[mondk]

I have hypothyroidism and take 100 mcg of Synthroid daily. I had bloodwork recently and they said everything was normal, however, I am going to call medical records and see what the actual number was on my TSH. My psych docs want to see it as close to 1 as possible, even though 3 is normal.

I'm having a time with severe tiredness and low metabolism. Also trying to exercise more and diet, but I just feel "off" anyone relate?

Hoping for some advice or tips or even special vitamins I could take to help with this?

Blessings, Michelle

[mondk]

Also, anyone here ever buy any supplements from mitamins.com?

Blessings, Michelle

[Daisy1339]

Michelle,

I could have written your post verbatim!!! I'm hypothyroid and I take 100 mcg, too! I am exhausted, achey, fatigue, uninspired to move, I could go on and on. I'm on the smallest dose of synthroid because the dr. said I'm just barely hypothyroid, whatever that means. Sometimes I think maybe I shouldn't be taking it at all. My sister is hypothyroid and my brother had suffered Graves Disease and had his thyroid removed.

I've been trying a multi vitamin that I got from GNC called Be Whole. I started to think I was feeling a tiny bit better after a week or so, but I think it was just my imagination.

I am at a loss. After awhile I just convinced myself that everyone must feel this way and I'm just being lazy. Sometimes I think, "How in the world am I going to have energy for a brand new baby??", or "Maybe if I just MOVE more, I'll HAVE more energy." We have a brand new eliptical machine. I've been on it 4 times and can't get past 5 min. When I get off of it I feel like I'm going to throw up!

I'm so very tired of feeling TIRED!! Even after a great nights rest! Grrrrrr...... I don't drink, I don't smoke, I eat relatively healthy meals. I'm not a regular exerciser, but I do take the stairs at work (three flights, sometimes 10 times a day!)

I'll say to my husband, "something's wrong. I just feel sick! and I can't snap out of it". I won't go back to the dr., which frustrates DH. I feel like I'm going to sound like a hypochondriac or something! Like a whiney, lazy woman.

I don't know what the answer is, but I can completely relate to your frustration!

[mommieof2cuties]

I also have it but on 50 at this time. I find during different times, I can be tired, starving (where I need to eat every hour) to wide awake, and not starving! It is very annoying! I have blood work done every few months and I get a copy mailed to me. The problem here is we also usually at least with me have hormones off, so I am taking something for that as well. I loved one pill I was on but it was replacing my lost hormone, so I have been on three since. The last two making me more tired. Yet I am wide awake at night! It is very annoying! However, I am no longer considered overweight. But I am not losing weight anymore. It was coming off for the last year. But the last few months I lose about five pounds than see it come back on. So I sat within the five pound range. It is very upsetting yet, annoying! would love to see what others say!

[Quesita]

I was diagnosed with hyperactive thryroid when I was in my 20's. I was on the opposite end of the spectrum. I weighed 95 pounds, slept 4-5 hours per night, worked 3 jobs, went dancing every night, took classes, and thought I was the healthiest person in the world. But I had this secret. Sometimes I felt like I was going to EXPLODE on the inside, and I NEEDED to throw my arms in the air and wave my hands around. I would go to a bathroom, and literally throw my arms up and hyperventilate.

Finally, during one of those episodes on the Metro (I was living in Mexico City at the time) I passed out, and was pulled out by three cops. The next day I went to the dr and was diagnosed with the thyroid problems, and put on some sort of odd medication that years later, US doctors said was not appropriate treatment. But it worked for me. For years, my system stabilized. When I came back to the US a few years later, doctors tried to talk me into radiation and all of that stuff, and I flat out said no, and just doctor shopped until I could find someone who would give me the same stuff I had been taking in Mexico. Finally a few years after being in the US, my insurance changed and I needed to get a new doctor again. She did a thyroid test, and told me my thyroid was normal! She eased me off the medication, and I haven't had a problem since.

I was told I had a chronic, progressive disease, over and over again. And it just went away.

Sadly, I no longer weigh 98 pounds, and if I sleep 4-5 hours a night, it is because Liana doesn't sleep, not because I have boundless energy.

But thyroid stuff makes you crazy. It plays with your emotions, your body, your energy. My heart goes out to you. Even though I was on the other end of the spectrum, I understand being "off" in a way that you can't even explain.

