Has anyone else had a battle with their GP Surgery? I have had a nightmare with mine. I was diagnosed Hypothyroid August 2022 by text (TSH levels were 7.2, Cholesterol 6). No consultation, no information about my condition given, nothing. I thought I was Perimenopausal but the GP said I was too young - I was 49 (😳). I was just prescribed 25mg of Levothyroxine and left. Symptoms improved immediately but came back December 2022. Blood test showed my TSH levels were 1.72. GP said it was within the normal range. I wanted to know what was causing it (ie Hashimoto’s). GP said (via phone call) “it can’t be Hashimoto’s because it’s rare”. I laughed - I thought he was joking. I told him it accounts for 90% of Hypothyroid cases. He said “well it still can’t be that because it comes on suddenly”. Completely wrong. This is the level of incompetence I am dealing with. Blood test revealed my antibody levels were 245 (normal range 0-34).
Fast forward to June this year and my symptoms are getting worse. Blood test revealed my TSH had doubled to 3.56. I wanted my Levothyroxine dose increased. GP refused to do anything because levels were in normal range. I asked to be referred to an Endocrinologist. He said it wouldn’t make any difference but that “we’ll see what they say”. He wrote to his Endocrinologist and the reply back agreed with the GP. But..when I made a freedom of information request to see what the GP had written - it was completely wrong. He’d trivialised my condition and said my main concern was to have my antibodies checked again, amongst other things, all of which were completely untrue.
Meanwhile I’d booked an appointment, privately, with an Endocrinologist (one the GP had suggested before writing to his). I saw her yesterday. She tripled my Levothyroxine dose immediately and said I was perimenopausal. I nearly cried. I felt vindicated. When I told her what the GP had said about Hashimoto’s and not being perimenopausal-she laughed. I said “exactly, this is the level of incompetence I have been dealing with”.
She also said that 25mcg of Levothyroxine was almost a placebo, that she would never start a patient on that dose and that symptoms might improve initially but would return within a couple of months (which is exactly what happened to me). She said my TSH range should be between 0.5 and 2.5 and that my dosage of Levothyroxine should be 1.4 x weight in kg.
She wants to get my Hypothyroid symptoms under control first and then deal with Perimenopause symptoms. What a relief! Finally I’m being treated by someone who actually knows what they are doing. I had to pay for it but it was worth it to deal with an expert rather than incompetent GP’s.
What experiences have you had?
Vegovy 
Changing beta blockers
Longstanding hypothyroid, with now very low TSH
Unraveling the molecular architecture of autoimmune thyroid diseases at spatial resolution
