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Hypothyroidism or adrenal fatigue?
Hello,
Im a 26 year old male that felt depressed, disconnected from the world (derealization), tired and was worried about pretty much everything. This went on for years, in waves, but the last weeks (before seeking help) it went really bad.
So, I went to the doctor. My THS was 7.2, two weeks later it was the same. Everything else was good; T3, T4 and no signs of haschimotos. Started with levothyroxine 0,50 and later raised to 0.75 (two weeks). I felt better but still got this feelings that things weren't real, that something was off, like I was disconnected from the world, and apathy. So we raised the dose again, from 0,50-,075 - 1. (total time on medicine= 4 weeks). After two days I was a wreck. Disconnected, apathy, depressed, no meaning with anything. So I stopped taking the meds and now im more tired than ever before. I thought that I were extremely tired before this, and that was nothing in comparison with this. But the feelings of unreal is gone, so that's good :)
So, im in a dilemma. Should i start taking the meds again or not? The thing is im not sure i am hypo, Im thinking that I maybe have tired adrenals or something like that. Sure, I was feeling unreal, apathy and a little bit dizzy. But I didn't have any problems with losing or gaining weight. About 2-3 months ago I lost 8 kg with hard training, and when I stopped training I gained 3-4 kg. Also, I wasn't always tired and didn't always have the unreal feelings. It was up and down.
So could it be adrenal fatigue, what do you think?
Also, this extreme fatigue I feel know (two days after stopping taking the meds) could that be caused by some after-affects of the medicine? If so, how long before it's out of my system?
Also, I have a symptom that I have a hard time explaining, when I look at things it seems like they are slightly off, the proportions are right, but in some way it doesn't look like it should. Does hypo/adrenal fatigue mess with your vision? Wtf is that?
If you got some time, I would really appreciate it :)
Im a 26 year old male that felt depressed, disconnected from the world (derealization), tired and was worried about pretty much everything. This went on for years, in waves, but the last weeks (before seeking help) it went really bad.
So, I went to the doctor. My THS was 7.2, two weeks later it was the same. Everything else was good; T3, T4 and no signs of haschimotos. Started with levothyroxine 0,50 and later raised to 0.75 (two weeks). I felt better but still got this feelings that things weren't real, that something was off, like I was disconnected from the world, and apathy. So we raised the dose again, from 0,50-,075 - 1. (total time on medicine= 4 weeks). After two days I was a wreck. Disconnected, apathy, depressed, no meaning with anything. So I stopped taking the meds and now im more tired than ever before. I thought that I were extremely tired before this, and that was nothing in comparison with this. But the feelings of unreal is gone, so that's good :)
So, im in a dilemma. Should i start taking the meds again or not? The thing is im not sure i am hypo, Im thinking that I maybe have tired adrenals or something like that. Sure, I was feeling unreal, apathy and a little bit dizzy. But I didn't have any problems with losing or gaining weight. About 2-3 months ago I lost 8 kg with hard training, and when I stopped training I gained 3-4 kg. Also, I wasn't always tired and didn't always have the unreal feelings. It was up and down.
So could it be adrenal fatigue, what do you think?
Also, this extreme fatigue I feel know (two days after stopping taking the meds) could that be caused by some after-affects of the medicine? If so, how long before it's out of my system?
Also, I have a symptom that I have a hard time explaining, when I look at things it seems like they are slightly off, the proportions are right, but in some way it doesn't look like it should. Does hypo/adrenal fatigue mess with your vision? Wtf is that?
If you got some time, I would really appreciate it :)
Thank you for the reply! I really appreciate it.
About the test results, I don’t have the results on paper but everything was good (have to ask my doctor if I want it print). When I received the results/numbers I googled like a maniac and there was no problem or indications on anything – analyzed with the TSH-results in mind. I also checked B12 and a lot of other things, all good.
So, what you are saying that my symptoms aren’t caused by the medicine? That the fast increase from 50 -> 100 has nothing to do with this?
