sometimes i had fast heart beat in the morning. Heart dr did ekg, it was normal, nothing to be too concerned about & palpitations are better too.
My cholesterol levels is slightly raised ( 199 max) mine is 205, i am 80, petite female. Dr has asked me to have a ct scan done to check any calcium build up on artries.
I don’t think my cholesterol is very high, i am prediabetic. I am going to have ct scan done this week even though insurance may not cover all cost !
Anyone else have these pre Diabetis & raised cholesterol in Hashimoto?
Thanks
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Suzi_
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Statins are usually prescribed to lower cholesterol - however in thyroid patients, the high cholesterol levels are a secondary cause of hypothyroidism and should be addressed with an increase in thyroid hormones, as this is the primary reason.
It is the same with higher glucose levels, as your metabolism is slowed down due to insufficient thyroid hormones levels and as a result, your liver cannot efficiently process lipids or glucose and as a result the levels will rise. As I mentioned earlier this is NOT a dietary issue (although a healthy diet is obviously good), however the levels will not normalise before the root cause is addressed, which is insufficient thyroid hormones.
I think I may have not worded it correctly - I meant that the low thyroid hormones are causing the cholesterol levels to rise or result in higher cholesterol levels.
I have been reading lots of publications today, so my brain is a bit mushy with all that science input!😅
Are you still on Synthroid 50mcg? This is quite a small dose. In the UK, the prescribing guidelines state 1.6 mcg levothyroxine per kg of body weight. As you are in the States, I found something from the Mayo clinic, which indicates a replacement of 1.7 mcg per kg of body weight:
So for someone weighing 63 kg, they would need 107.1 mcg levothyroxine, rounded to the nearest 25mcg, at least 100 mcg levothyroxine (Synthroid in your case).
Can you do a private blood test in the States? You would need to test your TSH, T4 and T3 so you can see where all these are, I suspect your T4 and in particular the T3 are low, this is why your glucose and cholesterol levels are increased as they are connected to low T3.
In order for your medication to work properly, you also need good nutrient levels, so check your iron, folate, Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D. If these levels are low, you cannot process your medication efficiently, hence you will have symptoms. Many people have said that they had problems tolerating levothyroxine particularly when their iron and Vitamin D levels were low, so your low nutrient levels may have been connected to you not tolerating your medication very well when you have started.
As I mentioned earlier, your high glucose and cholesterol levels are NOT a dietary problem, but are a result of your slow metabolism due to not having sufficient levels of thyroid hormones for processing lipids and glucose. So you need to address the thyroid problem first, as this will bring your glucose and cholesterol levels back in the normal range again, but only when medicated properly.
'In the UK, the prescribing guidelines state 1.6 mcg levothyroxine per kg of body weight. As you are in the States, I found something from the Mayo clinic, which indicates a replacement of 1.7 mcg per kg of body weight:'
These are only suggested doses meant as a general guide, not an absolute. We need what we need, which could be more, or could be less. Dose will be partly dependent on ability of the individual to absorb and utilise the exogenous hormone.
Usually increases are 25mcg at a time. So for someone on 50mcg, it would make sense to trial an increase to 75mcg, wait 6 weeks or so and re-test levels of FT4 and FT3, review symptoms, and then act accordingly.
Absolutely, these are just a guide and some people would need more to feel well. However, especially when on a low dose, the patient can take this to the GP and point out these guidelines. And perhaps the GP would be more inclined to act upon them and agree to increase the dose by 25mcg in the first instance (with future increases to follow, if warranted).
I am wary of dose by weight - not that there isn't some sense, but there are far too many factors which confound the application of a simple universal formula.
helvella - Estimation of Levothyroxine Dosing in Adults
A discussion about the use of formulas to estimate levothyroxine dosing. Includes link to a downloadable spreadsheet which calculates several of these.
helvella's calculation document and spreadsheet can be can be found by following this link:
I know it is not ideal dosing by weight, but for a patient who is on 50mcg levothyroxine, having lots of symptoms and the GP does not want to increase the dose because the results are 'normal', the NICE document could perhaps be at least a starting point to discuss an increase?
But it is important to appreciate that even something as simple as changing make of levothyroxine, even among the commonly available formulations, can be enough to upset the claimed mathematical relationship.
