Hypothyroidism & TMJ

[Gabriella917]

I'm a 21 year old female. The last month I've been having quite a few health problems. I've been dizzy & having a feeling as if I'm in a dream, fatigue, I've been having pains in my ears, random pains & twitches in my muscles, my feet get cold and I shake, I don't sleep well at night, I recently have anxiety issues & problems remembering things, and the list goes on. I went to my than primary they ran blood test found nothing wrong except an elevation in my blood sugar and white cell count, I went back for more tests & everything checked out normal. My insurance company switched my Primary & I recently had an appt with my new doc. He told me he believes I have hypothyroidism and an ear infection. So next week I go for blood tests! Today I saw an ENT (Ear, nose, throat). He said I have TMJ. I was just curious to anyone whose been through this..does this sound like a thyroid problem? & do TMJ & Hypothyroidism have a connection?

[Gabriella917]

My old primary doesn't have my labs or they never gave me a copy..guess I can call and pick one up? Thanks for the advice! As far as the symptoms..I'm overweight..I was never overweight until after I had my child in Sept of '09. I started getting fatigue but it would come and go. Random back pains almost like nerve issues. This has happened on and off for the last 2 years. I also have really dry skin that itches and haven't had a menstrual cycle in almost a yr. I also have irregular bowel movements, I gained 6 lbs in a week, I'm beyond tired, I don't sleep well, I have anxiety, Heart palpatations, TMJ, headaches,I get a lot of soar throats, dizziness/lightheadness, I get random muscle twitches and pains everywhere, usually when that happens my neck tenses, I get really cold for no reason, and I've been having a lot of issues with my ears ( ENT says its due to TMJ), mood changes, etc.

[momtoclaire]

Wow...I would never have thought of that connection. Just had test results with two high TSH so will have to work thru the system with primary dr, endo to determine more. Have been having lots of hypo symptoms, but one symptom that has been horribly bad of recent is TMJ to the point that I can't eat even the softest of food w/o people across the room hearing the popping (embarrassing), and a lot of pain next morning from clinching I guess.  Glad to hear there could be a connection. Thanks for the info.

[Red_Star]

TMJ dysfunction can be due to a variety of conditions. Two conditions that can cause TMJ dysfunction as well as elevate insulin levels are hypothyroidism and magnesium deficiency.

"Temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ syndrome) is also common as hypothyroidism causes problems with muscles and ligaments. In addition, both edema and clenched teeth due to chronic muscular tension can affect the jaw and cause the pain and muscle spasms of TMJ syndrome." - excerpt from "The Women's Guide to Thyroid Health: Understanding Symptoms of Hypothyroidism" by Kathryn R. Simpson, MS

"Magnesium deficiency can affect virtually every organ system of the body. With regard to skeletal muscle, one may experience twitches, cramps, muscle tension, muscle soreness, including back aches, neck pain, tension headaches and jaw joint (or TMJ) dysfunction." - excerpt from "The Importance of Magnesium to Human Nutrition" by Michael B. Schachter M.D., F.A.C.A.M.

[gimel]

Please look through this list of typical hypothyroid symptoms and tell us which ones you have.  Also, please post those "normal" thyroid related test results and their reference ranges shown on the lab report so that members can assess the adequacy of your testing, and your status.