Under active thyroid.

Yes I do still have my thyroid Nonnie.

To be honest I haven't had much energy in years. Other than the thyroid problem I am fine, just lethargic, hence my Doctor has agreed to let me return to 150 mcg after having me on 100 for about a year (she reduced it to my detriment).

I have a window of 7 hours a day when I feel normal and then it is as if my battery has just run down. I am hoping in a week or two I will be feeling a bit more energetic.

Do any of you get palpitations when the dose of thyroxine is increased? DD had 100 for twenty years but was very n well with palpitations etc when it was increased to 150. She was also using oestrogen gel as they said that was low and affects the thyroid.

It seems strange to make a huge jump from 100 to 150- why not try in small increases???? No wonder it made her jittery- isn't that the reason doctors generally like to keep the dose as low as possible, to avoid such side effects?

But no, never had palpitations- but I do have very low blood pressure and low temperature too.

I have low BP too Granjura is that something to do with hypothyroidism? No idea about my temperature. Finding it interesting that people are on the same or higher doses than me when they still have the gland. Also that my doc seems to be the only one to do a blood test after an increase in dose.

Were on hols last week with friends. She is quite a bit younger than me but has been on 125 for quite some time. She also has low BP and body temp. Mine is not that low, but 36.5 instead of the more 'normal' 37.

Nonnie I am going to have a blood test in 3 months, but my doctor has agreed that even if the test says I am on too much thyroxine she will be guided by how I feel.

This will be the second time I have been in this situation and I had tests at the hospital which showed that I was not absorbing the tablets properly even though the other tests said I was having more than enough thyroxine. So the tablets were increased.

It is definitely a tricky thing to get the balance right of how much thyroxine to take.

I have never felt jittery (quite the opposite) but my doctor says jittery feelings and a racing heart beat mean that the dose needs to be reduced.

It is important to discuss your own particular case with your Doctor.

Signs of overdosage can be very confusing:

What are the Signs of Overmedication?

They vary, depending on the person, but signs of overmedication with thyroid hormone replacement are often similar to the symptoms of hyperthyroidism, and can include anxiety, difficulty sleeping, elevated pulse, weight loss (or in some cases, weight gain), diarrhea, muscle aches and weakness, hair loss, fatigue, exhaustion, irrtations or sensitivity in eyes or neck area, among others.

A detailed list of possible signs that you're getting too much medication is included in the "Thyroid Overmedication Checklist."

Sometimes, it's hard to recognize the signs of overmedication. You might assume that if you are overmedicated, you would feel the opposite of hypothyroid; you think taking too much medication will make you feel energetic, or that you'll lose weight, and feel great. So, when you start to feel even more exhausted than usual, or achy and almost flu-like, or you even start gaining weight despite feeling jittery and anxious, you may not suspect that you are actually overmedicated.

In fact, you might go to the doctor to get tested, sure that you are hypothyroid and require an increase in dosage, only to find out that the symptoms you're experiencing are actually due to overmedication.

The thyroxine tablets I have only come in 50mcg or 100mcg, although I know there are 25mcg because my mother took 125mcg.
I am on 100mcg and do not have a thyroid gland. For years I was on 200mcg. Then it was dropped to 100mcg in one go. So I do not know what I would feel like on 150 or 125mcg.
I always find it strange when GPs ask what you feel like, do you feel normal? How do I know? I've been on thyroxine since 1980!
When you take something that affects your whole metabolism, how can you remember what normal feels like?
I have heard that natural thyroxine is better, but as it comes from cows or pigs, I think I'll give it a miss.
Over the last four years my TSH level has varied from 0.11 to 3.07, but I haven't been told to change my thyroxine dose.

I wish more docs would take how we feel into account as well as what the test show. My tests always showed 'normal' while my thyroid had grown right down into my chest cavity. It was huge but because it didn't show much in my neck it was ignored and put down to a 'multi-nodule partly retro-sternal Thyroid'. I was fortunate that eventually when I pestered my GP I was sent to a different Endocrinologist who looked below the neck and got me in for an op straight away as it could have killed me! I reiterate that all the time my tests showed 'normal'. What is normal for one might well not be for another.

Since then my Thyroxin was reduced to 50 mcg a day and I felt terrible so went to see a private Endocrinologist who tested everything and put me back on 100 mcg and now I'm on 125 mcg (except on Sundays).

I still have to only eat about 800 calories most days and go to the gym or I put on weight. At least I am cheap to run!

Nonnie I do feel for you. I was devastated when my doctor insisted I cut my thyroxine by a third.

Fortunately she was persuaded by me this week that it was unnatural only to feel normal for 7 hours day and then sleepy for the rest of the day.

I think sometimes we have to stand up to the doctors and not treat them with reverence like my parents used to do.

I too battle with my weight and feel better now I am slimmer. I just wonder if you are eating too little and your body has gone into starvation mode and is retaining the weight. 800 cals is nothing. I managed to lose a couple of stone on about 1200.

Agree we should question things, but surely we must also accept/agree that our doctors normally have our best interest and health at heart- really. Too much thyroxine can have side-effects, and if your read my previous post, actually can be self-defeating and creating the very symptoms we want alleviated. So great care necessary. I am a mod langs teacher- and I would not presume to have better knowledge than my GP who has trained for about 8 years and with 30 years experience. I would not like him to teach me how to best teach languages either, lol.

Thanks NanKate. I'm sticking with the doc who said that he didn't understand why I had to stop taking it on Sundays and said "It wasn't that high". I think the other one was peeved because I went to her with more than one thing.

No, I have tried eating more and the weight just piles on. It is something I have learned to accept over the years and am used to it. It does however, make me a bit intolerant when people blame their glands for their excess weight! I don't let it make me a martyr, I eat what I like when we go out and eat very carefully at home. That is getting more difficult as we seem to be out so much these days! There were no fat people in the concentration camps!

