Hi all, I was wondering if it's possible to have a fast heart rate ( around 80 at rest and around 100-110 with simple movement not exercise) due to being hypothyroid? My history is I became hyperthyroid during my twin pregnancy in 2017 which I successfully treated with medication for a month. Then due to a routine ultrasound I discovered some small nodules which I monitored ever since. A few months ago I was advised to biopsy one of them and eventually had to have half my thyroid removed due to inconclusive / suspicious FNA result, basically told there was a 20% chance it was cancer. It turned out the nodule was a benign adenoma. This was in April 2021. Since then I have tested my thyroid extensively and have been told everything is within range and working perfectly (I am not taking any medication) . My tsh was 1.9 FT4 14. I also tested for thyroid antibodies which came back negative. My ferritin was super low (but has been lowish all my life) so I had an Iron infusion after the surgery and now the levels are within range, D3 and selenium were also on the low end of normal and have been advised to supplement which I am currently doing. My endo and my surgeon insist I am not hypothyroid and cannot explain why I am experiencing fast heart rate which they say is a symptom of hyperthyroidism if anything. Cardiologist also cannot give me an explanation and told me it has nothing to do with my hearts function itself. Any insights/ advice would be greatly appreciated!
High heart rate: Hi all, I was wondering if it's... - Thyroid UK
High heart rate
Just testing TSH and Ft4 is completely inadequate
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested.
NHS usually only test TPO antibodies. Significant minority of Hashimoto’s patients only have high TG antibodies and 20% of autoimmune thyroid patients never have high thyroid antibodies.
Have you had ultrasound scan of remaining half thyroid
Low ferritin
Are you vegetarian or vegan
Essential to maintain GOOD iron and ferritin levels
Also EXTREMELY important to test folate and B12 too
How low was vitamin D
How much vitamin D are you currently taking
Retest 2-4 months after starting vitamin D.
Aiming for vitamin D at least around 80nmol and around 100nmol maybe better
Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially with autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto’s or Ord’s thyroiditis)
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)
Is this how you do your tests?
Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or all relevant vitamins
List of private testing options
thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...
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...
NHS easy postal kit vitamin D test £29 via
Medichecks Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins
medichecks.com/products/adv...
Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes antibodies, cortisol and vitamins by DIY fingerprick test
bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...
Thriva Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins By DIY fingerpick test
Thriva also offer just vitamin testing
If TPO or TG thyroid antibodies are high this is usually due to Hashimoto’s (commonly known in UK as autoimmune thyroid disease).
About 90% of all primary hypothyroidism in Uk is due to Hashimoto’s. Low vitamin levels are particularly common with Hashimoto’s. Gluten intolerance is often a hidden issue to.
Link about thyroid blood tests
thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...
Link about Hashimoto’s
thyroiduk.org/hypothyroid-b...
List of hypothyroid symptoms
thyroiduk.org/if-you-are-un...
I already tested anti tpo and anti tg, both came back negative and were quite low below the range. Only thing I didn't test this last time was T3. Do you think that's still necessary given that tsh and T4 were within range?
My d3 was around 30, I am taking 2000 iui drops daily.
Folate and b12 were tested a few months ago before the surgery and were well within range. Not sure if that could have changed now following the surgery.
My iron/ hemoglobin is always low because I have thalassemia minor trait (genetic mutation). This is common in Cyprus where I am from.
My TSH was not a good indicator that something was wrong with my thyroid but the golf ball size benign adenoma was. It grew to that size in less than a year and was choking me so I had a partial removal of my thyroid. I also had very little to no TPO antibodies however today I have high TG antibodies. Prior to that my symptoms were so subtle I never knew anything was wrong. I would keep a close eye on that adenoma and for any symptoms like fatigue, hypoglycemia, higher blood glucose, and skin issues like acne and rashes. The body is good at trying to keep things level until it reaches a point when it can no longer. As my adenoma grew I put on 10 lbs of fluid retention, severe cystic acne and hoarse voice.
