Question of the Month - June 2013

[Barb135]

What were your main hypo/hyper symptoms?  How long did it take for those symptoms to be alleviated, once you started on medication?

[MH Community Mgr]

Thanks for sharing your comments with us. They're helpful for our community members.   Everyone is welcome to continue answering this thread, as well as look for new questions each month!

Best,

Cheryl
MedHelp

[Stufftie]

Daily throbbing headaches, migraines, exhaustion, dry skin, dry scalp, light-headed - take me out an entire day- and bowel issues.

Symptoms after doctor dosed hormone on TSH only. She said the below was not thyroid Geeesh.

Headaches, migraines, exhaustion, bowel issues, severe muscle pains, muscle cramps that made it hard to walk,  random painful stabbing pains, shooting pans in face and jaw, tingly hands and feet, joints stiffened (even hard to tie daughters shoes), achy bones in arms and legs, nauseous.  Did I mention exhaustion! Napped 2 - 3 hours and still felt terrible.

I had low B12 and received injections and I began supplementing iron.   Still felt the same.  Although I know now that if I hadn't started the supplementing that I would have still felt some symptoms on Armour.  

Found a doctor that looks at Free T3 and Free T4 she put me on Armour, slowly increased it and I have no symptoms left.  I am so excited to be back to my old self from 5 years ago! Unless this central sleep apnea we just discovered turns out to be a thyroid issue ;)  

I should mention the oxygen at night took care of what little headaches I had left after Armour.  

[Kristina538]

How long before medication kicks in?

For hyper, it only took a week of the methimazidole (sp? this was over 3 years ago), made some subtle and welcome difference, that I thought was imagined, but just got better and better, so I was able to come off my metaprolol.

For hypo:  adjustments are hard to feel, as I have a gamut of hypo symptoms, and 'adjustment' symptoms before leveling out.   I would say about 3 weeks before I notice some level and sometimes subtle change - five weeks for my hair and nails to start bouncing back if I've managed the right dose.    I can look back in my notebook and see why I'm feeling how I am today, by seeing what dose I was taking then.   (hehe - it works for me - the doctor said it was the most unscientific way of doing things but it works - have managed to hold down my job and retain some semblance of sanity - but deep kudos and respect to all those with Hashis and Graves;  my only main difficulty is only being able to adjust in small doses.

[Kristina538]

Hyper with a toxic nodule:  inability to sleep at night, fast heartbeat, couldn't handle the summer heat; always hungry; feeling wired and tired; muscle cramps; breathless with exercise.
Hypo after 15mci rai:  tired, foggy/spacey, moody, tearful, felt a 'lump in my throat; coated tongue; slow heart-rate; sluggish digestion and constipation;  heavy body (hard to exercise); difficulty sleeping.  hair falling out; brittle nails and very dry skin; itchy eyes; muscle cramps (some symptoms more often as I was getting levels right).   Still some thyroid function; have built up to 50mcg synthroid over 18 months as the thyroid lost function... weird that with some functioning thyroid I've had all these symptoms.  My weight is usually so stable that I jump on the scales and can confirm I need an adjustment once I head towards 2kg of 'normal'.    It's magic when I hit close to normal, then need to adjust slightly again!   I'm 57 and haven't been able to adjust to more than 12.5mcg synthroid at a time - seem very sensitive to the meds;  but work it up in 3 week increments, writing it all down - Doc now says 'okay work up to XX' which I do as fast as my body allows, then wait at least 4 weeks on a stable level before getting blooods.

[gimel]

If you have been tested for the biologically active thyroid hormones, Free T3 and Free T4 (not the same as Total T3 and T4), please post results and their reference ranges shown on the lab report.  If not tested, you should make a point to get those done at next opportunity.  In addition, hypo patients are frequently too low in the ranges for Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin.  If you have been tested for those, please post results and ranges.   If not, you should also test for those.  

[flyingfool]

Numbness/tingling in extremities like hands and feet is also consistent with low Vitamin B-12.  So you may want to have your B-12 levels checked.

B-12 is also fatigue symptoms.  This vitamin has a huge wide normal range, and many people report needing their levels to be above 50% of the range if not towards the very upper end of the range.

[summerluvr]

I am a cancer survivor.  I have been living with some side effects from my treatment for three years.  I went to the dr. in the spring because I kept feeling something was stuck in my throat,  and I felt an enlarged lymph node.

