when prescribed thyroxine does it mean that you... - Thyroid UK

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when prescribed thyroxine does it mean that your taking them for life. the past doc didnt look into the causes of hyperglycaemic (symptoms.)

wasokonce profile image
10 Replies

the GP did a blood test then perscribed thyroxine saying my thyroid was low.

it was only that i overheard the pharmacist (whilst training staff) say now this lady will be on repeat prescription as she will be on it for life. startled i queried it and she was suprised the GP hadnt told me. previous to this i had been on a controversal antidepressant (new at the time) i feel it may have caused some side affect. but not necessarily a need for reliance on thyroxine. A separate diagnotice from an endocrinologist stated i was a Reactive Hyperglycemic ,and this could be remidied by diet. (the dietitian had to agree that my diet was healthy. so what caused me to become hyperglycemic . And because ive been taken thyroxine for so long has it actually harmed my thyroid gland (making me dependant)

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wasokonce
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Jackie profile image
Jackie

Hi As far as I can make out from your question. Hypergaecemia is often caused by low vit D, a hormone. make sure you have had this tested as you may well need vit D prescribed.Depression is often caused by untreated thyroid disease. Depression treatment ,as far as I know from my husband`s treatment, will not cause thyroid disease.You need to ask for your thyroid tests, tSH T4 and essential Free t3. Ask for a print out with ranges, all labs vary for most tests. if on thyroid treatment in time with the right doses you should feel better. normally on treatment, T4 and FT3 should be in top third of range. A lot of us need FT3 to be nearer to the top of range, you may need T3 on a script.,in addition to T4 ( levo)I hope this helps and is clear.

Jackie

wasokonce profile image
wasokonce in reply toJackie

Thanks Jackie . The more i learn the better. x

i was not told anything just given the tabs.

then that GP left before i had a follow up,and i moved to another GP(different practice)

he just carried on prescribing.(i had to keep complaining about my symptoms untill he put me on the higher dose of 150 mg of levothyroxine.

a long time back i picked up a general leaflet from a pharmacists, and WOULD YOU BELIEVE it stated in highlighted text that low thyroid SHOULD NOT be diagnosed in ISOLATION . which is exactly what happened. i could go on but theres too much to type lol x

PinkNinja profile image
PinkNinja in reply toJackie

Unfortunately lithium carbonate is often used for severe depression or more stubborn forms of depression and this can indeed cause hypothyroidism. I believe this is the cause of my hypothyroidism. However, I don't think standard treatment for depression would do so otherwise we would be seeing a lot more of it! I would be interested to know which antidepressant you were on. There may be specific antidepressants that could contribute to developing thyroid disease but I don't think this is typical of all anti-depressants.

RedApple profile image
RedAppleAdministrator

Simply being prescribed and taking levothyroxine does not in itself, mean that you will have to take it forever. It is not an 'addictive' medicine, and it doesn't 'kill off' your thyroid. The need for the replacement hormone will be dependent on whether you have a thyroid that is capable of producing sufficient thyroid hormone for your needs.

Most people who are diagnosed with hypothyroidism do end up needing it for the rest of their lives. But apparently a small percentage of people do recover their thyroid health at some point and are able to stop taking the medication. I have a relative that was taking thyroxine for a few years and then it was stopped and she has not been taking it for several years now.

wasokonce profile image
wasokonce in reply toRedApple

Thanks Redapple x

did your friend say what happenend for the doctor to decide to stop prescribing.

i have low thyroid isnt that HYPERthyroidism.

i was always a natural highly energised person then i started going through a very upsetting situation causing extreme anxiety (over years)

it seems so obvious that yes your body is only going to take so much. ( GP 1) who made himself aware of some of the reasons for my stress, finally put me on the antidepressant that was new,and had a strong ANXIOLITIC bias

i took these and was vertually if not actually going in and out of conciousness sleeping in the day time .10+years on and i have never regained the natural high energy levels.

UNfortunatly (GP 1) left before i was to see him about a strange cough i had aquired and of course the sudden drops in blood sugar.

Which brings me to (GP 2) the one who did blood test and gave me the (levo).He left

as said before and now on (GP 3) who didnt looked into my case notes and just repeated my prescription. So So Annoyed. as there was more GP disinterest to follow that would impact on my son. any hoo thanx for listening.

RedApple profile image
RedAppleAdministrator in reply towasokonce

At this point, the best thing you can do would be to get hold of your actual thyroid test results. You need to get the details i.e actual numbers together with the accompanying ranges. It may be that your thyroxine dose is inappropriate for you. GPs are frequently ignorant of the fine tuning required for each individual to feel the best that is possible. They just jump to the conclusion that if your 'numbers' are 'in range', then you must be fine. This is not the case and many patients find that by adjusting the dose they experience much improvement in their wellbeing.

You also need to find out whether or not you have been tested for thyroid antibodies. A positive antibody test usually indicates an autoimmune cause for the thyroid dysfunction, which is the most common cause of thyroid disease.

When you have this info, post the details here for people to see what the situation is. No-one can offer much help without this.

RedApple profile image
RedAppleAdministrator in reply toRedApple

There is information on the main website about accessing your medical records. You may benefit from reading this before you contact your surgery to ask for the test results. It would be helpful to have not just the most recent thyroid test numbers, but the previous ones too. That way, it may be possible to identify a pattern.

Here's the link thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/NHS_In...

PinkNinja profile image
PinkNinja in reply towasokonce

What Antidepressant was it?

wasokonce profile image
wasokonce in reply toPinkNinja

Sorry Pink Ninja , All these years later.....the antidepressant was SEROXAT.

Jackie profile image
Jackie

Hi I forgot to say if calcium above range and vit D is also high. Then, important to have a parathyroid, calcium and vit D blood test, AM all done together. and if all high you need a PTH and thyroid radio active scan ( neuclear) and ultrasound scan, Most Gp`s in my own experience do not seem to understand the relevance of doing all three bloods together in these circumstances.

Jackie

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