Aa
Is Air Hunger from Low T3 or Adrenal fatigue?
Hello,
For the last 7 months I have been experiencing "air hunger" 24/7. I cannot seem to take a deep breath and it's all I constantly want to do. My chest and shoulders are tight/sore from chest breathing and I feel as if maybe my diaphragm is weak. I have been reading that this can be caused by stress/adrenal fatigue or hypothyroid issues. After stopping my birth control about a year ago, I started having hormone issues a few months after. This stressed me out and the breathing problems surfaced around the same time. I am working with a NPD to support my adrenals but my worst symptom right now is the air hunger. It is so uncomfortable and never goes away.
My latest thyroid results and "normal" ranges are:
TSH 1.2 (.4-4.5)
T3 Uptake 29.7 (22-35)
FT4 1.0 (.8-1.8)
FT3 2.9 (2.3-4.2)
RT3 15 (8-25)
TgoAB <1 <OR=1
TpAB 4 (8-25)
Vit D 1 25 dihydroxy 72 (18-72) (She tested the wrong Vit D)
With all of the research that I have done, I have found that my FT3 should be in the top quartile range of the reference range. In my case, I should be at about 3.7-4.2 to not have any hypo symptoms. Is this correct? Will eating right and supporting adrenal function help to repair this and hopefully relieve this air hunger symptom? I've also read "Your thyroid levels regulate your respiratory system and includes: lung function, diaphragm function, and even brain communication for breathing function is regulated by hormone levels. ". Just wondering if anyone out there has also dealt with this and if they were able to fix it by getting their T3 levels up.
Thank you!
For the last 7 months I have been experiencing "air hunger" 24/7. I cannot seem to take a deep breath and it's all I constantly want to do. My chest and shoulders are tight/sore from chest breathing and I feel as if maybe my diaphragm is weak. I have been reading that this can be caused by stress/adrenal fatigue or hypothyroid issues. After stopping my birth control about a year ago, I started having hormone issues a few months after. This stressed me out and the breathing problems surfaced around the same time. I am working with a NPD to support my adrenals but my worst symptom right now is the air hunger. It is so uncomfortable and never goes away.
My latest thyroid results and "normal" ranges are:
TSH 1.2 (.4-4.5)
T3 Uptake 29.7 (22-35)
FT4 1.0 (.8-1.8)
FT3 2.9 (2.3-4.2)
RT3 15 (8-25)
TgoAB <1 <OR=1
TpAB 4 (8-25)
Vit D 1 25 dihydroxy 72 (18-72) (She tested the wrong Vit D)
With all of the research that I have done, I have found that my FT3 should be in the top quartile range of the reference range. In my case, I should be at about 3.7-4.2 to not have any hypo symptoms. Is this correct? Will eating right and supporting adrenal function help to repair this and hopefully relieve this air hunger symptom? I've also read "Your thyroid levels regulate your respiratory system and includes: lung function, diaphragm function, and even brain communication for breathing function is regulated by hormone levels. ". Just wondering if anyone out there has also dealt with this and if they were able to fix it by getting their T3 levels up.
Thank you!
In case you do not get a response from the member you asked about air hunger, perhaps we can help. Please tell us about any other symptoms you have, since symptoms are the most important indicator of thyroid status. Also, what thyroid med and dosage are you taking? It would also help if you will post your thyroid related test results and reference ranges shown on the lab report.
Hi there, has your air-hunger improved since January when you posted? I also have had constant air-hunger since January, and I've had so many tests that have come back normal (cardiac MRI, lung CT scan, brain MRI)...I do have Hashimoto's and I hadn't suspected this could cause air-hunger until recently. My air-hunger actually began when I was exposed to long-term low dose carbon monoxide from my furnace, which we finally discovered was leaking after months. Carbon monoxide is an endocrine disruptor, so I'm curious if this messed up my already dysfunctional endocrine system.
Are you only taking levothyroxin or are you also taking T3? My endo suggested starting a T3 pill because my T4 was slightly low. I also just found out my ferritin is only 8, so perhaps iron could also be playing into this. It's just so overwhelming and complicated : ( I'm only 30 and used to be an avid runner and now I just stay at home all day because of my chronic air-hunger. Any input would be so appreciated! I hope you're beginning to feel better!
Sarah
Are you only taking levothyroxin or are you also taking T3? My endo suggested starting a T3 pill because my T4 was slightly low. I also just found out my ferritin is only 8, so perhaps iron could also be playing into this. It's just so overwhelming and complicated : ( I'm only 30 and used to be an avid runner and now I just stay at home all day because of my chronic air-hunger. Any input would be so appreciated! I hope you're beginning to feel better!
