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[karab]

Yeah, no worries, hope you find something that helps. 

For me the balance of E and progesterone also mattered -- I could tolerate more P with more E, and less P with less E.  When I was taking 200 mg P with lower doses of E, it contributed to the feelings of sedation.  The balance of E and P seems to be different for everyone, but I saw someone once say up to .75 E to 100 mg P,  and using this as a baseline reference for perimenopause helped me.  On 200 mg P with a .1 patch I was still more sedated than I wanted, even though I thought I needed the P.  When I went up on E, it helped.

[0132sarah]

Hi everyone,

I said I would update on my progress. After leaving the GP surgery and the discussion of possible fibromyalgia to consider. I couldn't accept that answer, I had already been diagnosed with chronic fatigue years ago. I went through so many different types of medications which I chose to wean myself off.
So I paid for a private blood test via thrivia. Wow am I glad I did!

The results came through yesterday, I have an under active thyroid, Hypothyroidism. I have sent results to GP and been offered a blood test immediately. I admit I am worried I have Hashimotos. It is very common to have that causes the hypothyroidism, especially in females> it is frequently misdiagnosed as chronic. fatigue or fibromyalgia. The symptoms are very similar, especially the brain fog.
I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience? I was hoping to know how effective Levothyroxine is, and how much of my brain can work again. I genuinely feel very dumbed down, unable to find the right words. I get stuck in conversations as I lose words, trail of thought etc etc.

I have tribunal soon, for my daughter. The past two years I have been fighting the school that failed her, the whole academy and now the local authorities. I nearly had a nervous break down last year, from the amount of gas lighting, attempts to cover up and my daughter being rushed to hospital from school.

I felt fantastic taking the progesterone, I have not slept or felt more relaxed and a sense of self for such a long time. has anyone taken Levothyroxine? Does it help with energy? brain fog, joint pain etc?
Sorry if I am coming across muddled. I feel like my brain has shrivelled up.

[joziel]

Hi - Lots of us are dealing with thyroid issues because they are very common at this time of life. If you post your full thyroid results, with ranges, we can comment...

Personally, I go with the perspective that very few people will be optimised with just levothyroxine/T4 replacement as per this paper which just came out and summarises that position: https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/endocrinology/articles/10.3389/fendo.2025.1529791/full

I'm on 125mcg T4 and 30mcg T3 via a private thyroid doctor (you won't get T3 on the NHS). I just tested on this dose yesterday but it will be 3 weeks before I get results because I get rt3 tested any time I change my T4 dose (as I originally had a high rT3 problem). The only test in the UK for rT3 is the Blue Horizons Platinum.

If you are on FB, there is a great group called 'Thyroid Patients Canada Support'. It's not just for people in Canada, that's just how it started. It has great info for everyone everywhere.

[Wrensong]

Hello sarah, I'm sorry to know about your thyroid function test result & it's only natural you are feeling apprehensive about it.

has anyone taken Levothyroxine? Does it help with energy? brain fog, joint pain etc?

Quite a few members are on Thyroxine so you will not be short of support on here if your GP confirms you need to be started on it.  I've been taking it for over 30 years & I'm also on HRT.  The majority of hypothyroid patients (it's said around 85%) do well on Thyroxine alone, though you may see mention of a 2nd thyroid hormone on here, T3, which a few of us (me included) need as well.  If the symptoms you question here are due to hypothyroidism then yes Thyroxine should help them.  But low energy, brain fog & joint pain can also be a consequence of our declining sex hormones at menopause, so for women who are both hypothyroid & menopausal it can be difficult to know which condition is behind which symptoms.  All I can say for sure is that if you need Thyroxine your systemic health should improve for it given time for it to take effect.  You have a lot on your plate I see, but please try not to worry about the TFT result.  Your GP is on the case now & depending on what the repeat test shows, will advise on what is necessary as regards any  future treatment.
Wx

[SundayGirl]

Hi Sarah
Don't worry about the possibility of a hypothyroid diagnosis. As joziel and Wrensong have said, it's fairly common to be diagnosed at this time of life.
It's good that your GP has asked for bloods to be done off the back of private results - some GP's will not even look at results done in the private sector.

One step at a time. Get your results from your GP bloods and take it from there. It's possible that your GP may prescribe Levothyroxine but it's also possible that he/she will take a wait and see approach and do further bloods in a few weeks. This is obviously dependent on results.

