Upper back pain

[sharanbr]

Hello All,

I have been diagnosed with Hashimoto's an year back. After a lot of iterations, I am now on,
1) 150 mg of thyroxine
2) Vitamin D supplement as it turned out that I was deficient in this
3) Vitamin B Complex supplement as I turned out I was deficient in Vit B12
4) Calcium supplement

My main symptoms always have been joint aches. I was sluggish for probably 2 years but I went to a Doctor only when joint aches started.

I would say, my joint aches are slightly better (probably 30-40% from the peak symptoms) after starting the above supplements, but now I have started having upper back issues.

About 3 weeks back, I started having pain in upper back, waking up with stiffness, headaches and sort of foggy head. I would like to know if these symptoms are manifestations of Hypo and if so, did you do anything that eased these problems ...

[des900]

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/749533

i know you will argue with the author who wrote this, but just quoted her for member's sake.

[des900]

i bet you if sharanbr reduce the levothyroxine dose he get relief from symptoms as i too went like him when i was over medicated. please don't give false information like 'I don't think joint pain, stiff neck and back pain are due solely to the high Free T4 level'. let him try that simple thing first based on doctor's advice.

[gimel]

I agree that your T4 dosage is a bit high, but I don't think joint pain, stiff neck and back pain are due solely to the high Free T4 level.  Don't overlook the info from Red_Star about the importance of magnesium.  Also all of those symptoms can be found on a list of hypothyroid symptoms, so at this point I see no conclusive evidence those symptoms are related to hyperthyroidism, so I would not ignore the possibility of still being hypoothyroid.  

Causes for being hypothyroid extend beyond just low serum Free T4 and Free T3. Serum thyroid hormone has to be transported into cells  and the transport function is affected by a number of things.  So tissue thyroid levels can be significantly different from serum levels.  Hypothyroidism can be also be a result of low tissue thyroid effects, which result from low tissue thyroid levels and other co-factors like Vitamin D  and Reverse T3.  One of the best measures of tissue thyroid levels is the ratio of Free T3 to Reverse T3.  Also here is a link on the importance of Vitamin D to thyroid hormone metabolism in cells.  .
  
http://thyroid.about.com/od/Vitamins-and-Supplements/fl/Why-is-Vitamin-D-So-Important-to-Thyroid-Patients.htm

So rather than assume that the slight reduction in T4 med is going to relieve your symptoms, I would also make sure to take magnesium and D3 supplements, and see how you feel after optimizing those.  Also if it is possible to get tested for Reverse T3, then I would get that done, along with a Free T3 test taken at the same time.  

[des900]

great

also no problem of iron if the lab range is 21 point 81 to 271 point 6.

Ferrittin serum      87.3 (21.81-274.6)

i though the range you mentioned is 81 to 276.6

[des900]

all the symptoms you experiencing like joint pain, stiff neck, back pain all related to over medication on levothyroxine. if doctor is not ready to lower the dose change the doctor.

[sharanbr]

ok ... thanks a lot ... i am due to visit doctor this week. i am sure doctor will reduce the dosage based on the new reports I believe ...

[des900]

based on the latest result you provided. you are over medicated on levothyroxine.

FT4 - 1.84 (0.93-1.7)

need to reduce your dose to 125 mcg or suitable and recheck after 4 weeks. ideally your ft4 should come in the range 1.3

concerning blood count values, you have no anemia but moving towards iron deficiency (low ferritin levels, low mcv, mch) so supplementing iron for some weeks good based on doctor's prescription. iron supplements should not be taken for long and need to check serum ferritin after some weeks to make sure not go into iron overload.

vitamin b12 levels are normal now so no need to take those.

anyway consult your doctor regarding these before proceeding.

[sharanbr]

Here are the previous results. These are almost 3 month old test results and not after increasing the dosage. I am visiting doctor this week and hope to repeat these tests ...
FT3 - 3.65 (2.4-4.4)
FT4 - 1.84 (0.93-1.7)
TSH - 0.99 (0.27-4.20)
Haemogram
-----------------
Haemoglobin     13.9 (12-15)
Total WBC         6900 (4000-10000)
Neutrophils        55 (40-80)
Lymphocyte       38 (20-40)
Eosinophil           06 (1-6)
Monocytes         01 (2-10)
Basophils           0   (0-2)
ESR 30 min        03 (08)
ESR  60 min       12 (20)
RBC count          4.6 (3.8-4.8)
Haemotocrit        42  (36-46)
MCV                  84 (83-101)
MCH                  25 (27-32)
MCHC                30 (31.5-34.5)
Platelet count      2.35 (1.5-4.0)

Other
--------
Cortisol               14.55 (6.2-19.4)
Vitamin B12         421 (191-663)
Ferrittin serum      87.3 (21.81-274.6)
Hydroxy VitD - 15.03 (mild deficiency)
Random Blood Sugar - 98 (80-120)
@des90: I don't have reverse T3
@red_star: I will check the exact contents of Vitamin-D3 and post. Calcium actually has Vit D3 additionally. I will post exact dosage and contents for both these separately ...

[des900]

taking calcium vitamin d in supplement form is not ideal as these can result in various other problems. try to get them from foods.

milk 500 ml gives around 500 mg of calcium also have high vitamin d content too.

if have problem consuming milk then consider fish, fishes like sardines and mackreal have very high calcium and vitamin d content.

[Red_Star]

Vitamin D and calcium but no magnesium eh?. Hmmm I smell trouble. :)

Lara Briden - 8 Ways That Magnesium Rescues Hormones...

"7) Magnesium activates vitamin D. Without enough magnesium, vitamin D cannot do its job . Conversely, too much vitamin D supplementation can cause magnesium deficiency."

Ancient Minerals - Need More Magnesium? 10 Signs to Watch For....
"7. Do you take calcium supplements without magnesium or calcium supplements with magnesium in less than a 1:1 ratio?

Studies have shown that when magnesium intake is low, calcium supplementation may reduce magnesium absorption and retention.12 13 14 And, whereas calcium supplementation can have negative effects on magnesium levels, magnesium supplementation actually improves the body’s use of calcium.7"

Dr Mercola - The Miracle of Magnesium...

"If you are suffering from the following symptoms you may need supplemental magnesium:
muscle twitches, tics, or spasms
"Charlie horse" (the muscle spasm that occurs when you stretch your legs)
insomnia or restless sleep
stress
back pain
headaches, cluster headaches, migraines
stiff and aching muscles
bones and joints that need continued chiropractic treatment weakness
hypoglycemia
diabetes
nervousness
hyperactivity
high blood pressure
osteoporosis
PMS
constipation
angina
kidney stones
aging
depression
heart attack
irregular heartbeat
attention deficit disorder
aggressive behavior
chronic fatigue syndrome
stroke
anxiety
confusion, muscle weakness
hiccups
high-strung
exhaustion from exercise
seizures"

[des900]

if available reverse t3 too as its a good marker to rule out possible overdose.

[des900]

please post your latest thyroid results

tsh, free t4 and free t3 when (current levothytroxine 150 mcg dose)

excess thyroid hormones can cause bone problems. so its vital you no overdose on thyroid medications.