Sarah
1 Comments
Hi Sarah,
Unfortunately I never really found the answer to this but I have made a lot of progress with it since last January. Mine started after getting off birth control because anxiety kicked in. I even went to breathing lessons 2 hours away for relief! It’s definitely the brain that controls it but a lot of other factors can play a role. I actually found out I was pregnant in June and guess what?? Air hunger is a symptom! Lol. It never truly went away for me but I have managed it much better. One of the biggest things was making sure I was eating right so that my hormones could balance naturally. I felt so much better after I reached that point and just from stopping birth control in general. I am not on thyroid medication because my thyroid was only worse when I got off birth control and then it leveled out. Apparently when you’re on birth control for so long and get off, your body goes into a post partum and the thyroid controls all of that so it took a while to normalize. I can send you some links that helped me especially with learning about the thyroid and andrenal fatigue as well as techniques to get your brain back to its regular pattern of breathing. I even had my deviated septum fixed in hopes that I could breathe better thru my nose. I was a mess for a long time and anti depressants were the only thing that got me over the hump. I couldn’t sleep or function and I am lucky enough to have only been on them for a year and weaned off right away. Any doctor is confused when you mention this to them but it is such a real thing and I was in the same boat with the running thing.
I did so much reaseadch over a year and a half that really helped me understand what was happening but also helped me rule certain things out. I will send a few links tomorrow when I am on a computer!
Hopefully this can help and you start to feel better soon.
Unfortunately I never really found the answer to this but I have made a lot of progress with it since last January. Mine started after getting off birth control because anxiety kicked in. I even went to breathing lessons 2 hours away for relief! It’s definitely the brain that controls it but a lot of other factors can play a role. I actually found out I was pregnant in June and guess what?? Air hunger is a symptom! Lol. It never truly went away for me but I have managed it much better. One of the biggest things was making sure I was eating right so that my hormones could balance naturally. I felt so much better after I reached that point and just from stopping birth control in general. I am not on thyroid medication because my thyroid was only worse when I got off birth control and then it leveled out. Apparently when you’re on birth control for so long and get off, your body goes into a post partum and the thyroid controls all of that so it took a while to normalize. I can send you some links that helped me especially with learning about the thyroid and andrenal fatigue as well as techniques to get your brain back to its regular pattern of breathing. I even had my deviated septum fixed in hopes that I could breathe better thru my nose. I was a mess for a long time and anti depressants were the only thing that got me over the hump. I couldn’t sleep or function and I am lucky enough to have only been on them for a year and weaned off right away. Any doctor is confused when you mention this to them but it is such a real thing and I was in the same boat with the running thing.
I did so much reaseadch over a year and a half that really helped me understand what was happening but also helped me rule certain things out. I will send a few links tomorrow when I am on a computer!
Hopefully this can help and you start to feel better soon.
Those cortisol results are definitely high. So, in addition to the relatively low Free T4 and Free T3, the high cortisol adversely affects thyroid effects. So you need to get your doctor to prescribe thyroid med to increase your FT4 and FT3 levels as needed to relieve symptoms. Your doctor also needs to look into possible causes for your high cortisol.
Please post the actual cortisol test results and reference ranges shown on the lab report.
Make sure they do the right test for Vitamin D also, along with the B12 and ferritin and then supplement to optimize.
You have many symptoms of being hypothyroid, along with the one of "air hunger". If you want confirmation of what I have said, have a look at this link and read at least the first two pages, and more if you want to get into the discussion and scientific evidence for all that is suggested. You can also use the paper with your doctor if you have difficulty getting treated clinically be testing and adjusting Free T4 and Free T3 as needed to relieve symptoms, without being influenced by resultant TSH levels.
http://www.thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/TUK_PDFs/diagnosis_and_treatment_of_hypothyroidism_issue_1.pdf
With your TSH level, it is likely that clinical treatment adequate to relieve symptoms will suppress your TSH below range. That will not mean you have become hyperthyroid, unless you have hyper symptoms due to excessive levels of Free T4 and Free T3. You can read about this in recommendation no. 10 on page 13, in the link. I know this is premature but I wanted you to be aware of this because so often doctors erroneously want to reduce med dosage when TSH becomes suppressed.
Make sure they do the right test for Vitamin D also, along with the B12 and ferritin and then supplement to optimize.
You have many symptoms of being hypothyroid, along with the one of "air hunger". If you want confirmation of what I have said, have a look at this link and read at least the first two pages, and more if you want to get into the discussion and scientific evidence for all that is suggested. You can also use the paper with your doctor if you have difficulty getting treated clinically be testing and adjusting Free T4 and Free T3 as needed to relieve symptoms, without being influenced by resultant TSH levels.
http://www.thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/TUK_PDFs/diagnosis_and_treatment_of_hypothyroidism_issue_1.pdf
With your TSH level, it is likely that clinical treatment adequate to relieve symptoms will suppress your TSH below range. That will not mean you have become hyperthyroid, unless you have hyper symptoms due to excessive levels of Free T4 and Free T3. You can read about this in recommendation no. 10 on page 13, in the link. I know this is premature but I wanted you to be aware of this because so often doctors erroneously want to reduce med dosage when TSH becomes suppressed.
