SO completely confused- HELP

[khr3]

Ok, so I find a doctor who finally listened to me and is treating me for hypothyroidism.  I came to him with a tsh of 7.8.  Been on levothyroxine gradually increasing to current dose of 88mcg.   He testes my levels every month.  Recent blood tests have convinced him to lower my dosage to 75mcg because he feels I am now overmedicated.  Only problem is that I feel fine, no hyperthyroid symptoms.  I also still have a tremendous amount of water retention, huge yellow eyelids and I cannot lose weight.  I still have achy legs and feel little rundown.  These are my current numbers
TSH 0.081  range 0.45-4.50
T4 1.75  range 0.82-1.77
T3  3.9  range 2.0-4.4
At this point I am thinking maybe my lingering symptoms are due to something else?  My vitamin D is still really low even though I take a weekly supplement.  I felt completely like myself when I had to take a course of steroids for poison ivy.  No aches, no water retention.  Ugh so confused!  

[goolarra]

We all take different amounts of time to heal, but the longer you were hypo and the more symptoms you had accumulated will effect the length of that healing process.  Your body will take care of it's most important systems first...heart, brain, etc.  Skin, muscles, etc. are not vital for immediate survival, so they have to wait their turn.  Six years is a long time...

Don't give up.  If you stopped taking your meds now, you would soon feel a lot worse than you do at the moment.  The meds will eventually alleviate your symptoms.  We always say patience, patience, and when that fails, more patience.  It really looks to me like you are in the "fine tuning" stage with your meds.  It would be a shame to throw out the last seven months of meds increases and have to start all over again.

I don't really understand the prednisone returning your facial features to normal...usually steroids make your face puffy and give you a "moon" face.  However, this doesn't happen with short-term usage.

It sounds to me like your doctor is trying hard to do what he thinks is best for you.  Talk to him about the 75/88 compromise so that any swings to either hypo or hyper will be minimized.  I'd give it a little more time...you can always try a differnt med, as magpie suggests, if you don't start to feel better.  

[khr3]

I am not sure if I want to change doctors because he is the first doctor who listened to me without prescribing antidepressants and sending me on my way.  He has told me that I need to be patient and get the dosing right slowly.  But I am wondering if maybe I also have a little adrenal fatigue?  Is there a connection with thyroid and adrenal problems.  The steroids made me lose weight, my face loss the round pudgy look and my lower back pain went away.  I felt normal.  Not sure how to approach my doctor about it.  

[magpieannie]

Why not try a different medication and doctor if need be?

[khr3]

I have been on Levothyroxine for about 7 months increasing from a low dose during those months.  I'm not sure how long it takes for the body to heal from hypothyroidism.  I do know that I have had steadly increasing tsh levels for about six years before being treated. I guess I am just frustrated and considering giving up altogether.  No medicines, no doctors just accept that I will always have a bloated face and never really have the energy I used to have.   I mean what is the point of taking medecine (which I hate doing) if it is not going to alleviate my symptoms?  How long does it take to feel well once the right dose of meds is found.  Why when I am on prednisone do my facial features return to normal including my eyelids, but not on the levothyroxine?  Sorry just don't know what to do?  Follow doctor's advice or assume something else is wrong?  

[goolarra]

You don't say how long you've been on levo altogether.  However, once you reach your "ideal" dose and labs have stabilized in range, it often takes a while for symptoms to totally disappear, since your body still has to heal from being hypo.  I can see why your doctor wants to lower your levo a bit.  Your FT4 is very close to the top of the range, and your FT3 is in the top quarter of the range.  TSH is also low, but that wouldn't bother me a bit if FT3 and FT4 weren't as high as they are.  Also, my experience has been that FT4 goes up first, then FT3 follows some time later on T4 meds.  If your FT3 continues to rise, it could give you hyper symptoms.

I understand your concern since all your symptoms have not gone away.  But, I also understand your doctor's concern.  Would he be agreeable to splitting the difference between 75 and 88, i.e. alternating a 75 mcg tablet and an 88 mcg tablet every other day?  I have been overmedicated and slightly hyper...it's not pretty...I'd take hypo symptoms any day if I had the choice.  Getting to the correct dose can be very frustrating and time consuming, but there is, unfortunately, no way to rush it.

Getting your D to a proper level will also help.  Have you asked your doctor about increasing your dose?  Steroids usually make you retain water???  They also give you a sense of well-being, and, of course, do wonders for aches and pains, especially when inflammation is involved.

[thyquestions]

khr, your story reminds me a little of a medical case I read about in the Washington Post, where they do a mystery health diagnosis story every so often.  This woman would take a steroid (or something like that..) for another condition, and her bothersome symptoms would completely disappear. Turns out she had the same disease President Kennedy had, and once she retrieved treatment for it, she was fine.  You can just go to the Post website, and search for the recent story under the health section if interested...  Not saying you have that, but it might give you ideas if you think something else is up.  My best.