I'm 68 and have been hypothyroid for 10 years, all bloods fine and in range and have been in fairly good health. I always remember my doctor saying it can lead to diabetes as it's an endocrine matter.
I've always had to eat regular meals throughout the day, can't fast/crash diet etc. A few months ago I got covid and am being referred to a local clinic. I ended up in A & E a few times recently due to tachycardia/faint feeling/short of breath...all bloods/tests good. Recently I've had the shakes and palpitations if I don't eat 3 hourly intervals. I got a monitor and during this 'hypo' type incident my blood sugar was 5.3-lower end of middle range, so maybe my ANS was in overdrive. Recently after a small bowl of spaghetti for dinner -2 hours later had the palps/shakes and my monitor said 9...so top end of a normal range. Later went to 11 as I was in a bad state . Settled in a few hours and Doc said sugars fluctuate during the day so don't worry-the reactions could be an overactive nervous system/dysautonomia due to covid. Covid can exacerbate autoimmune things so I wondered if this is what is happening-has anyone experienced anything like this?Any anecdotes appreciated.
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celticlady
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The problem is that doctors say that your results are okay, when they are anywhere in the reference range - and these ranges are quite wide. That does not necessarily mean that these levels are right for you or that you have sufficient replacement of thyroxine hormones for your personal needs.
Higher glucose and cholesterol levels are two key indicators of an under-active thyroid. In the good old days, hypothyroidism was diagnosed when these two levels were high and replacement was given until these levels came down again. These days, doctors mainly test the TSH (which is the feedback from your pituitary in response to the thyroid hormones you are taking) and at a stretch they may test T4. T3 is the active thyroid hormone that is converted when you are taking levothyroxine. Without testing it, you would not know how much of the active hormone you have and if this level would be sufficient for your metabolism.
It is a bit like an engine that runs low on fuel (thyroid hormones), so it cannot properly function. Because things are slow, the body has not got the energy (=hormones) to deal with your glucose or cholesterol (or other fats), hence these levels rise, as they cannot be cleared from the system. It is not a dietary problem and will not go away, unless the underlying problem is addressed, which is the slow metabolism, e.g. lack of thyroid hormones. Many hypothyroid patients are not on the right dose, hence these problems start. Once your body has got enough thyroid hormones again, it can clear the glucose from your system, hence diabetes would not be that much of a risk.
Have you got any results from your thyroid tests you could share? It would be good, if you could find out what your actual levels are, such as TSH, T4 and T3 (although most GPs won't test T3). You are entitled to a print out of your results from your GP, so you could perhaps ask for them and post here (with the reference ranges, as each lab has a slightly different reference range)?
Hi... Tsh 0.53....ft4...20.1...ft3... 4.1(3.1-6.8)...all well within range... Never had any glucose issue before this long covid, just had to eat regularly.
Thank you. Last check with monitor my health.... No letters after these numbers... Ferritin 60.tsat 27. B12. 144.hb 141.....i take vit d supps B12. Will start iron tabs. Folate not tested as blood spoilt by time it arrived.
yes. Will test all again November... Currently dealing with palpitations bs disorder fatigue dizziness etc... Covid can affect thyroid. Test at hospital and gp all normal-I know, normal for their needs! Always felt light headed and sometimes sob after hypo diagnosis years ago... Not debilitating more annoying. Tried going up 25mg levo but bad palps and nose bleeds panic attacks. Never saw an endo maybe it's time for referral... Months waiting, just been refused neuro going to go to LC clinic. Dysautonomia my gp said post covid and probs exacerbated by hypothyroidism.
You are a poor converter fT3 should track just below fT4 levels... you don't need any more T4 your body can't make use of it
B12 often crashes after covid so certainly needs checking
I see you have previously mentioned anxiety which is also a low fT3 symptom, you could do with requesting an Endo referral with the aim of getting some T3, you can name who you like to see so request the list which might show who in your area is more likely to be helpful... thyroiduk.org/contact-us/ge...
Saw private ent recent re dizziness so will wait till next pension payment!! Will try doc again for endo referral. Last I heard years ago was t4 v high but no comment on T3. Take B12 spray daily plus vit d 5000. So confused as covid affects thyroid so need to sort LC out first.
Hi...I had the same problem with my blood tests that I had with monitor my health...said the blood had spoilt by the time it got to them....they've sent me a new test to do, but only has the yellow topped test & no purple one like in the original test kit 🙃....so not sure what they are testing for now...confusing definitely.
As TiggerMe has mentioned, your T4 is quite high in range but your T3 is low in comparison. Most people feel well when both their T4 and T3 are between 60-75% through the range. Your T3 is low, as you are not converting much of your T4 to T3 (conversion sadly gets worse as we age), so you may benefit from an addition of T3 to your routine.
Are you always getting the same brand of levothyroxine? People react differently to different generics, so maybe that could have been part of the problem when you tried to increase your dose? But as others have mentioned, as you are not converting much T4 to T3, you could try to add in some T3 in addition to your levo, as this would get your T4 a bit down in range and lift your T3 up as well.
