Thyroid disease

[user8976678]

If you suffer fro thyroid disease and are now on the correct dose of medication, would you say that you feel like you did before having thyroid problems?
I still get tired easily even though I am on the correct dose of levothyroxine. I feel like this is my life now and I will never have the energy I use too.

Hi I was diagnosed 9 years ago and I've never felt the way I did before. Doctor reads my tsh as within range = well. I have terrible fatigue and dry skin and really rubbish metabolism. Some people may do great on levothyroxine I'm not one of those unfortunately 😔

I also never felt the way I did before but now I am almost 14 years past diagnosis, my thyroid is completely dead and much easier to regulate with synthetic hormones. The last couple years have been the best I have felt since before diagnosis but I am still maybe at 75% of who I was pre diagnosis.

I was diagnosed 8 years ago with hyperthyroidism which I felt fine with. Then I had my thyroid removed and life just hasn't been the same since then, I work half days at work now because I struggle with fatigue in the afternoons. I really miss my old life.

Have you had your levels checked, I believe you can go hypothyroid after removal ?

How old are your?

@GeneLovesJezebel

Have you had your levels checked, I believe you can go hypothyroid after removal ?

@GeneLovesJezebel yeah I have my levels checked every 6 months. Im 40

Even with apparently normal levels I feel like crap most of the time. But then mine failed just after I had my first child so I don’t know how much of that is down to being a parent! I stopped taking thyroxine and use a natural hormone replacement - although the supplies of that have been interrupted due to covid and have had to swap and change a bit. I don’t know whether it’s psychosomatic but I do feel better on the natural one than on Levothyroxine. However still tired, still have anxiety and still massively overweight. So there isn’t a magic cure for me. I know some people apparently do ok on it, but plenty more don’t.

@RoyKentsChestHair

Even with apparently normal levels I feel like crap most of the time. But then mine failed just after I had my first child so I don’t know how much of that is down to being a parent! I stopped taking thyroxine and use a natural hormone replacement - although the supplies of that have been interrupted due to covid and have had to swap and change a bit. I don’t know whether it’s psychosomatic but I do feel better on the natural one than on Levothyroxine. However still tired, still have anxiety and still massively overweight. So there isn’t a magic cure for me. I know some people apparently do ok on it, but plenty more don’t.

@RoyKentsChestHair I have heard a lot of people feel better using natural hormone replacement. I don't think that would be an option for me though with having no thyroid.

I am on longtime (since about 2005) medication for Hashimoto's and I as soon as the correct dose was found my problems vanished. Occasionally I get additional vitamin D+K, selene or iron. My HCP monitors my levels regularily.

What is the natural thyroid replacement you use, please? Having had radioiodine for hyperthyroidism my thyroid function is just within normal range but bordering on hypothyroid. I'm exhausted, getting fatter and my hair is falling out. Any advice would be much appreciated.

Under active thyroid and I felt awful, hardly any energy, felt like I was wading through mud, mood swings and when I was put on medication (took me almost a year to get the correct dose I felt much better).

I have hypothyroidism. I am never not tired. I don't know if it's due to this or having two small children. I often wonder.

@123out

Hi I was diagnosed 9 years ago and I've never felt the way I did before. Doctor reads my tsh as within range = well. I have terrible fatigue and dry skin and really rubbish metabolism. Some people may do great on levothyroxine I'm not one of those unfortunately 😔

@123out - I’m same as you. I felt good for W short time on levothyroxine but it didn’t last and now GP just says I have to stay on it.

@user8976678

If you suffer fro thyroid disease and are now on the correct dose of medication, would you say that you feel like you did before having thyroid problems? I still get tired easily even though I am on the correct dose of levothyroxine. I feel like this is my life now and I will never have the energy I use too.

@user8976678 - I feel exactly the same, diagnosed about 11-12 years ago, have had meds increased but feel nothing like I felt in terms of energy before I got sick with underactive thyroid.

It almost makes me want to stop taking levothyroxine but apparently dangerous so I’m stuck on it.

Is there an alternative to levothyroxine?

Couldn’t pass by without writing something. I was born without a thyroid, I’m one of the few that have congenital hypothyroidism. I’m 34 and been taking Levothyroxine my whole life. The amount has fluctuated over the years due to hormones etc and finally for the last 5 years I’ve been on 175mcg. Before that from when I was pregnant with dd (10 years ago) I was on 200mcg. The medication definitely relieves the symptoms but I can say it doesn’t make them disappear. Everyday I wake up it’s a lucky dip of what symptoms I will endure. I can go from extreme fatigue to insomnia in a day. It’s wild, I’ve learnt to live with it, I don’t have time to succumb to the symptoms, I have my kids to think about and work part time.
The doctors in the uk have never offered me anything other the Levo. I get blood tests yearly at the moment, was every 6 months before covid.
You’ve got to figure what works for you.

@Rupertgrintismyguiltypleasure

Couldn’t pass by without writing something. I was born without a thyroid, I’m one of the few that have congenital hypothyroidism. I’m 34 and been taking Levothyroxine my whole life. The amount has fluctuated over the years due to hormones etc and finally for the last 5 years I’ve been on 175mcg. Before that from when I was pregnant with dd (10 years ago) I was on 200mcg. The medication definitely relieves the symptoms but I can say it doesn’t make them disappear. Everyday I wake up it’s a lucky dip of what symptoms I will endure. I can go from extreme fatigue to insomnia in a day. It’s wild, I’ve learnt to live with it, I don’t have time to succumb to the symptoms, I have my kids to think about and work part time. The doctors in the uk have never offered me anything other the Levo. I get blood tests yearly at the moment, was every 6 months before covid. You’ve got to figure what works for you.

@Rupertgrintismyguiltypleasure

Can I ask what is the lowest dose you have been on? I am on 150mcg which I think is fairly low for no thyroid and TSH suppression. I think it goes by body weight how they work out the dose.

@user8976678

Is there an alternative to levothyroxine?

Not on the NHS unfortunately - you have to take matters into your own hands and either go privately or buy direct from suppliers in Thailand. You can get the natural dessicated pig thyroid tablets that used to be used before Levothyroxine was invented. These aren’t licensed in the UK but used a lot in America (as Armour thyroid, Naturethroid, Thiroyd and other brands), or you can get T3 to take alongside the T4 (which is what’s in thyroxine). Your thyroid naturally produces several different hormones and T4 is the only one we’re given by the NHS. Doctors will try and tell you that’s all you need, but so many people (mainly women of course) are going through life with debilitating symptoms and being told they’re absolutely fine.

There’s a lot more to it than just switching and it can end up costing a lot in blood tests and supplements etc but if you have the time and energy (probably not if you have hypothyroidism!) to do your research you might find it helpful. It’s a slog, and as I said, I still don’t feel amazing - but I haven’t been able to afford all the blood tests and supplements etc, I literally just buy the thyroid tablets for about £100 per 6 months.

OP have you had your ferritin, B12, vit D etc closely checked?

For me those being led led to more symptoms than my thyroid. The two often go hand in hand. Getting my ferritin levels up to 50 made the biggest difference in my fatigue and muscle aches.

Found this page very helpful :) simonethomaswellness.com/pages/thyroid-hair-loss

@user8976678 the lowest I was on I think was 100 mcg but that was when I was a kid before the hormones kicked in.