And I have never yet reached 1.6 micrograms per kilo in my dose! Though I have more than once felt over-dosed.
Interesting, I need a bit more than the 1.6 mcg/kg but this dose fits me well, but we are all individuals with different needs. Trying to lower my dose will cause all sorts of upheaval, so will have to stick to my guns on dose.
The graphs in that link are really worth studying :
1) The one on the left shows that overall mortality (i.e. risk of death from any cause) is reduced more the higher the cholesterol is for both men and women.
2) The one on the right shows that the risk of death by heart disease only (for women) is still reduced by higher total cholesterol. There is a possible benefit for men from lower cholesterol when it comes to dying from heart disease.
3) What is rarely pointed out is that everyone will die of something. If people don't die of heart attack or stroke the chances are they will die of cancer or dementia/Alzheimer's.
My personal feelings on statins... I was told I needed statins years ago, but I refused them, and I will continue to refuse them. If I took them and they started causing me pain (some people end up unable to walk when taking them because of pain and weakness), I know from past experience throughout most of my life that I would not be believed and wouldn't be helped by doctors because they think I'm a hypochondriac and drug seeker. And, frankly, I would not take something that increases my risk of being in pain.
From one of the NHS pages on statins :
People at an increased risk of side effects
Statins should be taken with caution if you're at an increased risk of developing a rare side effect called myopathy, which is where the tissues of your muscles become damaged and painful. Severe myopathy (rhabdomyolysis) can lead to kidney damage.
Things that can increase this risk include:
being over 70 years old
having a history of liver disease
regularly drinking large quantities of alcohol
having a history of muscle-related side effects when taking a statin or fibrate (another type of medicine for high cholesterol)
having a family history of myopathy or rhabdomyolysis
If one or more of these apply to you, you may need to be frequently monitored to check for complications. A lower dose of statin may also be recommended.
If you have an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), treatment may be delayed until this problem is treated. This is because having an underactive thyroid can lead to an increased cholesterol level, and treating hypothyroidism may cause your cholesterol level to decrease, without the need for statins. Statins are also more likely to cause muscle damage in people with an underactive thyroid.
If you were to take statins and develop muscle damage this can lead to people having a condition called rhabdomyolysis which destroys the kidneys.
Don't worry about raised cholesterol, it is a symptom, not a disease. And it has nothing to do with your diet.
Cholesterol is made in the liver and the liver keeps levels steady by making more when you eat less and vice versa. However, when T3 is low, the body cannot process cholesterol correctly and it tends too build up in the arteries. However, this does not cause heart attacks or strokes as doctors claim. They tell you that to scare you into taking statins, because Big Pharma wants everybody taking statins regardless!
There's no such thing as good and bad cholesterol. When you have a cholesterol blood test, it's not the actual cholesterol that is is measured, but the protein carriers that transport the cholesterol round the body to where it is needed - and the body has a great need of cholesterol! Most of your body is made up of it. So, the HDL and LDL that you see mentioned on report sheets are not actual cholesterol, but the protein carriers, and a protein carrier can be neither good nor back.
And, one thing to keep in mind: low cholesterol puts you at greater risk of a heart attack than high cholesterol because the cholesterol actually heals the damaged arteries and wards off heart attack: no cholesterol means no healing. It also means low sex hormones, and all the problems that causes.
And, before anybody asks, these are not my opinions, these are the conclusions I've come to from my reading on the subject. Check out Dr Malcolm Kendrick.
I agree with u about statins & pushing the patients to take unnecessary drugs, specially in USA. I told cardiologist, I was not ready to take statins! Endocrinology suggested- start low dose of lipitor!
I will try the diet routine! I don’t think my cholesterol is v high, i exercise, not overweight & don’t eat lot of junk food!
I agree that high cholesterol is not an issue IF the ratio of good cholesterol ie HDL to LDL is okay, if the ratio isn’t good I think it can be a problem. My total is high at 7.1 but my ratio is 3.9 which is good, to double check this a had a Carotid scan, pristine veins no plaque.
Of course my GP. Was reaching for the statin bottle so I saw my cardiologist who said I was all good and would write to my GP re parking the statin bottle.
In my case diet does make a difference, my cardiologist reckons only small % of cholesterol comes from diet, but in my case when I quit my serious coconut yogurt habit my total dropped from 7.4 to 5.3.
