Underactive thyroid and heavy periods, and prescriptions.

[Sparrowlegs248]

Does anyone have any experience of this? I've read it can be linked. I went to the GP as a result of ridiculously heavy periods. Blood tests showed i was severely anaemic with no iron stores (not surprising) and also underactive thyroid. I am current on 50mg of levothyroxine, last blood test was borderline. Told to check again in 6 months.

In the meantime, periods have settled but I have a problem in that I am not given a repeat prescription so am unable to order online, I have to physically attend the GP to write down what I need, and they get it ready 3 to 5 days later. Due to their opening hours and my work, every month I miss a few days and this month it is stretching into a couple of weeks. Period had gone on and has become very heavy again.

Does anyone else have heavy periods as a result of underactive thyroid?

And is it possible to get more than 28 days medication at a time?

And what I meant to ask, have your periods settled with thyroxine?

Have you asked the GP to make it repeat and if so did they have a reason for saying no. Next time you phone ask for a phone consultation and failing that a different GP.

Have you been given something for the heavy periods like tramedaxic Acid? Because it would be worth asking for something as it’s possible that treating your hypothyroidism won’t help with your periods.

My thyroid meds went onto repeat straight away at the initial 50mcg. Had a re-test after six months, GP upped the dosage to 75mcg. Have been on repeat since. I have to have bloods & a GP chat once a year.

Can you not phone the GP surgery and ask for a repeat (saves the trip)?

Best not to miss thyroid meds, so suggest you become slightly more organised about requested the prescription 1-2 weeks ahead.

Hi Notta, you should get free prescriptions now you are on Thyroxine. It covers all prescriptions too - not just Throxine. Wasn’t sure if you knew. Are you having iron tablets for the anaemia? You need to ask for treatment so this is corrected. Blood tests for the Thyroid are only done 3-6 monthly when you are trying to establish the dose needed but it seems a long time to wait. I would order the Thyroxine and ask if you can have it 3 monthly as you will be getting them free. In theory, your periods should get lighter once your thyroid hormones are regulated. I hope you get sorted OP. Have a look at Facebook, there are several informative pages.

I have phoned and asked for a repeat, picked prescription up, no repeat "you'll have to speak to your GP"......

Yes I know about being organised, but however organised I am doesn't take away from the fact that I can very rarely get to the practice. No idea why, when I need to take this dosage for the next 6 months, I can't be given 6 months work of medication.

I'm pretty sure (now) that the periods are linked. They have been quite manageable until this latest extended one, which coincides with missing medication. I wasn't keen to take something to stop them before as I was sure there was an underlying cause.

Rainbow thank you, yes I am getting it free, and also taking Ferrous fumerate which they give me by the bucket load so no worry of that running out!

I've been on thyroxine for 15 years and still only get 56 days at a time. It is on repeat though. Next time you see your gp ask for a repeat prescription.

I am on thyroxine, and my prescription is handled as a 'managed prescription' so I just collect from the dispensary each month, they get the reoeat prescription from the surgery (chemists can offer this service too as my mum did it that way). But only monthly, yes, although they will do me a double now and again with notice because of holidays etc. I need a retest annually and the dispensary tell me when it is due. I'm on 125mcg currently.

My understanding was that the lack of bulk medication was to do with budgets? Your prescription should come with a repeat prescription request form - most surgeries are linked with a local pharmacy & quite often with a Lloyd’s or Boots, in which case they can process the repeat prescription for you until you are due bloods again.

www.boots.com/online-prescriptions/repeats

I’ve got my thyroid meds & tranexamic acid & naproxen then just go in every six months for bloods & BP. Also once your thyroxine level has been the same for a while you’ll probably get 8 weeks at a time.

Thyroxine is effectively an upper and overdose/black market sale is a risk... I think that's why it's only monthly. Though I hear how silly that sounds as the dose varies so much. We're on it for life, monthly is really tedious!

Monthly is tedious. If i could just collect monthly it would help, as it cuts the visit to the gp from 2 to 1!

@chipsandgin you are on the tranexamic acid, so assume you suffer with heavy periods? Is it linked? And also presume the thyroxine itself didn't help too much?

I'm on 25mcg levo and get 6 monthly prescription. The pharmacist at Tesco even gives me 2 months in one go as I find just going to the pharmacist once a month tedious.

I am on the tranexamic acid - I’m not sure it’s linked (when I was diagnosed I was bf & carried on for a couple of years & had no periods - which was brilliant!). When I stopped bf they came back with a vengeance! However I’ve also got womb issues from a fairly barbaric earlier crash section - plus I’m peri-menopausal (having all the fun here!!) so lots of contributing factors, it’s hard to pin down!

However - many visits to hospital to see the gynae consultant & having thought about ablation, coil & been offered a hysterectomy I tried the tranexamic ‘for now’ - that was about 6 months ago & it’s been life changing. As an example previously I’d change everything (super plus, night time pads, towel on the car seat..), leave for the school run & (TMI WARNING...) by the time I got there would stand up & flood with blood down to my knees & clots like chopped liver. Now it’s still horrible every month, but more ‘normal’.

I’m on 125mcg a day - all of the womb problems started within the last 5 years & I’ve been taking thyroxine for 8 years, so can’t tell if they make a difference, but it’s hard to imagine the heavy periods being worse than they were!

Oh god, that sounds familiar. I had a 4 month long period, the first 2 months were not quite as bad a you describe, but having suffered a lifetime of "normal heavy periods, I struggled to cope with these. Frequent leakage and yes the clots were horrendous. Literal handfuls at a time. Not had any for 2.5 months but am currently on week 3 of this period (Had returned to a few days prior to this) and today the clots started. Tonight it's every time I stand up. Or blow my nose. Or cough.

My periods were heavy but not crazy after dc3, when I was diagnosed. However, about 5 years later, when I was early 40s, they got crazy heavy, couldn't cope. I got mirena coil then which has been brilliant for me (not everyone's experience) and I get no periods (v occasional light spotting). So would say for me the heavy periods were age/peri menopause related rather than thyroid.

My prescription is for 56 days and I have a repeat, so I don't go anywhere near the GP surgery, I just phone up my pharmacist and they do it all electronically.

I had no idea there was a black market for these ....