Granj I do understand what you are saying and agree my doctor is the one with the knowledge. Fortunately she is prepared to explain to me the probs of having too much Thyroxine and any contra indications to look out for. She says if I continue to keep my weight, cholesterol and blood pressure down as I am doing now she says I should (fingers crossed) have a good 20 years ahead of me, barring any nasty diseases. Let's hope she is right.

Nonnie I like you eat very carefully at home and enjoy myself when I m out.

You have just reminded me NanKate I have high cholesterol which is one of the things associated with being hypothyroid. It went down a bit after my dosage went up but the doc said there was no connection. Not going back to her!

Surprised about this as my cholesterol is low. I think at times we underestimate how genetics have such a huge influence on our own health. Low blood pressure and good cholesterol 'run' into my family- ao I am very lucky. No diabetes in my parents- but my specialist thinks it was probably in the previous generation.

And thanks for reminding us that all of us who have a propensity for putting weight on easily are all fat slobs and couch potatoes and deserve to be fat. Cheers.

And of course to have Type 2 diabetes- our right deserves

Nonnie my previous Dr told me one of the indicators of an under active thyroid is high cholesterol and even though I ate a low fat diet I was still far too high at 7.6 arghhhh !! She put me on statins and in 6 weeks I have come down to 4.3 hurray.

Granj I am not sure if I have upset you when mentioning weight, I have re-read both your latest posts and am still uncertain if you are talking about what I said or whether you are talking about large people and their lifestyles.

If it's me, I'm sorry it was not my intention.

Having struggled with weight loss I would be the last to mention 'fat slobs'. Also my Dad died of Type 2 Diabetes complications so would never had mentioned that either.

Sorry NanKate- no it was Nonnie's post about people in concentration camps that made me see red. I should not have reacted so strongly, and I apologize. But I have to say I am sick and tired of all the guilt and angst put on anyone who developes Type2 Diabetes these days- and the assumptions made about life-style, etc.

Granj

Yes weight is a very emotive subject.

hi girls,,,,,,,,im so pleased that i found this.......i have an underactive thyroid........i have had it for some time now, i take 25 milligrams a day in the morning, i have always done this, .....i ahve been through a terrable time with all my feelings etc, always crying,,,,some times all day, hot sweats,,,,,hair loss in clumps,,,,,hair thinning, loss of appetite,,,,then i would always be eating,......cold hands and feet,,,,,,,light headed....dizzy...sometimes i would feel as if i was going to pass out.....feelings of sickness,......i just couldnt understand what was a matter with me, i would go to my docter and she was telling me it was stress and depression, i had awfull depression. ......i was sick of it, i changed my docter....i was climbing walls,,,,screaming, i wasnt well...i just wasnt me,i was also tired no energy and interested in nothing....weight gain,,,,so i joined slimming world, that helped ....but now i am putting weight on again,,,and now i have found a lump in my neck, so i went to my new doctor......he said you poor thing,,,lets have all your bloods done test everything and start again,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,brilliant,.....now im on 50 milligrams,,,,have been to see the endrocologist,,,had scans...more blood tests and monday appointment..he said,,,your lump is large on the right side of your thyroid,,,,he went to talk to the boss !!!......and he came back and said,,,operation within 3 weeks we recomend that we remove it and the right side of the thyroid...........we dont know what is lurking in the lump as the fine needle biopsy didnt show anything, so to be on the safe side...we will take it out,...................my voice may be lowered,,,but should return to normal,,,,,,so i hope i will be feeling normal if i remember what normal is,,,,,,,hope this gives some hope to others..............i too want to sleep..........my daughter has an overactive thyroid she has been to hell and back,,,,,,hers was lazered,,,,,and they are trying to get her dose right,

That's a lot of bad luck, angie. Makes me feel very fortunate. My underactive thryroid 'only' made me sleepy - though that very nearly led to a nasty accident with an HGV on the M6! I hope all goes well with the op and that all will be well after that. Sounds as if you got the right doctor this time.

Sorry granjura that was not directed at you or at anyone but it is a fact. It was first said to me by an Endocrinologist who said there was nothing wrong with my Thyroid and told me I was obese. I was overweight but not obese at the time. I suffered on for years and then asked to see another Endocrinologist and discovered that mine had grown enormous in my chest cavity and that if I had had a bleed I would have died. It was removed in a 4 hour operation very soon afterwards! This is the reason I think we sometimes have to do our own research and not necessarily take what the doctor says as always right. As I said earlier, one doc said recently I was taking too much and another then said I wasn't!

I have also said that I have to average 800 calories a day or I put on weight. I choose to do that rather than be bigger than I want to be and I also exercise a lot. If others choose to do something else that is up to them. No criticism was intended and I'm sorry if I touched a raw spot.

I was on 100mg for a while then saw another doctor who told me to cut to 50mg immediately. I felt awful for a while but now feel what I presume must be normal. I get tired yes, but I'm 66 and after dealing with a toddler one day a week and other GC from time to time and volunteer work in between I do get very tired; but would image that anyone would - though DH seems to cope better than I do (he's no need for thyroxin).

I have to have a review soon so will see what transpires. There is a minor blip on my bloods but nothing that shouts for emergency action.

I have my thyroid gland and take the tablet with water about half an hour before breakfast. I think I would prefer to take it at night so will add it to my list of things to ask. (I don't see the doctor often so I make a list of all my concerns when I do )

I am hedging my bets by taking 50mcg first thing then 100mcg last thing.

It is too early to say categorically that I am less sleepy now I have been returned to 150 a day. Ask me at Xmas.