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Avatar universal

When will I feel better?

Hi, its me again!  I probably sound like a whiney butt, but I just want to know when this will get better.  Went to the Endo on Monday and was given more tests and told to come back in 2 weeks for an ultrasound.  I know that this was an inital appointment, but I wish they would have set this up for my Monday appointment.  I was diagnosed with Postpartum Depression 6 weeks after my son was born (which was 7 months ago) around Month 3 or 4 of postpartum I started to have different physical symptoms and was finally diangosed hyperthyroid.  Doc said I either have Postpartum Thyroiditis or Graves Disease.  Fine- let's find out so I can treat this and start to feel better.  I started taking Beta Blockers 6 days ago and I feel worse.  I cry everyday because I feel so terrible.  I feel like I am in a fog all the time.  I am really sleepy all day and then when I go to bed I don't sleep good.  I am taking Toprol 50mg once a day.  I spoke with my doctor and he told me I could go down to 25mg if it is causing fatigue and I did that yesterday and had a horrible headache and my BP was 140/80.  Was this a coincedence?  Or was this from halving the dosage?  So I took the whole 50 again today and am about to fall asleep at my desk at work.  I just feel horrible.  The depression and anxiety is much worse since all of this starting happening and I am really starting to worry that I'm just getting worse in that area.  
Doc also told me that I am mildly hyper, I asked him why I have so much pounding heart and anxiety if I am only mildly hyper, he said that different people have different symptoms.  I just feel like no one believes how horrible I feel.  This is getting really old.  I don't want to do anything because I feel so crappy.  I am recently engaged and don't want to do anything to get ready for the wedding because I have no energy.  What can I do to help myself?  Please help!
12 Responses
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649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
Synthroid doses should only be adjusted after proper labs have been done, showing a need for changes.  Since it takes approximately 5-6 weeks for a dosage change to take full effect, your dosage should not be adjusted until the med has had a chance to take effect, and once again, labs indicate a need for further adjustment.  

The 1/2 life of levothyroxine is 5-7 days, so it takes a while to clear your system.  T3 meds are cleared sooner, but still takes a couple of days.
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Avatar universal
Totie,
Thanks for your comment.  Can I ask what your treatment was/is?  How are you doing now?
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Avatar universal
I am in the process of seeing if someone can see me sooner.  I had my appointment with my original doc moved to a week from today, and that still seems like a lifetime.
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1425146 tn?1282761884
Pardon the misprint, I do not type well, meds for hyperthyroidism cannot be adjusted daily. That is true. However, almost all patients on synthroid are adjusting dosages with success nowadays. I hear from many every week who are doing so, but you do need to give changes a chance to work. Synthroid made today will pass through the system in 72 hours or less, so that means a window of about 3 days to see if changes work.

Also Barb 135 makes a good comment about considering another doc. Why bother going without help for how you feel?

Best in Health
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649848 tn?1534633700
COMMUNITY LEADER
ThyroidHunter made the following comment: "I can also tell you from experience that rolling you Toprol dosages around will only make things better. We aren't the same every day, so dosages for hypo's can be adjusted daily".  

This is NOT true - meds for hypothyroidism can NOT be adjusted daily....It takes several weeks for a T4 med to take effect; adjusting it daily will do nothing but make things worse. Same goes for most meds; you have to give your body time to adjust and get used to them.

tangerine: I'm surprised that your doctor isn't treating you with something to bring down your thyroid levels; not just the toprol to reduce your heart rate......... are you keeping track of your heart rate?  If it goes too low, you will also feel horrible.........

Hate to say this, but is there any way you can get another doctor to treat you?  This has been going on with you for a while now; you need relief......
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Avatar universal
I did develope grave/hyper after my son was born. The doctors kept telling me it was depression as well from working & having a new born. I did not get any symptoms however until he was about 6 months old, so yes they assumed postpartum. My doctor once told me that giving birth could have triggered my graves/hyper. I did develope toxemia during my pregnancy which lead them to induce me a month early. He was small, but fine now.
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Avatar universal
Like I said before I am being treated for PPD with Zoloft.  As for my thyroid, the doctor said I either have Postpartum Thyroiditis or Graves.  I am guessing he wants to get the blood work back and then do an ultrasound before he treats me.  The blood work is more indepth from what I posted.  
The only treatment right now is the beta blocker which I hate.  I will keep taking it though, I want to cooperate as best I can through this.  I want to get better.
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1425146 tn?1282761884
Your Free T4 is well out of range, where/what is your doc doing for your symptoms now? Waiting for what? An ultrasound probably will only reveal some irregularities, but what about your symptoms? Have you asked your Doc to treat your "symptoms" and not your tests?

