Thanks to some wonderful advice here I have navigated various GPs who initially suggested my symptoms could all be “psychological”
The last GP I spoke to looked back at my TSH from my last pregnancy and found it had been elevated, and had continued to climb over last 4 years. Still “subclinical” at 5.6 and my T4 has continued to decrease and is now 10. The GP felt it was clear my thyroid was not going to just get better and prescribed levothyroxine 50mg.
I am really wanted to see if anyone has experience of it starting to have effects quickly? After 2 weeks I have noticed I don’t have a sore throat, and my neck doesn’t look swollen or feel hard anymore! I’m not sure if this is coincidence or it is the medication? In hindsight my neck was so swollen!!
Written by
KRex
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Yes symptoms can improve pretty quickly after starting on Levo
Common as you get nearer 6-8 retest for some symptoms to start reappearing…..this is your body getting ready for next increase in dose of Levo
Recommended that all thyroid blood tests early morning, ideally just before 9am, only drink water between waking and test and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test
This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)
50mcg is only standard STARTER dose
Likely to need further increases in dose over coming months
Meanwhile are you working on improving low B12, folate with supplements and ferritin by increasing iron rich foods in your diet
I have deficiency in vitD and folate which I am taking supplements for. B12 I am about 5 units off being deficient so they won’t agree to treatment yet. I have a family history of PA and I have symptoms so the advice was to take my folate for a few months and retest as my b12 will likely be “deficient” now. If they doctors refuse injections I am just going to do my own - my beauty therapist friend said can help as she sells the injections.
With serum B12 result below 500, (Or active B12 below 70) recommended to be taking a separate B12 supplement
Worth trying daily B12 supplement FIRST
Is your Folic acid prescribed by GP ?
Once you finish folic acid ….Look at starting a separate vitamin B Complex
Then once your serum B12 is over 500 (or Active B12 level has reached 70), you may be able to reduce then stop the B12 and just carry on with the B Complex.
If Vegetarian or vegan likely to need ongoing separate B12 few times a week
Thorne Basic B recommended vitamin B complex that contains folate, but they are large capsules. (You can tip powder out if can’t swallow capsule) Thorne can be difficult to find at reasonable price, should be around £20-£25. iherb.com often have in stock. Or try ebay
IMPORTANT......If you are taking vitamin B complex, or any supplements containing biotin, remember to stop these 7 days before ALL BLOOD TESTS , as biotin can falsely affect test results
In week before blood test, when you stop vitamin B complex, you might want to consider taking a separate folate supplement (eg Jarrow methyl folate 400mcg) and continue separate B12
Post discussing how biotin can affect test results
I've had some fun recently reading old posts from the forum, several years old in some cases. I always felt it was odd that GP's are so keen to dismiss many symptoms we have as psychological, aka depression, stress anxiety.
Especially as these are all symptoms and no one has yet devised a blood test for depression haha.
Several posters made the point that there are apparently financial incentives for prescribing and more importantly reviewing antidepressants, put simply the practice gets points for prescribing them, which translate into extra cash for the practice. Whereas the diagnosis of thyroid issues gets them little or nothing.
And as we know GP surgeries are run as businesses nowadays, and the partner GP's have a vested financial interest in making as much money as they can, similarly health screenings like smear tests and vaccination uptake targets, if achieved, also get them extra cash.
If true I must admit I found it deeply concerning. However the mystery of why GP's are so dismissive of symptoms, especially women's symptoms, has perhaps become more clear and might go some way to explaining why so many antidepressant medications are prescribed. I certainly think we need to be aware of this.
Unfortunately we've had a myriad of members over the years fobbed off with anxiety/ depression/stress/hormones. In fact I'm guessing nearly every woman you ask has probably heard it at some point.
Or you get labelled with Chronic Fatigue or Fibro. As you say its much more common for men to be taken seriously. We are patronised, belittled or gaslight. No wonder people have a hard time trusting doctors.
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