Awful knees with low thyroid?

[youvegottobekidding]

I have a hypothyroid condition caused by Lyme disease.  (i.e. not Hashimotos, but direct bacterial action on the gland)

Lately I have started getting awful kees and I have read this could be a hypothyroid symptom.
When I get out of the car, or most of the time when I stand up from sitting, one or other of my knees gets a sharp pain and feels as if it is about to buckle beneath me.

I am trying to work out if this is more likely to be caused by my thyroid being low, or if it is the lyme disease, as obviously the way to deal with it would be completely different.

Do many people with low thyroid get this knee problem, or is it unlikely to be anything to do with low thyroid?

I've had lyme 28 years and never got this symptom before, which makes me inclined to blame the low thyroid problem. But it has kept getting worse since I started on my (ridiculously low) levothyroxine dose 6 weeks ago, which makes me think maybe not.

Any opinions/comments MUCH appreciated.

[AJWS6]

Every medication has some form of side effect, due to various fillers, most do well on Levo, but there are those, that experience side effects.  But from my personal experience with Levo, no the med is not causing the symptom, when I state hormonal imbalance, I'm stating hyper or hypo, aches/pains can be caused by either disorder, treating the disorder, getting levels right will eliminate symptoms.

BTW I like your username.  I tell my physicians that all the time, Lol :)        

[gimel]

You do have symptoms that are consistent with hypothyroidism.  In addition your Free T3 and Free T4 levels are both below the middle of their ranges.  Many members, myself included, report that symptom relief for them required that Free T3 had to be adjusted into the upper third of its range and Free T4 adjusted to around the middle of its range. The rationale behind this is that based on the way the ranges were developed, they are far too broad.

Free T3 is the most important thyroid hormone test because Free T3 largely regulates metabolism and many other body functions.  Scientific studies have also shown that Free T3 correlated best with hypo symptoms, while Free T4 and TSH did not correlate at all.  A good thyroid doctor will test and adjust Free T3 and Free T4 as necessary to relieve symptoms, without being constrained by resultant TSH levels.  Symptom relief should be all important, not just test results.


So I think you should continue with the med already prescribed and now, after 6 weeks, ask for an increase.  Also you should request to be tested for Vitamin D, B12, magnesium, ferritin, and a full iron test panel.  If you get those tests done, be aware that just being in the low end of the so-called "normal" range is also not adequate for many of those tests either.  

Please keep us tuned in to your progress and any test results and members will be glad to help interpret and advise further.  

[youvegottobekidding]

My results before starting levothyroxine were

T3 - 2.88
T4 - 0.85
TSH - 2.06
(same ranges as below)

and the latest ones, after 6 weeks of taking levothyroxine 25mg were

T3 - 2,73  (1,5 - 4,1)
T4 - 1,01  (0,89 - 1,8)
TSH - 1,07  (0,4 - 4,0)

The symptoms that I think are related to hypothyroidism are losing about half my hair (and what is left is so wispy it's like cobwebs), Having a sore throat and hoarse voice almost all the time, constipation,general puffiness all over and my formerly smooth skin looks kind of lumpy, weight gain.

Other symptoms are ones you get with lyme disease anyway so I cannot be sure: crippling exhaustion non stop, extreme brain fog, itching all over, immune system seems to have gone into retirement etc.


AJW,
So you think the pains could be caused by the levothyroxine, rather than the thyroid condition itself?
You said hormone imbalance, do you know which hormones specifically it relates to?

[AJWS6]

Sorry your experiencing sharp pains, I experience the same too in my right arm occassionally after Synthroid increase.  Feels like an ice pick shooting up my arm, then my arm clinches up, elbow aches for a bit, then goes away.  Rarely happens, but does happen.  Definetly hormonal imbalance.  Did not experience prior to TT/meds.  

If the symptom becomes to troublesome, contact your physicians office to address your concerns.  Wishing you well.        

[gimel]

Please post whatever thyroid test results you have, along with their reference ranges shown on the lab report.  Do you have any other symptoms that could be related to hypothyroidism?