Something I forgot to mention were that just 10-11 days after taking 50 mcg my test results went from TSH 7.2 -> TSH 1.5. Is it possibly for things to change that fast with medicine? I felt a little better during those days, but not much.
The thing is that im not sure that I even need the medicine, that my problems maybe are related to something else, that effects the TSH-levels, possibly?
If I go back to taking the medicine, to about 75 mcg and use it for a couple of months, will it cause any problems if I then stop? Like withdrawing symptoms and what not. As I wrote, I’m not convinced I need the medicine, but since I feel like a weird zombie in a alternative universe I’m willing to try anything.
Also, something that I feel is really unclear is, does hypo go in waves? Sometimes I feel better, sometimes worse, and I don’t know why. Really weird!
Appreciate your help!
About the test results, I don’t have the results on paper but everything was good (have to ask my doctor if I want it print). When I received the results/numbers I googled like a maniac and there was no problem or indications on anything – analyzed with the TSH-results in mind. I also checked B12 and a lot of other things, all good.
So, what you are saying that my symptoms aren’t caused by the medicine? That the fast increase from 50 -> 100 has nothing to do with this?
Something I forgot to mention were that just 10-11 days after taking 50 mcg my test results went from TSH 7.2 -> TSH 1.5. Is it possibly for things to change that fast with medicine? I felt a little better during those days, but not much.
The thing is that im not sure that I even need the medicine, that my problems maybe are related to something else, that effects the TSH-levels, possibly?
If I go back to taking the medicine, to about 75 mcg and use it for a couple of months, will it cause any problems if I then stop? Like withdrawing symptoms and what not. As I wrote, I’m not convinced I need the medicine, but since I feel like a weird zombie in a alternative universe I’m willing to try anything.
Also, something that I feel is really unclear is, does hypo go in waves? Sometimes I feel better, sometimes worse, and I don’t know why. Really weird!
Appreciate your help!
1 Comments
I'm sorry, I don't mean to be difficult, but I've learned not to accept when someone says there's no problem with labs, without actually seeing the results and reference ranges, because what doctors say is "good" or not problem is often not the case... The same goes for googling and also applies to vitamin B-12, D, ferritin etc. I can't stress enough that simply being "in range" isn't good enough.
No, I'm not necessarily saying that going from 50 mcg to 100 mcg had "nothing" to do with the way you felt, but it shouldn't have had a lot to do with it, because of the time it takes for Levothyroxine to take effect. Also, we're all different, so some people might react more quickly than others.
And yes, TSH can drop from 7.2 to 1.5 in 10 days, but that doesn't necessarily mean it was the medication that did it, since TSH is affected by things, other than thyroid hormones.
The only way you're going to know if you need the medication is to get back on it and stay on a steady dose for a long enough period to see if it really makes you feel better. If your symptoms are alleviated, who really cares about TSH? That's irrelevant anyway, because it's merely an indicator, not a thyroid hormone.
I totally get that you don't know if you need the medication, but you'll never know if you don't take it. You can always get off it and compare how you feel on it vs how you feel off it.
If you have Hashimoto's, hypo can go in waves, but not the kind you're talking about, I think... You just have to stay on the medication long enough to see if it makes you feel better.
No, I'm not necessarily saying that going from 50 mcg to 100 mcg had "nothing" to do with the way you felt, but it shouldn't have had a lot to do with it, because of the time it takes for Levothyroxine to take effect. Also, we're all different, so some people might react more quickly than others.
And yes, TSH can drop from 7.2 to 1.5 in 10 days, but that doesn't necessarily mean it was the medication that did it, since TSH is affected by things, other than thyroid hormones.
The only way you're going to know if you need the medication is to get back on it and stay on a steady dose for a long enough period to see if it really makes you feel better. If your symptoms are alleviated, who really cares about TSH? That's irrelevant anyway, because it's merely an indicator, not a thyroid hormone.
I totally get that you don't know if you need the medication, but you'll never know if you don't take it. You can always get off it and compare how you feel on it vs how you feel off it.