Hi all, I was wondering if it's possible to have a fast heart rate ( around 80 at rest and around 100-110 with simple movement not exercise) due to being hypothyroid?
Yes, this is perfectly possible, although doctors expect heart rate to be slow in hypothyroidism (bradycardia). But anecdotes of fast heart rate (tachycardia) are quite common on this forum for hypothyroid patients.
I'm hypothyroid but my heart rate goes very high sometimes. It has gone up to 155 beats per minute on occasion, and regularly goes up to 120 - 140. I have to take beta blockers sometimes although I keep my intake to a minimum.
In my case my tachycardia was originally connected to having severe iron deficiency. I ended up fixing my own low iron without any help from my doctor - it took nearly two years to get my ferritin up to mid-range. But having been triggered the problem has persisted, although it isn't as bad as it was.
Having low vitamin B12 and/or low folate can have an impact on the heart rate.
Another possible cause of fast heart rate is having high blood sugar - if this is an issue for you I would suggest getting tested for diabetes/blood sugar, and trying to reduce the sugar content of your diet and see if it helps.
Low T3 (the active thyroid hormone) can also cause heart rate problems, as can high cortisol. Low cortisol can cause tachycardia too.
If you have some results for vitamins and minerals you should post them along with the units of measurement and the reference ranges and ask for some feedback. So, for example, post results like this :
Test Name - Result - Units of measurement - Reference Range
e.g.
Ferritin 32 ug/L (13 - 150)
I also have a high heart rate and am hypothyroid. Just sitting here reading my rate is 78. I am not in any way, shape or form fit, but even when I was, my heart rate was always high. At last check (almost 2 years ago now) everything was fine. Some people just run fast.
Mine is high too and went sky high for weeks after the first AZ jab. Quite scary.
Hi , thanks for all the responses. It's crazy that here you are telling me its possible and yet I have spoken with 3 doctors 1 cardiologist and two endocrine specialists who all told me its only associated with hyperthyroidism!!
My blood test results are as follows:
Before partial thyroidectomy :
November 2020:
Folate – 13.92 (2.76-20)
B12 – 567.2 (239 – 931)
Iron 22 (35-160) out of range
FT4 13.6 (8.8 – 26)
TSH 1.40 (0.46- 4.7)
Post partial thyroidectomy & iron Infusion Ferinject
June 2021
Vitamin D3 – 32 (30-100)
Anti TPO 12 < 34
Anti TG 16 < 115
Iron 120 (35-160)
Ferritin 67 (13-150)
FT4 14.8 (8.8 – 26)
TSH 1.90 ( 0.46- 4.7)
Selenium 51.3 (46-143)
I also suffered with low iron for years... which got significantly worse after my twin pregnancy. I tried to fix it with supplements for about a year as I was suffering from fatigue and palpitations at times, but not a lot of increase with oral iron at all. So after the surgery I asked my doctor for an infusion as I was worried low iron would affect my recovery/ thyroid function and they thought it was a good idea so I had one and for the very first time in my life my iron levels are normal - even above mid range. However the cardiologist I saw suggested that the tachycardia might actually be a reaction of my heart to the sudden increase in iron levels and hopefully will subside with time.
The thing is I am certain that prior to surgery I did not have the tachycardia - the only other time I suffered from it was when I had hyperthyroidism in my first trimester of pregnancy. However since the surgery and Iron infusion happened at the same time I can't be certain which of the 2 is responsible... However I am worried my half thyroid may be struggling... but my endocrinologist reassured me that based on my blood tests everything looks perfect.
Are you still having this problem? Surgery can trigger a condition called POTS in some people - which makes the heart rate rise upon standing/activity. Google 'poor man's tilt test' and you'll find some simple instructions on how to investigate it yourself. Essentially, if your heart rate rises more than 30 bpm when you go from sitting to standing, it's a sign you might be dealing with POTS.
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