Looking for encouragement

[PGphmtt75]

hello, I'm just looking for a little encouragement.  I go through periods of time where i get really stressed out, anxious, and restless over the small everyday things that normally don't stress me out and it's really frustrating during these periods.  I've been going through this off and on for the past 5 years or so.  I realized maybe a year or so ago with several of my blood test over that period that my TSH would bounce up and down going from 2's and 3's up to over high 4's and 5's.  but only recently have i seen and endo and starting taking synthroid a little over a week ago.  i'm going through one of those periods now and just really hope that is the reason for the episodes.  i know it can take 4-6 weeks for the meds to kick in, but i worry that maybe it's not the reason and that i just have some anxiety disorder.  i really hope the medicine helps.  please if anyone has any encouragement or if anyone has gone through the same thing, i would really appreciate any help.
thank you!    

[PGphmtt75]

thanks again!

[TamraW]

My endo recommended to take it on an empty stomach in the morning with a full glass of water, and NOTHING else for an hour. No coffee, etc. I keep a glass of water by my bed and take it as soon as I wake up. I get up a little earlier than before, just so I can have time to eat with my child before I take her to school. It takes some getting used to, checking the clock so I can grab my cup of coffee. It's terrible when hubby is brewing a pot and I can't have any.

:) Tamra

[PGphmtt75]

thanks for the tips!  i'll check for Soy in my food, or better yet, i'll ask my wife, she would know better than me about that stuff :)  i don't have broccoli within 4 hours, so that's good and i never have cabbage so that's good and i don't take any calcium supplements.  i have been taking the meds an hour before lunch every day and i make sure not to eat anything for at least 2 hours before that.  do you think the morning is better?  i just take it before lunch because i usually get up and eat breakfast right away so i'm afraid i would sleep through it more times than not.

[Barb135]

Being hypo can cause the mental issues that you described and hopefully, the med will help with that.  

In addition to the food that Tamra mentioned, make sure that you don't take any calcium products (supplements, etc) within 4 hours of your thyroid med, as that too, will limit the absorption of your med.  

[TamraW]

You are lucky not to have the other symptoms. I would advise continuing on the meds, taken with a full glass of water in the morning and nothing to eat or drink for an hour. No soy in any form (check the labels on your cereal), raw broccoli, raw cabbage within four hours of taking the meds, as it interferes with absorption. Many of us also wait for hours to take vitamins. I have decided to avoid all soy all the time. Many of us do.

Read this article on soy:
http://thyroid.about.com/cs/soyinfo/a/soy.htm  

Once you get your FT4/FT3 levels up, you will, hopefully, feel better. My mood has changed immensely. I am now on 75 mcg. I don't FREAK OUT over little things anymore. I do feel like I need one more bump to get my energy back to normal.

Keep us posted and take care...
:) Tamra

[PGphmtt75]

thank you Tamra for the response, i don't really have any other symptoms other than the emotional ones.  my endo did say the one side of my thyroid was a little bigger than the other and ordered a ultra sound for that.  no results yet.  i did do a full thyroid blood test with the endo when i saw her a few weeks ago and i am awaiting the results in the mail which should come this week.  i just called the doctors office yesterday to make sure they got the results and asked if they could mail me the results so i'm really looking forward to seeing those.  i'll post the results as soon as i get them.

right now i'm on 50 of the synthroid.

i was a little mad at my 2 doctors who never said anything about my TSH levels even though they had been a little high on several tests.  i so how stumbled upon this myself.  i really hope this is the cause.

[TamraW]

Somewhere, somehow, the doctors failed you. When your TSH was bouncing above 2, the docs should have also run the following tests: FT3 and FT4, plus the antibodies for Hashimoto's disease: TGab, Anti-TPO

Many people with thyroid disease are misdiagsosed with depression, anxiety, and docs fail to test their thyroids. This was the case with me for many years.

My endo, who knows a lot about thyroid, has petitioned to lower the TSH standard. He said that normal TSH is really around 1.1.

Last year, my TSH was 2.74 and my first three endos ignored it. I finally had my antibodies tested after so many, many health and mental health issues. My Anti-TPO is 221. Anything over 35 indicates Hashimoto's.

My thyroid is now swollen (goiter) because doctors waited too long to treat my Hashimoto's.

Do you have other health issues? Feminine, like endometriosis? Weight issues? Constipation, dry skin, rashes, arthritis pain, neck pain, heartburn, GERD, hair loss or dryness?

Yes, the meds have helped me TREMENDOUSLY!

You need to find a doctor who treats your FT4/FT3 levels. I wouldn't be surprised if those are too low. TSH is pituitary and doesn't always paint the full thryoid picture.

You might find that 50 mcg is not enough, and you will need a bigger bump after a month or two.

:) Tamra