I was diagnosed in June this year with Hypothyroidism and put on 50mcg Levothyroxine. As I wasn’t improving a lot a GP put me on 100mcg Levothyroxine 8 weeks later . I then became more ill and saw a very understanding, GP face to face and he described my “situation” as “Grossly symptomatic”so he sent me for FT3 and FT4 and Thyroid antibodies test. It was then confirmed in September this year that I have Hashimoto. He put me down to 75mcg of Levothyroxine. I improved for a bit. Ferritin and Vit D and B12 were “ok”. But in the last 2 weeks I feel like I’m more like having symptoms of Hyperthyroidism but very tired still. I feel my whole body shaking inside, trembling, extremely fast racing thoughts, restless and yet no energy. Basically I feel like a tornado spinning on the spot .
I’m confused. I’m new to all this. I’m long overdue for blood testing but haven’t called my surgery as with the current pandemic situation I believe I wouldn’t be getting these test from a GP.
Is it possible to “Merge” from Hypo to Hyper and vice versa??? Or to have both
I have also developed Tinnitus....
Please help. Thank you
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PurpleButterfly2
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First step is to get FULL thyroid and vitamin testing done
See what’s going on
How long have you been on 75mcg
Bloods should be retested 6-8 weeks after any dose change or brand change in levothyroxine
Which brand of levothyroxine are you currently taking
Many people find different brands are not interchangeable
Increases in levothyroxine are usually in 25mcg steps as many people can’t tolerate too big an increase at one time
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested.
About 90% of primary hypothyroidism is autoimmune thyroid disease also called Hashimoto’s diagnosed by high thyroid antibodies
Very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 at least once year minimum
Request blood tests via GP
Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially with autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto’s or Ord’s thyroiditis)
Autoimmune thyroid disease with goitre is Hashimoto’s
Autoimmune thyroid disease without goitre is Ord’s thyroiditis.
Both are autoimmune and generally called Hashimoto’s.
In U.K. medics never call it Hashimoto’s, just autoimmune thyroid disease (and they usually ignore the autoimmune aspect)
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 and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test
This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)
Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or all relevant vitamins
Is it possible to “Merge” from Hypo to Hyper and vice versa???
Basically yes, that is the nature of Hashimoto's. You can swing from hypo to a "false" hyper and back again causing fluctuations in symptoms and test results.
Hashimoto's is autoimmune thyroid disease where the immune system attacks and gradually destroys the thyroid. When the attack happens, the dying cells release a lot of thyroid hormone into the blood and this can cause TSH to become suppressed and Free T4 and Free T3 to be very high or over range. These are called 'Hashi's swings'. You may get symptoms of being overmedicated (hyper type symptoms) to go along with these results that look as though you are overmedicated. The hyper swings are temporary, and eventually things go back to normal. Test results settle back down and hypo symptoms may return. Thyroid meds can be adjusted slightly at these times if necessary, but will need readjusting when hypo symptoms return.
Unless a GP knows about Hashi's and these hyper type swings, then they panic and reduce or stop your thyroid meds.
Hashi's isn't treated, it's the resulting hypothyroidism that's treated.
Some members have found that adopting a strict gluten free diet can help, although there is no guarantee.
Gluten contains gliadin (a protein) which is thought to trigger autoimmune attacks so eliminating gluten can help reduce these attacks.
You don't need to be gluten sensitive or have Coeliac disease for a gluten free diet to help.
Supplementing with selenium l-selenomethionine (no more than 200mcg daily) is said to help reduce the antibodies, as can keeping TSH suppressed.
Hashi's and gut absorption problems tend to go hand in hand and can very often result in low nutrient levels or deficiencies. It's essential to test Vit D, B12, Folate and Ferritin and address any problems. You are welcome to post these results, including reference ranges (plus units of measurement for Vit D and B12), for comment and suggestions for supplementing where necessary.
Your symptoms sound similar to mine except for the no energy. I posted a few days ago about having a horrible trembling/vibrating feeling in my upper body every night plus I've had palpitations a few times which scared me. I also developed tinnitus. All my symptoms started 2 weeks after I began taking 50mcg of levothyroxine.
The only difference with me is that I was 6 months postpartum (am now 8 months) plus I never had the usual symptoms of hypothyroidism such as no energy etc. My levels now look to be within normal range but I feel terrible. My doctor has suggested getting B12 bloods etc done and after that possibly reducing my levo dose to see does it help. Although I have also read about people having the trembling feeling if they are undermedicated.
Hi, When I was first diagnosed I to was put on 50mg then to 100mg, but then I was feeling hypo and couldn’t sleep, and felt like I was climbing the walls! Got reduced to 75mg and have settled down. Takes quite a while for energy to come back. Can take a few months. Please cut out Gluten, really important. Sourdough is lower Gluten if you have to, but go for ancient grains if you can. Good luck and hang in there.
Hi, my hypothyroidism was detected whilst on a cardiac trial after a bypass. I went to my GP who was adamant that men do not get hypothyroid. I got a private test and this showed my test results were correct and also showed I had Hashimotos. I have been much more fortunate than you with symptom and now for the last 10 years have had no problems, just keep taking the tablets (75 mg daily).I would agree wholeheartedly with Seaside Suzie and she has given some superb links. Good Luck!
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