Palpitations

[AS14]

Hi

Does hypo cause palpitations, Im definitely hypo but always thought it was a hyper symptom

Thanks

[Lalatoot]

I've had it undermedicated and overmedicated and hyper.

[AS14 in reply to Lalatoot]

Thank you

[greygoose]

Paplitations can be caused by being hypo, yes. They are not necessarily a hyper symptom.

[AS14 in reply to greygoose]

They have got worse recently which coincides with my t4 and t3 dropping further so it makes sense.

Thank you

[greygoose in reply to AS14]

You're welcome.

[Fruitandnutcase]

Yes, when I was being treated for Graves every time I needed an increase my levo I got palpitations, first time it happened I thought I’d become hyper again but someone on here suggested I was probably undermedicated and that proved to be the case.

[AS14 in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Thank you

[Cat013]

AS14

I had horrendous palpitations before I was finally diagnosed (Hashimoto’s) along with high blood pressure. It caused all sorts of anxiety problems. When I first took levo they got quite noticeably better but after a few weeks of the same dose came creeping back each time. I’ve gone up again and whilst my pulse rate is now on the high side the palpitations have calmed down again so it’s definitely a symptom. Keep an eye out to make sure you’re not over medicated to be sure.

Also I didn’t realise until I went dairy free that chocolate (and sugar) were also huge culprits for me. I am highly intolerant to whey and casein and I didn’t know. So I also think going dairy free and cutting my sugar intake down really helped too.

Xx

[AS14 in reply to Cat013]

Hi

Thank you for your reply

Ive literally just came away from an endo appointment who has confirmed with my low t4 and t3 I am hypo. Whats been confusing me is with a tsh of 0.7 I thought I couldnt be, its been drummed into me for years as being the marker for thyroid function.

My levo is being increased and hes ordered some tests as he thinks its a conversion problem.He said he wants to get my t4 and t3 a lot higher.

I have pretty severe hypo symptoms, cant function its that bad but with these palpitations, high blood pressure and awful anxiety I thought some how Id gone hyper.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to AS14]

TSH only works as a predictor of thyroid function if you are a) on no meds and b) your pituitary and hypothalamus have read the textbook that tells them how to behave c) your pituitary and hypothalamus are able to respond in a textbook fashion

[AS14 in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

Thank you

[Cat013 in reply to AS14]

AS14

I’m sorry you’re experiencing such terrible symptoms. Until they are under control it’s really difficult to function.

We are very alike with our results by the sounds of it. My TSH responds dramatically to any levo increase while my t3&4 scrape along the bottom of the range. At the last test my TSH was 0.29 and the range went from 0.27. I still went up as my t3&4 were only around 25% through range and still have many symptoms. It was pretty much against my GP’s wishes. I’m currently on 100mcg and waiting for my next results. This time I went private as I suspect my TSH will now be very suppressed and she’ll flip!!

Your endo sounds quite good which is nice to hear. I really hope you manage to get rid of your symptoms by your increased dose. Make sure all your vitamins and minerals are optimal as I found many symptoms went or calmed down with good quality supplements and a high vitamin D intake. Makes a world of difference. As did doing a food intolerance test. X

[AS14 in reply to Cat013]

Thanks

Yes we do sound very similar, I suspect my tsh will move significantly but not do a lot to t4 and t3 which is usually the case. I understand why hes increasing, and I hope the increase does do the trick but to be honest Im not very hopeful. The last increase was only alternate days not every day like now and my tsh went from 5.96 to 0.7 within six weeks but made no difference to how I feel. Before it went wrong a year ago a change in tsh made a huge difference to my symptoms, at 5.96 Id of felt as I do now and at 0.7 Id of been symptom free. My t3 was almost identical then than it is now so how can I be symptom free then but not now. This is what Im really struggling to understand, how can I have very similar blood tests yet little over a year ago I was symptom free but now Im very ill. Ive not been able to get an answer for it. I know not to pay much attention to tsh but how come a change in it before made a big difference to how I feel but not now.

Im not sure what tests he has in mind other than cortisol, he said there were numerous things that could affect it but didnt say exactly what.

All my vitamins have been checked and are good.

Ive no idea about food intolerances, I have heard that gluten can be a problem but its not something Ive looked into yet.

