Aa
Janet
Is there a connection to taking Synthroid and getting arthritis in one joint, fluid retention, and general soreness of parts of the body?
I agree. When my tsh gets above 4, I have body aches in my arms especially but it can be in my feet legs etc and I feel like I am handicapped or 110 yrs old....so looks like you need a medicine increase. Yes your cholesterol will be high if you are not on enough medication as well...so that is another red flag.... I wonder if you have enough vitamin d3 which is common to be low with body aches too and or enough b12 in your body. The thyroid effects the heart, the breathing/lungs, circulation, metabolism, so it is important to to be on efficient medication so you are better . I thought I had arthritis until my medication was increased and wow....I could not believe I had suffered for over a year not knowing I was on too low dosage too...do don't panic.....
Okay, so high cholesterol is a symptom of hypo (under medication) as well.
Using "generic" ranges, FT4 about 0.8-1.8 and FT3 about 90-210, you can see that your FT4 is only somewhere around 30% of range. That's low of the 50% guideline, this guideline being based on where many of us had to be to relieve symptoms. Thyroid test ranges are very flawed, and the whole bottom half should probably be considered hypo. TT3, which isn't a very good test and often doesn't correlate with FT3, is below range. Until FT4 is around 50% of range, conversion is often slow because not enough T4 is there to convert.
So, all this looks pretty much like your meds need increasing. I'd try to get FT4 to about midrange, see if FT3 (next time ask for that) follows it up and how your symptoms are. It sometimes takes conversion a while to ramp back up once there's sufficient T4 available, and the rise in FT3 can lag the rise in FT4. If you still have symptoms at that point, it might be time to consider adding T3 to your meds.
Using "generic" ranges, FT4 about 0.8-1.8 and FT3 about 90-210, you can see that your FT4 is only somewhere around 30% of range. That's low of the 50% guideline, this guideline being based on where many of us had to be to relieve symptoms. Thyroid test ranges are very flawed, and the whole bottom half should probably be considered hypo. TT3, which isn't a very good test and often doesn't correlate with FT3, is below range. Until FT4 is around 50% of range, conversion is often slow because not enough T4 is there to convert.
So, all this looks pretty much like your meds need increasing. I'd try to get FT4 to about midrange, see if FT3 (next time ask for that) follows it up and how your symptoms are. It sometimes takes conversion a while to ramp back up once there's sufficient T4 available, and the rise in FT3 can lag the rise in FT4. If you still have symptoms at that point, it might be time to consider adding T3 to your meds.
Okay, I just found out what the >190 very high was for. At the bottom of the first page, it has a cholesterol interpretative section and that number was at the end, saying LDL over 190 is very high. LOL. So, I guess these are all the numbers I have:
TSH 5.63
Free T4 1.1
Total T3 88
I couldn't find a thyroid test on the past blood work results that I have kept. I took synthroid approx. 25 years ago, but then, I guess I no longer needed it. I never stop taking meds just on my own.
TSH 5.63
Free T4 1.1
Total T3 88
I couldn't find a thyroid test on the past blood work results that I have kept. I took synthroid approx. 25 years ago, but then, I guess I no longer needed it. I never stop taking meds just on my own.
You're tight; AST and CPK are not thyroid tests, and I don't know anything about the finer points of their interpretation.
TSH of 5.63 is high, indicating under medication.
The reference range for FT4 should be something in the vicinity of 0.8-1.8. If I remember correctly, TT3 range should be something like 90-210. TT3 is considered obsolete and of little value. It should be replaced by FT3. It's there on your report somewhere. "Greater than 190" is not a TT3 range, but I am interested in what's "very high".
Yes, it all makes sense. I just need the ranges to see where you are in them.
TSH of 5.63 is high, indicating under medication.
The reference range for FT4 should be something in the vicinity of 0.8-1.8. If I remember correctly, TT3 range should be something like 90-210. TT3 is considered obsolete and of little value. It should be replaced by FT3. It's there on your report somewhere. "Greater than 190" is not a TT3 range, but I am interested in what's "very high".
Yes, it all makes sense. I just need the ranges to see where you are in them.
I love my doctor--he's always willing to listen to me and any ideas I have to improve my care. Believe me, good doctors are not always easy to find, but I've had several very good ones. They usually don't have enough time to listen very long.
I have issues with doctors not "reading " numbers correctly also. As other members have noted.
I am 57 and found years ago, that I do much better on both Cytomel(T3) and T4(levoxyl, synthroid, etc.) Controlling both seems to go better for me with that combination. I too suffer from arthritis and can tell you that as my numbers dropped from a doc reducing my meds, I became more stiff and painful day to day. I have a knee replacement and even that was retaining fluid. FIGHT FOR WHAT YOU FEEL IS RIGHT. That's the best thing I can tell you.
I am in the process of finding a new doc who actually LISTENS TO HOW I FEEL! Good Luck
I am 57 and found years ago, that I do much better on both Cytomel(T3) and T4(levoxyl, synthroid, etc.) Controlling both seems to go better for me with that combination. I too suffer from arthritis and can tell you that as my numbers dropped from a doc reducing my meds, I became more stiff and painful day to day. I have a knee replacement and even that was retaining fluid. FIGHT FOR WHAT YOU FEEL IS RIGHT. That's the best thing I can tell you.
