When I had my blood work a few weeks ago my thyroid level came back on low side-.4 when the normal range is .4 to 4. The doc said come back and check it in six weeks. I have had no energy now for about six months with body aches and cold all the time which I read can be symptoms of low thyroid. Just wondering should I push for thyroid hormone or just wait and see? Are there yucky side effects from taking replacement? Did you start to feel better right away taking the hormone? Thanks in advance!
I've been taking thyroid replacement hormone for 30 years with no ill effects. Started on the natural, and switched to synthroid a few years after it became available. As prescriptions go, thyroid is really cheap, too.
Thyroid replacement is usually pretty easy to achieve for MOST patients. I used to promote endocrinology drugs to physicians. And, once regulated, the symptoms subside. Basic info: Your thyroid hormones are called T3 and T4, (number of iodine atoms in the molecule)...your thyroid gland produces T4, which circulates throughout the body. Peripherally, one iodine is removed, and the drug becomes T3, the active drug for metabolic growth. The biofeedback system also produces a thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). T4 has a long half life, of about 7 days, so in order to achieve the desired effect, doctors will usually wait for 5 -6 half lives to recheck. So, once you being thyroid treatment, your prescriber will likely wait about 5-6 weeks between blood tests to make any subsequent changes. Think of TSH and T4 like a thermostatic heater. Once the temp goes below the "desired" setting, the heater turns on, until it meets the desired setting and then turns off. If T4 drops, then the TSH increases. Thyroid glands then produces more T4 until it meets the desired level, then falls off. When thyroid levels are modified, it takes about 5-6 weeks to see the effect. And although small changes are made incrementally, the results can be tremendous. For most patients, the advice for supplementing thyrroid hormone is "Start Low and Slow" Once "normal" levels are achieved, hypothyroid is checked once a year, unless changes dictate recheck. Understand also that "normal" levels are decided by scientific study based on the levels of thousands and thousands of people's lab results. YOUR "normal" was set by your genetic background and established at birth. Your "normal" may actually fall outside the established "norm", so let your physician know who you feel, and how your body has responded, skin and hair changes, response to heat/cold, your "get up and go"..because if the numbers are right, and you still don't feel right, then it calls for more examination. There are several synthetic hormones, and some made from animals. Some tablets contain a mixture of t3/t4. For me, I would not take any dessicated product (ground up thyroid glands from animals slaughtered for food..pork, beef, etc.) as the quality control is not as good as I feel it should be. With those, your body is getting both T3 and T4 and may not be easily regulated. Synthroid, Levoxyl and others are the brand names for generic T4. Generic T4 is cheap, but I would recommend staying with a brand name. Shouldn't cost more than 10-15 bucks. But, again, quality control is an issue with me, and if I don't feel right because of a drug I've taken, and it'll take 5-6 weeks to get fixed, then the then bucks I saved wasn't worth it.
I take Levoxyl and it costs about $15.00 per refill. Of course, I take mine only 5 days a week to keep my levels at the range I need them. I did try Synthroid but could not take it - make me jittery, etc. I developed a "lump" on my thyroid and to err on the side of caution, had 1/2 of it removed (thankfully it was benign) so I will be taking my meds for the remainder of my life - no problem for me -- it makes me feel better! No more being tired, cold and cranky! If you went to your family doctor, I would strongly recommend that you see an endocrinologist. Good Luck!
Thanks everyone for the info and especially the detailed description. I think I will call my Dr. and see if we can go ahead and retest. I have felt very tired for the last 6 weeks and wondering if this is it. Thanks again!
Submom, My belief is that a good FP/IM can appropriately diagnose and treat 95% of thyroid related issues. Unless it's thyroid cancer, or overactive (hyper thryoid usually Grave's disease) most FP/IMs should be able to do the right thing. If you're a 5 percenter, I can understand seeing the endo. For overactive thyroid (Grave's and others), they rarely do surgery to remove any or all of the gland. Now, they give you a radioactive iodine pill (I-131) to take. Iodine (especially radioactive) lodges in the thyroid, thus destroying the gland. Since it only produces T4, they then prescribe T4 and adjust until it's in the normal range. Save the endo's for the stuff they need to see. Now, if your FP/IM is unable to appropriately diagnose or treat thyroid disease, you need to find another provider, cause if they can't do the easy stuff, no way in the world wold I let them do anything else.
I was thinking along the same lines...I thought everyone's thyroid was in the same place and for the most part immobile.:lol:
Had my thryoid removed about 12 years ago and have been taking synthroid ever since. Don't think I have any problems other than normal aches & pains cause I am over the hill & coasting pretty fast.
Is there a decent adult endocrinologist anywhere around here? I am hypothyroid and just found out I have zinc issues. My son has an endo (type 1 diabetic) and they didn't know of one. Unless there is one through Duke, endo is UNC affiliated.
My wife had her thyroid completely removed seven years ago and she hadn't even turned 30 yet. She was having thyroid problems late in 2000. She was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease which is autoimmune disorder that largely affects the thyroid. The surgeon elected to keep the parathyroid glands which are essential to the body's management of calcium and they didn't show signs of inflammation and disease. Although suspected of cancer, three pathology reports stated negative. Currently, she rarely sees an endocrinologist. She goes through the Duke Clinic in Durham, because her circumstances really aren't in question or constantly changing. The clinic calls in an order for blood work, she goes locally to have it done, they send Duke the results and either change the dosage of Synthyroid or keep it the same. Actually, one Raleigh endocrinologist put her on the natural thyroid hormone replacement (which is actually derived from ground animal thyroid-yuck!) when he was having trouble keeping her levels in check. When she visited Duke, the endocrinologists informed her that at her age, it was best not to take natural thyroid because the T3 or T4 (can't remember) that existed in the natural thyroid replacement could eventually cause heart damage over time. To someone experiencing thyroid problems later in life, that wouldn't be a problem, but at her age this could show up in years to come. That endocrinologist switched her back to Synthyroid and she hasn't had any more problems with her levels. Lesson learned: When it comes to the endocrine system (and other bodily systems) it never hurts to get a second opinion when you have doubts. The previous endocrinologist didn't share the risks of heart damage from the natural replacement.
I had a low thyroid level once ~ it was really low. When they did the "recheck," it came back perfectly normal right in the middle. Not to say that would happen to you, but it could.
One day, if you know me long enough, this spring chicken can teach you old geezer a thing or two.:jester:
Thyroid status can change, for a short term as a result of illness, pregnancy, some drugs taken for other reasons (amiodarone taken for cardiac issues, is 70% molecualr iodine by weight) and other causes. Look at the blood test as a snapshot picture of what the thyroid status was that day and if any lab values are outside "normal" range, a recheck is easy to do, and can confirm or rule out problems. If you involve more than one health specialist in your care, occasionally, one may not realize the impact of things they prescribe on drugs that someone else prescribed. Easiest thing to do is get it checked.
