Suddenly ill.

[Zot1]

I am worried about my sister. Recently , she felt sick and we didn't know the reasons . She went to emergency and she was told about a thyroid virus and thyroid infection ..She got antibiotics , but the doctor found the virus caused hyperthyroidism as well. Once the treatment done, she did an another test, this time she has hypothyroism. She feels very week and no energy. Dr prescribed levothoraxine 50 mgc.She got it for 1week, nothing changed.d 4 days ago when she was driving, she didn't feel well :dizneess, lack of energy . She called the ambulance . The test at emergency room was a disaster! T3, T 4 , TSH 0. Dr increased the dosage from 50-100 , but still she feels bad. She will see the Dr on Wednesday. If you have any suggestion or something similar to this situation, could you please share with me. I feel bad and worried to see her very week . Respectfully Julie.

[greygoose]

Hi Zot1, welcome to the forum.

So, how long has she been taking levo on these doses? Results from thyroid hormone replacement are not instant, they don't work like aspirin. It can take at least six weeks to feel a difference. And, 50 mcg is just a starter dose, and should be increased by 25 mcg every six weeks until she feels well.

Does she have copies of her blood test results? Because if her TSH was over 20, she shouldn't have been driving.

It's a long slow process, and a lot of patience is require. So, I wouldn't worry too much about it, it's perfectly normal not to feel good straight away.

By the sound of it, she has Autoimmune Thyroiditis - aka Hashi's - which can be triggered by a virus/infection. Hashi's can swing between false 'hyper' and hypo, as the disease slowly destroys the thyroid, but will end up completely hypo.

[Zot1 in reply to greygoose]

Thank you .

[SlowDragon Administrator]

When very hypothyroid she shouldn’t have been driving

It takes 6-8 weeks for each dose of levothyroxine to have full effect

50mcg levothyroxine is the standard STARTER dose

Normally dose is increased slowly upwards in 25mcg steps

Bloods should be retested 6-8 weeks after each dose increase

So she’s now been put on 100mcg daily…..she might feel a bit hyper as increased quickly

Is she in the U.K.?

Which brand of levothyroxine is she currently taking

Important for GP to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 vitamin levels

These are often low when thyroid levels are out of balance

[Zot1 in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you .

[jimh111]

Can you post her actual TSH, fT3, fT4 values as they can’t all be zero. With inflammation of the thyroid (thyroiditis) hormone levels can jump around a lot until things settle down one way or another.

[Queeniz in reply to jimh111]

Soooooo true they can jump around 🙀

[Etoile3 in reply to jimh111]

Sorry. T3 ! T4 0 but TSH 130.

[mistydog in reply to Etoile3]

These are not results and don't show the ranges which admin needs to decipher the results

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Etoile3]

Etoile3

Are you also posting as zot1?

Or are you a different person?

[Zot1 in reply to SlowDragon]

Sorry for the confusion! Ok. I have 2 accounts, one for my dad who has prostate cancer, and one for my sister. (Thyroid). Respectfully Julie.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Zot1]

So you’re saying

your sister’s TSH was 130

And her Ft4 was 0

She DEFINITELY should not have been driving

Probably Going to take 6-12 months to recover her health slowly

It’s not just taking a pill….fixed

It’s 2-3 months to settle on each dose increase in levothyroxine

[Zot1 in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks for your information. I told my sister and her husband will give her a ride . In 2 weeks she will have another test to see any improvement with the increased dosage. Let's hope. Really much appreciated!

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Zot1]

Bloods should be retested 6-8 weeks after each dose change or brand change in levothyroxine

[Vic12]

I felt like this when I was sick with Covid and all of the sudden, I developed a thyroiditis. It was the worse! Very tired, achy neck, drenched in sweat every night, dizziness. I went from hypo to hyper and had to stop levo. Im still dealing with high tsh. That was around Feb. i feel much better now. I even had nodules around thyroid gland which were to biopsied but disappeared the day of. It is a slow process to get better. My endo did say it was because of Covid and should resolved in around 6 months. I hope your sister feel better soon.

[Zot1 in reply to Vic12]

Thank you so much.

[arTistapple]

I had a few of these episodes over a few years before I was diagnosed. I thought I was having a stroke. Fortunately since starting medication nothing so dramatic has happened. Greygoose and SlowDragon are so……. right. Keep Calm and Carry On!

[Zot1 in reply to arTistapple]

Thank you so much .