I am in the process of finding a new doc who actually LISTENS TO HOW I FEEL! Good Luck
Thanks so much for your comment. Maybe I do need a little higher dose and I will be talking to my Dr. about it as soon as I can get in to see him.
I just discovered that I do have the blood work results, but I don't really know what everything means. I will write down what it says and maybe you will be able to translate for me. Probably not connected, but my AST is High at 35. My CPK is high at 176. My TSH is high AT 5.63. Free T4 is 1.1, Total T3 is 88. These two numbers are in a different column to the left of the others. On the next page, it has >190 and has very high after it. I am assuming it goes with the Total T3. Does any of this make sense for you? Thanks for any help you can give me.
Do you have recent labs to post with reference ranges? Ranges vary lab to lab, so they have to come from your own lab report. We can have a look and tell you what we think.
I have arthritis in my spine, and when I was hypo, it was terrible. There were mornings I thought I wasn't going to make it from bed to coffee pot. Once my meds were properly adjusted, the back pain subsided a lot...I still have arthritis, and I still have pain, but it's not keeping me from the coffee pot anymore.
Sometimes, when we first start meds, if the dose isn't right, we actually get a little MORE hypo for a while. If you have pre-meds labs to post for comparison, that would be great.
I have arthritis in my spine, and when I was hypo, it was terrible. There were mornings I thought I wasn't going to make it from bed to coffee pot. Once my meds were properly adjusted, the back pain subsided a lot...I still have arthritis, and I still have pain, but it's not keeping me from the coffee pot anymore.
Sometimes, when we first start meds, if the dose isn't right, we actually get a little MORE hypo for a while. If you have pre-meds labs to post for comparison, that would be great.
I took Levothyroxine for 3 months and have taken Synthroid for about a month. I started having some pain in the base joint of my left pointer finger about a month after I first started the Levo. It continued to get worse and is now swollen and quite painful to bend or if I have to use it for much. I am learning to protect it and not use it for some things that I don't have to. I am actually a little scared to take a larger dose, afraid that the same thing will happen in other joints. I take 50 mg. daily. I am 78 years old and yes, I know at my age that I have arthritis all over my body, but up to now, I have never had a bit of pain with it, the same as my mom, who was 94 when she died and never had any arthritis pain. Anyway, I do plan to get to my Dr. before long and see what we can figure out. He is good about listening to whatever I have to offer, which is good.
IN my own personal case, it is a sign you are not on enough medicine yet if it has already been 8 weeks, and you are having these problems,please tell your dr, in my case, it only took a tiny bit more to relieve the symtoms of muscle aches....but my dr didn't realize this until I was put on a higher dosage...and we both were pleasantly surprised...
I suffered for over a year not knowing I needed more bec lab results were in normal range just not tweaked to symptoms.....as well...so important to talk to your doctor about all your symptoms and trying to resolve it....
I suffered for over a year not knowing I needed more bec lab results were in normal range just not tweaked to symptoms.....as well...so important to talk to your doctor about all your symptoms and trying to resolve it....
Did you have other hypo symptoms before starting meds?
Synthroid takes 4-6 weeks to reach it's full potential in your blood. So, an initial dose really doesn't kick in much for a few weeks. During that time, your body has to rebalance. While you were hypo, other systems in your body took over and tried to compensate for the lack of thyroid hormone. Now, all of a sudden, here come thyroid hormones again, and all those other systems have to relax and go back to normal. There are usually a few bumps in the road as that's happening.
Also, the dose we are initially started on is seldom the dose we end up on. So, it can take several adjustment before the proper dose is found. It's a process, and it takes time and patience.
How much levo/Synthroid do you take? How long have you been taking it?
Synthroid takes 4-6 weeks to reach it's full potential in your blood. So, an initial dose really doesn't kick in much for a few weeks. During that time, your body has to rebalance. While you were hypo, other systems in your body took over and tried to compensate for the lack of thyroid hormone. Now, all of a sudden, here come thyroid hormones again, and all those other systems have to relax and go back to normal. There are usually a few bumps in the road as that's happening.
Also, the dose we are initially started on is seldom the dose we end up on. So, it can take several adjustment before the proper dose is found. It's a process, and it takes time and patience.
How much levo/Synthroid do you take? How long have you been taking it?
The strange part is that I never had any of these symptoms until I started taking Levothyroxine and then Synthroid.
Sore joints, sore muscles, etc. and fluid retention are all hypo symptoms and may indicate that your meds dosage needs adjusting. While hypo doesn't cause arthritis, it can make it more painful.
Please post your recent thyroid blood work with reference ranges. Ranges vary lab to lab, so you have to post both together. We can take a look and see how your numbers look.
How much Synthroid do you take? How long have you taken it?
Do you have other hypo symptoms as well?
Please post your recent thyroid blood work with reference ranges. Ranges vary lab to lab, so you have to post both together. We can take a look and see how your numbers look.
How much Synthroid do you take? How long have you taken it?
Do you have other hypo symptoms as well?
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