UNDER ACTIVE THYROID.... WHY CAN I NOT BE FIXED... - Thyroid UK

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UNDER ACTIVE THYROID.... WHY CAN I NOT BE FIXED... 🤔🤔🤔

Mummys45 profile image
13 Replies

UNDER ACTIVE THYROID....

325MC LEVOTHYROXINES

HOW MUCH LONGER UNTIL THEY DON'T WORK ANY MORE. WOT CAN YOU SHOULD I EXPECT TO HAPPEN.

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Mummys45 profile image
Mummys45
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13 Replies
FancyPants54 profile image
FancyPants54

Your post isn't making a lot of sense.

What were your last blood test results (including the reference ranges).

What medication are you taking and how much per day?

How do you feel? What are your symptoms?

Are you receiving help from your doctor for this condition?

Mummys45 profile image
Mummys45 in reply toFancyPants54

Had 2 screen shot it lost connection

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radd profile image
radd

Mummys45,

With thyroid hormone replacement medications it is not about medicating as much as we can, but finding our sweet-spot which is the amount that works correctly for each individual person.

Going over this sweet-spot doesn’t bring better results and usually becomes counterproductive as meds can start working against us. I understand you need the statins for Pure Hypercholesterolaemia but these and the other meds you are taking can inhibit Levothyroxine from working effectively.

You are on a high dose of Levothyroxine but without blood test results it is difficult to assess if this is an amount your body needs or you are taking too much. Often gut absorption issues are involved when meds aren’t doing their job, causing deficiencies in essential iron/nutrient levels.

You will need to test TSH, FT4 & FT3 and thyroid antibodies TPOAb & TGAb. Also VitB12, folate, Vit D and ferritin. When GP’s are uncooperative, members use private labs. Post all results complete with ranges (numbers in brackets) for members to comment.

.

thyroiduk.org/help-and-supp...

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Looking at previous posts

You have Hashimoto’s

Likely poor absorption of levothyroxine

Have you had coeliac blood test done

Are you now on strictly gluten free diet

Over 80% of Hashimoto’s patients find strictly gluten free helps or is absolutely essential

When were vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 last tested

Essential to have GOOD vitamin levels for levothyroxine to work

Levothyroxine must be taken on empty stomach and then nothing apart from water for at least an hour after

Which brand of levothyroxine are you currently taking

Do you always get same brand

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)

When on T3, day before test, split dose into three smaller doses roughly equal 8 hour intervals. Taking last dose T3 at roughly 8-12 hours before test

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

Please add most recent results

Email Thyroid UK for list of recommend thyroid specialist endocrinologists

...NHS and Private

tukadmin@thyroiduk.org

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator

For most people, 5 milligrams of folate (in any form) is a huge and excessive dose.

The usual approach is to have 5 milligram folic acid prescribe for up to four months, then reduce - often to 400 micrograms, but sometimes less.

Taking too much folate can make people feel very ill indeed.

Mummys45 profile image
Mummys45 in reply tohelvella

Definitely 5mg my new ones

Colour
helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply toMummys45

Has anyone tested your folate level?

Gingernut44 profile image
Gingernut44

You should maybe get your cortisol checked as low cortisol/adrenal fatigue can cause you to be easily startled. I have had, and still have this problem, any slight sudden noise can make me “jump a mile”

lynzpower profile image
lynzpower in reply toGingernut44

Sorry to jump in but I have this experience as well and have done for years but much more profound at the moment. Just jump out of my skin over any loud noise, leading to sort of pounding racing heart, shakiness etc . Unfortunately I live in a place where 'boy racers' razz up and down the road which even though it happens frequently still feels v shocking. Add into this teenage next door neighbours who communicate with each other in shouting/swearing and high pitched screaming I am beside myself sometimes.

I also have been waking at 2.30 am with surging adrenaline to get the day started. this has only stopped because now I am taking amitriptilene for leg pain and now I sleep through to morning. This is debilitating and heard that this can be connected to cortisol probs.

There appears to be a number of different cortisol tests. ( urine, spit, blood?) I dont know which private test will be 'the best' . What do you recommend?

Gingernut44 profile image
Gingernut44 in reply tolynzpower

I did the Regenerus Cortisol test (saliva if you want to be correct or spit if you don’t care 😀) All details are on the main ThyroidUK info pages. The worst part for me was going without my coffee for the day and trying to avoid the embarrassment of spitting into the phials 😱Take a look and if you need any help, start a post of your own, that way it will be seen by others more enlightened than me.

Are you really on 325 mcg of levo daily, or is it a typo and should read 32.5 mcg...?325 mcg would be a huge dose. If you need that much, you probably have some kind of thyroid hormone resistance at cellular level.

I read somewhere that patients requiring more than 200 mcg of levo daily should be suspected of having thyroid hormone resistance.

If you fail to feel better on over 300 mcg of levo daily, it´s most likely because your body isn´t converting enough T4 to T3. If your T3 levels are low, you will be hypo, regardless of how much levo you are taking. Your body needs to use the hormones, they should not just stay in your blood!

But in order to know how well you care converting, you need to have TSH, free T4 and free T3 tested.

helvella profile image
helvellaAdministrator in reply to

Malabsoprtion is the other obvious possibility.

in reply tohelvella

Definitely!

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