To buy medication online?

[enoughforme]

I have a thyroid issue, fron results I've been getting and an opinion from a private fertility specialist I should be 25mg if thyroxine.

I'm really depressed and this is the reason because my thyroid isn't working at optimum levels, also TTC and been told this medication will put thyroid levels in optimum category.

I've asked my gp to give me the meds they keep refusing,

What should I do? Barge into the surgery and make a real fuss or just find an online chemist?

DH keeps telling me I'm silly and should just buy online but I'm worried it could be dodgy. Anyone bought from ab online chemist before? An authorised one?

Please can you provide details of so.

I think you've definitely misunderstood somewhere along the line, OP.

The results you've listed don't really need treatment just monitoring.

Several people have told you this, including a specialist in thyroid disorders, but you think you know better, despite showing quite a poor understanding of thyroid issues and interpretation of results.

The one person who has said you need treatment appears to have refused to actually treat you. Either you've misunderstood what they've said, and they don't think you need treatment, or they're not even a doctor and so can't treat you, in which case why do you think they know better than a specialist?!

You've been very vague about why the fertility specialist who thinks you need treating, won't treat you?!

@vivainsomnia

That level is indeed high and can be an indication of Hashimoto but not always. It's not uncommon to have high levels and this not being an indication of hypothyroidism, especially with normal TSH levels. Indeed, that was the case for me. I had a call from my GP once to say my antibodies were very high but as TSH was in the normal range, they would just monitor. I had no symptoms. 6 months later, it was in the borderline range, 1 year later, it was normal and has been for 5 years now.

It's very confusing to understand your history and treatment though. If your doctor thought you might have Hashimoto, they certainly wouldn't have treated you for hyperthyroidism. They would if they thought you had Grave's disease, but again, that would be based on your TSH levels and you say these were then high, so it really makes no sense at all that you'd be given treatment for an overactive thyroid.

You really are totally confused....

High TSH, indicative of underactive thyroid, with high antibodies, possibly Hashimoto. Standard treatment: thyroxine.

Low TSH, indicative of overactive thyroid, with high antibodies, possibly Grave's disease. Standard treatment: Carbimazole/Propyltiouracil/radioactive iodine.

I'm sorry OP, but you're the one who doesn't undertsand it.

This. You clearly don’t understand thyroid conditions and have given contradictory information. Please don’t self medicate especially with a dose a thousand times too high.

@AndSoFinally the fertility I'll it specialist hasn't refused I've got a follow with them this week - up to now he made a suggestion to start taking it and so when I see him this week I will be able to (hopefully) finalise treatment for it.

Look guys, I'm not confused, apologies if I've got some of my readings tangled up - please just understand me I'm not confused. I was server my overactive six years ago - levels went to normal naturally.

Levels were then double normal range last year which is the same time I miscarried.

At that point I was given carbimazole and levels have since been borderline underactive (or 'normal range' which isn't normal range as has been reiterated by many medical professionals outside of the nhs if you read up on it, how can a normal range be accurate for everyone when it includes pensioner, all genders, young people, fit, obese - everyone)

I hope this clears things up.

Also I've had server symptoms for 20 years on and off.

This is not in my head / every symptom listed for this condition I have.

We haven't said it was in your head, we've said you don't understand the conditions, tests and treatments, and your posts clearly show this. You therefore can't decide that your GP and the expert consultant are wrong and you know better.

Your latest results are normal. You have decided that they are not because your T4 is .1 off the normal range. You've already been told that this range is based on average and that there will be people who's normal range are slightly less and other slightly more. Professionals do not worry about any such result, especially when it is only one indicator and when the more reliable indicator is bang in the middle of normal range.

You have mentioned depression as one sign that things are not normal. Is this the only symptom? Because clearly depression is very common. What makes you so completely convinced that you currently suffer from hypothyroidism?

If you suffered from hyperthyroidism before, you must be regularly monitored and have regular blood tests anyway?

@vivainsomnia depression isn't the only symptom I have many of them - dry skin, brittle hair the list goes on.

The normal range isn't applicable to everyone and this is why I still have symptoms.

I know enough to know I'm being fobbed off

@vivainsomnia also you are exactly right youd think when I was first had as having thyroid issues someone would have mentioned it's the kind of thing to monitor and back then I trusted doctors so never did my own research. You would think I'd be advised to come annually wouldn't you but instead I was just discharged and told it's all normal now and no causes for further concern.

Can you believe I was 29 year old child bearing age and none of the medical professionals told me about links to fertility so my miscarriage could have been avoided.

This is why I am never trusting the medicals I have to find a way to fix this

If a private dr won't prescribe that's because you don't need it. Trust the dr not a website

When someone has a miscarriage, the need for a reason, for something to pin it on so you can be sure the same thing won't happen again next time, is incredibly strong.

I think you're looking for answers and have decided that your thyroid is the culprit and must be fixed at any cost, even when medical professionals are telling you it's normal.

Be very careful OP. Thyroid meds are dangerous if not used properly, and a hyperactive thyroid is just as bad as a hypo active one. Please listen to the professionals rather than self medicating- you may end up in an even worse predicament

[quote enoughforme]@Neondisco I paid for a thyroid specialist £200 he just fobbed me off and scammed me basically just said you're fine to conceive and he has no other advice.

[/quote]
Would it be ridiculous to say a NHS GP and a private consultant might be right?

@AndSoFinally two doctors have sai the thyroid was highly likely the cause, my levels at that time were x twice as high as the high end of normal it was out of control.