If you have Hashimoto's, hypo can go in waves, but not the kind you're talking about, I think... You just have to stay on the medication long enough to see if it makes you feel better.
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hi...
First off, it takes 4-6 weeks for a dosage of Levothyroxine to take full effect, so just taking it for 2 weeks isn't long enough to really tell what it's going to do. It was okay to increase from 50 mcg to 75 mcg after 2 weeks and maybe even to 100 mcg, but the increase to 100 mcg wouldn't have had that effect on you after only 2 days...
So, let's go back to the basics... your original TSH was 7.2 and you say your T4 and T3 were "good"... Could you please post the actual results and tell us whether they were Free T4 and Free T3 or if they were Total T4 and Total T3. They aren't the same tests and don't provide the same information. Also please provide the reference ranges for the tests, since ranges vary from lab to lab. Even though your results might have been in the "normal" range, that doesn't mean they were "good" for you. If they were too low in the ranges, you were definitely hypo..
Secondly, you say there was no sign of Hashimoto's... Did you have the antibody tests? Those would be Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOab) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb). If you didn't have both of those tests you can't rule it out. If you did have them, please post the results and reference ranges. What about a thyroid ultrasound? Some people have been diagnosed with Hashimoto's, based on the characteristics of their thyroid gland as determined via ultrasound, even if they don't have antibodies.
Just as it takes 4-6 weeks for the medication to take effect, also takes a few weeks for it get out of your system, so the feelings of fatigue you felt a couple days after stopping the medication would not be from not having the medication. It could, however, be from anxiety.
My recommendation would be to go back and get another set of blood work - TSH, Free T4 and Free T3 - then start back on the medication at 50 mcg/day for 2 weeks, then increase to 75 mcg and stay there for 4 weeks to give the med a chance to stabilize in your blood, then retest to see where you are and how you feel. Of course, this would all be done with the blessing of your doctor...
Because of the extreme fatigue, I'd also recommend that you get vitamin B-12 tested. B-12 deficiency can cause horrendous fatigue/exhaustion and if you add the exhaustion caused by being hypo on top of it, it can be overwhelming.
First off, it takes 4-6 weeks for a dosage of Levothyroxine to take full effect, so just taking it for 2 weeks isn't long enough to really tell what it's going to do. It was okay to increase from 50 mcg to 75 mcg after 2 weeks and maybe even to 100 mcg, but the increase to 100 mcg wouldn't have had that effect on you after only 2 days...
So, let's go back to the basics... your original TSH was 7.2 and you say your T4 and T3 were "good"... Could you please post the actual results and tell us whether they were Free T4 and Free T3 or if they were Total T4 and Total T3. They aren't the same tests and don't provide the same information. Also please provide the reference ranges for the tests, since ranges vary from lab to lab. Even though your results might have been in the "normal" range, that doesn't mean they were "good" for you. If they were too low in the ranges, you were definitely hypo..
Secondly, you say there was no sign of Hashimoto's... Did you have the antibody tests? Those would be Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOab) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb). If you didn't have both of those tests you can't rule it out. If you did have them, please post the results and reference ranges. What about a thyroid ultrasound? Some people have been diagnosed with Hashimoto's, based on the characteristics of their thyroid gland as determined via ultrasound, even if they don't have antibodies.
Just as it takes 4-6 weeks for the medication to take effect, also takes a few weeks for it get out of your system, so the feelings of fatigue you felt a couple days after stopping the medication would not be from not having the medication. It could, however, be from anxiety.
My recommendation would be to go back and get another set of blood work - TSH, Free T4 and Free T3 - then start back on the medication at 50 mcg/day for 2 weeks, then increase to 75 mcg and stay there for 4 weeks to give the med a chance to stabilize in your blood, then retest to see where you are and how you feel. Of course, this would all be done with the blessing of your doctor...
Because of the extreme fatigue, I'd also recommend that you get vitamin B-12 tested. B-12 deficiency can cause horrendous fatigue/exhaustion and if you add the exhaustion caused by being hypo on top of it, it can be overwhelming.
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