Do you have an underactive thyroid?

[catherinecherub]

Hypothyroidism - or an underactive thyroid - affects one in 70 women and one in 1,000 men according to the NHS. But it can be a tricky disease to diagnose and treat. Dr Michael Mosley, of Trust Me I'm a Doctor, asks if sufferers are slipping through the net.

"To get some answers I've been talking to Dr Anthony Toft, who is a former president of the British Thyroid Association.

He tells me that the thyroid gland is a bit like the accelerator pedal on your car. It produces hormones which help control the energy balance in your body. If it's underactive, then your metabolic rate will be slower than it should be. This means that you are likely to put on weight. Other symptoms can include feeling too cold or too hot, lacking in energy, being constipated, low mood, poor attention or "brain fog".
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38895877

 

[carol43]

It's about time this subject was highlighted. The price the NHS pays for T3 is criminal, I can source this for 300 25mcg tablets at 65 Euro and 300 100mcg for 80 Euro. Have booked another blood test including T3, let's see if I can get that.

 

[asparagusp]

Yes I read that article earlier. These drug companies really take the NHS and us for a ride.

Someone should challenge them.

 

[Resurgam]

I have an underactive thyroid and take 175mgm of Thyroxine a day - or I should, I keep forgetting. (Just checked, yes, forgot this morning - take them now, even though it deeps me awake)
I was diagnosed quite some time ago after quite a few tests - the thyroid seems to fail and recover numerous times before stopping altogether. When it was finally detected my TSH was about 4000 times higher than normal and it took some time for it to drop to normal levels as my dose was slowly increased to 200mgm where it stayed for some time.
I can still remember on about the third day of replacement therapy when my hands and feet began to feel warm, as though they were immersed in a warm bath.

 

[ewelina]

Thyroid problems are highly neglected by NHS. You're given a synthetic pill and send home with no advice or further test. Underactive thyroid gives me more symptoms than diabetes and there was time it felt like hell. I feel much better now, but only because Ive decided to educate myself about it and Ive done some additional blood test never even mentioned by any of doctors. Now I know that due to Thyroid problems I have low iron, low vitamin d, high cortisol and finally can deal with it

 

[Struma]

Yes, I have an under active thyroid, but it is not connected to my diabetes, it is drug induced. Taking L- thyroxin.

 

[asparagusp]

And I have has a hyperactive thyroid and the NHS have come up trumps for me!

 

[Winnie53]

I've been bouncing in and out of subclinical hyperthyroid for more than 10 years. Not fun. I added 100 mcg selenium twice a day, and it's been better lately. I've learned a lot from authors Amy Myers and Izabella Wentz.

 

[Engineer88]

Yes I'm hypothyroid, coeliac and diabetic (autoimmunily challenged, I like to call it!!)

There is far too little help or info given for thyroid conditions considering how **** it makes you feel.

 

[Mbaker]

Not withstanding what @Struma has said is an under active thyroid connected to insulin resistance and for that matter is PCOS.

 

[Snapsy]

I had Graves thyrotoxicosis in my twenties which was treated with radioiodine, and I take 200mcg Levothyroxine daily as my thyroid gland is now inactive.

My dose sometimes changes (I'm tested regularly) and if I'm on more than I need I get awful anxiety attacks, and if I'm on less than I need I'm freezing, sluggish and slooooooow. Happily the 200mcg seems to suit me and has done for over a year without any dose tweaking. Fingers crossed it stays that way.

My Graves disease had gone undiagnosed for such a long time that it was only picked up when I experienced psychosis as a direct result of the excess thyroxine my body was pumping out over a long period of time. It was utterly unthinkably horrendous. I was in hospital for five months.

So: first hyperthyroid, now hypothyroid on Levothyroxine. And I'm fine. It does strike me though that there are so, so many people out there with subclinical hypothyroid who would really, really, REALLY benefit from taking thyroxine. And the cynic in me says that the apparent reluctance to prescribe thyroxine under these circumstances is perhaps because patients on thyroxine qualify for free prescriptions.

 

[Winnie53]

Wow Snapsy, Graves is not very common, and thyrotoxicosis commonly referred to as "thyroid storm" is even less common. You're lucky to be alive. According to this article the mortality rate is 10 - 20%... https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3475282/ Your are the first person I've met who has a history of Graves and thyrotoxicosis. Which do you think came first, the type 1 diabetes or the Graves? How many years between the two? Glad to hear you're doing well now.

I should mention here that thyroid storm in general is not a problem with hypothyroid, thankfully.

My gastroenterologist noted a small goiter on my thyroid a little more than a year ago. When I told him I about the subclinical hyperthyroid he shared with me that he had developed a hyper thyroid condition too and to be wary of "thyroid storm". That really got my attention. I'm taking my condition much more seriously now.

