I did it - took sound advice on here and changed GP's.......................

[Dollychris]

I have put it off for long enough and took the plunge and changed GP's. Now that might sound easy but when you have been with the same GP surgery all your life it isn't at all easy. It should have been as the past 3 years (only time I have been really ill with Gall stones and undiagnosed thyroid problem.)

Well, I felt awful despite taking 75 mgs Levo and Beta Blocker for sever aural migraine and he told me to come back in a year - end of!!

Was told I was fine and believed there was nothing more I could do.

Hubby stepped in and got a transfer form for me and I did it.

New GP is very helpful and scheduled Thyroid bloods and a week later results showed TSH at 8.9 (Higher than the 7.8 originally diagnosed over a year ago). My Levo has been increased to 125 mgs but the Beta Blockers will have to wait to see if that works first. Have appt for early January (10 weeks.) and feel as if I definitely made the right move. Will wait and see how things go but hopefully will start to feel a bit better as at the moment I feel useless.

Can anyone advise what Minerals and Vitamins to take please as am at a loss. Also something to help with sleeping?

This is a brilliant community and just glad I have changed GP otherwise I would have wiated until next May before my next test. Thank you for the advice everyone!!

[nobodysdriving]

well done Dollychris for 'plucking up the courage' to take this step

as you may know the beta blockers work 'against' your thyroid medication so you really should think about trying to come off them and find an alternative.

There are other meds for migraines, I am not saying what is best for you, but for example I was on Topiramate and it worked really well for me, I am now on 'nothing', perhaps my change in diet and the hypothyroidism treated have helped. Migraines are one of the hypothyroid symptoms so they may go or ease a lot once you are properly medicated.

Fancy that other 'ignorant' GP keeping you so ill! makes me really cross

I have to run to work now but will post again later with answers to your other questions if no one else has done so xxx

[Dollychris in reply to nobodysdriving]

Thank you so much nobodysdriving for your kind comments and advice which is very much appreciated. My new GP is aware that the Beta Blockers could be causing me to feel worse and 'slowing me down' even more but has said that she will need to have 10 weeks of the new 125 mg treatment and take it from there.

I will ask about different treatment for the migraine but she seems to think that with the correct dose of Levo the migraines may stop as they restarted with a vengeance when I started taking Levo upon diagnosis of Hypothyroidism. The other treatment I take is Sumatriptan.

Many thanks for your prompt reply. xx

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK]

As nobodysdriving wrote - well done.

We have a standard set that we keep suggesting because they seem so often to be low:

vitamin B12

folates

iron/ferritin

vitamin D

Quite a proportion of people take their levothyroxine at bed-time. Have a look here:

thyroiduk.healthunlocked.co...

Some find it works better for them and some find they sleep better.

I assume you are taking your levothyroxine well away from any food, drink (other than water, supplements or medicines? There are many substances which reduce the availability of the hormone if taken near the same time. E.g. one hour for a cup of coffee, four hours for iron supplements.

Rod

[Dollychris in reply to helvella]

Thank you for your prompt reply Rod and I have started to take my Levo before bedtime as I'm having trouble sleeping at night. Been about a month now but with the increases in meds a bit early yet to know if it helps or not. I make sure I don't eat or drink for at least an hour and I don't take any supplements besides at the moment - hence the request for advice on what to take. Can you advise on strengths for vits etc please?

Thank you once again - I am really grateful for your advice. xx

[Moggie]

Before you take any vit's it would be advisable to ask your doc to test for them expecially B12 and VitD as both of these, if low, can mimic thyroid symptoms. Iron and Ferritin should also be tested. The more vitd you have in your body the more calcium the body makes and if you have excess this could lead to kidney stones so it really is advisable to get tested first. Your new doc sounds better than the last but he/she would be unlikely to offer you the tests so, again, it will be up to you to make sure you have them.

Well done you for biting the bullet and taking a very big step towards managing your own health by changing GP's.

Moggie x

[helvella Administrator Thyroid UK in reply to Moggie]

Agreed.

[Dollychris in reply to Moggie]

Thank you Moggie and will ask my GP at beginning of January about testing for vit deficiency. God this is such an in depth problem and so hard to comprehend when you are first diagnosed. I think all we all want is to just feel well again. I feel old before my time and at 57 I'm not ready to be written off and give up although there are times when I despair. Hopefully my new GP (Woman) will be of further help and be willing to carry out tests that the other GP scoffed at.

Thank you for your help and advice and promise to report back on what happens next. New year - new start I hope. xx

[Moggie]

My doc - also a woman - refused to give me a vitd test and it wasn't until I asked if she would take on board private test results (there has been reports on here of some GP's refusing to recognise private test results), which I was thinking of having done, she then relented and gave me one on the NHS whch showed it was very low. Just a little tip for you if you do get a no from her. If you do get a no (and I hope you dont) you could also ask her how much she would do private testing for as your GP can sometimes be a lot cheaper than elsewhere.

Like you I am in my 50's and, also like you, I am not prepared to give up, hence the fight with my GP on vit testing and T3 issues (won that one as well). I am polite but forceful and I can now hold my own with her and she talks to me and not at me concerning my thyroid condition, it took a while to get to this stage but it was well worth my efforts and all the research.

As you say - New Year New Start and I hope yours starts on a high with her doing ALL the test you request.

Good luck

Moggie x

[Paulasams]

Hi Maggie

In process of sorting out many thyroid issues. I have found that centrum advance is really helping me at this time. Foggy brain a little clearer and swollen gut diminishing.

Best regards

Carmel

[WaryofMDs]

Haven't read the other comments yet, but I find 5HTP helps me sleep soundly. I get mine from Healthspan who do seem to be the cheapest in the long run.

Hope this helps!! Good luck

Jennie

[Duchy82]

I found the thyroid meds at night did improve my sleep quite a lot another tip if i have a bout of bad sleep i'll have valerian plus tea or kalms/quiet life tablets before bedtime too, they don't affect my thyroid meds as far as i know but i might be wrong (someone on here might be able to give an insight to this) but they make me nice and drowsy and help me sleep through the night.

I take a multivit designed for women, cod liver oil capsules (3 as they contain Vit D and EPA which is supposed to help with fat burning a tip from Gp as im trying to lose weight) i take these in the morning keeping them well away from my thyroxine.

[Dollychris]

Thank you for your kind replies - they are very much appreciated and I will keep posting. What an excellent support this site is - not sure where else we can turn to for sensible advice. xx