Statins and levothyroxine

[hetrap]

I am on 75mcg levothyroxine and about a month or so ago was put on Atorvastatin at the same time as other meds. After a few days I suffered terrible stomach pains - due to statins and some of the other meds taken causing constipation. The statin was reduced to 20mg from 40mg and all seemed OK but not now - after I have taken the statin at night I get stomach ache after an hour or so -. Reading the instruction leaflet it says you maybe should not take this statin due to having a low thyroid function so is this statin affecting my thyroxine levels - last blood test was OK but then I had only started the statin. Not sure if this is the right statin for me anyhow. The other meds given to me at that time were ones that also cause constipation which is why I was then prescribed laxative sachets to take. All of this seems to have really mucked me up and now they say some blood is showing in my stool specimen and I am sure it is being caused by all of these interactions. Do not want them to affect the TF. Hope someone can come up with some answers - trying toget a drs appt at the moment is like looking for gold.

[Jazzw]

Oh dear. Another clueless doctor.

High cholesterol is a symptom of hypothyroidism, and I doubt you’re optimally medicated yet—you’ve not been on levothyroxine very long, have you? If undermedicated cholesterol may be high.

Plus…

Statins aren't recommended for females and can cause muscle damage in people with hypothyroidism. NHS says this:

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.

[hetrap in reply to Jazzw]

thanks for that info. However my low functioning thyroid was actually diagnosed 21 years ago. Since then my thyroxine tabs have been 150mcg at its highest and down to 100mcgs then down to 75mcgs, back up to 100 mcgs and now back down to 75mcg. I do not understand why except that it is the hospital that lays down the dosage I should be on after they have done the TFT. Going to be speaking to the GP later on and will bring the subject up as had a real bad night last night which I have put down to the Statin. My cholesterol had gone up to over 6 which is why they have put me on them.

[tattybogle in reply to hetrap]

if your Levo has been reduced by too much. then that would cause your cholesterol to raise . and would also cause (or contribute to) your constipation . You need to find out what the actual thyroid test results were that caused them to reduce your dose from 150mcg and 100 mcg ,to now 75mcg .

Ask GP's receptionist for a printout of :

TSH (Thyroid stimulating Hormone) result and [lab range] eg TSH 1.2 [0.4-4.5]

fT4 (Free T4 / Thyroxine) result and [lab range] eg fT4 14.3 [12-22]

..... for the thyroid blood tests that were done just before those dose reductions happened . In UK you have a legal right to this information as long as a GP has already seen the results.

Then post the result here and people can offer experienced opinions on whether those dose reductions were necessary .. or were too large .

Note .. you do need to get hold of the actual results , not just the 'comment' eg ' Normal/ No action ' etc

When you were reduced from 150mmcg ( and 100mcg) .. was it reduced because you had some symptoms of overmedication ? .... or did you actually feel fine on 150mcg ( and 100mcg) and dose was just reduced due to the test results.

[hetrap in reply to tattybogle]

the reductions in dosages were because the hospital said they had been too much and so the GP's go by that information

[tattybogle in reply to hetrap]

some times this conclusion 'you're taking too much ' can be made incorrectly without considering the individual patient properly .... especially if they only look at TSH level and don't properly consider the patients previous results / actual symptoms / and their fT4 / fT3 level.

Get hold of the actual results the decision was made on . and post them here .. and then you can decide for yourself on the basis of the full information whether a reduction really did look like it might have been be a good idea ... or not .

'hospital ? ; were you in hospital for something

... what ? ....(might be relevent )

[Jazzw in reply to hetrap]

Sorry about the misunderstanding—that’ll teach me to read posts late at night.

I have a feeling that when we get to see your thyroid blood test results we’ll see that your misinformed doctors have been reacting to TSH levels instead of FT4/FT3. My bet is that you’re currently undermedicated.

[hetrap in reply to Jazzw]

yes I do not think they take the T3/T4 results into account - only the TSH. I shall have to ask at the surgery for the actual results and will get back to you if I get them

[hetrap in reply to hetrap]

well I managed to get the TSH results - done in May which was 1.72 - inside their guidelines (am taking 75mcg at the moment). My T3 and T4 were done in October 2021 T3 being 3.8 and T4 being 15.1 - all within their guidelines. Not sure when I was changed from 100mcg to 75 mcg but it was in the last year. Having my statin changed to another so will see if that makes a difference as regards constipation.

[hetrap in reply to hetrap]

what does anyone think about the results? - be interested to hear about your ideas.

[radd in reply to hetrap]

hetrap,

You will need to post the ranges (numbers in brackets) after each test result for members to be able to comment.

For more members to offer their comments it would be better to start a new post. You can refer to this one as back ground info and members will also be able to find it in your profile.

[hetrap in reply to radd]

Thank you Radd. TSH in May was 1.72 (range is 0.35-5.00). T3 in October 2021 was 3.8 (range 3-6) T4 October 2021 15.1 (range 9-21). So according to the range the hospital has set all of the results are within the range. However these things should be according to how the individual feels - we are all different!

[radd in reply to hetrap]

hetrap

Absolutely, but assuming those results are your ‘frees’ (not totals), FT3 is very low in range and FT4 only half way through range.

Many require higher levels to achieve well being, and high cholesterol is a classic symptom of inadequate thyroid hormone. Also when we hold bodily inflammation which in common in people with autoimmune disease. Do you have Hashimotos?

To ensure thyroid hormones best efficacy you need to ensure iron, Vit B12, folate & Vit D are optimal. Have you had these tested? You also need a Levo dose raise and to try optimising conversion to raise FT3 by supplementing selenium.

If this were me I would stop taking the statins immediately until their need was identified as genuine by first eliminating other possible causes of high cholesterol.

Also be aware as greygoose has advised below high cholesterol isn’t always a bad thing as we need a certain amount to make other hormones, etc.

[hetrap in reply to radd]

Thank you for that radd. I have had bloods taken - about 2/3 weeks ago - for most other things eg FBC which was very good apparently and Vit D level was good too as were the other results . I have just had my statin changed to Rosuvastatin and my first dose will be this evening. However it appears that all statins cause - or help towards - constipation and that is what is causing me problems at the moment. My cholesterol was just over 6 which is why the statins have been introduced. Presumably I have Hashimoto's as my thyroid function was low when diagnosed. The antibodies were very high -this being 21 yrs ago. Will I upset the apple cart if I start taking selenium and if so how much should I take? The Drs will not change my dosage of thyroxine as the results are all within the range that the hospital have laid down!

[greygoose]

Statins are a bad thing for anybody to take, but worst of all for hypos.

High cholesterol is not the problem they make it out to be - it's a symptom, not a disease. It does not cause heart attacks or strokes, it's a natural part of the body. It is made in the liver, because your body needs it, but when your T3 is low, the liver cannot process and eliminate it correctly and it tends to build up in the blood. Increase your FT3 level and the cholesterol will drop.