I have an Under Active Thyroid Gland, so......................now what?

[shinyshoes]

I have been feeling shitty for some time, going for 3.2 mile walks to ASDA weekly to not being able to go to pick the children up from school (5 minute walk).

I have gained 2 stone in weight since the birth of my daughter 6 months ago, which I am not pleased with but I put it down to my love of vino .

I went to the docs and he sent me for a blood test, it came back today and he told me it was considerably low, pretty much dried up, hence the chronic fatigue and a range of other symptoms I have had.

He has initially put me on 25mg of levothyroxine to start and will increase steadily til he finds the right level for me.

I know NOTHING about Under active thyroid glands and it's come as a bit of a shcok tbh, I did ask if I'd lose weight, he said yes, but told me it wasnt what the pills were for. .
He told them I am to be on them 'forever'.
How do I manage this condition, The t'internet is full of baffling crap I cant understand.

is it a case of just taking the pills and theres nothing to manage? are there things I need to be aware of?

TBH I should have asked the doc, but I was so worried it was something more (he rang 15 mins before my appointment to see if I was attendding surgery as he needed to see me. )
I guess I panicked and was more relieved to hear I didnt have anything too terrible

I have it too.
Diagnosed 8 years ago.
I take 125 mg one day and 150 mg the next day. Hard to remember!
This is not a problem.
It sounds serious, but it is fine.
It does mean that ALL your prescriptions for the rest of your life will be free. Everything, from Antibiotics to Sudafed all free.
I gave up smoking with patches for free.

Hypothyroidism is only a problem if you forget to take the tablets.

oooh goodie, free prescriptions, how do I go about enquiring about one of those exemption thingies then?

Ask in you chemist about the form for an exemption certificate.
Also keep receipts for any prescriptions you have had since your diagnosis, you can claim it back.

Snap shineyshoes - this was me last week.

Had DD2 about 7 months ago and even though I was sleeping well (7-8 hrs) at night, was still waking up tired and also getting bad carpel tunnel syndrome. Was diagnoised with UAT last mon and have also been put on 25 mg levothyroxine. Had a blood test on Mon and been told I need to see GP about my thyroid levels again next week. Am assuming that the dosage that I am on is not strong enough and that it will be increase - hence the visit to the GP. The side effects of the medication should be explained with the leflet you get with the pills. However am finding that when I forget to take the pills on an empty stomach first thing in the morning I get really bad migraines.

Will be interesting to see what every one else says...

oh, i didn't know all medication would be free...

When medication is regulated, as mine is, you only need a blood test every year.

I hope you have kept, or can get your receipts Amani?

Side affects are a lot less serious than not taking the tablets.
25 mg is a tiny ammount and will probably need increasing a lot before you are stable.

Don't rely on the thyroxine helping you lose weight ... hasn't done anything like that for me!

Take the pills, go back for blood tests until the GP is happy your levels are OK, keep taking the pills, have your bloods done again every six - twelve months or if you start to feel that the tablets aren't working.

Medication is free, but you need to fill in an exemption form. They will have them at the GP's surgery. You fill in your details, the GP fills in his and sends it off to the local Health Authority, they will send you an exemption card. Until that arrives, ask for a receipt form FP57 from the pharmacist every time you pay for a prescription. You can only reclaim the charges if you have this form of receipt, and you can only claim the money back within three months of paying the charge.

Thanks electric.....what are the long term implications of taking the medication? Will it start playing havoc with your body after a number of years?

Am so forgetful about taking my medication in the morning....have put the pill on my dressing table now, so I see it first thing...

The medication is perfectly OK to take long-term - it is simply replacing something that your body isn't making, so it doesn't have the implications that many drugs do. It is a synthetic hormone rather than a drug, really, and you will probably be on it for life.

Thanks Electric I will find out more about the prescription thing definately.

OOH Armani - Carpal Tunnel, thats very interesting as I have this pain in my right arm, it wakes me up some nights, Its painful and sometimes it's just numb, I thought I had a trapped nerve [shocked] I have an appointment at the docs Tuesday about it as I've even had to alter the hand I brush my teeth with it has been that painful. I have even stoppped writing anything if I can help it.

Nothing like that, Amani. It is not a dangerous drug like Retalin. It's not addictive. Or harmfull.

There are alternative herbal remedies, but I wouldn't touch them as they are very difficult to regulate and your GP would flip his lid if you told him you are taking them.

Hypothyroidism can alter your taking other meducation, so always check with a pharmacist, or GP before trying something new. You have to be carefull with decongestants and diet tablets, also some other things that I have no experience with.

You may have a condition called thyroidtitis (honestly not making this up) where the thyroid has abit of a wobble after having a baby and gets back to normal 12-18months later. Keep taking the pills as they will make you feel alot better.

Hmmm....
Mine started after DS2, 8 years ago.
I originally went to GP about flooding periods that I couldn't control. He set up blood test as he thought I was anaemic, thyroid count is automatic.