Thyroid

storminaDcup · Apr 22, 2023

Sorry to jump in. My husband and I have started ttc and we are 3/4 months in, I track ovulation every month so we’ve been timing to that. I had a possible chemical pregnancy last month (very late period/faintly positive first response pregnancy test/period was a bit heavier than normal when it finally arrived.)

I noticed going through my file that my bloods that I had done last had my thyroid at 16.4 pmol free t4 and tsh 3.7 mu/l.

After reading up quite a bit recently, I see that my tsh should really be no more than 2.5 and I am wondering if this is linked to my missed miscarriage?

I saw an endocrinologist last week as I’ve been having symptoms including hair shed (no patches or anything but noticeable to me) flat mood, motivation on the floor alot, complete LACK of libido- I don’t struggle to orgasm but am never in the mood so to speak / never get horny, which is not helping ttc at all from my perspective.

My endo suspects I may have benefit from thyroxine but we are waiting for updated bloods to come back. What is it like as a drug to take? And how quickly does it act?

Vidyagaymes · Apr 22, 2023

I Think it took a month or so for me to feel even a wee bit better. but I had very very high TSH so it took time for that to come down and for the dose to be regulated.

Definitely sounds like you should be medicated if it is still that high! Medicine has been amazing here genuinely feel like superwoman compared to before

mcfeez · Apr 24, 2023

storminaDcup said:
Sorry to jump in. My husband and I have started ttc and we are 3/4 months in, I track ovulation every month so we’ve been timing to that. I had a possible chemical pregnancy last month (very late period/faintly positive first response pregnancy test/period was a bit heavier than normal when it finally arrived.)

I noticed going through my file that my bloods that I had done last had my thyroid at 16.4 pmol free t4 and tsh 3.7 mu/l.

After reading up quite a bit recently, I see that my tsh should really be no more than 2.5 and I am wondering if this is linked to my missed miscarriage?

I saw an endocrinologist last week as I’ve been having symptoms including hair shed (no patches or anything but noticeable to me) flat mood, motivation on the floor alot, complete LACK of libido- I don’t struggle to orgasm but am never in the mood so to speak / never get horny, which is not helping ttc at all from my perspective.

My endo suspects I may have benefit from thyroxine but we are waiting for updated bloods to come back. What is it like as a drug to take? And how quickly does it act?

Everytime my GP discusses my bloods he mentions that if I want to/plan to get pregnant he would want to bring it below 3 (mine is currently around 5 but with no symptoms), so it sounds like your endo is right. It takes a while to start to feel better on thyroxine, several weeks. One time I was accidentally given too high a dose (pharmacist messed up!) I took for a few days without noticing and the doctor said it was fine as it would have had really no impact being taken for so little time if that gives you an idea.

storminaDcup · Apr 24, 2023

mcfeez said:
Everytime my GP discusses my bloods he mentions that if I want to/plan to get pregnant he would want to bring it below 3 (mine is currently around 5 but with no symptoms), so it sounds like your endo is right. It takes a while to start to feel better on thyroxine, several weeks. One time I was accidentally given too high a dose (pharmacist messed up!) I took for a few days without noticing and the doctor said it was fine as it would have had really no impact being taken for so little time if that gives you an idea.

Thanks so much for coming back. It’s good your gp is on it, my gynae never even commented on mine last summer and it was well above 3, and she knew I was about to start trying! What dose are / were you on? Mine came back today as 2.11 and my endo says the ranges really vary but 1-2 is considered optimal for ttc but definitely below 3. So he’s given me a really small dose of thyroxine to take for 8 weeks and then he will do bloods after to check. Kind of wary about taking it (already on a few meds as it is) but I’ve read online it’s quite well tolerated, and he said it shouldn’t do any harm. il be interested to see if it helps at all with my puffiness / water weight. I’d say I’m quite tired / demotivated 85% of the time so any help with that will be well appreciated!

monga · Jun 28, 2023

Meg78 said:
Does anyone here have Graves’ disease? May I please ask what your initial symptoms were and what you do to manage it?