I have at least one autoimmune condition. Izabella Wentz, a pharmacist here in the USA who had Hashimotos for many years before being diagnosed is now focusing her attention on how to treat Graves too but I'm not seeing evidence of that on her website. Hoping her upcoming book will. If I had Hashimotos, I'd read everything she's written on her website and in her books. Her mother is a physician and she is very knowledgeable.

I went gluten free in 2011, grain free in 2015, and have been using the low carbohydrate ketogenic diet that includes healthy animal and plant proteins and fats with a lot of fresh organic vegetables for two years. I also take a lot of high quality nutritional supplements and recently added selenium and zinc to my daily supplement regimen. I'm feeling better now than I've felt in a long time. Hoping my lab results will reflect the changes I'm feeling.

I agree with you. Too many people with subclinical hypothyroid and subclinical hyperthyroid are unknowingly suffering due to a lack of diagnosis and treatment. I was lucky that the endocrinologist who I saw when I crossed over into pre-diabetes caught it.

 

[Snapsy]

@Winnie53 having read your post - oh my goodness and the link - I can't find many words right now but I just want to share a hug with you shy:). All well now but when one has (temporarily) completely lost one's health and one's mind scary shadows can linger in corners.

I've had type 1 since age 11.
Diagnosed (far too late) with Graves aged 26.
I'm 42 now but ever since I was ill, if I'm caught off guard when asked my age, my brain automatically comes up with '26'. Daft, but that's when my brain got stuck!

I'm glad you're feeling much better with the keto and the supplements. I feel every appropriate tool we have access to in the life/health/dietary/medical armoury should be grabbed with both hands, and it sounds like your approach is working well.

 

[Winnie53]

Snapsy, thank you for sharing what happened to you. As I said, you are the first I've met who has experienced thyroid storm. I found that article both interesting (and scary). Hearing experiences like yours deepens my resolve to restore the health of my thyroid. Currently, I'm stepping up my dietary efforts to put my autoimmune conditions in remission. Lots of reading right now. I'm still very much a work in progress.

 

[ann34+]

Thyroid problems are highly neglected by NHS. You're given a synthetic pill and send home with no advice or further test. Underactive thyroid gives me more symptoms than diabetes and there was time it felt like hell. I feel much better now, but only because Ive decided to educate myself about it and Ive done some additional blood test never even mentioned by any of doctors. Now I know that due to Thyroid problems I have low iron, low vitamin d, high cortisol and finally can deal with it

Agree totally. As it can affect diabetes a lot, i do not know why it is so neglected. I also have low D, and low serum ferritin (iron stores). Thanks for the mention re cortisol - how do you deal with high cortisol, how is it related to hypothyroid - what are the the symptoms? I was once told i had "generous" cortisol levels, but, at that time, cortisol was just in normal range. Until some years ago i was not aware that needs for thyroid hormones can fluctuate - with very scary symptoms - GPs were not aware of this, either, diabetologists hardly mentioned it - i also have just had to educate myself as much as possible , i must have missed the cortisol information.

 

[ewelina]

Agree totally. As it can affect diabetes a lot, i do not know why it is so neglected. I also have low D, and low serum ferritin (iron stores). Thanks for the mention re cortisol - how do you deal with high cortisol, how is it related to hyperthyroid - what are the the symptoms? I was once told i had "generous" cortisol levels, but, at that time, cortisol was just in normal range. Until some years ago i was not aware that needs for thyroid hormones can fluctuate - with very scary symptoms - GPs were not aware of this, either, diabetologists hardly mentioned it - i also have just had to educate myself as much as possible , i must have missed the cortisol information.

Today I had an appointment with an endocrinologist recommended by a friend with Hashimoto. Currently Im on NDT, supplements for vit d and iron and she recommended some further test to check cortisol. Not sure how they treat it to be honest. High level gives symptoms similar to underactive thyroid such as putting weight on, poor concentration and tiredness.
None of the doctors (gp or diabetic consultants who are also endycrinologists ) Ive seen knew or mentioned much about Hashimoto. The appointment I had today was private with a doctor in Leamington Spa and for the fist time I felt I got a good advice on how to treat Hashimoto

 

[Freema]

My thyroid has also been killed by radioactive iodine am now well regulated even though my GP didnt know that metformin can lower THS very much in hypothyroid persons so it seems their metabolism is much higher that it in fact is. Another matter I just want to mention is that if one wants to uptake iron better it is a good idea to take vitamin C at the same meal as one eat red meat or other iron Rich foods like parsley thick sauce and alike

 

[ann34+]

Today I had an appointment with an endocrinologist recommended by a friend with Hashimoto. Currently Im on NDT, supplements for vit d and iron and she recommended some further test to check cortisol. Not sure how they treat it to be honest. High level gives symptoms similar to underactive thyroid such as putting weight on, poor concentration and tiredness.
None of the doctors (gp or diabetic consultants who are also endycrinologists ) Ive seen knew or mentioned much about Hashimoto. The appointment I had today was private with a doctor in Leamington Spa and for the fist time I felt I got a good advice on how to treat Hashimoto