Please don't tell le know I'm trying to pin it on something when every thyroid article talks about thyroid and miscarriage links and the doctor at the time said levels were severe and baby would have been unlikely to survive in those conditions,

Thank you

I think it would be a good idea to post on the health unlocked thyroid UK forums, as there's lots of people there who can give really good advice. Include dates and blood results going back as far as possible. It's a bit confusing working out what could be going on without having an overview of the actual blood results over time. If you don't have them, you should be able to request these from your GP.

I am not a doctor, but from my own research about thyroxine, other posters are right to be concerned about your plan to take thyroxine without medical supervision. Your latest results do not indicate hypothyroidism - you may be slightly underactive for you, but only slightly, which means there is a risk of overreplacing thyroid hormine. Being on too high a dose of thyroxine can have dangerous side effects, including heart arythmias. I imagine this is why the doctors you have seen are reluctant to prescribe thyroxine.

I really think you need to go back to your GP and try and discuss everything you've told us here and make a plan for going forward, such as a blood test again in 3 months to see what is happening. I know that NHS GPs can be shit with thyroid stuff - would going private be an option?

Also, it is worth doing some research on medical studies about thyroxine in cases of subclinical hypothyroidism. Sadly it may not have all the effects you wish for, as sometimes in cases if subclinical hypothyroidism it doesn't alleviate symptoms.

@Fancymice thank you so much for sound advice.

I've been private and the treatment I received was not thorough and once again a disappointment.

I have also posted on health unlocked to no avail - no responses 😔

I will post again and see what happens x

You did have issues with your thyroid in the past from what you've said but that was with you suffering from hyperthyroidism. It is possible that this caused your miscarriages, or it might not. Even if it did, it shouldn't be an issue now that your level are back to normal.

The biggest challenge when taking Thyroxine is to get the dose right and not take you to the other side. With your history of hyperthyroidism, taking Thyroxine when your body doesn't actually need it is likely to send you right back to being hyper and therefore put you then at risk of risk of increase miscarriage. You could actually cause exactly what you are desperate to prevent.

The symptoms of hypothyroidism can be associated with many other conditions, one being anxiety. We can't diagnosed anyone from posts online, but you do come across as an anxious person, so this is worth considering.

Another possibility considering your symptoms is b12 deficiency. The standard tests done in GP practices although an indicator is not a reliable test to consider whether this could cause your issues. You would need to ask for an active b12 test, if you are off all supplements of b12 for 4 months at least.

I'm sorry to hear about all you have gone through OP.

Thyroid conditions are hugely under diagnosed by UK GPs which is disgraceful. I struggled to get diagnosed myself - I had to insist on seeing a second GP and take a private blood test to show her my results. I told the second GP that I had thyroid antibodies and was symptomatic and insisted on trying thyroxine. She very reluctantly prescribed it. I definitely needed it and have since changed practice as the whole experience broke down my confidence in that practice.

The other issue is that levothyroxine is the only drug prescribed by GPs here when it simply doesn't suit lots of people...

I suspect that the real problem here is that Hashimotos is largely a disease that affects women.

The NHS as a whole and GPS in particular are horribly dismissive of thyroid problems. I was symptomatic with thyroid antibodies off the scale and still had to quote NICE guidelines to get treated. BUT please don’t buy medication off the internet, you don’t know what you’re getting and you won’t get properly monitored. Also some of what you’re saying really doesn’t make sense - a TSH of 40+ would make you very underactive, not over.

Thanks for recent responses and apologies for getting my readings tangled up there's so many of them, I was referring to my free t4 with the 40 plus, my tsh was really low at that point

I would agree about seeking a second opinion from a first GP, but in this instance, OP did see a consultant, privately and they agreed with the GP. Some time GPs do get it wrong and patients do know better, but some times, patients do have to accept that they are just wrong and don't know better than specialists. You can't get a diagnosis just by symptoms when these symptoms are also common in other conditions.

I've had time to reflect and since spoken to the British thyroid foundation and the fertility specialist has come back to me now saying not to treat.

Thank you alll very much for your help.

I'm devastated, feel like breaking down. I've felt like this for 20 years that's more than half my life. I want to get my life back. And this has left a hole in me I don't know where to go now to get support.

I am going to pay one more thyroid specialist as a poster earlier suggested (I don't care about the money I just want my life back) and get one last look at the whole of my thyroid readings etc but likely the same conclusion will be Drawn,

As there are so many possibilities with thyroid maybe they can advise something else or conclusively tell me to investigate another possible cause.

I'm so down and tired and depressed I feel very sad, but just wanted to say thanks for giving me your opinions advice and sorry for getting flamed at times on the thread.

@enoughforme. Sorry you are feeling so down. Make sure you see an endocrinologist who specialises in thyroid as many are more knowledgeable on diabetes. Let us know how you get on.

OP for all you have been going through

Hi all, once again thank you so much. I have had my fertility appointment today and feel so much more positive I can finally see some light.

And, I got a theroxine prescription! A legit one!!! From a registered GP

He said it will be fine to take (I didn't push him to prescribe it by the way he just said based on a new recent reading he thinks is best) as long as I test regularly - monthly.

Also, I may decide to address mental health thereafter if it doesn't make me feel better and take treatment specific for that but for now I'm happy.

I also have no fertility issues so double bonus (nothing major anyway aside from needing thyroid closely monitoring)

Thank you all for your support and advice