Hasimoto's, left side numbness and trigeminal neuralgia

[Karilee71]

Hi...I am hoping I can find others out there like me so we can help each other. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's seven years a go and have been taking synthroid and a few years ago some cytomel. About a year ago my legs and feet were numb. I had some joint pain and then in December I blacked out at work and my heart rate spiked. I felt really heavy and out of it afterwards. A few days after that I had a pain in my neck and it went down my left arm.my whole left side is numb and both feet.  Since then I've had many tests, including 3 mri's still not one of my mid spine. Neuro says no to ms, more blood work done to determine if possibly lupus, because no rashes. Presently taking gaba pentin for trigeminal neuralgia. As many of us struggling with issues, I have been doing a lot of research online. One thing I discovered was a 2013 study on people with Hashimoto's who also have trigeminal neuralgia. A woman on another site stated that after switching from synthroid to the natural form of thyroid meds, her numbness and pain has ended. I wanted to keep this short, so it's just the basics. I am hoping to gather some more info on this before I meet with my endocrinologist. Is there anyone else out there with the same or similar circumstances?

[ParamedicPete]

I am so sorry you're experiencing all of these problems! It sounds awful and terrifying. I know that trigeminal neuralgia can be an absolutely miserable condition. I met a few people with that condition. They all went through some tough periods, thankfully all have found treatments which have given them their lives back! There is no single, straightforward solution. So, please don't give up when trying to find out what works for you. If your neuro runs out of ideas, see someone else, preferably someone who has a lot of experience with this condition. It seems like the gabapentin is helping you, but definitely start looking again if gabapentin stops helping as much.  I know you weren't focused on your TGNA, but I figured I'd add this little anecdote because I know how debilitating and frustrating TGNA can be.

My mom has hashimoto's and it has definitely caused some unusual effects for her. She gets joint pain, swelling, and stiffness that appears to be related to her TSH levels. This problem bounces around to different joints and limbs and doesn't appear to have any trigger other than high TSH levels. Her condition looks a lot like RA, but blood testing during flares has repeatedly shown elevated TSH, normal T3&T4, and a negative ANA panel (the antibody test that offers clues to various autoimmune conditions).

It's important to note that her TSH is elevated, but it's still considered subclinical. It ranges from ~4 to ~9 during flares, with 10+ being clinical (significant evidence of hypothyroidism). It's also important to note that this is just a pattern her ND has noticed. As far as I know, there is not a substantial amount of empirical evidence on this potential association. As such, this seeming association does not qualify as evidence based practice. Without a well designed scientific study, it's impossible to determine if this is just a random coincidence or a statistical correlation. This is something a medical doctor in the US would be forced to gloss over. She sees a naturopath as they are not as tightly bound to evidence based practice, but they do have extensive medical education (4 year graduate degree with several topics overlapping with “allopathic” education). A lack of research on a topic does not mean that the condition is not real or the treatment does not work. It just means that the topic has not be thoroughly examined through a scientific lense, yet.

I also wanted to mention that she did have a lot of similar side effects with Synthroid. She switched to Thyroid Armour (the more natural option) and absolutely raves about this medication. It's worth trying! Just let the provider who manages your hashimoto’s know that you're interested in trying a different medication. Most are happy to prescribe an alternative to Synthroid, especially if you're having a lot of side effects.

Stay strong! You've been dealt a really crappy hand, but you can have a decent quality of life, despite these conditions. I can tell you're being very proactive about your well being. Support groups of people with similar conditions have the power to help so much. Just don't let defeated pessimistic attitudes often found in support groups bring you down. Those people are just feeling hopeless, but they will likely find great solutions if they keep looking and fighting. They're just venting, which is an important part of dealing with chronic illness. We (in the US, at least) are raised not to complain. But sometimes you just need to let all of your negative feelings out. It's beyond beneficial to vent to people who understand what you're going through. As you can probably tell, I have my own chronic illness.

Sorry this is so long! I hope it's not just rambling.

DISCLAIMER:I am not a doctor. This information is not a substitute for professional evaluation. Furthermore, this information was provided from a personal standpoint, rather than a professional standpoint. These statements reflect my personal opinion and experience.

[selmaS]

  Hi I also have Hashimoto's but in addition to  this autoimmune condition, I also have a connective tissue disorder and a neuro issue...so some of the issues u mention make me wonder if u or the person in the article u read have an underlying neuro issue.

I would also suggest u check out the thyroid forum here on MedHelp-

http://www.medhelp.org/forums/show/73?camp=msc

[Karilee71]

I also have random muscle twitching, trouble concentrating, memory issues and huge fatigue even after a decent sleep. These symptoms, other than the muscle twitching I have had since I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and a few years later found I had Hashimoto's.