I think my under active thyroid has turned into over active

[Reedupree]

I have pcos and have always struggled to keep my weight down . I used to put on half a stone in a week if I wasn’t next to starving myself , I would eat less than my recommended daily calories AND exercise and I couldn’t stop piling on the fat .

I went through a stage 2 years ago where I developed an issue that caused dysphagia (couldn’t swallow food ) so after working through the utter anxiety of that I had to chew my food to liquid which took ages, hurt my jaw and kept me at childrens portions . Also eating was an extremely stressful process which will have kept my weight down . This made me go from 11 and a half stone to 9 .

I now am finding that I’m eating more than my recommended allowance, I eat absolute rubbish as well as normal food , I constantly snack , wake up absolutely ravenous in the middle of the night and keep snacks next to my bed . I often wake in the early morning after sunrise starving , eat a biscuit or flapjack laying down and fall back to sleep again . If I don’t eat before my shower I will faint in the shower . Also hanger has become a huge huge issue and I can’t drive more than an hour without needing something to eat before I feel dizzy.

I’ve had my bloods done after my recent miscarriage because I was concerned I have become poorly with something and it caused me to miscarry . All my tests came back fine , no diabetes ??? Except low in vit D and folic .I’m super skinny and very weak , can’t lift bags or anything .

they won’t investigate it because I can’t even get more than 2 minutes on the phone with a dr .

anyone else had their thyroid illness flip ?

You could try medichecks to get your tsh levels done

TSH is a fairly run of the mill test. They would be monitoring you if you are on levothyroxine at least annually anyway.

It won't take more than a 2 min call with a GP anyway to request a TSH test. Just say you think your thyroid medication may be too high as you have lost a lot of weight and am constantly hungry. If your thyroid is OK they should be investigating further or referring as weight loss is a red flag symptom.

I have had both an underactive and overactive thyroid (I have Graves Disease with both blocking and stimulating antibodies) so it's rare but possible to fluctuate because of this. Another possibility is you are over medicated. If you have autoimmune thyroiditis (hashis) then you are more likely to develop another autoimmune disease which could be Graves' disease. Thyroid nodules can also cause an overactive thyroid.

A TSH test will tell you very quickly if your thyroid levels are too high and then further investigation may be needed.

If it helps when I am overactive I get horrendous palpitations, feel v hungry, get hot flushes, loads of wired energy but tired at same time, high sex drive, poor sleep, waking up lots and early mornings. I didn't lose weight but that is a fairly normal symptom for an overactive thyroid as you know.

Hope that helps.
sex drive,

Could you please tell me what this is and how to do it 😊thank you

@TooHotToRamble thanks for such a long and thorough reply . I had my tsh levels checked as the very first thing they did which is why I got my pcos diagnosis 10 years ago .
All of the symptoms you described is how I knew I had something wrong with my body and they diagnosed pcos . I have never ever had medication and never a follow up for this despite constantly asking for help because I can’t work out what is the pcos and what isn’t .

but I’m not on ANY medication for anything . I haven’t been for years x

Oh dear, so you were diagnosed with hypothyroidism but are not taking any medication? That is so dangerous. Hyperthyroidism is even more dangerous.

Make sure you see a doctor ASAP

10-year-old TSH test results are irrelevant at this point, you need to have an up-to-date test! I have a severely underactive thyroid and request a TSH test every six months as it fluctuates. My doctor has had to alter my Levothyroxine dose several times to get it right. You shouldn’t be feeling so poorly, tell your doctor how awful you feel and insist on new tests. Good luck. 💐

@Coyoacan everyone else sounds like they’re getting a better deal with their dr . I’ve had absolutely no plan or medication of any kind and just been given a leaflet . I am in loads of pain with my joints and muscles and have ibs ( without further investigation) and benign breast tumours . They don’t give a toss .

@HamBone yes see I didn’t know you have to request them yourself I was told exactly this when I asked for a full panel because my symptoms were weird “ you had a panel done in 2012” I was like yes I need the full set bloods again because I have various things wrong with me currently , can you do a full set of tests please … that’s a decade ago . “ well no you had one in 2012 and everything was fine , patients don’t request bloods we decide when you need them”

My thyroid likes to flip between over and under. I hate the symptoms of over active the most. Deffo push for bloods to check again

In socks at your out you've been treated by your gp. Call them tomorrow and be firm that you need an appointment as you have concerning symptoms and you NEED to be seen.

Haha *I'm shocked. I'm not in socks!

I'll try again.

I'm shocked at how you've been treated by your gp.

😫 Edit button please!

@Thelonelychicken if this is what’s happening to me then it’s rough , I feel like I’m gravely Ill and everyone’s commenting I need to eat and look deathly , wtf am I supposed to do I’m trying

@RebeccaCloud9 haha it’s ok , I’m in socks too . I’m a grown up but I had to ask my mum to maybe come in with me next time because they talk to me like I’m stupid

Your GP sounds crap. If you can afford it, you can get a thyroid function test via Medichecks - medichecks.com/products/thyroid-function-blood-test

You need TSH, T4 and T3 tested. I'm currently overmedicated for Graves'Disease (over active) and it's pretty miserable. for you.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/underactive-thyroid-hypothyroidism/ testing every year...

www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng145/chapter/Recommendations#follow-up-and-monitoring-of-primary-hypothyroidism.. also suggests testing every year...

This section also has links to the Thyroid trust, Health Matters and British Thyroid Association (or something similar)

You should also contact PALS and ask their assistance to get an urgent referral to an endocrinologist.

www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/hospitals/what-is-pals-patient-advice-and-liaison-service/

You were diagnosed with hypothyroidism and were never given medication for it?! That's ridiculous and so bloody dangerous. Make an appointment with your GP asap/put a complaint in or change change GPs immediately.

@BatshitCrazyWoman thank you so much I’ll look into this

@ChateauMargaux thank you that’s super helpful , I will definitely ask about the specialist, there’s absolutely no way my gp is going to organise me seeing a specialist in the next year

@dottypencilcase I have put a complaint in before about this kind of thing because I had hepatitis from complications of glandular fever and they did absolutely sweet fa for 4 months ! So I was in agony thinking something was terribly wrong when it took one blood test .

I was 18 when I was diagnosed and literally no one I know has this so I had no reason to question it , they’ve failed me many many times concerning my health

Aww bless you. I know it's horrible. Have a read up on a thyroid storm it's really something you should keep an eye out for symptoms. My gp didn't diagnose me wasn't until I was seeing a mental health team due to way it made me feel did it get caught. They sent me to docs to get tested. I now have to get tested every 6 months. I'm "normal" atm. not medicated. That can change so quickly though.

Deffo a good idea to take your mum to help advocate for yourself.

@Thelonelychicken Problem is I’ve tried to get this all sorted so many times.
I reported all of my symptoms before pregnancy and it included tongue swelling and scalloping , Stomach issues (8 times a day plus stomach pain and bleeding ) , ulcers and mouth sores , weakness and pain in joints and muscles , losing weight rapidly , bad teeth , night sweats , blood sugar and pressure issues , palpitations on bending or kneeling down . Immunity issues . None of this has been followed up on once she took all of the necessary tests and sent it off to her boss

I'm sorry your gp has failed you so badly. It's got to be so stressful. Is there anyways you could see someone different? Xxx

The surgery i go to is actually 3 local surgeries mixed into one so it’s most of the surgeries in my area . They give 2 minute phone appointments and you can’t get a word in . I can only afford nhs so it’s a case of going outside of my city