Newly diagnosed Hypothyroid - advice

[PositivePrana]

Hi, I need some virtual hugs & advice! Diagnosed 2 weeks ago and started medication 100mg Levothyroxine 2 days ago.
TSH 8.5
T4 12.3
Don't even really know what to ask, am in shock!
How long for drugs to kick in? Does dose sound right? Any positive info? All seems a bit gloomy from what I have read, takes ages to get right dose, side effects are worse than no drugs while getting used to them etc!
My symptoms - freezing cold, tired, hazy head, blurred vision, heavy periods, no libido, snappy, retaining weight (think that's it!)
My baby is one year old at the start of April and I thought all symptoms were down to being a new Mum and trying to juggle with going back to work!
Back in 8 weeks for more blood tests & antibody test.
Just need a little hand hold I think!
Thanks. x

Morning! 100mcg is the standard starting dose these days for those who are not elderly or already ill with something else. Make sure you take it either first thing in the morning or last thing at night on an empty stomach. If you take it in the morning, you need to wait at least 30 mins and preferably 60 before you eat or have that first cup of coffee. You also need to take it well away from iron or calcium supplements and some other meds.

The standard protocol would be to keep you on 100mcg for six weeks and then re-test. At that point the doc should go by your symptoms and signs rather than the figures, but you are certainly very hypo at the moment. The six weeks is pretty much the time it will take for the dose to kick in and stabilise, so eight weeks is a bit longer, but should be OK. If you don't feel any better by 6 weeks, I would go back anyway, but hopefully you will be.

There is light at the end of the tunnel, but this can be a difficult condition to get the balance right. I'm 15 months into treatment and still not properly medicated, but there again I am probably 80% well so that 20% will come in time and I'm not going to worry too much about it.

Pleased to see your doc plans to check your antibodies to see if your condition is auto-immune - lots don't bother. Perhaps they could be persuaded to check your Vitamin B12 and folate, ferritin, and Vitamin D at the same time as these are often low in hypo people and if any of these is really low, your thyroxine won't work effectively.

This illness is surprisingly common, so you'll find lots of support on here.

D

Thanks for the advice. Rockin I'll ask Doc to check B12 etc when I'm back in 8 weeks. I guess there isn't much point in supplementing them now or it will give false result?! Glad to hear that you are starting to get your balance. Did you feel really rotten in the process or slightly better than pre-diagnosis?
nappy thanks for the link to the support thread, I'll head over that way later. Sorry for my ignorance but TTC?
Can I ask, did anyone get a metallic taste in their mouth after starting Levothyroxine?
Baby is asleep, so I'm off for a nap! Wrecked as usual!

nappy Doooohhhh! Just worked out TTC! Trying to conceive?

Hi PositivePrana. I am guessing by your name that you might be into Yoga and I have to say that yoga has really helped me over the last year manage my hyperthyroid symptoms and apparently it is even better for hypothyroidism.

I can well remember the way I felt after my diagnosis. It was a shock to realise that I had a condition I would have to live with for the rest of my life. I feel a lot more positive now and I know that it is possible to manage this condition well. My mum was a case in point, diagnosed hypo in her 40's, remained on the same dose of thyroxine for 20 years without a single blip.

I really hope you feel much better soon.

Hi Scott thanks so much for your support. You guessed correctly, love my yoga. I think the only reason I managed to get/stay pregnant was due to the fact that I did a week long yoga retreat before I conceived! TMI!!
Had 5 MC before my LO came about!
Must try harder to get motivated to keep up regular practice.
Spot on with the shock thing too!
Cheers

Hi, can I join in. Got the dx on Fri and started med the same day. Also vit D deficient and having a load of other things tested, so torn between relief at the hypo thing, but still a bit concerned about the other tests as they could be for really nasty things, and haven't been ruled out yet.

So far the people I've told have been quite blasé, oh you can take a pill for that type reaction. But the Vit D thing is also quite serious, and it really Isn't that nice finding out that you have a life long condition.

I have been so tired for so long, part of me is just hoping to start feeling better soon, but I'm also a bit daunted by the implications. I always wished I could have a second child, but it's too late for me now, and looking back I have been symptomatic for years.

Can I just ask, is there at least a chance that I might lose some weight as well as gaining energy?

Have no idea what my actual levels are. Had blood test on Thu and Fri the nurse phoned and told me that the prescription was at the pharmacy and I should pick it up and start taking it NOW. This is the US though so a different attitude to taking pills and getting better.

Hi Kickass sending you positive thoughts that all the other tests come back normal.
I know what you mean about people being blasé, when I told my Mum you would have thought I'd told her I chipped a nail she gave it that little importance! My husband was the same until I drank too much wine and started to cry and ask him how he knew so much about it!! He now realises he needs to be a bit more sympathetic!
I would be interested in the answer to the weight question too. I have always been reasonably slim and since having my LO can't seem to shift the last 7 - 10lbs.

Yes, it's a bit of a shock. Glad your dh realized. I have been slightly low thyroid for years, now hoping I will discover a whole new world of energy and excitement.

Did your Vit D get checked? I am low on that as well. And have sinusitis. So I'm hoping to start feeling better soon.

Still, I am under doctors orders to lie around in the sun as much as possible

Ooh lying about in sun sounds great, that would help me too! Although think I live in one of the least sunny places on the planet, so unless i take a holiday, not much chance of feeling any heat! Better get Vit D checked too!

