Thyroid meds and getting older

[meme]

Do you need more or less thyroid meds as you get older?

I was recently told by an Endo that you need less as you age. I somehow thought it would be the other way around.

[waveylines]

Ahh the madness of the thyroid world and the medical proffessionals that work in it. And on what science did he base this statement as if it was fact on? Did he or she say?

[meme in reply to waveylines]

The Endo was trying to get to the bottom of the cause of intermittent high blood pressure and ectopic heart beats. My TSH was 1.1 FT3 around 5 and fr4 around 14. I had only recently taken my NDT that day and landed in AxE with BP of 226 for the second time that week.

[waveylines in reply to meme]

It might not be ndt medication related at all but something else. Your thyroid bloods look good. Having said that -What ndt are you on? Acella NP has just recalled quite a lot of recent batches.

[meme in reply to waveylines]

I was mixing Tru -thyroid and TMan. I have now gone back to 1 3/4 TMan till it runs out. I have 1000 left. I hope it was the Tru causing problems. I am mid 60s and fit. No other health problems. BMI 21.

The hospital gave me beta blockers which sent my heartbeat down to 35. My GP told me to stop them, I already had.

More tests to come in the next 6 weeks.

[Lalatoot]

It is purely individual. TSH does rise slightly in the elderly but your thyroid hormone requirement would depend on health and fitness.

[radd]

meme,

Yes, its madness!

Because the ageing process means we literally wear out, and because we have suffered all the crap that thyroid issues bring we probably wear out faster 😳, I always think theoretically we should be offered more supports, not less.

Routine reductions in meds that are driving metabolism are to match the natural slow down of other bodily systems but rationality tells us it has to be individual assessment. Perhaps they’re trying to kill us all off faster 🤣.

[waveylines in reply to radd]

Id like to see their evidence that we slow down and need less. Theres plenty of 70yrs+ far more active than the young.......so frankly I think its just a self fulfilling prophecy.......if you lower the medication in older folk then of course they WILL slow down. It feels like they are playing God! Ah ha you are older now so need less.......my oh my!🙈 Id like some say in when I want to slow down. 😜

[Miffie]

Blimey what a ridiculous idea to come up with unless a patient’s blood test results support such a theory.No idea what age ‘older’ starts at but I am now seventy and was diagnosed with hypothyroidism nearly sixty years ago. To date there is no evidence I need less hormone replacement.

Perhaps if a person is considerably older than I am and frail having lost a lot of weight it may the case. However I’d hold out for blood tests and how I feel.

[waveylines in reply to Miffie]

Its probably a slow subtle form of euthansia.......

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Important to regularly retest vitamin D, folate, ferritin B12

Lower B12 is common as we get older

Thyroid hormones need good vitamin levels

What vitamin supplements are you currently taking

When were vitamin levels last tested

[meme in reply to SlowDragon]

Cannot lay my hand on report atm , but b12 high in range, folate a little over, D around 120. Ferritin lowish around 74, I think. Will find report and post exact results later today.

[meme in reply to SlowDragon]

B12 505. D 121. Folate 12.9. Ferritin 76.2

I take B12 intermittently. D, 4 days a week. Iron when my stomach can handle it! It makes me very constipated .

[humanbean]

This thread should be helpful with regard to thyroid hormones as we age :

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

Note that the source of the table in the picture doesn't pay much attention to Free T4 or Free T3 although they both get a mention. The main measure of importance as far as the paper is concerned is TSH (as usual).

[waveylines in reply to humanbean]

I think they just make it up as they go along humanbean. How on earth can they come to that conclusion without proper evidence when they dont even measure thyroid hormones or show any comparitive studies at all! Frankly its discriminatory.

[humanbean in reply to waveylines]

I agree. And once doctors make up their minds nothing ever shifts what they've decided. They think they can never be wrong.

[waveylines]

Totally agree Humanbean. In that paper they didnt even aim to get the TSH under one but simply gave a starter dose or even lower and then surprise surprise people didnt feel any different.....well no with an average TSH over two and no actual thyroid hormone measurement what did they truly expect? . Honestly how do these papers get through peer reviews.........oh I know - the ones who peer review it are equally ignorant. I despair....... its like one of those horror movies - the nonsense self perpetuates to ever increasing more nonsense.....and still none of the medical profession notice. I have this fear that one day they will talk themselves out of any need to prescribe thyroid medication at all.