Your consultant will put you on anti-Thyroid meds and 6 weekly blood tests until it’s under control…
All I can describe the symptoms is the worst panic attack you’ll ever experience, that’s only if it’s running extremely high,the symptoms start off like edginess, you may feel hot, it creeps up on you tbh.

monga · Jun 28, 2023

Meg78 said:
Thank you! I describe it as the sensation of being chased by a tiger! May I please ask if you ever had freefall dips in levels as well?

Some weeks I have constant adrenaline rushes and heavy limbs, other weeks my heartrate is super low and I feel weak/faint, it seems to swing back and forth although the jittery adrenaline sensation is the more prominent

Yes it’s an awful condition, it does give you weak muscles ,that’s part of graves, the excessive tiredness is due to your system running on overdrive, my consultant explained it like driving a F1 car the effect too much hormone has on the body.
You’ll get everything from diarrhoea to palpitations.

monga · Jun 28, 2023

Meg78 said:
Thank you so much, this is exactly what’s happening to me at the moment! My TSH receptor antibody test was positive and my TPO was high as well, I’ve been thyrotoxic before but it normalised without treatment and was presumed to be postpartum, the adrenaline rushes have been back for a little while but suddenly switched off and I started feeling weak, by the time I finally got seen my T4 and TSH are within normal range so I’m a little stumped over what’s going on, whether it could be Graves or just general hormonal fun

It could be both , it’s a bit of a rollercoaster when your hormones are messed up, if you’re not feeling any better keep going back to your GP that’s what they’re there for ,it can creep up .

Linkylu · Jun 29, 2023

monga said:
Your consultant will put you on anti-Thyroid meds and 6 weekly blood tests until it’s under control…
All I can describe the symptoms is the worst panic attack you’ll ever experience, that’s only if it’s running extremely high,the symptoms start off like edginess, you may feel hot, it creeps up on you tbh.

Exactly this, I was at work when I had my first panic attack, I honestly thought I was having a heart attack. I’d dismissed previous edginess as work stress because the symptoms creep up on you. Also a real intolerance to heat, I went on a lovely holiday in the sun and just felt I couldn’t breathe.

monga · Jun 29, 2023

Linkylu said:
Exactly this, I was at work when I had my first panic attack, I honestly thought I was having a heart attack. I’d dismissed previous edginess as work stress because the symptoms creep up on you. Also a real intolerance to heat, I went on a lovely holiday in the sun and just felt I couldn’t breathe.

It’s awful and so frightening everytime you experience it x

bananasplit88 · Jun 29, 2023

Does anyone know if your dose of Eltroxin should be adjusted if you lose a stone or so in weight? Have been hypo for years, my dose hasn’t changed in 3 years but lately I think I’ve swung a little bit hyper - very mild symptoms as yet. I’m due to get my levels checked next month anyway but I’d be interested to hear other people’s opinions on it.

monga · Jun 29, 2023

bananasplit88 said:
Does anyone know if your dose of Eltroxin should be adjusted if you lose a stone or so in weight? Have been hypo for years, my dose hasn’t changed in 3 years but lately I think I’ve swung a little bit hyper - very mild symptoms as yet. I’m due to get my levels checked next month anyway but I’d be interested to hear other people’s opinions on it.

They’ll adjust it according to the results of your blood work.

bananasplit88 · Jun 29, 2023

monga said:
They’ll adjust it according to the results of your blood work.

Yeah I thought as much. It’ll be interesting to see what the T4 level is. I feel a bit jittery

ChampagneBox · Jul 27, 2023

does anyone else who had thyroiectomy just not feel right after the op? It’s been over a year since my hemi and 10 months since my total, and since about April I’ve just not felt ‘right’. Can’t explain it, just worried there’s something else wrong

bourb0nbiscuits · Aug 6, 2023

xbxbx said:
Does anyone take their levothyroxine at night? I’m tempted to try and see if it makes a difference to how I feel. Although I’d need to be strict and make sure I stop eating at a certain time so that it can still be taken on an ‘empty’ stomach.

