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Avatar universal

20 years old and struggling with Hypo

Hi all! Here's my story summed up: I had a tonsilectomy in August of 2013 to help clear up my guttate psoriasis which is a rare autoimmune disorder linked to the strep virus in your throat. Ever since then things have been going downhill. All through high school I weighed 120-130 lbs and was very active and ate decently well. VERY healthy growing up. After the surgery I started gaining weight. I gained about 20 lbs the first year and felt miserable...always in bed due to exhaustion and experienced many aches and pains and my thoughts just felt blurred. Summer of 2014 I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and Hashimotos and my numbers were at a 8.9 and then doctor told me the levels for a teenager should be 1-2 or so. After that I started partaking in rigorous excercose and dieting (including avoiding gluten and soy and carbs). She also put me on 25 mcg of Synthroid. After another few months I gained another 25 lbs. She upped my dose to 50 mcg but says my levels are around a 3 and won't up my dosage. Just recently I've joined a hot yoga class and go 5 times a week and just the other day I watched myself gained 9 lbs on the scale in a matter of hours. This disease is infuriating because I am so young and otherwise healthy and if my friends made half of the effort I did to live a healthy lifestyle they would be 100 lbs. My whole life I have been small and full of energy and a big athlete and now I have no energy to get up and despite that I workout endlessly without results and eat according to a strict diet. I am seeing nothing but negative results and I'm constantly asking why I can't have a little more help from my doctor or better medication. She agrees I am doing everything right but my well being is just shattered. Does anyone have any advice on what I can do to regain my happiness and confidence and have control over this disease? Should I find another endochronologist who will give me better medicine and advice? I just turned 20 and don't want to spend the rest of my life worrying about having more medical problems due to this rapid weight gain. Thank you!!!
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Avatar universal
I have not had ferritin tested but a few months ago I tested my vitamin D and was very defficient. No I take a supplement once a week that has been working very well. I also have very low cortisol levels which my doctor attributes to my birth control pill and that I'm just a very stressed out person. My other symptoms include extreme fatigue and sluggishness (no motivation to do anything), aches and pains constantly in my neck and back, trouble formulating thoughts and words sometimes, and recently ive seemed to be craving carbs more than usual.
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Avatar universal
Yes, thank you, those are exactly what I wanted to see.

Your FT4 is at 44% of range, which is a little low of the 50% target for FT4.  FT3 is 47% of range, which is also low of the 50+% target for FT3.  So, a little increase might be in order.  You could simply increase T4 meds a bit, or you might think about adding in a small amount of T3 (Cytomel).  While it looks like you convert well (you have a nice balance of T3 to T4), sometimes a small dose of T3 just does he trick.  If this doctor won't do that, you might have to go doctor shopping (it's worth it).  

Have you had your vitamin D and ferritin tested?  

Do you have other symptoms besides weight gain?  
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Avatar universal
My test results for ft3 came back as a 3.2 with a standard range of 2.3-4.2 pg/mL. My ft4 came back as a 1.3 with the standard range of 0.9-1.8 ng/ml. (I am simply reading from my lab results and am fairly new to this information so hopefully this is what you're looking for...not really sure yet what all the number are supposed to mean) Thanks!
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Avatar universal
Yes, please post those reference ranges for FT3 and FT4. Once we see where you fall in the ranges, we'll be better able to make suggestions.  
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1756321 tn?1547095325
I'm not sure of your reference ranges for free T3/free T4 but a TSH of 2.9 mU/L is still a bit too high.  Some find they need additional T3 or natural desiccated thyroid hormone. I only need T4 personally.
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Avatar universal
As of about a month ago:
TSH - 2.9
T3 free - 3.2
T4 free - 1.3

Apparently these all fall within the standard re he which is why she won't change my medicine but it's disheartening because I'm still rapidly gaining weight and feel more tired than ever. Could the levothyroxine just have negative effects on me and are there any alternative medications out there? Or is it merely an undermedicated issue?
Helpful - 0
1756321 tn?1547095325
You sound undermedicated. Do you have your TSH, free T4 and free T3 results?
Helpful - 0
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