I wish I knew what changed a year ago, nothing really stands out but there is obviously something thats changed its just so frustrating the length of time it takes to work things out.

This new doctor does seem good, he took one look at the blood tests and said theres the problem. Hes increased my levo from 125mcg to 150mcg hoping to push the t4 and t3 up a bit and said he isnt too bothered about the tsh as long as it doesnt get suppressed. I Know theres conflicting ideas on tsh being suppressed and I couldnt care less if I feel well but I know he wont let it, but thats for another day if that happens.

Im still learning but if your tsh gets suppressed but your t4 and t3 still remain low would it make any difference to how I feel, I was told years ago a suppressed tsh makes you hyper .

Can I ask how you got your food intolerance test? . I dont get any stomach symptoms and Ive not changed what I eat ever really but I guess its possible to have a problem but not have symptoms.

Thanks again .

[Cat013 in reply to AS14]

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

It’s not cheap at £99 but I searched on here and there’s a 30% off code on someone’s post. I’ll see if I can find it. It’ll show a gluten intolerance too and then you can decide whether to investigate further. Dairy and gluten can cause many symptoms for people with hashi’s so I think it’s really worth testing for. I never came up as gluten intolerant, just dairy, but my daughter just has tested positive for both! So we’re all going gluten free anyway!

I am going to check to see if cutting out dairy has lowered my antibodies. I feel better for sure. Izabella Wentz believes reducing antibodies reduces stress levels so it’ll be interesting to check this theory out. I would recommend her book, Hashimoto’s Protocol. It’s brilliant.

Going up to 100 from a vit d deficiency of 25 definitely helped though. I’d strongly recommend taking selenium too and magnesium. I use a magnesium body lotion. I feel better using them both.

What are your current T3 & 4 levels? If you have low T3 your symptoms won’t clear up no matter what your TSH is. It should ideally be 75% through range. That’s the key.

My symptoms were immense. Way too many to list. I still have some bad symptoms which I’m trying to figure out, but on the whole I’m better 🙂. Getting there hopefully. And you will too so keep strong and keep fighting. My GP wasn’t much help so I read and read and it’s that learning that’s probably saved me! Along with amazing people on this forum.

I’ve just got my cortisol test back and it’s very high 😱. It brings its own symptoms along too so yes get it checked out. The comments to me said to retest to check for a consistent pattern as could be Cushing’s Disease. gulp. Not panicking just yet as I do have a hell of a lot of stress going on. So deffo check it out. Hell if your endo is good and willing to test lots of things go for it. Even just to rule things out. Xx

[AS14 in reply to Cat013]

Hi

Thanks for that link, Im going to do the tests so yes please when you get a chance that discount would be great.

My vit D is good, I had a deficiency years ago it was at 3 and what a difference it made especially to pain in my legs. Im on prescription meds for it so its regularly checked.

I started taking selenium a few months ago and I cant feel any benefit but Im interested in the magnesium cream, which one do you use ?.

My t4 is 15 (12- 22) t3 3.4 (3.1-6.8) and tsh is 0.7 ( 0.27-4.2). I have a few results from the last 9 years and in each one my t3 is practically identical, t4 has been anything between 14.4 -19 and tsh generally around 2 only lower once at 1.08 and been in the high twos , threes and up to 7 at one point. It was in the reference range for the majority of time and I knew nothing about the actual numbers so when I was told its ok I believed the doctor. According to my gp Im well medicated now, its too ridiculous for words you just have to look at me to see Im far from that.

Ive struggled to understand how very similar blood tests from years ago to now can cause very different symptoms but I think its purely that they dont show the whole picture. A low t3 years ago might of been enough to keep the most severe symptoms at bay but obviously not now, and its not showing how much is getting into the cells. When I think how much better I felt before and after the TT and my t3 was low then how good would I have felt if it was much higher. The surgeon who took it out said it was one of the sickest and biggest thyroids hes ever seen and to get to that point it must of been failing for years.

I was so ill before the TT that afterwards when I started on levo I felt so much better, I presumed I was optimally medicated but I dont think I ever have been. Theres so many things make sense now.

Ive been trying to read ( brain fog making it very hard though), Paul Robinsons book is excellent, Ive watched one video of Isabella Wentz but Im going to rewatch that one and more and also Dr Westin Childs is excellent.