Dr. ordered and ultrasound or my neck, which said there are a few enlarged nodes, but nothing that pathalogical looking, but the radiologist flagged my thyroid as "highly diffuse heterogenous... something or other" and asked if this patient has a history of hashimoto thyroiditis. (it was a bit of surprise)

started seeing a specialist for potential fertility treatment.  He did further blood work, and told me I tested positive for thyroid antibodies, and will likely become hypo.  He decided to start me on Levothyroxine because hypothyroid is bad for pregnancy.

Looking back, the side effects I've been living with from treatment are pretty similar to hypo side effects, so likely I had hypo symptoms for a while!

have peripheral neuropathy in both hands and feet, recently noticed it has flaired up after being quiet for a while the annoying tingling, burning, numbness.  

fatigue is nothing knew to me

dry skin and hair, check,  but I'm also in menopause from chemo?

the recent symptom that I think for sure is hypo, is constipation!  when it flairs I am going a week without anything and have to resort to two kinds of laxatives

weight gain. I had gained 20 pounds after my treatment.  I had a real hard time loosing it.  I have managed to get back to my pre-cancer weight, but It has taken a few years, with a careful diet, and working out almost every day (walking an hour a day, and strength training or pilates 2-3 days a week)

[GrandmaK64]

About three yrs. ago, I began tearing up and/or crying over the slightest thing. Then noticed change in bowel habits, couldn't lose weight, itching, hoarse voice, brain fog , insomnia, dry eyes, easy bruising are all symptoms that I have had over the past 3 yrs.....and 7 yrs ago, developed vitiligo, and toenail fungus problems.....hair coming out, it became straight, and thin.....some depression, lack of sex drive, sweating.....after 2 yrs of dr. saying no problems, just take anti-depressant, I became fatigued, blood pressure elevated, rapid heartbeat.....(had been working out so very aware of what was going on), and then boom ! Short of breath. All sympttoms continue for a year now, and finally after 11 specialists, I have been diagnosed with Hashimotos's and Graves Disease n treated with RAI... waiting for the RAI treatment to work now after six weeks......it is getting to me, but I must be patient !

[shellhunt]

I wish I knew. I was diagnosed hypo 6 weeks ago. My TSH came back normal after 5 weeks on synthroid and I was told my B12 of 240 was very low just last week. So I started on B12 5 days ago.
My symptoms are major huge awful fatigue, muscle soreness, leg and feet cramps, nail with lines, dry skin, grumpiness, migraines, easy to bleed gums, zero sex drive, and many others.  
I haven't seen a change in symptoms yet, except the migraines, they have slowed in frequency.

[mulligan2525]

Thank you for these posts.  It helps to read success stories.

[flyingfool]

Well first off  you have to remember what it's like to feel "normal".

It has been so long for my wife I'm not sure if she or I know what normal for her really is.

I'm not sure my wife dosage is fully optimized. But as we started to get "tuned in" to thyroid and symptoms.  The first symptoms for her are sleepiness.  I used to say that she could sleep 23 hours a day and complain the 1 hour she was awake that she wanted to take a nap.  She was unable to get into a car if not driving and fall asleep in brief amount of time.  need naps after work etc.

Also she gets moody and grumpy like PMS. Only it goes on 24/7/365 and only gets worse once a month from there!

Her periods get irregular in both timing and flow. Sometimes spotting and starting and stopping again. This actually is one of the first signs.

She also would get carple tunnel and planters faciatis (spelling???) in her foot.

Weight has been an issue. And has been unable to loose weight of any amount for any length of time no matter how much she cuts back on food and how much more excercise she gets.  This is still probably one of the most lingering issues that she still has not been able to "beat".

OH I almos forgot. She also had acid reflux or GERD.  When she started getting higher dosages of thyroid that went away and allowed her to get off of her acid reflux medicine.  Also the amount of medicine she needed for her Asthma also was cut in half.  In addition when her GERD went away, so too did her migraine headaches. Almost 100% completely.

[Ericamegan]

I had RAI 3 1/2 years ago for Graves'. When I was hyper, I had rapid heartbeat, high blood pressure, hand tremor, anxiety, muscle weakness, frequent bowel movements, extreme hunger and bulging eyes.