Thank you for your help with this. Always accord brand. Do docs prescribe T3? Nervous about doing this as I'm massively reactive to meds. Will research online. Now I'm poorly with long covid so don't want to complicate things! Trying to sort that out taking all my energy. Read somewhere that high t4 /taking levo can increase cancer risk!!
GPs cannot initiate T3, this needs to be done by an endocrinologist. Thyroid UK have a list of thyroid friendly endocrinologists that may be of help, if you have the chance to see one of them.
I am not aware of an increased risk of cancer with taking levo or T4 being high in range - where have you seen this? In any case, a risk is a probability, even if there is a slightly higher chance compared to a control population, it does not necessarily mean that you would get it. Some risk assessment studies are also very poorly designed, so can be meaningless to provide a clear answer.
Her T4 levels are not above range, they are 81%, so still within the range, although on the higher end.
Studies are actually conflicting on the increased cancer risk, some say increased breast or lung cancer, others do not find any association and more clinical trials are needed to prove the association either way. There are multiple factors that can contribute to an increased risk of any disease (including cancer) and one factor alone cannot be the only determinant. And as I have mentioned before, a risk association does not mean that you will get the disease, there might be a probability, but that will depend on other factors as well.
Very interesting. Thank you for the link. Ft3 wasn't tested recently so I might go for another monitor my health test in November as they do a black Fri discount. So much else going on... Just starting propranolol for the awful tachycardia, not every day just as needed-prn.
You do realize propranolol will further lower your thyroid hormone levels?
"Beta-blockade is mainstay of symptomatic therapy; antiadrenergic effects block effects of excess thyroid hormone. Beta-blockade also plays a role in the prevention of peripheral conversion of T4 to T3. Propranolol is the best studied in this class, but other beta-blockers have similar effects in hyperthyroidism."
Needs to be taken 4 hours away from Levo, tachycardia could well be a side effect of your adrenals trying to over compensate for your lack of thyroid hormone
Could be but so many people have this with long covid no previous thyroid issues. I've been told covid had myocardial effect, inflammation of heart plus mcas histamine triggers reactions. I'm only taking as needed maybe one 10mg every 10 days or so. So hard to extrapolate the core reason for certain symptoms. Even my cardiologist struggled to work this out. I can only add that my low T3 didn't cause palpitations for the decade I've been on levo. Not to this worrying extent. I Had similar reaction in 2022 when post covid had to take beta blockers for daily palpitations.
There is a good chance your conversion has worsened over the last 10 years as the important vits and mins have likely lowered, optimal levels of folate, ferritin, B12 and Vit D are needed for conversion
The fact is before covid your fT3 levels were low enough to cause significant symptoms and have likely lowered further, yes getting a full thyroid panel is the only way to know for sure, but the truth is your body cannot function well without a decent level of fT3 so I'd suggest this needs tackling first and could also deal with the LC symptoms!
Hello, I’ve had blood sugar problems for a few years. I stupidly did six months very low carb eating as that’s supposed to put it right but unfortunately it didn’t & in trying to eat eat more normally I’ve now been catapulted into full diabetes. Prescribed Metformin last week.
I think you may be suffering from reactive hypoglycaemia. Google & see if it fits. I think I had it for years.
I’ve discovered really interesting & different advice from The Glucose Goddess. She’s on YouTube , Instagram etc & also has published books. She says that controlling the blood sugar spikes is crucial & it’s all down to the order in which we eat our food. I’m going to try her ideas. She says eat vegetables first, then protein, then starches & sugars. Lots of science to back up her method. Have a look.
Quite a lot of hypothyroid patients do struggle with elevated glucose levels. But the problem is, that in the majority of cases it is NOT a dietary problem, it is a metabolic problem. Thyroid hormones are the key to many metabolic processes such as glucose metabolism, lipid metabolism, protein metabolism. When you have a lack of thyroid hormones (especially T3, which is the active hormone), your metabolism is slowed down, as your body lacks the 'fuel' (e.g. thyroid hormone) to process glucose, lipids etc. As a result, your levels will rise.
GPs are keen to give you some metformin or statins to get these in line again, but that is just a 'plaster', as the underlying problem is still the lack of thyroid hormone. If your thyroid levels such as TSH or T4 are within the normal range, you have a heck of a time convincing the GP to increase your thyroid meds, but that would be the logical thing to do, as this would increase your metabolism and will help the body to clear glucose and lipids from the circulation. So it all comes down to having tour thyroid hormones optimised, then glucose and lipid levels will come down as a result of proper treatment.
I always had to eat at set times. No diets/fasting or late /skipped meals as would have hypo symptoms.. Shakey palps etc. Much worse now after covid. Interesting though to read this. Still battling through current LC issues. Been advised to eat protein, really limit carbs and cut out sugar as much as possible.
Thank you for your help. I'm doing protein low carbs veg now and avoiding sugar. Lots of people on LC forum having similar issues after covid but Tina Maria has some interesting comments re thyroid and glucose interaction.
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