Hi, Ewelina, thanks for the information. i have thyroid autoantibodies so imagine i have Hashimotos, though no one has called it that. I became hypo-t some years ago, and started NDT years ago, after levo-t not good experience. I have tried levo a few more times also, NDT preferable, but not perfect, could not fully shake the tiredness and needing more sleep. A GP told me that the presence of a thyroid autoantibody attack ongoing can itself cause one to feel not so well, tired, etc, and when i looked online there was some research to this effect, but i cant now find it. But i have noticed that when i have higher levels of autoantibodies i feel worse. I am on Vit D. Also take selenium in tablets or brazil nuts as research found some effects.
It is interesting you mention cortisol and weight. The women in my family with hypo-t all developed a bit of extra weight round the waist (despite normal BMI), and all, myself included, had developed a higher LDL and raised total cholesterol in the months before diagnosis. Toft mentioned the lipid changes also. I tried to alter my lipids and reduce the waist measurement to see what might happen to my thyroid profile - and i have had various problems during the journey! .. Not sure if related. Difficult doing on my own. Agree, considering that type one and hypo-t are endocrine conditions, which affect the metabolism, the lack of interest in diabetes dept is strange. Not on anything at present as need to see where i am. Blood tests soon, will ask GP if she will add cortisol . - was your test for morning cortisol? Do you have a lipid profile problem or take statins ?

 

[ewelina]

Hi, Ewelina, thanks for the information. i have thyroid autoantibodies so imagine i have Hashimotos, though no one has called it that. I became hypo-t some years ago, and started NDT years ago, after levo-t not good experience. I have tried levo a few more times also, NDT preferable, but not perfect, could not fully shake the tiredness and needing more sleep. A GP told me that the presence of a thyroid autoantibody attack ongoing can itself cause one to feel not so well, tired, etc, and when i looked online there was some research to this effect, but i cant now find it. But i have noticed that when i have higher levels of autoantibodies i feel worse. I am on Vit D. Also take selenium in tablets or brazil nuts as research found some effects.
It is interesting you mention cortisol and weight. The women in my family with hypo-t all developed a bit of extra weight round the waist (despite normal BMI), and all, myself included, had developed a higher LDL and raised total cholesterol in the months before diagnosis. Toft mentioned the lipid changes also. I tried to alter my lipids and reduce the waist measurement to see what might happen to my thyroid profile - and i have had various problems during the journey! .. Not sure if related. Difficult doing on my own. Agree, considering that type one and hypo-t are endocrine conditions, which affect the metabolism, the lack of interest in diabetes dept is strange. Not on anything at present as need to see where i am. Blood tests soon, will ask GP if she will add cortisol . - was your test for morning cortisol? Do you have a lipid profile problem or take statins ?

No, I dont have lipid problems, but Ive read its very common among people with hashimoto. I can recommend www.stopthethyroidmadness.com website. Everything they say is true in my case! (iron, vit d deficiency, cortisol). I find gluten and lacto free diet helps me a lot. Over the Christmas I overindulge on bread and cakes and my antibodies went over the roof (together with tsh). What type of NDT do you take? Im just changing the brand and curious to see if it will make any difference. Ive also started reading about LDN (low dose naltrexone) and it looks very interesting. I think I will give it a go http://www.ldnresearchtrust.org/

 

[ann34+]

No, I dont have lipid problems, but Ive read its very common among people with hashimoto. I can recommend www.stopthethyroidmadness.com website. Everything they say is true in my case! (iron, vit d deficiency, cortisol). I find gluten and lacto free diet helps me a lot. Over the Christmas I overindulge on bread and cakes and my antibodies went over the roof (together with tsh). What type of NDT do you take? Im just changing the brand and curious to see if it will make any difference. Ive also started reading about LDN (low dose naltrexone) and it looks very interesting. I think I will give it a go http://www.ldnresearchtrust.org/

Hi, Ewelina, i am gluten free, too, I started a few years after hypo-t diagnosis, and continued as felt less brain fog and better digestion. i am not lactofree, tho only have small amounts of sheep and goat's products. I was on one brand of NDT, and supplies stopped and i changed to one made in Canada, then later to the one i started on was back and became easier to get, it is slightly different from the original, i am not sure if one can mention brands, but i noticed Mrs Clinton uses it, i have some still in date but if blood tests say i need medications i am not sure what i will do. Are your diabetes consultants happy re your using NDT?
i suspect my problem has been changes in my metabolism, as i had various problems and lev-t made me feel worse. Apparently things can just change, dosages may change as the years go by - many GPs do not know this, a consultant in another area told me as if it was common knowledge. Thanks for the references, interested in how you get on with the LDN - i had not read about until now.