After RAI, I became very hypo and had severe muscle cramping, weakness, fatigue, anxiety, hair loss, neck flushing, high blood pressure, water retention of face/body and bags around eyes.  Many of these symptoms improved with synthroid/cytomel, but I still had hypo symptoms.  

Last April, I switched to Armour thyroid and after giving my body time to adjust, these symptoms have gone away. I am now able to maintain my weight with healthy eating/exercise, my blood pressure is completely normal and my anxiety is gone.  Many of these symptoms, I was told by previous drs, were not related to thyroid.  It's amazing how much the thyroid hormone influences the body!

[ChitChatNine]

I had no symptoms at all.  My primary doctor found 2 large nodules on a routine office visit.  It took 10 mos to find the right Synthroid dosage that worked for me.  It's a never ending story that continuously changes as my body changes.  You don't realize how great it is to have your own thyroid hormones doing their thing, until you are reliant upon replacement.  My dosage has had to be changed quite a bit since 2007.

I'm awaiting a TSH to see where we are .. it suddenly went from about TSH 2.5 to 0.20 when I was sick in April so I went from 112mcgs to 88mcgs.  Keep in mind I started out in 2007 on only 75mcgs for years.

[MYoungAtHeart]

I was so tired, a tired that just can't be explained, like all the energy was sucked out of me.   It was summertime and I went to all the summer activities with 3 layers of clothes on.   I have my sisters wedding photos in July and I am the only one wearing a sweater and jacket in all the photos.
My heart rate was through the roof, by the time I did get to the doctor, he wrote that it was 280 beats a minute...It didn't bounce or skip, it was just always fast.

I was so fatigued that none of these symptoms took me to the doctor.  What did open my eyes was that President Bush, his wife Barbara and the Dog, Millie, also had the same symptoms and I thought if it was a real problem for them, then it was for me also.

I don't remember how long it took to feel better.  I had radiation and was then put on Thyroid medication but it took a year to get stabilizied and I started to feel normal.  The doctor wanted me to put work and school on hold because he said the fatigue would probably keep me from being my sharpest, but I didn't change any of my life at all.  I do remember the handfuls of hair falling out of my head, but I was lucky and have it all back and it seems thicker and more full now.

Today I can tell you from how I feel whether I am getting the right amount of levothyroxin in my system.  When I feel overly blue or fatigued, I call up my doctor and go for a quick blood test.  95 percent of the time I am right and the medicine has to be readjusted...

M

[dgmootry]

after RAI I went into hypo not sure how long it took,, but I kind of knew when I was, my legs felt like I had sand bags on them, I was real cold, which I've always been warm, because of being hyper for so many years. My hair felt thinner, its always been thin because of hyper, but just seemed to be thinner, my joints hurt. plus it seemed like I was digesting my food really slowly, I would try and take a walk after I ate, and I felt I had a water mellon in my stomack, I was very constilpated, and my skin was really dry, and my nails had worse lines in them and very brittle . I also retain water, this was the most erratating syptom, I still have a issue with it, not as bad, I'm hoping when my tests come back I'm still a bit low, and that will fix it,  its been a year and a month since I had the RAI and I feel I'm almost normal, like I said except for the water retention, but its not that bad, but it would be nice to have that problem go away. Oh also brain fog, that's pretty much gone.

[Barb135]

The first symptoms I had that REALLY pointed to hypothyroidism were fatigue, which I’d had for years and was discounted by doctors as being depression, but which turned out to be a combination of Pernicious Anemia and hypothyroidism.  The other, more telling, symptom was incredibly fast weight gain (30 lbs in < 2 months), which my doctor attributed to lack of exercise, in spite of a physically demanding job and daily, brisk hour long walks.   I also had some muscle/joint aches/pains.

The first symptoms that were alleviated/lessened were the muscle/joint issues and the bags under my eyes went away.  I hadn’t even known these could be hypo symptoms, as my doctor as put the muscles/joint aches/pains down to age/arthritis and I thought the bags under my eyes were from the weight gain and fluid retention.

The only remaining symptom I have is the weight issue, which is now being attributed to insulin resistance/metabolic syndrome.  I do agree with that diagnosis, to a point, because I do have impaired fasting glucose levels; however, I think thyroid levels are also a contributing factor.  Unfortunately, I can’t get any of my doctors to increase my med enough to tell for sure.