Hypothyroidism and competitive athletes

[lyndawat]

I am a competitive cyclist recently diagnosed with Hashimoto's. My TSH is 5.99 and I just started on 50mcg of Synthroid. I am suffering from fatigue, prolonged recovery and am performing poorly. Am I doing myself harm trying to train at a high intensity and compete? Should I just back off until I start to feel better?

[juliva]

Oh yea, I just seen this was a old post.. dau.. oh well maybe someone will benefit from it. Lol!

[juliva]

Be careful pushing yourself when your body is showing you signs of stress especially when your levels are off. I did the same thing.. Running 2 miles a day, speed walking another 3 miles plus weight lifting 3 days a week. I was on top of my Game" then my TSH dropped slightly began feeling pain but kept pushing through it because I thought I was TOUGH and didn't want to slow down and lose this level of fitness I worked so hard for!

It's been 3 1/2 months and I can only stand for only minutes without pain. I pushed myself so hard and by the time I realized how bad I was it was to late. I could barley walk room to room and the pain took on a life of it's own I was crippled in PAIN! I'm still recovering but I pray that I haven't caused permanent damage to my feet at times I can't hardly feel my toes. I'm still recovering. I suggest again being careful it's not worth the risk.. it might effect you longer then you want by pushing to hard when levels are off... listen to your body!  Good Luck!  

[LazyMoose]

You must have found this old post just googling?

That is awful high TSH to be able to do any fitness training at all. Are you sure that your TSH #' is correct? What is the range? Sure that is not antibody levels?

Muscles will not recover with a TSH that high. If your frees correlate with a correct ratio to that TSH, they will most likely be BELOW the ranges - off the chart all together.

What were your free T3 and free T4?

I was a competitive endurance athlete for many years......was...

I would not be able to even train with a TSH that high, and I was one to push myself. That is why I ask that TSH question. You must have many other symptoms as well.

[LoveWeights]

I lift weights intensely and my TSH was 125 then went down to 107. I am on thyroid hormone pills. Will training slow my recovery?

[kitcurious]

I ride a bike about 50 miles per week for fun, am certainly not what would be considered a cyclist, but I will agree that the muscle weakness and  fatigue is hard and sometimes discouraging. One day I'll ride faster than I ever have and the next time I go out I'll be struggling.

I have had no ill-effects on my health from continuing to exercise. In fact, I took it up ( in addition to the aerobics and yoga I have done for years) when I discovered I was subclinical hypothyoid ( TSH was then 6 something) and, I suppose due to exercise my "good" cholesterol which used to be in the 60's, tested at almost 100 (96) last week.  Ask your doctor, but I don't, as a lay person who rides, see any reason to not continue. The Synthroid will start to kick in within about 4-6 weeks of starting it and should bring your TSH down pretty quickly, especially since your level of elevation is very slight.

Try to keep your mind out of the spot where you decide you have a disease that causes fatigue and then, by self-suggestion, become permanently inert.

My TSH was suppressed by meds over the summer ( diagnosed in May). So it has actually been too low for months, but even though the level is unstable I feel a little better being on a med than not. Yes, sometimes I still feel like I 've been trampled by a rampaging herd of whatever animals you wish to assign that role to LOL, but it lifts from time to time and the busier I stay the better I am. By the end of the day, yes, exhaustion sometimes still presents itself. I have become a morning person. :-)

I hope you feel better soon. If you give one med a try for  a good while and you don't  feel better, be sure to ask your doc if you can try another brand. Brands do sometimes do seem to work a little differently in  individuals.
Ask your doc about your exercise routine an describe it in detail so the doc knows what exercise means to you ( for some people a lot less effort expended is what exercise is).

[GravesLady]

When in doubt, clear it with your doctor.  Usually its Hyper/Graves that have to be careful until their levels are normal.

I hope all the below will be an inspiring insperation to you.

Good luck with your cycling and your hypothroid.




Carl Lewis DX 1996 - Olympic Athlete  -                                   Hypothyroidism

Carla Overbeck DX 2000 -  the captain and one of the defensive
stalwarts of the United States women’s Soccer national team.  - Graves' Disease

Emma Robinson DX 1999 - Olympic-caliber Canadian Rower  -  Thyroid Cancer

Dominic Seiterle DX 1997 - Olympic-caliber Canadian Rower  -   Thyroid Cancer

Karen Smyers DX 1999 - Olympic-caliber Triathlete  -                 Thyroid Cancer

Isabelle Beisiegel Canadian golfer  -                                          Graves' Disease

Patty Berg - Winner of the first Women's NationalOpen Golf Tournament
1946 and member of the LPGA Hall Fame  -                              Thyroid Cancer?

Pat Bradley, a top player in the Ladies Professional -                  Graves' Disease
Golfers Association.    

Ben Crenshaw  - World Class Golfer  -                                        Graves' Disease

Gail Devers DX 1989 - Olympian  -                                               Graves' Disease

Jerry DiPoto DX 1994 - Baseball relief pitcher  -                             Thyroid Cancer
Colorado Rockies.

Muhammed Ali - "Float like a butterfly, sting like a Bee" -              Hypothyroid
was rumered to be hypothyroid.
However, Physicians at the Mayo Clinic, where Ali had his pre-fight physical, said they had found no thyroid problems.