Hi again Helly, having a look at your earlier post now.
The one thing I don’t understand is that regardless of my t4 &t3 by TSH never seems to change. they have investigated all sorts with no conclusion.
When you say your TSH stays the same regardless of your T4 & T3 levels, do you have the results of any earlier TFTs when your T3 & T4 were lower? It would be helpful to see what you mean. I'm no expert on this (or anything else for that matter) but if the pituitary hormone TSH is low/suppressed when T3 & T4 are also low, I believe this can (rarely) happen if the pituitary gland is not working properly. However, I'm sure your endocrinologist will have ruled that out.
Unlike your TSH, your FSH (56.4) & LH (31) - also pituitary hormones - were not negligible, but in postmenopause range, tying in with your then below range oestradiol of <18. So that seems reassuring, as I think it suggests your pituitary is responding as expected in menopause, so presumably it's working OK.
I guess the thyroxine will be coming down at my next gP appointment but I’ll be honest I’m scared about that.
I think it might be more helpful to reduce your Liothyronine as your FT4 results (if 14.9 & 12.6) are not high, whereas your FT3 is close to top of the range, so I think part of the reason you're feeling so unwell could be that these two are not balanced as they would be if your thyroid were working properly. You may in fact need a little more Thyroxine & less Liothyronine to feel better. I don't know for sure - your endocrinologist would be the right person to advise on that.
Two things I should have thought of before to help get a better idea of the background to what's going on. First, can I ask have you ever been diagnosed with Graves & had treatment for that leaving you hypothyroid, or if not is it Hashimoto's & how long have you been on replacement? Also, are you underweight/low BMI? Please don't feel any pressure to answer if you prefer not to.
I know what you are saying about some of the symptoms being the same for over medicated thyroid however they feel very different to when I have had symptoms before. For example, high levels for me is usually palpitations, anxiety panic l and difficulty getting to sleep etc. I haven’t had most of those and the sleep issue is different in that I can get to sleep but keep waking up.
I think your instincts are important & I hear you on the change in sleep disruption, but I'm afraid menopause can mess with our formerly reliable instincts, sometimes misleading us. I'm also confused because you did list anxiety & panic as long term symptoms in an earlier post in this thread:-
the last 2-3 years I have been struggling with dreadful anxiety, panic attacks . . . night sweats, hot flashes
All of those can be symptoms of over-treatment with thyroid meds as you know, but of course they're classic for menopause too & we know from the diagnostic bloods your endocrinologist did that you do seem to be menopausal. I'm sorry - it's a confusing mix, bless you & this is the problem at menopause for hypothyroid patients & medics alike. It's just really important that if your thyroid medication is wrong this is addressed.
The increase to 2 sprays of Lenzetto was back in September so two months before my last oestrodiol levels.
So if you were on 2 sprays of Lenzetto for 2 months before your oestradiol tested at 53, that's really very low & I suspect on 3 sprays you are still not getting therapeutic levels, which is likely part of the reason your mood is so low. Are you expecting to have another oestradiol test soon? With poor levels like that from Lenzetto, I think you probably need to change to patches or gel. As I said earlier, I'd suggest patches, as I find these provide a bit more stability than the once/twice a day methods & I think that can be helpful with a thyroid condition.
they can’t help You, at least not quickly.
If it's your T3 dose that needs to come down, the good thing is that its short half life means it's out of our system a lot quicker than Thyroxine.
I'm so sorry you're feeling so awful Helly & if you really feel your thyroid is not part of the problem you might feel more comfortable trying a menopause clinic as you suggested earlier. I also wonder whether you feel you might want to ask about an antidepressant for your low mood & sleep disruption, just to help you through this very difficult phase until your HRT & thyroid are better balanced. Many of us need to take one with our HRT, either short or longer term & they can be very helpful.
Hypothyroidism & menopause can be a very difficult combination & you're having to deal with it at quite a young age too. I hope you have someone supportive at home. Please do contact your GP or Endocrinologist soon, as I feel you really need some professional support with this. My heart goes out to you.
Wx