Im 21 and I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism about 4 months ago. Im not sure how long I have had it, but from the symptoms I know of it, I think Ive had it a long time. Ive had sleeping problems since I was 7, started gaining weight at about 10 for no reason (I was a soccer player! I had to quit when I couldnt run anymore from the weight gain and resulting asthma...), and have had irregular periods since I first got it, at 14. Ive been on sleep meds, energy meds, antidepressants, and hormone regulators for years now. Last year, I started experiencing severe muscle cramps, to the point where I could barely move and was afraid to even stretch too much, not wanting to trigger more pain. I thought I was dying, or had tetnis or something, but I couldnt afford to see a doctor at the time. Eventually, I got accepted for medical insurance and began seeing a doctor, but by then the weird muscle problems had vanished (Me and my boyfriend thought that it might have been caused by low iron... when we could afford to buy meat again, it seemed to go away.)
Mainly my doctor tackled my problem with constant headaches and frequent migraines, but I expressed concern about my still irregular periods, and eventually she decided to look into it. (I was 21! They could no longer say that it was just because I was a teen and that it would go away.) After a few tests they found out that my TSH levels were in the 40s! So they put me on meds, and the doctor is still working on finding the right dosage for me. There was a few problems in the beginning since I was allergic to Levothyroxine and the doctor was afraid I might be allergic to the rest too, but I have had no negative reactions to Synthroid. So far, Ive noticed I have a bit more energy, but have yet to see the weight loss that the doctor promised... I still feel lethargic in the morning, still have trouble getting to sleep at night, still feel cold unless its boiling, still have NO sex drive (Maybe its just that the guys I hang out with I have NO attraction to... or guys Ive been with just suck at sex...).... Hopefully though that will go away, and Im glad they found this now, instead of waiting to find it till Im 30...

But yea... Main point is if you think there is something wrong, push it! If I hadnt insisted that they investigate my irregular periods they wouldnt have found this problem till much later!

Hey! Hashimoto's vicitm here. Okay, not a victim, since everything we experience can be for our good. I do have hashimoto's, and boy am I going to be SOOOO good one day, for all I get to experience! I have handled my weight just fine for a little under 30 years. This September I turned 40 and celebrated my 2 year anniversary of surviving a brain aneurysm. And then, suddenly, I had gained something around 25 pounds! I have never put on that much weight, and this happened in about two months time! I didn't change my eating habits, I've always been a pretty careful eater. I did change my exercise habits. I took a month off from the gym and did a lot of sleeping from head pain, but one month of just not exercising leading to 25 pounds??? It HAS to be the hashimotos! I don't know what else could cause it. I've had all the scary stuff checked and I'm tumor, diabetes, kidney, etc free. Just exploded and got fat all the sudden. Sooooo, I'm here, and very glad there are others around that understand the difficulty this auto immune presents to weight loss. I'm hoping that with your help and your successes I can find my own success as well. Here's to us!

I tried a few different meds for about a year but I put on a stone after it had taken me ages to get from 16 st to 11st 7.

The involuntary movements freaked me out at first and I didn't want my arms or legs moving unless I wanted them to move, then I met someone online who has athetoid CP and problems maintaining his weight and realised that I'd burn more just getting through the day so stopped taking them.

Weight loss was still slow but maybe cos I was also eating too much carbs and wheat. Once I dropped those the weight started dropping off, the physio helped my stiffness and I found out quite by accident that the involuntary twitches stop if I do something where I don't stop moving my arms for a bit like tennis and boxing on Wii. It also seemed to tire my muscles a little so they weren't as bad for the rest of day so I now exercise first thing every morning.

Thy are still classed as mild and I think my thyroid also slows my weight loss down which I guess will be an advantage and make it easier to maintain once I get to my goal weight. I have Ataxia (balance and co-ordination problems) with Dystonia ( the involuntary twitches & stiffening of limbs).

Hi Wendy -

I had my entire thyroid removed last year because of cancer.
I strongly recommend that you see an endocrinologist for your thyroid care. I have never heard of someone not getting medication even after a partial thyroid removal.
Message me if you want to talk.
Take care of yourself.

I see most peopel on here have hypothyroidism. I'm the opposite. I have hyperthyroidism. Unfortunately I am in the small percent who gained instead of lost. Now that I'm on medication and my levels are getting close to normal I'm gaining like crazy. I'm on PTU and also heart meds that have also contributed to my weight gain. Anyone else hyperthyroid?

