Any advice please?

[liz1952]

I am Hypothyroid, on Levothyroxine now for some 10/12 years. I have recently been diagnosed with Hypertension and am taking Ramipril and Lisinopril. I was taking Amlodipine but my ankles swelled so badly and painfully that I had to come off it. My issue however is my really low mood, weepy, totally exhausted, no interest in anything, I'm literally dragging myself through the day, it's dreadful. I don't know if I'm like this because of the Hypertension (I will put this on that site too), the amalgamation between all the meds, just really run down (I hurt my back , so very immobile) or coming out (I hoped anyway!) of Lockdown to not be able to do anything much when I was so hopeful to do so? So my question is please, has anyone else had the same issue? Any tips, suggestions. I'd be so very grateful, it's horrible living like this. x

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

liz1952

Have you checked the patient information for your new medications for side effects.

Rampiril is noted to cause low mood in up to 1 in 100 people, likewise with Lisinopril causing mood changes in that number of people.

[liz1952 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you Seaside Susie. You know I did look and missed this which I suppose shows my state of mind? I've also seen sleep impaired and Reynaud - my finger tips are blue right now. Unsure where to go from here, hang on for a few more days, see if things settle? Thank you again

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to liz1952]

liz1952

I understand that BP medication can cause problems for a lot of people but there are probably others you can try. I was on Amlodipine for a couple of years and never had a problem. I recently started taking Bisoprolol (betablocker) and because this also reduces blood pressure I was taken off the Amlodipine as my BP would have gone too low otherwise.

[liz1952 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you, my BP is fine now, which is ironic..I guess I was probably wondering if the BP meds mess with the Thyroid meds? I'll wait a couple of days, see if anyone else has experienced this and what they did, then make a decision from there. Thank you so much xxx

[greygoose]

It is possible that your high blood pressure is caused by your hypo. Are you sure you're optimally medicated for that?

[liz1952 in reply to greygoose]

I haven't thought I am for a long, long time....but GP and computer says NO. The BP was very high, I've just said to Susie that I'll wait to see if anyone else has experienced this and decide from there. Thank you so much greygoose x

[greygoose in reply to liz1952]

Frankly, GPs and computers know absolutely nothing about it! Optimal is not a number, it's a feeling. If you don't feel optimal, then you aren't. Do you have the numbers from your last blood test: results and ranges? If so, post them on here and let's have a look. If not, ask for a print-out, it is your legal right to have one. But, ask the receptionist, not the doctor.

[liz1952 in reply to greygoose]

Receptionist says you have to get the ok from a doc, make phone consultation.........

[liz1952 in reply to liz1952]

Serum free T4 level. 18.4Serum TSH level. 1.07

That's all the data other than non thyroid issues as of 3rd February.

[greygoose in reply to liz1952]

Which just goes to show how little they know about anything. Difficult to tell without the ranges, but the FT4 does look quite high. But, if you can't convert much of it to T3 then you are still under-medicated. Might be a good idea to get private testing done.

[greygoose in reply to liz1952]

Pretty sure that's not true. Remind her that not giving you YOUR results is breaking the law and that you can take steps to force them to give them to you.

[liz1952 in reply to greygoose]

I thought last week I may get a private test done, think I will. I just disliked taking an appointment for that, just wrong. Thank you again for your support, it's so appreciated x

[greygoose in reply to liz1952]

No, you shouldn't have to take an appointment just for that. For one thing, it's a waste of the doctor's time! I'm sure he's got better things to do when the receptionist herself could just ask him permission to print out your results. That's what they normally do.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to liz1952]

Just testing TSH and Ft4 is completely inadequate.

How much levothyroxine are you currently taking Do you always get same brand of levothyroxine?

What vitamin supplements are you currently taking

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 at least annually

Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if you have autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) diagnosed by raised Thyroid antibodies

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 .

Last dose of Levothyroxine 24 hours prior to blood test. (taking delayed dose immediately after blood draw).

This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)

If/when also on T3, make sure to take last third or quarter of daily dose 8-12 hours prior to test, even if this means adjusting time or splitting of dose day before test

Is this how you do your tests?

Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or thyroid antibodies or all relevant vitamins

List of private testing options

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

Medichecks Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins

medichecks.com/products/adv...

Thriva Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins By DIY fingerpick test

thriva.co/tests/thyroid-test

Thriva also offer just vitamin testing

Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes antibodies, cortisol and vitamins by DIY fingerprick test

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

If you can get GP to test vitamins and antibodies then cheapest option for just TSH, FT4 and FT3

£29 (via NHS private service ) and 10% off down to £26.10 if go on thyroid uk for code

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

monitormyhealth.org.uk/

NHS easy postal kit vitamin D test £29 via

vitamindtest.org.uk

Come back with new post once you get results

[liz1952 in reply to SlowDragon]

I'm on 75 mcg or 100mcg on alternative days. I take Selenium, Magnesium, Vit D, Zinc. Thank you so much for all this support, it means such a lot x

[Gillybabe48 in reply to liz1952]

Our receptionist will give them out without doctors permission. Legal right.

[grumpyold]

hi Liz1952,I have been taking Ramipril for 5 years now and I haven't experienced low mood.

I also take 150 mcg levo and my thyroid levels are all optimal, as are my vits and minerals.

I am snappier than I used to be but maybe that is increasing age grumpiness and being less inclined to accept bull****.

I hope you feel better soon.

x

[liz1952 in reply to grumpyold]

Thank you! I wonder if it's the 2 drugs, just a lot for my poor old thyroid body to cope with? X

[Gillybabe48]

My son too has low mood on Ramipril. What were your BP upper and lower and heartbeat readings. If you have a BP machine, maybe a good idea to keep track. What dose of Ramipril are you on. My son is on 5 mg. Or maybe the high blood pressure was caused by too much levothyroxine. Hopefully the doctor covered all this. What are your TSH T4 and T3. Just a thought.

[Gillybabe48]

I totally agree. Optimal is how you feel. My last TSH was 0.04 but I feel best at 0.02 which is better for me but seems to panic doctors.

[liz1952]

Hi, thank you for your response. Yes I do keep a BP track and it's down to a healthy level now, although was exceptionally high for a while - scary isn't it? I've tweaked the meds and am feeling better already. Will see how the next few days goes and make a decision next week. Thanks again.