for those with under active thyroid; what were/are your symptoms please?

[Gatekeeper]

Every female on my mother's side had/has under active thyroid and I get mine checked every year. TSH level this yr is 2.98 'all perfectly normal' says GP

However I have symptoms..hoarse voice, constipation, joint stiffness, lack of co-ordination pins and needles, feeling like something is stuck in my throat, v. v. tired, zero libido etc etc. I can't shift my excess weight no matter what i do and I feel crap

Cannot afford to go private at all but how can i persuade my GP to prescribe when their guidelines say they don't have to ?

Honestly I don't think you can. If TSH is normal then prescribing could risak hyperthyroidism, which is quite dangerous.

However, I would be taking these other symptoms to him, preferably with a diary of when you experienced them and how severe. Insist on them looking in to it.

No personal experience but I am also considering going to doctor's for similar symptoms.

ThyroidUK say: "Many doctors only do the TSH test. However, some doctors believe that all the tests need to be done i.e. TSH, FT4, FT3, TPO and TgAb. This will ensure that other thyroid problems are not missed", so maybe worth asking to see a different GP and asking for these to be done? Keep a log of your symptoms that you can bring with you to help your case.

They also say: "Ask your doctor to check your B12, folate, ferritin and Vitamin D levels as deficiencies of any one of these could be a reason for your ill health" (and can produce similar symptoms to hypothyroidism).

A bleak exhaustion, everything a huge effort, no enthusiasm. Palpitations, aches and pains, hair falling out. Raised liver enzymes, puffy eyes, fluid retention generally, weight gain. What another mumsnetter rather brilliantly described as "numb apathy". Always cold, and unable to warm up easily after getting chilled. Rather grumpy.
Have your bloods taken early in the morning, as TSH levels vary throughout the day. Has your blood been tested for antibodies? I had symptoms for a decade before I was put on meds, even though at times my TSH had been far too high, and no-one in a decade had tested me for antibodies. If you have antibodies then your symptoms might be taken more seriously and you can argue for more regular tests. Ideally TSH should be around 2 or slightly under. According to the private doc I saw over 2.5 suggests that things aren't working all that well and will get worse. Good luck!

Hi everyone. We're going to move this thread to General Health in a moment at the OP's request.

I'm not wanting to tread on mumsnets toes here, but thyroid UK have been brilliant for me and many others. Through them I got a list of private doctors and was able via one of these doctors who was reasonably local, to get thyroid medication, when my test results did not meet the nhs criteria for treatment. They only treat on the test result numbers, not your symptoms. I was refused a trial of levothyroxine and told I was reading too much rubbish on the Internet. Well bollocks to that quite frankly. I was barely existing and struggling to get through every day. Since I started the pills, I have recovered my brain function/mental clarity along with my energy (sadly still obese BMI) and have changed GP so at least I don't have to put up with his crap any longer. First consultation with the private GP cost £140, subsequent ones are half that, and the pills cost very little. I would say it costs me £100 every 3 months now, which is worth every penny for the benefits it has brought. (Got my libido back too after 15 years if that's not TMI). It took courage to go against the system, but it's really been worth it.

The thing I really noticed before diagnosis was constipation. But I didn't put two and two together. All the rest I noticed after diagnosis. I'd had thin hair for nearly twenty years beforehand, which is familial. Diagnosed after routine blood test, not because of symptoms.

Absolute exhaustion (literally unable to move from bed for about 10 hours a day at least), dry skin, feeling freezing constantly (needed heating on in August), no appetite. I didn't notice weight gain, as I've mentioned on other threads, but clearly I did gain weight. I also 'looked ill', puffy face and dark circles under eyes (though some of that is also down to chronic anaemia).

Every NHS consultant I have seen (a few since I was pregnant since diagnosis, so needed monitoring for that) has said they see patients with 'subclinical hypothyroidism', so clearly it is recognised by the NHS, just not by nonspecialist GPs. Second ThyroidUK for support and info on private consultants if you need these.

Crushing tiredness and feeling cold. I too had a 'normal' TSH levels but my antibodies were sky high so I was diagnosed straight away. I would definitely insist on having yours checked. Hqve been on thyroxine for about 3 months. Started on 25mg now on 75mg. GP wants me on 100mg. Haven't noticed a difference yet though. Good luck.

I was diagnosed the year before last, not sure of my levels as doctor didn't say just put me straight on medication.

From memory, which isn't very good, my symptoms were tiredness, aching joints, constipation, periods had changed (still not gone back to normal) and ulcers in my mouth and up my nose . I can't remember what else.

thank you everyone; have written all my symptoms down and I see GP next week. I met my cousin last week and we worked out that 25 of relatives have under active thryoid, one with Hashimoto AND half of those have pernicious anaemia as well. Hope she listens to me and does blood tests for anitbodies, B12 vit d etc as I cannot afford private treatment at all