Help please...

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Hi, everyone!
I have had a under active thyroid now for about 5years.. I'm on a low dose of tablets from doctors. Since January I have lost about 4 stone, it is now beginning to slow right down but I also do not feel any better now that I have lost weight, I feel sluggish, have no energy to do anything, have been having problems going to the toilet (sorry) heart palpitations ect...really thought I would feel so much more healthy but I don't! The doctor says my meds are all at the right level as I had a blood test last week. I only have about a stone left to loose but I have been so bad this week I'm just beginning to loose motivation as when I try really hard the scales are not moving! Any suggestions.

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  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,298 Member
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    May I congratulate you on your weight loss. I have noticed on here that people who have managed a significant weight loss as you have, often have their medication reduced. I am sure you know the closer you get to your final goal, weight loss slows, it is recommended to reset loss to half a lb a week which is more achievable at this point. You will probably be allocated more calories which may prepare you for maintaining.

    Your not feeling benefits of your weight loss is unusual. You may have adapted more easily and not realised. The symptoms you mention can have several causes. Do you possibly have a walk in centre which could give you a second opinion? Or possibly you could see someone else within the practice. It may be your thyroid function it could be something else which could be looked into.

    From personal experience I doubt if you have ever been told anything more than the, you are in the "normal range" which means what was testes conforms, is within what they consider normal or commonly expected range and covers a range of numbers. What is normal for one person is different to that of another. It seems different labs give slightly different ranges to complicate matters. Many doctors after primary diagnosis only test tsh and possibly t4, ignoring other important parts of thyroid function. It is possible for some to feel well at the lower end of "normal range" but if their body changes to a level nearer to but not in the hyper range, still within the "said" hypo range one can have other symptoms.

    I'm tentatively thinking, were someone newly diagnosed with hypothyroidism it could be Hashimoto's thyroiditis, defined by antibodies which are not always tested by doctors, this person could experience a period of higher activity.

    On the front/top of this group there are some sites which you may find useful. One I have often turned to is "Stop the Thyroid Madness", this site is well known and keeps up to date with modern thinking as well as spelling out how the thyroid system works and interrelates with other aspects of our bodies and explains those dreaded numbers. Your own National thyroid site would also hold information for you. I find taking an interest, trying to understand why thyroid issues are different for everyone helps.