I live in the US. Normally we are still in winter, but for some reason this week we have temps in the 20s. Usually we are still getting snow around now.

Anyway, the freaky warm weather is good for me, so I shall take advantage

Hope you start to feel better soon. I think just knowing that it's OK to take a nap has helped me, instead of trying to just buck up and keep going.

Morning! I haven't experienced hypo symptoms myself but I know that prior to being diagnosed hypo my mum had gained weight. This did fall away once she was properly treated and she got her energy back. I think this is fairly common although the more you read about this condition the more you realise that the way it impacts people can be very individual.

Thanks. I have always been overweight and put on weight easily, the only way to prevent has been to do a lot of exercise. ATM not doing any as just too tired and ill.

My birthday is mid May, I think I'll ask for no presents and instead get a few sessions with a personal trainer. I should be feeling much better by then and hopefully will give myself a bit of a boost.

My NY resolution was to do couch to 5 k and I got to week 6 before I just got too ill to keep going.

Prana are you still able to do yoga? Never tried it, but I wonder if that or some Pilates would be good for me until I can do something a bit more boot camp like?

Hi both. Scott good to know about the weight loss with your Mum. Kickass yes I can still do yoga, it just requires a mammoth effort to get motivated to go to class. I also try my damndest to jog once a week.
Having done Pilates in the past, I would totally recommend yoga, it is much more holistic.
On a plus note, I am noticing a difference already with the Levothyroxine, my brain fog is starting to lift. I was so concerned I was developing early onset Alzheimer's. Been very clear headed today, massive difference to normal. Y

Hi all, well I am jealous, your gp's are much better than mine! I started on 25 and my levels were tsh 12.5 and t4 at 6 - so you will feel better much quicker than me lol! Seriously though, that is at the root of a lot (not all) of stories you read on the internet - poor under prescription of meds leading to continuation of symptoms
Educate yourself and be an active participant in your health is my main advice
The brain fog lifted first for me,that and I started sleeping well at night. Muscle pain also went quickly but lingered and comes and goes. I'm 4 months in and feel 95 percent now. It's amazing how much it had affected me - I only realise now I feel better.
Take it easy and don't worry about strenuous exercise or dieting til bloods stabilise
Vit d deficiency accounte for a lot of my symptoms too - plus bone weakness - yuck. Definitely get iron tested also.

Hi all, well I am jealous, your gp's are much better than mine! I started on 25 and my levels were tsh 12.5 and t4 at 6 - so you will feel better much quicker than me lol! Seriously though, that is at the root of a lot (not all) of stories you read on the internet - poor under prescription of meds leading to continuation of symptoms
Educate yourself and be an active participant in your health is my main advice
The brain fog lifted first for me,that and I started sleeping well at night. Muscle pain also went quickly but lingered and comes and goes. I'm 4 months in and feel 95 percent now. It's amazing how much it had affected me - I only realise now I feel better.
Take it easy and don't worry about strenuous exercise or dieting til bloods stabilise
Vit d deficiency accounte for a lot of my symptoms too - plus bone weakness - yuck. Definitely get iron tested also.

Glad to hear it gets better. I have no idea what my levels are, but will get them soon.

I have just booked to have Wed off work as I can't face doing a full week. It seems mad that I'm taking these meds and still feel no better, but I was told it would take a couple of weeks. Luckily I teach part time at the school dd is at so I get free after school care. I'm able to do my lessons til lunch time then come home and sleep for a few hours before picking up dd.

Sooooo want the meds to kick in. I have been progressively ill for so long I'm not even sure when I was last well.

All sounds v familiar! I stopped napping a few weeks ago - big step forward - and today I did lots of things one after the other. Which made me realise that for a very long time I've been doing one thing, having a rest, doing another, having a rest etc

I'm in the US, so having a huge number of tests run. The over-efficient health care actually put me off going, as I know that as soon as you go to the gp, they test for all possible causes, and I just didn't have the energy to cope.

Yes to doing something, then having a rest - can't even remember how long that has been going on for.

I felt so stupid sitting at the gp saying 'but I'm so tired' as my main symptom. Now I feel stupid for not saying it earlier.

Hi Merci & Kickass, it is good to talk! I feel much better knowing that there are people out there that you can share experiences with, that understand & can give advice about how you feel.
Having an overwhelmed day today, not sure if that's a symptom of HT or not? Think I may have overdone it yesterday.
Am also doing the do one thing & rest thing, didn't even realise that would have been associated with the condition. Wow, it really does affect a lot.
Read in a health magazine today about some natural remedies for boosting thyroid function - avena, ashwagandha, coleus forskohlii & equisetum. Anyone tried them?

Prana, I was doing 'stupid' things for a long time. I put diesel in the car by mistake, and kept going to buy food but forgetting something essential etc.

I am so looking forward to getting my brain back. At least now I realize what is going on, and for important things I am getting people to check what I am doing, or just saying that.to them that I'm tired and not remembering things well, so can they make sure that they follow up with emails and not just talk to me.

Good point nappy!
Just as my brain fuzz was starting to improve I have gotten a stinker of a head cold!! So I'm wooly headed all over again! Can't wait to see some difference in the next week or two.