I see most peopel on here have hypothyroidism. I'm the opposite. I have hyperthyroidism. Unfortunately I am in the small percent who gained instead of lost. Now that I'm on medication and my levels are getting close to normal I'm gaining like crazy. I'm on PTU and also heart meds that have also contributed to my weight gain. Anyone else hyperthyroid?

I don't know anyone that is hyperthyroid -- I thought they were all skinny!! Any chance your current issues are menopausal? From age 50-55 while I was in menopause, I gained almost 50 pounds. I did have hypothyroidism then, but I was taking estrogen and other meds for menopause and blew up like a balloon. Just thinking out loud. If you want to invite me as a friend and share your food diary, maybe we can help each other.

Wow so much information here and I'm so glad of that. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's this morning and put on a small dosage of levothyroxin to start. I've had PCOS for about the last 5 years and have been obese for as long as I can remember no matter how active I am/was. I started here on MFP last May and lost some and then in July was prescribed phentermine to help me speed up my metabolism because my RMR was about 500 lower than most women my age and all. I also had an ultrasound at this time and a tumor was found on my thyroids. Since May I've been lucky enough to have cut my calories enough to lose 70 pounds. The last few months though I've had hot flashes in the evenings and have been losing tons of hair when i brush it or wash it (unfortunately not the facial hair from the PCOS) so I brought it up to my doctor at my check in last week. She had tons of blood work done and this morning was given the diagnosis and immediately they sent a prescription for 3 months in. Hoping this doesn't hurt me in any way and praying it helps me so very much.

Hi guys! I'm Linda- 48 years old and come from a line of women with hypothyroidism - 2 older sisters and 4 aunts. I've been on meds for 10+ years and have been pretty stable, overall. About a year ago, I started to develop a goiter on the left side of my neck that's pressing on a nerve leading to my vocal chords. This causes me to always sound like I have a frog in my throat.

Here's an odd situation and a question for the group. Around the time my goiter started to develop, I started to have issues with my left ear. The doctors have blamed it on water on the eardrum which can take several months to go away, but it keeps recurring and now has a new twist. Basically, it'll periodically start sounding in that ear like someone's making popcorn. The noise will become increasingly frenetic and then all of a sudden, the popping will stop and I'll hear a noise like a balloon deflating. I'm wondering if the goiter can press on a nerve, could it also be pushing on my eustacian tube? Has anything ever heard of something like that? I want to push my doctor if it's a possibility, but I haven't located anything online about it.

I also have problems with my left ear- a pain that runs up the back of my ear. I also have chronic ringing in my right ear and slight hearing loss in both ears. And headaches.. I don't have a goiter, but I feel your pain. Hypothyroidism has dozens of symptoms because your thyroid controls most of your metabolism - skin, hair, nails, heart, cholesterol, blood pressure, weight, joints. Doctors either don't or won't recognize and connect these symptoms to the thyroid.

I know I sound like a broken record, but please check out: http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/
Or just this one page of the site with the list of some of the symptoms:
http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/long-and-pathetic/

I am reading the book "Stop the Thyroid Madness"... I don't have symptoms as bad as some of the people in the book, but after 15 years on Synthroid, I know I have suffered more than I needed to.

In the past doctor told me my ear issues was probably "nerve damage" or Meniere's disease. My Naturopath believes it's caused by my thyroid. Time will tell as he gets me regulated and as I get off of the Lipitor and Synthroid.

p.s. I have a friend who takes statins for Cholesterol -- he gets bad pain in his neck and ears from it. Something else to consider.