And last point to disagree with you on 😀, exercise is important because allegedly it increases HDL, my HDL is 1.8 which is over range but very protective, cardiologist reckons it’s because I exercise a lot.
There's no such thing as good and bad cholesterol. That is just an invention of Big Pharma to scare people into taking statins. HDL and LDL are just the protein carriers, the cholesterol inside is the same. It's not even the cholesterol itself that is tested with a blood test.
Obviously you do get cholesterol from diet but the liver keeps the level steady by making more when you eat less and vice versa. Lord! I wish cholesterol levels were dictated by diet! I stuff myself with butter, cheese, cream, etc. but my cholesterol stays stubbornly low - dangerously low! But try getting a doctor to take that seriously! They laugh at you and say that cholesterol can't be too low. Shows how much they know!I
And last point to disagree with you on 😀, exercise is important because allegedly it increases HDL, my HDL is 1.8 which is over range but very protective, cardiologist reckons it’s because I exercise a lot.
'Allegedly' 'Cardiologist reckons' So, no scientific proof or facts there. Well, as I said, my cholesterol is very low and I never exercise, I never have - apart from the natural exercise that comes from just living a normal life.
But, in any case, it's not me you're disagreeing with, it's Dr Malcolm Kendrick. He's the person that makes the most sense where cholesterol is concerned. All the scaremongering comes from people wanting you to take statins to boost their incomes, in one way or another. I never did buy into all that.
in my case the liver didnt keep my cholesterol steady when I over eat on the coconut yogurt, I have the labs to show it.
It seems you are an outlier in terms of your low cholesterol, I agree docs that say you cant have too low cholesterol are ridiculous and lose all credibility in my opinion. I also think big pharma is behind the brain washing , shocking really that its allowed.
by co-incidence I have just bought a copy of Dr Kendricks book on cholesterol and plan to have a read, he might be right but that means most other docs/cardiologists are wrong, so who is right?
Mercola has some good info on Cholesterol also he reckons as low as its below 330 its not an issue, maybe , however, Mercola preached about the high fat low carb diet Keto diet for years and sold me a book on it , now he says he was wrong and prefers the opposite, go figure.
My 2 cent is its not clear which is right or wrong (which is ridiculous in 2024, after all its not brain surgery). I totally disagree with most of what GP's say about cholesterol and big pharma is scandelous but I think maybe you might be a tad gung ho saying all cholesterol is good and how high it is doesnt matter. Meantime enjoy the butter and cream 😀
Who is right and who is wrong? Given that the majority of doctors get their 'information' from sales reps who want to sell statins, my money is on them being wrong.
And when you think about it logically, is it likely that a substance so essential to a body - of which the body is made to a great extent - is likely to kill you? That doesn't sound like Mother Nature's plan, sounds more like greedy, grasping corporations finding a weak spot in the human psyche and exploiting it to the full! After all, they have been known to be wrong before, about salt, and fat, and other things. Why would they be right now?
That is fact. They have yet to prove that cholesterol actually kills. It's just theory.
But, you know what? I do wonder why so many people are resistant to the idea that cholesterol might not be the bad guy after all. It's like people actually want it to cause heart attacks and get very shirty when one says it doesn't. Is it because they feel this this is one area in their chaotic little lives that they might just be able to control? When they ought really be rejoicing - hooray! I can enjoy the good things in life, like butter, without any consequences! Or does that just seem too immoral, and like there ought to be consequences... Is it the puritan in us raising its ugly little head? Just a thought.
I think you sound as if you are doing brilliantly. You are 80 years old and doing what you are doing? Brilliant, you have a life in which are partaking. Why on Earth at 80 your doctor wants a CT scan for such slight heart symptoms - goodness knows. You will either have a lot of calcium build up (at 80) about which they can do nothing (constructive) OR find very little, on which you can congratulate yourself. However if they find something Cardiology will want severe restrictions and medications but worse than that you will have ‘confirmation’ of something you will then be concerned to worry about! Needlessly. Well that’s what happened to me (72). Lots of dilemmas to consider. I would not recommend it.
Your target is to get your thyroid medication optimal. That’s what would be constructive help. Not something else collected to worry about.
All the symptoms you report are much more likely signs of thyroid under medication, which should be addressed first and foremost. Even a very slight adjustment could make all the difference.
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