Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

hypothyroid

i take 200mcg of synthroid and i am still having hypothyroid symptom. fatigue, sleep 8+ hours and want to sleep more, weight gain, forgetfulness. this is causing my depression to get worse. i was sent to an endocrinologist, she lowered my dosage to 175. i tried to explain the returning symptoms. she stated she was going by my blood work only. my  blood work shows hyperthyroid. she started giving me the spill about brittle bones, heart problems. she didnt want to listen to how i was feeling, just going by the book. i know my body and i know i am not feeling right. even though my blood work shows hyper, why are my symptoms hypo. i fired her and now receive treatment with my regular doctor. he doesnt listen to the symptoms either. i feel like im banging my head on a brick wall. what do i do. i watch my food and go to the gym 1hour + 5x a week. nothing is working, all the hypothyroid symptoms are still there. can anyone help???
3 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
1139187 tn?1355706647
Also, if you are not doing well on t4 only, and you can't get him to add t3 in, maybe you could find a doctor that will in your area (there are a lot of resources of lists of doctors who use proper protocol when testing patients)  

Some people also do better on natural thyroid hormones such as armour and naturethroid.  

Posting your latest labs will help a lot.  
Helpful - 0
1202943 tn?1347840652
Do you have copy of your last lab results?  Most likely low FT3.

I raised my dose of synthroid up to 150mcg, but continued to feel hypo.  I was putting in a lot of work to be healthy and felt awful.  I was always swollen, tired, losing hair, gaining weight ect. After reading up on this forum, I found out that many people need to be on a T3 med.  I asked my endo if I could try adding Cytomel(T3med). She agreed to lower my Synthroid and add T3. (2.5mcg twice a day).  I've had to push my dr for each increase of T3.   I am now on 125mcg sythroid & 7.5mcg Cytomel (twice a day).   After giving my body some time to adjust, my symptoms have improved greatly. If you do add T3 make sure you start slowly and give your body plenty of time to adjust to the new dose.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Unfortunately too many doctors only want to go by blood tests.  That frequently does not work.  TSH is a pituitary hormone that is believed to reflect the levels of the thyroid hormones, but doesn't.  I would challenge any doctor to show me scientifically valid data that supports that TSH correlates with either Free T3 or Free T4 (the biologically active thyroid hormones), much less with symptoms.

At best TSH is an indicator, to be considered along with more important indicators such symptoms, and also levels of Free T3 and Free T4.  Free T3 is the most important because it largely regulates metabolism and many other body functions.  Scientific studies have shown that Free T3  correlated best with hypo symptoms, while Free T4 and TSH did not correlate at all.

Another thing nor understood by many doctors is that hypo patients taking large doses of T4, frequently find that their body does not convert adequately the T4 to T3, thus requiring the addition of some T3 for the patient's meds.  Also, patients taking T4 meds often find their TSH suppress.  this does not automatically mean you are hyper, unless you also have hyper symptoms due  to excess Free T3 and Free T4 levels.

So where that leaves you is that you need a good thyroid doctor that will treat you clinically by testing and adjusting Free T3 and Free T4 as necessary to relieve symptoms, without being constrained by resultant TSH levels.  symptom relief should be all important, not just test results.  I think you can get some good insight  from this letter written by a good thyroid doctor for patients that he sometimes consults with from a distance.  The letter is sent to the PCP of the patient to help guide treatment.

http://hormonerestoration.com/files/ThyroidPMD.pdf

So if you cannot use information like this letter to change your doctor's mind about treatment, then you will have to find a good thyroid doctor.  
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Thyroid Disorders Community

Top Thyroid Answerers
649848 tn?1534633700
FL
Avatar universal
MI
1756321 tn?1547095325
Queensland, Australia
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
We tapped the CDC for information on what you need to know about radiation exposure
Endocrinologist Mark Lupo, MD, answers 10 questions about thyroid disorders and how to treat them
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.