I’ve been taking levothyroxine nearly a month, I had radio iodine treatment in April. After about two weeks ( of taking levothyroxine) I felt like I had more energy but now I feel quite tired again a lot of the time & I’ve put on weight. Really fed up & kind of wish I hadn’t had the radio iodine treatment & just carried on with the carbimazole. I take mine in the morning either as soon as I get up or half hour after I’ve had my morning cuppa, apparently caffeine can effect how it works

knivesnflowers · Aug 6, 2023

xbxbx said:
Sorry to hear you’re not feeling great.

I’ve been taking levothyroxine for 16 years, since my early teens, and have always taken it in the morning as per docs instructions. I don’t feel like it’s ever made a huge difference as to how I feel tbh. Part of me puts it down to a combo of having hypothyroidism and PCOS and that’s just how it is - but I’m also wondering if years of having no breakfast until a few hours after waking up is the culprit.

The rule I was told was no food, drink or caffeine until an hour after taking levothyroxine. This means I get up, take my meds, get ready for work, head to work and the first thing I eat is on my morning break around 10:30. 4 hours after waking up.

I might do a trial run of taking my meds at night and having breakfast first thing to see if I notice any difference.

i'm the same w the hypo / pcos combo and have never felt a massive difference either - been taking it since i was 14/15 and am 21 now. i have hashimotos though and was diagnosed with cfs at a similar time because the meds did nothing for my fatigue symptoms after bloods showed my hormone level was stable. never helped with metabolism or weight either but have put that one down to pcos too.

not a caffeine drinker but was told 30 mins before eating and that my morning cordial was fine. just remember that an empty stomach means a certain amount of time after food too - assuming based on antibiotics that two or three hours would be fine?

bourb0nbiscuits · Aug 6, 2023

xbxbx said:
Sorry to hear you’re not feeling great.

I’ve been taking levothyroxine for 16 years, since my early teens, and have always taken it in the morning as per docs instructions. I don’t feel like it’s ever made a huge difference as to how I feel tbh. Part of me puts it down to a combo of having hypothyroidism and PCOS and that’s just how it is - but I’m also wondering if years of having no breakfast until a few hours after waking up is the culprit.

The rule I was told was no food, drink or caffeine until an hour after taking levothyroxine. This means I get up, take my meds, get ready for work, head to work and the first thing I eat is on my morning break around 10:30. 4 hours after waking up.

I might do a trial run of taking my meds at night and having breakfast first thing to see if I notice any difference.

Thanks , I’ve not had any advice about when to take it, just from found out about the caffeine from googling I think I’ll try at night too will be easier than avoiding food & tea 🫖

Vidyagaymes · Aug 7, 2023

I was told i Can take it Half an hour before food, sometimes if i wake up in the night when the kids come into our bed I take it there

GamerLlama87 · Aug 7, 2023

I literally take mine whenever these days. I have a toddler who thinks sleep is for the weak and currently pregnant along with awful sickness if I don't constantly nibble on things so I'll be buggered if I'm gonna wait a whole hour before consuming caffeine and food

monga · Aug 7, 2023

bourb0nbiscuits said:
Thanks , I’ve not had any advice about when to take it, just from found out about the caffeine from googling I think I’ll try at night too will be easier than avoiding food & tea 🫖

Have they not checked your levels after your treatment to see how much they’ve fallen? Maybe they need to increase your dose?

bourb0nbiscuits · Aug 7, 2023

monga said:
Have they not checked your levels after your treatment to see how much they’ve fallen? Maybe they need to increase your dose?

Yes I had my levels checked a month ago , I hadn’t taken any meds since my treatment in April. When I had my bloods done they started me on levothyroxine 100mcg, got my next appointment in September & have to have bloods before that appointment.

Thyroid

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