    All the best. Hope this helps.
  • ChelleBelle2708
    ChelleBelle2708 Posts: 131 Member
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    Well done on the weight loss, that is a fab achievement. Have you had your Vitamin levels checked, specifically B12 and Vit D. My B12 was very low (in range, but right at bottom end) and I felt tired, little energy, etc and I started taking B12 Methyl Tablets as recommended by endo and my levels came up, and so did my energy levels - also sleeping at night better too.
    Sometimes it isn't just the thyroid, the vitamin levels can be affected too.
  • ChelleBelle2708
    ChelleBelle2708 Posts: 131 Member
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    Also, i found cutting out certain products like bread, lowering pasta intake and stopping caffeine products (drinking peppermint tea) reduced/if not completely stopped my bloated tummy/toilet issues too.
  • curlyblue21
    curlyblue21 Posts: 78 Member
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    Thank you...had a blood test done the other day, nothing came back dodgy, asuming they checked these levels, she said she did a fasting blood test/thyroid...not sure if this test covers it. Its worth looking into, I'm a vegetarian so maybe this could have somethings to do with it but I have been for years now so who knows! Perhaps I will look into taking some multi vitamins.
  • SuzyH
    SuzyH Posts: 196 Member
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    Love all of the help and advice. My doc is great and believes in integrative medicine. My various blood levels are checked about every 3-4 months with med adjustments taking place in the meantime. The frustrating part is that over time things change and the meds have to be readjusted. For me, it wasn't just the T4, but also T3 but other hormones as well. I'm lucky to have a doc that takes me seriously when I think something is "off". My doc also put me on a gluten-free diet which I adopted as a way of life. Good luck to you and hang in there!
  • elizabethroyce10
    elizabethroyce10 Posts: 37 Member
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    I also suggest getting another opinion. There is controversy over the right level... Look into it. One Dr. can say you are at that and another can say you need more... I find i need a tad more than the normal. Or i have symptoms as you describe.
  • ChelleBelle2708
    ChelleBelle2708 Posts: 131 Member
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    Firstly never assume anything with doctors... they are quick to tell you you're "normal" - normal is a lot different from Optimal. Best bet would be to ask for copy of blood results, along with ranges. I believe TSH should be around 1, with T4 and T3 in the upper 3rd of the range.
    Again B12 has a range of 220-950 (some vary), and its very common for thyroid disease patients to have a low B12, but not low enough for Doctors to take action. In UK under 220 they will administer B12 Injections, in China anything below 500 they will do the same. I had a B12 of 250 and was told I was normal... I've been supplementing with B12 Methyl tablets daily (recommended by my Endo) and in a month It rose to 560 and I feel so much more alive and well. I also sleep much better at night too.
    I would defiantly ask for 2nd opinion, and request all vitamin levels checked - VitD, B12, Folate, Ferritin
  • itstimeRK
    itstimeRK Posts: 112 Member
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    I had a similar problem, and ended up having low B12, so now I have to give myself monthly injections. I hate needles but feeling better is worth the discomfort.
  • shvits
    shvits Posts: 249 Member
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    I'm not sure what blood tests you are having. My endocrinologist always orders a T4, T3 and a tsh. I'm on cytomel plus synthroid. The cytomel gives me energy, otherwise I'm exhausted.(Synthroid in A.M. and cytomel in A.M. and about 1 P.M.) Possibly you need a different mix of medication. I'm not sure what you have in the U.K. in terms of names of meds. You need meds for T3 and T4. A specialist knows about dose and meds, I have found others to not, even when they say they know.
  • Fuzzipeg
    Fuzzipeg Posts: 2,298 Member
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    UK here, in theory we have the same medication range as everywhere else, most of Europe is the same, BUT finding someone who will enable you to make the case for your needing something more than levo in any of its guises is the problem.

    We have "NICE" an official group/ngo which decides what is "best practice" in health related issues and they say "levo only and tsh tests after initial testing t4,t3, and tsh", anything more in their view is, guiding the lilly, because it is of no further interest, full stop. Simply ignore the other glands which can be influential in our situations. Forget that there are as many manifestations, symptoms and causes of thyroid and related problems as there are people with issues. Forget the current thinking, inflammation is at the bottom of some peoples hypothyroidism.

    We are Living and walking with dinosaurs who would rather keep people, in a compromised state. Many who's working life is restricted or like mine, eliminated, many needing financial support rather than making an effective contribution to the nations taxes, than enable us to find our best health.
    .
    Rant over
  • shvits
    shvits Posts: 249 Member
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    Wow, sorry to hear that. The cytomel keeps me awake and is wonderful. The doctor gave me a choice of reducing synthroid or cytomel and I said less synthroid please. Works great! You are tired because you need cytomel. try and find someone who really knows how to treat this, I hate to hear you are getting such poor care. (you can quote me to the doc.) There is also a difference between levo, the generic and synthroid.
  • ElizabethKalmbach
    ElizabethKalmbach Posts: 1,416 Member
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    ESPECIALLY if you're a vegetarian, you should check on your B12 levels. B12 is only found in animal sources (you can get it from milk and eggs if you eat those) and if you're vegan especially, you need to be supplementing. Hypothyroid people often have low stomach acid, which makes the breakdown of protein more difficult, and the uptake of B12 even less optimal. 40% of hypothyroid people have less than optimal B12 levels. I highly recommend an oral supplement and a blood test that is SPECIFICALLY geared to B12.
  • ChelleBelle2708
    ChelleBelle2708 Posts: 131 Member
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    I'm UK too and on T3 - here its called Liothyronine. I got mine through an endo as well. He is very Pro T3.
    Also recently the European Thyroid Association changed its policy to include T3/T4 combination therapy and said T3 can be given to patients on a 3 month trial basis under strict guidance of Endocrinologist. My endo told me this sometime ago and its now on the policy documents for Hypo on the British Thyroid Association website.