I think I was still hypo before but something changed and plunged me to severe symptoms, its literally disabling me, Ive barely left the house in a year and hardly seen my family as I cant cope with visitors. To be honest Im really struggling mentally, lack of thyroid is the main reason but being like this is very hard to deal with. I know what the reason is but life coming to a complete stand still not just for me but my husband and family is awful. Our kids are grown up with families of their own and missing my tiny grand children is particularly hard. Im not having a pity party but to say its hard is an understatement

Cushings was one of the things the doctor is testing for in me, I only heard cortisol but my brains so muddled I didnt realise he’d said it, thank goodness my husband was with me. I say nothing changed in my life but there was one very big thing, we had a month of extremely high stress . Its been a long running stress, plenty of periods of nothing then times when it was bad but nothing to the extent of this one month. Id been feeling extra tired for a while before this but then this happened and straight after my health took a huge nose dive. Its the only thing that makes any sense, nothing else happened, to me it feels like the last straw for what I think was struggling thyroid function.

What would you say has made the biggest improvement so far? . I hope you get some answers to your high cortisol soon.

[Cat013 in reply to AS14]

Gosh you poor thing. You’re really going through it and with that dire T3 I’m not surprised!! It’s waaay too low which is causing lots of your terrible symptoms.

I’m not gluten sensitive, just dairy but I do know gluten can cause many debilitating symptoms like joint pain so it’s worth testing even just to rule it out. I’m definitely better quitting dairy. Found the the code it’s TUK30. 30% off.

Biggest difference from me so far is without doubt a decent level of levothyroxine. Being under medicated sucks. I can’t increase anymore now unfortunately as my TSH is suppressed and my fT4 already top end. Any additional increases will push me over and that’s not good either. When my t3 was like yours I was on the floor. It’s still only 4.59 but coming up from the low 3’s has really helped. I will need to now source t3.

Selenium helps with conversion and I think it’s helped looking at my new blood tests. Good your vit d is higher. 3 is so low! I feel better with mine being 100. Wouldn’t recommend any lower.

We’re best when our t3 is around 75% through range apparently. Yours is only 8.11% through range to give you some perspective of where you should be!! It’s basically shocking. You could seek a further increase in levo and see what happens, but from your ranges you’re probably like me and will need to seek out some T3. I can’t see a small levo dose increase doing much for your t3.

chorobytarczycy.eu/kalkulator

Don’t give up, keep fighting because you should significantly improve when your T3 rises. You’re barely even in range at all! You won’t feel better until you’re higher. Your GP won’t recognise that I doubt. I had to write a letter backing why I needed an increase as my TSH was already low. It worked but I’m probably on their naughty patient list now 😂 so I went private for my new tests as I think she’d panic and drop my dose!!

Magnesium is Better You. There are various types so see which one is best for you. Izabella Wentz has a list of what they do. I think someone has posted similar on here too.

Xx

[AS14 in reply to Cat013]

Hi

8.11% is awful no wonder I feel so dire. Endo too said he wants both t4 and t3 around 75% so Ive got a long way to go.

I dont think its going to be too difficult getting t4 up, t3 though I think is going to be a different story I suspect like you say Im going to need t3.

I tried t3 last week, Tiromel and had a very bad reaction, not an experience Id ever want to repeat. However turns out it was well past its expiration date so wether that was the reason or it was the fillers or the t3 itself I dont know. I wouldnt of realised it was out of date if another forum member hadnt had a bad reaction to the same batch as mine. She’s had Tiromel before and did fine but shes had the same batch as me and she also had a bad reaction, not exactly the same symptoms but some were similar. I hope my reaction was just to it being a dud because if my reaction was to the t3 itself and I end up needing it Im not sure what I can do. Im trying not to get too far ahead of myself but must admit it does worry me.

My pain is muscular, its hard to describe what its like, its not like any other muscle pain you get normally though. Its a sort of sharp almost tearing sensation, sounds a bit melodramatic but its the only way I can describe it, its one the most painful things Ive ever had. Its mostly my shoulders but its in my calves and feet, really bizarre having such painful feet. Very dry itchy skin on top isnt helping. Nothing new though just the symptoms I get when Im this hypo.

Thanks very much for that code, Im going to order that and the magnesium cream, just to rule things out if nothing else.

Thanks very much for all your help.