Don't stress and worry about reading up on the different replacement hormones (ie T4, T3, NDT) just yet. Your GP will only be able to prescribe Levothyroxine (T4) and you may find that it suits you fine.

[0132sarah]

Oh wow, thank you so much everyone!

I was not aware how common it is! I have really bad problems with being unable to cool down, have done for years. It affects my speech and thought process. My brain is absolutely blank at the moment. Hence why I am concerned about attending tribunal like this! Feeling quite irritable, I get overwhelmed. Although my daughter can be quite intense, she has adhd and autism. So her fixations are needed there and then or it can turn into a huge meltdown.

So blood results I got, it was jsut a health check.

Thyroid-stimulating
hormone (TSH)
4.97

Free thyroxine (FT4) 11.6

Forgot to mention: Testosterone 0.26

HDL cholesterol 1.2
Total Cholesterol/HDL
Ratio
4.0

The fatigue is unreal, I have been off balance recently. I know my brain fog is worse, I am so disoriented. I am constantly sat in front of my fan and drinking water or coffee to wake up.
I did previously speak to the GP asking for steroid injections for my wrists, I even had to purchase a new hoover as it was too painful to do simple chores.

I do th spoon method with having chronic fatigue. I am currently off the progesterone for 2 weeks, then back on it for 2. I admit I have not felt so good when taking it. I haven't slept like that in years, I felt a sense of self. Wanting to do things for myself. My body felt more relaxed, the pain was still there but not as intense.

I just really could do with my brain back, I am in the middle of reviewing my daughter's EHCP (Educational Health Care Plan, learning SEN Law along the way.That is a whole other story!). I am like a rabbit in the headlights.

I was worried about Hashimotos. I had an operation in 2016, went horribly wrong. The paperwork got mixed up for referral. So had a year of 5 different infections. After the op, I collapsed. I kept going back saying something was wrong but wasn't listened to for 3 months. I had an infection. I was prescribed some strong antibiotics for a month. But by then my body literally shut down. That is how I got chronic fatigue.

Thank you so very much to everyone who has replied, life hasn't exactly been a breeze to say the least. The results did make me panic, knowing my immune system isn't great. I get ill frequently with infections etc so was worried about having an autoimmune disease on top! Again sorry if I dont make much sense, I'm really trying.

[joziel]

It's hard to comment on thyroid results without you giving the ranges as well. Thyroid results always need to have the lab ranges listed with them because we need to see how far through the range you are, and the ranges can differ from lab to lab.

Your TSH isn't terrible but is slightly raised. The T4 looks a bit low if the range is 12-24 ish, which is a common range. So yes, you should be allowed to try some T4/levo and see if that can bring your T4 up and you can convert that to T3.

Secondly, your GP (as per usual with the NHS) isn't testing T3. T3 is the most important thyroid hormone to test and the NHS doesn't test it in primary care. (The NHS is completely inadequate for treating thyroid problems.) To test this, you'll need to test privately. Finger prick tests are more reliable for thyroid than for sex hormones so you could do one of those to start with. Look at the Medichecks Advanced Thyroid panel. It includes testing for Hashimotos antibodies to check for that as well. The only thing it doesn't cover, is rt3.

Cholesterol problems are common with being hypothyroid. When you fix the thyroid, your cholesterol should improve.

[SundayGirl]

Sarah - every single symptom you've mentioned can be down to low thyroid hormones. Unfortunately, there's also a crossover with low sex hormones giving similar symptoms which leads to many women not being diagnosed and being given HRT instead.

Temperature regulation, brain fog, fatigue and trouble throwing off infections are classic. Lots of hypothyroid patients are mis-diagnosed with chronic fatigue as well.

From memory, Thriva use 4.2 as top of TSH range and a T4 range of 12-22 so your TSH is definitely high and your T4 is definitely low. Hopefully your GP will accept the Thriva results and if your NHS results show similar then Levothyroxine is definitely indicated.

Be aware though, it's not an immediate fix. You'll need regular 8 week bloods for a while to monitor your levels and get you on the correct amount for you.

If you still feel unwell, or just not quite right, once your GP is happy with your results, then that's the time to do more investigations into additional/alternative replacements. Cross that bridge when/if you get to it. after all, you don't know what your blood levels for T4 and T3 were when you felt well so it's not worth worrying about at this stage.