Sudden exhaustion. help?!?

[ettiebetty]

Hello all... I was on levothyroxine (t4) AND Liothyronine (t3) but had constant heart reactions so chosen to return to levo only. This was in July 2022.

I had been on 75mcg T4/5mcg T3 for some years.

I had to lower and then raise slowly because of my overreaction to raises, it was all going well with checking every 6wks, and tired but OK, last out of range bloods were in December.

NB: Ranges

TSH 0.27-4.2

FREE T4 11-22

FREE T3 3.1-6.8

started at 100mcg t4/levo.

TSH FT4 FT3

aug 11th 2.96 25.4 3.6 -dropped to 87mcg nov 2nd 13.9 18.2 3.6 -upped to 96mcg dec 21st 26.6 16.6 3.6 -upped to 100mcg

I was just about to do another test a few weeks ago, expecting the need to raise further, however, this happened:

3wks ago

SAT 18

had diarrhea and bad tummy cramps, called 111, but by the time I spoke with someone it was getting better. they said to talk to my dr Monday anyway.

MON 20

Felt fine, (stand in) Dr said go to a&e!? at a&e they did bloods, ecg, etc and I had high d-dimer. they worried was lung clot so put me on high blood thinners. the nighttime saw hot feet and felt not good.

TUES 21

woke to heavy bleeding (was just coming off period before) and sharp chest pain, fizzy limbs, aching, tired.

WED 22

had ct scan with iodine contrast. told Dr felt v tired (but was fine on Monday when id gone in)... she said its because I didnt need the blood thinners as I was fine and to stop. I did. v thirsty. bad night. felt ill.

THURS 23

extreme exhaustion. nurse said I likely just had a virus, didnt know why they had done all that. go home relax. recover.

... that was 2 wks ago today. Im exhausted. cant function. so tired. Here is my question...

The hospital on the Monday 20th did my bloods...labs:

NB: RANGES DIFFERENT FROM ABOVE!

TSH 3.3 (0.4-5.0)

FREE T4 14 (9-19)

And again on Tues 28th...

TSH 3.9 (A/A)

FREE T4 15 (A/A)

My symptoms are:

pain in my arms

sharp wrists pains (stopped past 2 days)

elbow joint pain ... months

morning finger swelling

fatigue

insomnia... much much better past week!

tummy issues - past year runny AM even hypo.

My main problem is the debilitating exhaustion im experiencing since the Thursday 23rd. Its so bad I can barely even eat. just no appetite. even talking is tiring. Iwas tired before, hence expecting to be raising again, but not like this.

I have had a full blood check with added iron panel etc., plus lung and heart/ecg etc and even stool sample checks. Plus TPO antibody test... All normal. Well, ferritin was 60 but still not so low as to cause this.

... Im wondering if I need to raise T4 higher? Im in range... just, at least by these labs.

is it thyroid too low?

is it the blood thinners/bleeding?

is it the ct scan?

is it the iodine contrast?

am I allergic to t4 (yrs ago I had issues raising)

has the low t4 caused adrenal fatigue?

my nutritionist is both eastern/Western trained and says its a yin deficiency and if I push the thyroid up I will make things worse... as with adrenal fatigue.

Has anyone been here before? Any insight? Should I just keep resting?... why has my tsh gone from 3.3 to 3.9 in a week? Thank you for any thoughts!!

[Jaydee1507 Administrator]

Are you able to give us a few more details?

What dose were you on of Levo and T3 and what have you changed to?

How long has the exhaustion been going on?

What were your most recent thyroid blood results?

What were your latest results for ferritin, folate, B12 & D3?

[ettiebetty in reply to Jaydee1507]

hello, I have edited the post, but I was on 75 t4 and 5 t3, but when I was previously on only t4 my usual dose was 125 levo/t4.

ive been tired whilst pushing up my levo since July, but this exhaustion started 2wks ago. the day after my ct scan/radioactive iodine and 2 days after my v heavy period bleed brought on by unneeded blood thinners. ... ive added lots to the pist, may be worth re reading it, sorry.

most recent thyroid bloods, again, I've added to the post with ferritin, but don't have folate/b12/d3. they were supposed to be done and were asked for by the nurse but they didn't do it!!

im going to try to sleep now... by the way, I'm feeling FINE at night... hence wondering about levo allergy???

thanks for looking Jaydee xxx

[Jaydee1507 Administrator in reply to ettiebetty]

Reading your previous posts I think you may have mistaken hypo symptoms for hyper. It can be very confusing when you're getting a high heart rate! Your FT3 has barely ever risen above the bottom quarter of the range so no wonder you are where you are today.

is it thyroid too low?

Yes and probably by a fair bit.

is it the blood thinners/bleeding?

Probably not but worth asking a doctor.

is it the ct scan?

Not likely.

is it the iodine contrast?

Quite possibly. That coupled with your low FT3 and its a recipe for disaster.

am I allergic to t4 (yrs ago I had issues raising)

No one is allergic to T4/Levo, or T3 for that matter. You can be intolerant of fillers such as lactose. Have you tried lactose free Levo/t3? What brand of Levo do you have and do you always get the same brand?

has the low t4 caused adrenal fatigue?

T4 really isnt that important, its a storage hormone. T3 is much more important and a low FT3 will cause you all sorts of issues, especially if its low for many years like yours has been.

People who feel well on Levo alone usually have a TSH of around 1 or just under (if they are converting well). Yours has never been there on replacement.

You need to get tested, buy private tests if necessary, for all your key vitamins. It may be that you are low in some, actually fairly likely and that will be adding to symptoms and the Levo you are taking won't be able to work effectively. It will also cause intolerance of Levo/T3.

If your body is underpowered when hypo then high heart rates when doing something are quite likely. The answer is to increase the dose and give your metabolism a boost. Its not very nice and I have experienced it myself but will improve with more thyroid hormone.

Your ferritin isnt awful but should be 90-100 for thyroid hormone to work best. Focus on iron rich foods.