Lyme disease and Hashimoto's thyroiditis

[jhutchjr]

Last May I was diagnosed with Lyme disease and since then have been having recurring bouts of extreme exhaustion.   After the initial diagnosis of Lyme I had a month of Dexedrine antibiotic.  My family physician did not think i needed addtional treatment.  With the exhaustion continuing i went to a homeopathic doctor who diagnosed Hashimoto's thyroiditis (the immunbe system attacking the thyroid).  My last Thyroid Peroxiddase AB score was 823 (normal is less than 35).  My doctor prescribed natural medicines (Cytozene, HDEA, and now just yesterday ABKA Plus) as the exhaustion continues.  I thnk the two diseases are related, maybe Lyme causing the Hashimoto's.  Does anyone else have these two diseases occurring together?  Have you or your doctors found that the two diseases are related or causatve of the other?  If so, what are you doing for treatment.  

[Amyloo]

I do not have a thyriod issue, but do have MS.  I believe Lyme disease induced/triggered Multiple Sclerosis in me.  Not to say that every case is caused by Lyme.

I think Lyme bacteria can be causative in alot of issues.

[JackieCalifornia]

From what I have read, Lyme can have an effect on thyroid function, because the Lyme bacteria do a lot of oddball things that result in strange symptoms that vary from person to person and from time to time in the same person.  That's one reason Lyme is hard to diagnose (because the symptoms shift around) and hard to get MDs to agree on a definition of Lyme, since the tests are imperfect and much of a Lyme diagnosis relies on those ever-shifting symptoms.

It looks from your address like you live in MD, which I think is a Lyme hot spot.  Were  you tested for 'coinfections' such as babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, bartonella, and a few others?  These diseases are often carried by the same ticks that carry Lyme, so you can get a double whammy, and that makes the symptom array even stranger.

Before I was diagnosed with Lyme, a well-meaning MD tried to give me 'go' pills (uppers), on the theory that I had chronic fatigue syndrome.  The symptoms of Lyme can fit so many other diseases that MDs (esp. those not very familiar with Lyme) can go off in lots of different directions.  They may be right, and they may be wrong, but I would suggest that if you have not done so, find what is loosely called an LLMD, a 'Lyme Literate Medical Doctor', meaning a regular MD who specializes in Lyme and has a more progressive outlook about Lyme diagnosis and treatment than mainstream medicine does.  You can find an LLMD by googling 'how to find an LLMD' and putting your state(s), and also check the ILADS [dot] org website's referral service.  ILADS is a group that is more 'progressive' on the view of Lyme as a serious disease and they are leaders in this area -- but many regular MDs think ILADS is totally off the tracks.  

Good luck, and let us know how you do.

[wonko]

I had a positive thyroid antibody level indicative of Hashimoto's, but my LLMD thinks it is really just Lyme in my case (I don't recall the number, but it was definitely lower than yours, only double digits).  My TSH level is being monitored during my regular blood work every few months.

I've read a lot of people who have thyroid problems with Lyme.  And even with normal thyroid, the fatigue from Lyme can cause similar symptoms to hypothyroidism.  At times, my BP has gone low for me and I feel like there are weights on my legs, which from my understanding is consistent with what a thyroid patient might experience.

[Hope75]

Low BP for me all the time.  Whomever takes my BP asks, "do you feel ok".  I just chuckle.

My thyroid labs have always been fine, but I have heard of the two going hand in hand.

[jhutchjr]

Thanks for your lengthy reply and helpful information.  I just got a couple names of doctors who are Lyme literate and really need to see one of them since my regular physican and the homeopathic doctor have not had much success with the Lyme and the Hashimoto's (my regular physician seemed to think I'd get over the Lyme after the month of antibiotics and then didn't seem much worried about the Hashimoto's, and the homeopathic doctor has tried a number of natural medicnes but to no effect).  It is frustrating and i feel like i'm doctor chasing -- and i also feel a bit guilty for not sticking with my regular physican.

[JackieCalifornia]

Don't feel guilty about switching MDs -- it's very loyal of you to feel that way, but Lyme and other tick diseases are tough customers to deal with, and your doctors, if they are truly good, will only want for you to get well.

However, given the mess the medical community is in over the whole topic of tickborne diseases ("TBDs"), there are lots of prickly feelings out there among 'professionals.

What IS most important is your health and well-being, and if your MDs put their own hurt feelings above your health, well, that tells you something.  I read recently that Lyme patients see an average of 12 MDs before being diagnosed.  I personally saw more than 20, and they were (mostly) brilliant and thoughtful people with excellent education and training.  Someday there will be a lot of crow eaten by a lot of MDs about Lyme.  In the meantime, we have to listen to our bodies.  

Because Lyme treatment is cutting edge in many ways, there are approaches and theories that seem a bit strange -- use your common sense, and if you don't get a good feeling about it or it doesn't make sense to you and the LLMD can't explain it you properly, then go somewhere else -- you can always come back to a previous MD.  

I personally detest MDs who tell me "Take this pill" and give NO explanation or rationale or outlook, and yet that's how most MDs are, including many of mine.  I get more data from my car mechanic than from my MDs.

Another possible source of LLMDs was mentioned elsewhere here by Wonko:  LymeDiseaseAssociation [dot] org.

Hang in there, check back and let us know how you're doing.