1 Comments
Sorry for the late response. My citation levels were:
31 8am (13-24) range
11 11-1pm (5-10) range
5 4-5pm (3-8) range
5 10-12am (1-4) range
Thank you for sharing the link I will definitely look into that. I am having ferritin b12 and vitamin d tested this week as well. Thanks!
31 8am (13-24) range
11 11-1pm (5-10) range
5 4-5pm (3-8) range
5 10-12am (1-4) range
Thank you for sharing the link I will definitely look into that. I am having ferritin b12 and vitamin d tested this week as well. Thanks!
In the words of a good thyroid doctor, ""The free T3 is not as helpful in untreated persons as the free T4 because in the light of a rather low FT4 the body will convert more T4 to T3 to maintain thyroid effect as well as is possible. So the person with a rather low FT4 and high-in-range FT3 may still be hypothyroid. However, if the FT4 is below 1.3 and the FT3 is also rather low, say below 3.4 (range 2 to 4.4 at LabCorp) then its likely that hypothyroidism is the cause of a person's symptoms."
We have found that Free T4 should be at least mid-range, and Free T4 in the upper third of the range, adjusted from there as needed to relieve symptoms. Symptom relief should be all important, not just test results. With your TSH level, it appears that you have central hypothyroidism. With central there is a dysfunction in the hypothalamus/pituitary system that results in TSH levels that are too low to adequately stimulate the thyroid gland, resulting in relatively low levels of Free T4 and Free T3.
What has made you think you may have an adrenal problem? What symptoms do you have, other than air hunger? Why hasn't your NPD responded to your inadequate thyroid hormone levels? From your thyroid hormone levels it seems to me that the first thing that should be done is to get you on thyroid med adequate to eliminate any signs or symptoms of hypothyroidism, and see how you feel after that.
Also, since hypo patients are so frequently deficient in Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin, you need to get those tested and then supplement as needed to optimize. D should be at least 50, B12 in the upper end of its range, and ferritin should be at least 70.
We have found that Free T4 should be at least mid-range, and Free T4 in the upper third of the range, adjusted from there as needed to relieve symptoms. Symptom relief should be all important, not just test results. With your TSH level, it appears that you have central hypothyroidism. With central there is a dysfunction in the hypothalamus/pituitary system that results in TSH levels that are too low to adequately stimulate the thyroid gland, resulting in relatively low levels of Free T4 and Free T3.
What has made you think you may have an adrenal problem? What symptoms do you have, other than air hunger? Why hasn't your NPD responded to your inadequate thyroid hormone levels? From your thyroid hormone levels it seems to me that the first thing that should be done is to get you on thyroid med adequate to eliminate any signs or symptoms of hypothyroidism, and see how you feel after that.
Also, since hypo patients are so frequently deficient in Vitamin D, B12 and ferritin, you need to get those tested and then supplement as needed to optimize. D should be at least 50, B12 in the upper end of its range, and ferritin should be at least 70.
1 Comments
Thank you for the feedback. I had high cortisol levels back in Sept and I also did a hair analysis for mineral testing that showed I had a slow metabolism type and it kept mentioning "adrenal fatigue and hypothyroid". When I got my thyroid results back this week, she mentioned "your thyroid levels look great". I just wanted to get confirmation that I am in fact having hypo symptoms based on my numbers and I wanted to see if air hunger was related.
Other symptoms- constantly losing hair, cold hands/feet, broken sleep every night (wake up at least 3 times), always tired in the morning no matter now much sleep I get, constipation, low energy levels, dark circles under eyes (not sure if that's a symptom or not). I could go on with other random things but I am not sure what else would be considered a hypo symptom. If I could fix my breathing, I would be able to live with the other symptoms because those have been going on since forever (not that it makes them okay). The breathing thing just started in June. when my hormones went out of whack.
I will have her test my B12 and ferritin. I know my B12 was about 352 back in June and my TSH was only .6.
Thank you again!
Other symptoms- constantly losing hair, cold hands/feet, broken sleep every night (wake up at least 3 times), always tired in the morning no matter now much sleep I get, constipation, low energy levels, dark circles under eyes (not sure if that's a symptom or not). I could go on with other random things but I am not sure what else would be considered a hypo symptom. If I could fix my breathing, I would be able to live with the other symptoms because those have been going on since forever (not that it makes them okay). The breathing thing just started in June. when my hormones went out of whack.
I will have her test my B12 and ferritin. I know my B12 was about 352 back in June and my TSH was only .6.
Thank you again!
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Thyroid Disorders Community
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.
