Cholesterol Trending High / Graves and on Levo

[Shaf3938]

Good Afternoon,

I was wondering if Cholesterol becoming high has a correlation with people with Graves and on replacement hormone? I am fairly active and since I been DX'd with Graves and had RAI it seems my cholesterol is trending high and my glucose is getting in the upper normal range.. Satins and Graves don't mix right? I am scheduled to see a doctor Monday from these results of my Biometrics from work this week.

Glucose 93

Reference Range: 65-99 mg/dL

Triglycerides 43 (These are good)

Reference Range: < 150 mg/dL

HDL Cholesterol 80

Reference Range: > OR = 40 mg/dL

LDL Cholesterol 143

Reference Range: < 100 mg/dL (calc)

Non-HDL Cholesterol 155

Reference Range: < 130 mg/dL

Total Cholesterol 235

Reference Range: 125-199 mg/dL

[Fruitandnutcase]

When I was very hyper my cholesterol was at the lowest it had ever been. Once I went inti remission and my TSH crept up so did my cholesterol. I told my GP that I felt there was a link between the two and she just smiled.

[greygoose in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

That's an awful article, Fruitandnutcase, horribly out of date. Cholesterol isn't dangerous, it doesn't cause heart attacks and there's no such thing as good and bad cholesterol.

Shaf3938 cholesterol is high when T3 is low because the body needs T3 to process cholesterol correctly. Without enough T3, cholesterol tends to build up in the blood. But, as your FT3 rises, the cholesterol levels will decrease.

Statins are bad for everybody.

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to greygoose]

Oh heck! I’m now wondering what I linked to - I though it said that there was a link between low TSH and high cholesterol and vice versa. I obviously didn’t read enough to get to how dangerous it’s supposed to be.I certainly don’t go for all that cholesterol is dangerous guff. The body needs it to function properly.

I took statins once many years ago and within a week or two I could barely move and felt depressed and I’ll so I stopped them and have refused them ever since. I always told any GP who suggested I take them that if they ‘fine tuned’ my thyroid then my cholesterol levels would reduce.

You know how it is though - first of all the NHS doesn’t ‘fine tune’ your thyroid - or anything else for that matter - anywhere within their massive range is considered within range and that’s fine for them 🤣🤣🤣 and second.y in the year I was treated for Graves’ disease I never once had my T3 tested.

On the plus side (I suppose) my then GP knew I was right - she stopped suggesting statins, I’m amazed at the people I come across who are having problems of various sorts but who continue to take statins. They look at me like I’m mad for not taking them while I look at them like they are mad for taking them.

[greygoose in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Well, I'm glad to hear all that! I was afraid you were going to start shouting at me about cholesterol causing heart attacks! lol But, it's not the TSH that causes high cholesterol, anyway - I do wish they would stop attributing everything to the TSH! - it's low T3.

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to greygoose]

Ah but I was never tested for T3 in the whole year I was being treated.

My T3 was only tested once I was signed off and paid for my own blood tests. I felt most indignant that my doctors all spoke about RAI being my next step should I relapse when none of them had ever bothered to test my T3.I always just figured that as my TSH crept up so did my cholesterol.

Quite amazing the affect statins can have on a person. Everyone ought to read The Great Cholesterol Con.

What always amazes me is the constant string of ailments and illnesses statins seem to be able to ‘cure’. I always say that one day a claim will be made that they can cure cancer, let the blind see and raise the dead. But then I’m an old cynic.

[greygoose in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Well, the TSH rises because the FT3 falls. But the link is not with the TSH itself.

I agree, everyone should read that book - especially doctors! I wonder how many doctors have actually read it...

Big Pharma makes no bones about the fact that their aim is to get every single person - including children, I believe - on statins. So, the more claims they make for it, the more people are likely to be prescribed it. It's evil.

[SlowDragon Ambassador]

If your cholesterol is high it suggests your thyroid dose is not adequate

High cholesterol is linked to still being under medicated for thyroid

nhs.uk/conditions/statins/c...

If you have an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), treatment may be delayed until this problem is treated. This is because having an underactive thyroid can lead to an increased cholesterol level, and treating hypothyroidism may cause your cholesterol level to decrease, without the need for statins. Statins are also more likely to cause muscle damage in people with an underactive thyroid.

What are your most recent thyroid and vitamin results results

How much levothyroxine are you currently taking

Do you always get same brand levothyroxine at each prescription

What vitamin supplements are you currently taking

Always test thyroid levels as early as possible in morning before eating or drinking anything other than water and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test

Extremely important to regularly retest vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 …on levothyroxine we need OPTIMAL vitamin levels

[Shaf3938 in reply to SlowDragon]

I am currently on .150mcg of Levo! I am only taking a fish oil and turmeric and drink tart cherry juice once a day! I’m trying to get my doctor to test my TSH FT3 and FT4 and my vitamins

[SlowDragon Ambassador in reply to Shaf3938]

Come back with new post once you get results and ranges

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to Shaf3938]

Shaf 3938, I would give up and pay for it yourself. I gave up in the end. One consultant checked my B12 because I said my mother had a problem - not a chance of getting vitamin D tested or T3 or any of the other things that should be tested when you have a dodgy thyroid. I found it less stressful just to give up and send for a home testing kit and do it myself. It’s not fair but that’s can be how it is.

[Batty1]

My cholesterol went crazy after my thyroidectomy.

[Shaf3938 in reply to Batty1]

Where you able to lower it?

[Batty1 in reply to Shaf3938]

I had a double whammy after my thyroidectomy I developed psoriatic arthritis and have been unable to exercise due to severe joint pains.. monster

I definitely 100% believe my high cholesterol is due to hypothyroidism and not being as other said medicated properly. You really need to do the thyroid test here that everyone has recommended and if your doctor won’t test FT3 (usually they won’t) pay out of pocket by using walk-in labs where you can choose the lab closes to you it cost me $58.00.

I was put on 3 statins a long time ago (2) caused my joints to scream and I live in enough pain don’t need to add to it and (1) made me pee blood and didn’t even realize it until I became anemic .. So all 3 statins caused me issues and did not lower my cholesterol!

[Butterflyshaped]

Hi, I've never before heard of anyone being treated for Graves Disease with Levothyroxine, except for those who had RAI and then remained UNDER-active thereafter so are put on Levo for life. I have suceesfully managed my Graves Disease for 11 years (with a mix of 5 then 2.5. mg of mainstream treatment and herbal/ nutritional/ mineral support. Carbimazole (Methimazole) is what was prescribed. My cousin takes Levo for her Hashimotos. I hope this post is not wrong in any way as I speak as a patient, not a health practitioner. Best wishes

[Dancing_dragonfly]

I’d like to add to the discussion. Long before they had lab tests for thyroid levels, they used cholesterol levels as a way to determine thyroid medication dosage. Doctors back then KNEW it was an inverse relationship and prescribed natural desiccated thyroid to treat.

There WAS no levothyroxine at that time. Sadly, when it came on the market and proclaimed the only thyroid medication needed by anyone, docs seem to have forgotten information they’d used for decades….. I was kept hypo for over 2 decades due to physician ignorance after my Graves and RAI treatment. Much better on low NDT and the rest T3, immediate release.

Many times over the years my cholesterol was elevated and once I got bullied into trying a statin. After 2 days I had severe pains in my elbows and just know I had to drop it. I need to check it again since I am good with proper thyroid medications for me.

.