close to optimal as I can.)
Personally, I believe that any nutrient being well below or well above optimal makes it likely that the body and brain won't work as well as they could and this could easily create anxiety.
But doctors have decided anxiety is a mental health disorder and they prescribe anti-depressants and CBT in preference to actually trying to optimise their patients' physical health.
All your symptoms are overactive thyroid. I was diagnosed at 16. Could not eat much, stomach problems, at 17 I weighed only 88 pounds and could not gain. When my hand shook so much I couldn’t get a cup to my mouth my gp thought he knew immediately what it was. After a blood test, he put me on thyroid medication (I do not remember what it was) I immediately began eating well and gained some weight. The shaking stopped. At age 40 my thyroid reversed and became underactive. An endocrinologist is the best bet for the best diagnosis.
Thank you so much. Yes it's very strange, most of my symptoms do suggest over, then some under. I was making a drink earlier on and noticed my hand shaking when putting sugar on/ off the spoon!!
Diagnosed many years ago but if memory serves me right the main symptoms were rapid heart beat, trembling especially of hands, difficulty sleeping, increased appetite, heartburn/ indigestion, numbness on left side particularly leg and arm, found it difficult to grip with left hand. Suspected trapped nerve but neurologist diagnosed overactive thyroid.
As this was nearly 40 years ago all I can really remember is that the rapid heart beat stopping me sleeping well was a constant, the other symptoms were just annoying.
I too feel like you my TSH has gone from 0.90 (0.20-4.00) in August last year to 0.19 in October and now 0.12. Although showing over medicated my GP says stay on 75mcg. I don’t think I can do for much longer it’s driving me nuts!
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