The beta blockers will stop the heart pounding, and help a bit with anxiety, but will do nothing for the natural depression, light headedness, inability to concentrate, etc. Additional drug therapy is needed for that. In fact, it should have been discussed with you at your appointment, and those drugs should have been prescribed then.

Finally, yes, your thyroid levels can and do, go up and down, over the years.

Best
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Avatar universal
Thanks for replying both of you.
I know this might be a stretch but is it possible my thyroid levels could have gone up and down over the years?  I have a history of panic that started probably about 10 years ago and has seemed to come and go over the years.
I do not have high blood pressure, the beta blocker is treating my pounding heart I have been experiencing lately.
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Avatar universal
Free T4 (0.5-1.6)  2.3
T3 (59-174)  229
TSH  (0.34-5.60)  0.01
Thyroglob (1.3-31.8)  4.5
A Micro AB (<35)  411

These are my labs
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Avatar universal
Is that Metoprolol you are taking for Blood Pressure? If so it can make you tired, It slow the heart rate and is supposed to lower BP, Do you have the results or a copy of the thyroid blood work? If you do please post them here, Free T3 Free T4 TSH and the reference ranges provided for each. This should have been his first round of labs that indicated you had thyroid issues, and being an Endo he should have run FT3 and FT4, so see if you can get these results. All the symptoms you are having are thyroid symptoms, although it is hard to see where you are without the labs. Welcome to the forum and hang in there. FTB4
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1425146 tn?1282761884
I believe how you feel, many on this Board do too.

I was hyperthyroidic and undiagnosed for 51 years. It has taken a pretty bad physical and mental toll on both my family and myself, but has given me the anger to fight back. With a book, Foundation, as many speaking events as I can get, help on Boards like this, and anything I can do - because we who suffer with thyroid problems have less chance at quality of life than HIV diagnosed patients do nowadays.

Despite the fact I am now in Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, I am still hyperthyroidic most of the time and require both beta blockers and benzos to be able to function. I hate taking drugs of any kind, especially narcotics, but the choice was clear after a nearly fatal thyroidic storm. You do what you have to do, and move on searching for better.

You ARE depressed. How could you not be? You been sick and feel bad for a long time. Regardless of the specific gland (the thyroid as you know is our "emotion" gland, connected directly to the central brain) when you have been sick and feel bad from any disease for a long time. You WILL get depressed. This depression needs to be treated with any of the non-addictive anti-depressants your doctor should already have you on.

I can also tell you from experience that rolling you Toprol dosages around will only make things better. We aren't the same every day, so dosages for hypo's can be adjusted daily. However, when you need beta blockers as we do, you need 2 weeks minimum to see if a dosage change is helping, or not.

You won't sleep well with hyper. So get some Ambien and try that every night. Need more, get Lunesta at 2 or 3 mg and use them. It's better to take the drugs, than never have energy and constantly worry about falling asleep  during the day. The toprol does have a side effect of "de-energizing", I mean, it's supposed to, it's suppressing your primary metabolic gland. You can help this a lot with 2 things: A tough exercise program, and a good vitamin program. Neither is very expensive, they just require dedication and committment. Don't expect it to be easy.

I also want you to realize you do not have a death sentence, and things could be worse. Much worse. So it's some your choice now, get to the Doc, get the meds I've talked about, and take them religiously combined with exercise and vitamins (A, mycelized or liquid A, B-6, C, D, E, and Zinc - yes ALL of them) or get worse.

Once thing is very accurate you've written for all of us with hypo or hyper thyroid issues is "different people have different symptoms", this Doc understands and is trying.

Finally in wrapping up, it's a bit unusual for post partem Moms to have hyper, very common to have hypo for a few months, then clear up. This suggests to me you have been hyper for awhile, and I will be very surprised to hear that your ultrasound does not reveal multiple nodules, goiters, cysts, and possibly tumors. Again, these aren't death sentences, just the signs of disease that can't be ignored any longer.

I hope you will keep the Board updated as to how you feel as treatment goes by. Best in Health
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