Hypothyroid men

[Yarnold66]

Any men out there who found that their erectile dysfunction / libido returned with treatment?

[gimel]

What are the reference ranges shown on the lab report for the FT4 and FT3 results?   Are those results indicative of your dosage of 100 mcg of T4?  

Sleep problems are often the result of hypothyroidism.   Hypothyroidism is correctly defined as "insufficient T3 effect in tissue throughout the body due to inadequate supply of, or response to, thyroid hormone".   TISSUE T3 EFFECT determines your thyroid status.  TSH has only a weak correlation with FT4 and FT3, and a negligible correlation with TISSUE T3 EFFECT.  So, except at extreme levels,  TSH should not be used as the primary diagnostic for hypothyroidism.  You can confirm all this by clicking on my name and then scroll down to my Journal and read at least the overview of the full paper on Diagnosis and Treatment of Hypothyroidism:  A Patient's Perspective.  

As for a good thyroid doctor, perhaps we can suggest one that has been recommended by other thyroid patients.  Please tell us your location.  

[tuxedo125]

Thanks for sharing! I am a 57 year old male. My FT4 is 1.43 & and the top of the range is 1.77.  My FT3 is 3.1 and the top of the range is 4.4.  My TSH is 1.13 and the bottom of the range is 0.45. These levels all seem good. I still suffer from insomnia, tinnitus, neuropathy in one foot and occasionally ED. I believe these symptoms are a result of hypothyroidism. ED is directly related to my Synthroid dosage. I dropped from 100 mcg to 75 and had no libido or function... Upon returning to 100 mcg libido is good and function are ok. I use Ambien to help with insomnia which I believe is harmful. What do members recommend for sleep help?   My endocrinologist goes by TSH only. How do I locate a good thyroid doctor???

[gimel]

Could be that even on Synthroid for 6 years, your thyroid hormone levels are not adequate.  If your doctor diagnoses and medicates you based on TSH alone, that doesn't work.  TSH is a pituitary hormone that is affected by so many variables that at best it should be considered as an indicator, to be considered along with more important indicators such as symptoms, and also the biologically active thyroid hormones, free T3 and free T4 (not the same as total T3 and total T4).

In my opinion a good thyroid doctor will treat you clinically, by testing and adjusting levels of FT3 and FT4 with meds as necessary to relieve symptoms, without being constrained by resultant TSH levels.  Symptom relief should be all important, not test results.  Many members report that symptom relief for them required that FT3 was adjusted into the upper part of its range and FT4 adjusted to at least midpoint of its range.  If your doctor is unwilling to treat you clinically then you will have to find one that will do so.

I think you will find this link to be very interesting.

http://www.hormonerestoration.com/Thyroid.html

[tuxedo125]

Thanks for sharing! I am a 57 year old male. My FT4 is 1.43 & and the top of the range is 1.77.  My FT3 is 3.1 and the top of the range is 4.4.  My TSH is 1.13 and the bottom of the range is 0.45. These levels all seem good. I still suffer from insomnia, tinnitus, neuropathy in one foot and occasionally ED. I believe these symptoms are a result of hypothyroidism. ED is directly related to my Synthroid dosage. I dropped from 100 mcg to 75 and had no libido or function... Upon returning to 100 mcg libido is good and function are ok. I use Ambien to help with insomnia which I believe is harmful. What do members recommend for sleep help?   My endocrinologist goes by TSH only. How do I locate a good thyroid doctor???

[bballs010]

I have been on Synthroid for 6 years now and have not seen any improvement with ED as yet. In fact it seems to me that it has gotten more pronounced over the past few years but that could be due to my age, however I have tried some of the ED meds and found them to have no impact whatsoever. My doc seems to think it is soley duw to my age but I am not sure about that at all.

[Yarnold66]

A possible answer to my original question; I recently discovered the following article from the journal Clinical Thyroidology, entitled: 'Men with hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism commonly have erectile dysfunction that spontaneously improves after restoration to euthyroidism'. (November 2008, volume 20, issue 3)
I am still at the early stages of getting my hypothyroidism managed using  levothyroxine (just 50 mcg at the moment) and hope this study holds true in my case. Any comments would be welcome.

[gimel]

We're not all that quiet, just out numbered.  I've been on thyroid meds for about 35 years, but really can't relate to your question.  Everybody is slightly different.  I am very confident that if hypo t is the underlying cause, then things will return to normal once you are on the correct meds and have time for the body to heal.  

[redheadaussie]

Hi just to let you know...we do have a few men on this forum, but they seem to have gone quiet for a while. If you don't get an answer soon, be patient and they hopefully will chat to you in the near future.