elevated cholesterol

[Apoorva210]

Hi. I'm a 24 year old female with hypothyroid disorder. Since the last 4-5 months, my cholesterol levels have been elevated (total =212, LDL=140, HDL=38, Triglycerides = 166). In a recent test, my TSH was 4.45 on a dose of 75 mcg levothyroxine. I am a vegetarian and my diet does not contain eggs, dairy or much oil. My weight is normal (~115 lbs), but I am not unable to get sufficient exercise as I also suffer from fibromyalgia. Should I be worried about my cholesterol levels? If yes, what can I do about it? Is it related to my thyroid condition?

[Kenneth N. Woliner, MD]

Patients with labs such as yours should not be worried by their cholesterol numbers for heart disease risk, but ...

High triglycerides / low HDL is associated with insulin resistance (pre-diabetes), despite not being overweight.

High cholesterol and a TSH above 3.04 suggests under medicated hypothyroidism.

There isn't a rush to get fully evaluated for these two issues, but they should be addressed. Please discuss them with your physician.

[ahmee]

The symptoms of fibromyalgia are very similar to thyroid symptoms. In fact, some people believe fibromyalgia is more often than not simply undiagnosed or undertreated hypothyroidism under a different name. It sounds to me that you are very much under medicated for hypothyroidism. In my experience, once my thyroid symptoms subsided with proper medication, my cholesterol went back down to normal as well.