hi everyone my name is ina and i am 48 yrs old. i was diagnosed with a goiter a irregular heart beat and a heart murmur and graves disease when i was in grade 6
i had a severely over active thyroid to the point where you could see my heart pounding and i could not gain weight and was able to stay awake for days at a time.. so I was an out patient for most of my childhood at the childrens hospital.then when i was 22 and still a patient at the childrens hospital my docotrs recomended another endocrinologist who reccomended they fix the problem and treated my over active thyroid with radio active iodine.. there was no explanations of anything it was just done and my thyroid levels were in normal as i was not put back on meds . so i thought everything was great i could finally lead a normal life without meds.
but having a treated thyroid i was not told to avoid soy products, avoid Raw Broccoli cabbage peaches - - there are a few others.. and i was eating all of those things thinking these are healthy... wrong..
those foods have goitrens that are great helping to slow down a hyperthyroid but dangerous for a treated thyroid - in 2007 my bodys metabolism crashed- and i had brain fog memory loss, confusion, angry, fatigued constantly , colds that would never go away - i was always coughing up mucus.. aching joints hips shoulders knees. lack of sex drive - was falling alseep during sex . when i went to the doctor i was diagnosed with hypothyroidism.. the total opposite of what i had as a child , after 4 years on the generic version of synthroid i decided i had enough and demanded my doctor change my meds to dessicated thyroid hormone.. - they dont call it armour in canada.. for some reason..? ive changed a few things like eating sprouted grain bread instead of bread made with flours n sugars. more protein n veggies added hemp hearts to my breakfast as it helps my energy levels its high in fiber and keeps my energy levels up till suppertime.. . i try to limit my processed foods and try to eat organic dairy as much as possible. i bake many gluten free foods which seem to be easier on my body i do use coconut flour in my baking and coconut oil for when i need to stir fry or fry something. when i think im hungry i drink 2 glasses of water- then wait a while as sometimes its not that im hungry im actually dehydrated... ive learnt to drink at least 10 glasses of water a day and have also stopped using flouride toothpastes as the flouride interferes with how the thyroid gland works.

I have found that doctors who are not specialists can not handle thyroid problems. I encourage you go see an endocrinologist. I was hypothyroid for 40 years and took meds and then became slightly hyperthyroid for 5 years and just had surgery to remove 1/2 and now hypo again! I have had many experiences over the years and found that only a very good endocrinologist can handle these problems....(last year I changed from one who I felt was not right for me and lacked experience and knowledge). It is worth the money to get regular blood tests. Good luck

I have found that doctors who are not specialists can not handle thyroid problems. I encourage you go see an endocrinologist. I was hypothyroid for 40 years and took meds and then became slightly hyperthyroid for 5 years and just had surgery to remove 1/2 and now hypo again! I have had many experiences over the years and found that only a very good endocrinologist can handle these problems....(last year I changed from one who I felt was not right for me and lacked experience and knowledge). It is worth the money to get regular blood tests. Good luck

Thanks, but I have found that most (not all) endocrinologists don't treat my symptoms. I have been hypothyroid since 1997 - had supposedly the best endos -- they just failed to tell me I had Hashimoto's and that my adrenals are suffering -- because they don't test for that. I have done tons of research on this disease, and in talking to the patients who get true relief from symptoms, they don't do it with Synthroid.

We see a lot of people that are diagnosed very young on this forum! Sounds like you are dealing with it ok.

http://epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/19000

Hi there please all UK members sign this petition.

thanks

Wow! I did not realize that it was so difficult to get natural dessicated thyroid in UK!! In US, you can get it, just tough to find a doctor that will prescribe it.

Our body is like an orchestra -- all the instruments have to play together. If the doctor is only treating TSH with synthetic T4, chances are high that we will continue to feel bad as the orchestra is out of tune!!

Love Love Love..... your last quote...

It's even harder to get NDT in Ireland so far i have only found 1 Doctor that states he will prescribe it. His fees are extremely expensive €200 for first consult, €185 per visit thereafter and you must pay for all your tests, supplements and prescriptions on top of that. ,
So for the next month i'm going to give the homoeopaths remedy a go, see how things are, review the latest blood work results they should be back in about 10 days. Then if i think it's more effective to go to this guy i will try to get an appointment. People who have used him have said that he is excellent but overall they spent on average €5000 to feel better. So no family holiday for us this year!!!!!!

I've only had the vertigo since developing hypothyroidism. I was always told, it was due to my thyroid problem. And unfortunately, when I happen to go on anti-depressants, it gets worse. So I pretty much have to live with an annoying amount of vertigo if I go on anti-depressants or just not be on them.

Are there any supplements that anyone know's of that interact badly with thyroid issues?

As I'm just trying to find good natural supplements to help me with my PMS and depression. But want to make sure I don't take anything that stuffs up my thyroid function.

Do any of you find, that you get the worse PMS since you have had the thyroid problem?

I get terrible PMS and get really irritable and moody.