Tell me your underactive thyroid symptoms?

[DaisyCat33]

So I have recently been diagnosed with "mild" hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid. My GP wants to test again in a few weeks to make sure the results are the same. If they are he is willing to prescribe levothyroxine at that point.

My symptoms are dreadful. I'm very unwell and have been for awhile. Extreme tiredness/sleepiness (12-14 hours sleep a day), tired all day, brain fog, drunk feeling, dizziness, hair loss, depression, anxiety, joint pain, long periods, the list goes on... I'm off work and struggling to even leave the house.

My GP seems surprised I'm so ill based on my results, which are:

TSH 6.22 (ref 0.7 - 4.78)
FT4 11.2 (11.5 - 22.7)

I feel like a hypochondriac because GP keeps saying I should have "mild or no" symptoms with these levels... even though it IS hypothyroidism!?

Am I being crazy here? Can you tell me your symptoms if you have this too? And what were your levels at diagnosis?

Nope. That needs treating. Can you see a different GP?

7/8 of my thyroid was removed in 1990ish because I had Graves (overactive). With only 1/8 of a thyroid, obviously I would be underactive were I not medicated. Except I was immediately put on 50mcg thyroxine, increased to 100mcg after 6 weeks because my TSH was 3.5. I have never had a symptom because I'm medicated.

How's your Vit D?

Can you afford a consultation with an endocrinologist privately?

Mine (and I was apparently 'subclinical' but I felt so bad!) were extreme fatigue, hair falling out, legs lost all their hair (probably the only good symptom I had!) brittle breaking nails, dry skin, puffy face especially around the eyes, eyebrows markedly thinned, brain fog, couldn't concentrate and kept forgetting things.

On diagnosis, TSH of 4.95. My FT4 was always quite high, but my FT3 was not, I am a poor converter. I also had both TG and TPO antibodies raised into the hundreds.

I was told that I have ‘mild’ or subclinical hypothyroidism, which sounds like what your readings are. Mine was 5.55, the cut off for thyroxine is 10 in my area, and you’re classed as subclinical if you fall between ‘normal’ and 10- so I had to go back after 12 weeks for a second blood test (which has apparently come back normal but I can’t get an appointment with my own dr to discuss)
symptoms were anxiety, palpitations, brachycardia, tiredness, hair falling out, generally feeling shit, brain fog.

You probably need to request (demand) a referral to an Endocrinologist. My GP put me through 2 years of bad health which resulted in a bad 'thyroid storm', quite ill. I demanded a referral to a specialist. The endo went mad when she looked at my results and told the GP in no uncertain terms (in a letter) that the referral should have made after the 2nd round of blood tests. You have a right to request a referral. Wishing you good luck with your health.

I'm on 50mcg levothyroxine,

My symptoms are nowhere near as severe as yours

Tiredness and weight gain. That's it. Hair is fine. Nails have been a bit of a problem since taking the medication.
Have lost some body hair but put that down to age (late 60s)

Find another doctor

My TSH was just under 5, my FT4 was just at the bottom of the range and I had high levels of anti TPO antibodies - I think this helped convince the GP to treat, as it's autoimmune and not going improve.

My symptoms were awful, I was so tired (although bizarrely I had awful insomnia for a while too - I think I was running on adrenaline). Dreadful brain fog, I was beginning to think I'd have to stop working as I could barely even manage to understand a basic email.

Periods were crazy heavy too, and I was so constipated that at one point I didn't poo for nearly three weeks.

When I was diagnosed my tsh was 49… they retested as they couldn’t believe it and it was 52! I felt so so tired and cold but I was young and coping somehow. Have been having replacement for years now. If my tsh is anything over 2, coldness is my main symptom, cold to my bones that I just can’t get warm. Trouble thinking clearly and finding words. All gets better when I’m treated properly.

All of your symptoms are common in peri-menopause as well.

@Aquamarine1029 the clue's in the TSH of 6+

And if you are trying to conceive I think tsh needs to be <2.5

My only symptom was feeling like I was going to get a cold from Thursday/Friday onwards, sleeping for 12 hours on Friday night and by Sunday feeling fine again and forgetting that I thought I was getting a cold. I was put on 25 mcg levothyroxine which worked for about three weeks, and then I went back to my doctor explained that my symptoms had come back went up to 50mcg, then 75, 75/50 every second day and now I’m on 100. It’s been on 100 for the past two years and the only time my symptoms came back was when I had Covid

I'm on 150mg thyroxin as i have Hashimoto's disease. My TSH was 46 ( this is not a typo - my poor pituitary gland was in overdrive). when I was diagnosed - only symptoms were a lump in my neck and a lowered heart rate (50 bpm). My consultant says about 10% of his patients are like me and present with very few symptoms. Yet he has patients who appear to only have very mild thyroid impairment and they are floored by it. The point is everyone is different. Get your GP to test your antibodies as well as that will show if it's Hashimoto's. Good news OP it's that under active thyroid is easily treated. I hope you feel better soon.

I am on 350mg levothyroxine and still feel like hell. It’s not the answer to everything sadly.

Always so bloody cold. Even in high summer, cold to the core.
Tiredness all the time, truly dead on my feet. Napping every evening, sleeping at the drop of a hat.

Puffy eyes, thinning eyebrows. Put on half a stone and couldn't shake it off.

I was diagnosed in February this year and my TSH was 19. The tiredness was awful but the brain fog was worse. I felt like I couldn’t speak properly and I’d always forget words. I’m on 150mg of Levothyroxine now and my last test was 0.6. I look back on it now and wonder how i didn’t realise sooner as I was just not functioning properly at all! Honestly can’t imagine what my colleagues used to think!

Weird question but anyone else with thyroid issues never cold?

My TSH on diagnosis was 21.7 but I was and still am warm blooded, a windows open in the snow type…

I'm on 100mg a day m - f and 125 sat/ sun. I didn't notice any symptoms, bit tired. Im not good at noticing symptoms of anything though. Results picked up on a routine blood test. They scanned my thyroid and said it was shrivelled and diagnosed hashimotos.

Constantly tired, fatigue was my main symptom. Levothyroxine makes no difference. Been on it years now.

My levothyroxine dosage was recently lowered because my TSH was far too low; it went back up (!) to 0.5 and even at that level I felt like shit - tired to my bones, cold, depressed. Even though my TSH was now perfect according to the GP, I've been put back to my previous dose because of the symptoms, and 2 weeks later feel like myself again finally. TSH of 6+ would see me unable to function!

Sorry you are in the same position as myself. Have been like this for years. I am in my 40s, got diagnosed with Hashimoto's aged 22.

Not cold - currently menopausal and hotter than the sun at night 🤣

Me too!. Diagnosed 25 years ago, now late 40s so add on peri menopause and it’s no fun

My tsh was 30 something when diagnosed. Symptoms: so so tired, foggy and confused (found it hard to follow a conversation), hair falling out (incl eyebrows), dry skin, cold extremities, constipation, slow heartbeat, puffy face (when I look at photos from then my eyes look tiny as my cheeks are all puffed up). Also, my vision and brain seemed to lag slightly behind my body, if that makes sense - so whenever I moved it felt like it took half a second to catch up with what was happening. Basically I felt like death warmed up. That was about 3.5 years ago, during the first lockdown. Much better these days (on 125mcg).

Peri-menopause and low thyroid very often go hand in hand.

Exhaustion
Permanently

Wake up tired, go to bed tired, so tired I forget things & life is on hold because I sleep for most of the weekend