[Cat013 in reply to AS14]

I don’t know much about t3 but I’m guessing if it was out of date it wouldn’t have been good. Hope you feel better now. Sounds awful.

Your joint pain sounds really bad. I’m so sorry. I had a lot of joint pain at first and a bakers cyst in my knee but most of it has gone or eased up with a rise in my t3. The severe pain in my neck eased literally overnight on levo as did my bakers cyst a week later. I had severe tendonitis in my right foot probably from driving which has mostly eased off now and my knees don’t hurt anymore. My back is a lot better but still there. I think that’s different. The only thing that’s still really serious is my carpal tunnel. It’s better in my right hand by miles but I have severe tendonitis in my left elbow which gives me pains all down my arm. I’m working on that one! Doesn’t feel like a tearing pain though. That doesn’t sound good at all. It’s hard to know whether it’s something more serious for you yet when your t3 is at such a low range. I’d be tempted to get some t3 a bit sharpish and help push your levels up and see what happens. I really can’t see your t3 moving much with a levo increase just your TSH going even lower and t4 ending up too high like me. Is your endo t3 friendly? You can’t carry on with such debilitating symptoms.

Your dry skin should clear up a lot with better ranges. Mine is much better. Still dry but all these things take time. Lots of people swear by Epsom salts. I’m going to get some. Might be worth trying to see if you get any relief from them. I think many things may ease your symptoms a little but to be honest until your t3 is higher I don’t think anything will be amazing. But I can only speak from personal opinion from how I felt when I had your t3 level to how I feel now.

I do hope you feel better soon. Keep strong, keep fighting and I hope the food intolerance test is of some use to you 💕x

[AS14 in reply to Cat013]

Hi

Thanks again

I dont have joint pain its all muscular although I suspect its something to do with tendons in my feet. My muscles feel very stiff almost as if theyre made of wood, and my shoulders are by far the worst. Ive been doing my research like everything else with hypo its either insufficient or very slow going and its the same for muscles. They go through a damage and repair cycle constantly, but in hypo that repair process is extremely slow and faulty. You can get micro fine tears from the lack of flexibility and all together can cause a lot of pain., moving makes my pain worse so this makes sense to me. This stiffness is normal for me in hypo but admittedly this is the worst pain so far, but I wonder if its just because its gone on for so long. The same goes for my skin, exhaustion and every other symptom, all normal for me when Im hypo.

Each time Ive been like this before its showed a high tsh, Id have an increase in levo and within weeks all these symptoms have disappeared and my tsh has dropped rapidly.I know tsh means very little its just something Ive noticed each time.

Not this time though, yes the tsh dropped with in weeks but symptoms never left. Its almost if one day it worked then someone flicked a switch and it stopped working almost over night, I still cant get my head around it.

I have a bakers cyst too but its never caused me any pain. My wrists and hands are very stiff but I doubt its carpel tunnel just stiff like everywhere else but I know it can be a problem for some people.

I suspect that all this new increase in levo will do is push my t4 too high and tsh too low, they both move easily especially tsh, t3 barely even flickers. If that does happen would an over range t4 and suppressed tsh cause symptoms?.

This endo is one from the recommended list and its says hes prescribed t3 but if thats something hes only done once or its something he regularly prescribes I dont know. My gut feeling is its going to have to be t3 that gets me well.

Thank you very much for your help and I hope you get back to full health very soon.

[Cat013 in reply to AS14]

Thank you 😊

It sounds awful. I really hope you are able to get better soon. I don’t know enough about over range t4 but from what I’ve read you can get some nasty symptoms associated with hyperthyroidism. I doubt your t3 will go high enough anyway as you look like a very poor converter. You could try one more levo increase first but I doubt you can do anymore without going over range and having a very suppressed TSH. Your endo sounds really good and probably knows that anyway and will think of what to do next 😊 I wish you well soon x

[Ellie-Louise]

I read yesterday that palpitations can be due to a B12 deficiency.

[AS14 in reply to Ellie-Louise]

Thank you

My vitamins are good, vit B12,is high in the range .

[Pearipile-55]

try natural iodine or spirulina, increase the dose gradually and you will be pleasantly surprised.

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Pearipile-55]

Why do you say that?

Taking iodine without knowing your current iodine status is probably not a good idea.

And we do ask people to put references and more information into posts and replies.