[ocracoke]

I am hypothyroid as well and take 150 of Luvoxyl. Get your TSH checked again. Level 3 may be normal but I function best right at the 1 mark. Well the doc tells you are normal -- ask for a number. Also, a lot of docs will not test your T3 and T4 levels. Make them!!! Your TSH level actually testing how much your thyroid is being stimulated to work. The more hypo you are the more it is stimulated so your TSH level goes up. However, if you want to know exactly how your thyroid is functioning get a read on the T3 and T4 levels -- this is the actual hormone produced by the thyroid. Ask for a copy of the lab tests so that you can see your level and the acceptable range -- I can't remember acceptable ranges at the moment. That will give you a much better idea of what is happening.

Not a doctor (and don't play one on TV) just did a lot of reading.

Samantha

[mumofone]

Both my mom and sister have it as well. Both are on Synthroid. They usually get bloodwork every 3 months or so as their levels fluctuate.

They were both very tired, irritable, gained weight, etc. until they got diagnosed. The big thing is finding the correct dosage.

[shy_bear]

I take Synthroid; a couple of years ago I gained a ton of weight. Did not think much of it...found out it was my thyroid. Last year I lost 25lbs in a matter of weeks, and was having severe panic attacks. Again it was my thyroid. Went in about a mth ago to have it checked; I am ALWAYS HOT. My TSH was good so no need to change meds. I go from being hungry all the time to feeling not like eating at all. It is very hard for me to lose weight unless I am starving myself and again I am always hot.

[momof9wantingmore]

I take 150 mcg of levothroid daily, I feel good sometimes and off sometimes, I am also dealing with very low energy and a hint of depression. I sometimes wonder if it is my thyroid. TSH is normal, but I have to ask or they won't do the T3 and T4. I am also menopausal which could account for a lot of my symptoms. It can be frustrating.

[ocracoke]

Just another opinion here (and my doc thinks I am crazy for believing this but it works for me)... don't use a generic form of a thyroid medication. I am a big fan of generics usually but not this med. I find that the brand names (luvoxyl for me) gives me a consistent dose with consistent fillers. Therefore I feel (good or bad) consistent as long as my dose in correct. My doctor says this makes no sense -- won't dispute it -- but it works for me and many others I know. I will gladly pay the extra $5 per month to have the assurance that I have a med that works for me.

Samantha

[mommieof2cuties]

My doctor at the Mayo Clinic told me that if you take the non-name brand to have the levels checked more often. He says that the meds themselves can be off sometimes.

Thyroid issues suck!

[Barksum]

I take Armour thyroid, derived from pork. Lovely, but it isn't a chemical synthetic and is said to be more like the normal hormone.

I have my levels checked regularly (once or twice a year) and I have badgered my dr into raising the amount I take. We upped the level once and I asked to up it again. He was reluctant until he looked at my bloodwork and realized that the last time we raised the amount it didn't have any effect. So I got to take some more.

I do have more energy now. It is more pleasant to not wake up more tired than when I went to bed. I do wonder if we could up the amount just a titch more, though, because I would like to have a 'normal' amount of energy.

I'm in my 40's, not my 90's. I should be able to mow the yard, take a walk, do the laundry and other daily housework, and be tired in an average, ready for bed kind of way. Instead, I pick one major thing that will be done and hope I can get the rest of my daily chores done, too. If I do something really big, like mow the yard, then I'm too tired and can't do anything else. I'm sorry, but that is NOT normal. Up until the last couple of months I couldn't even mow the yard at all, ever. It was beyond my strength and ability. It would wipe me out for a day or even two.

So if you are ready for a nap when you wake up in the a.m., that's not normal. If your dr. isn't listening, ask them why they think it is normal for a woman to not be able to do simple daily tasks without overwhelming fatigue. If that doesn't get a response, find a different dr.

I see an endocrinologist, not a GP. Still, whether you see a specialist or a GP your dr should be listening to YOUR concerns, not going by a chart and telling you how you SHOULD be feeling.

[oceanica]

Just wanted to agree with ocracoke... this is one time when the generics can be a lot different than the branded medicine.
There are multiple different producers of generic thyroid medicine and it wreak havoc on you if you keep switching.
Furthermore, some of the symptoms of hypothyroidism are very generalized and could have a lot of possible causes so they shouldn't be automatically attributed to hypothyroidism! Perhaps you need further workup to check for anemia, B12 deficiency, etc etc.

[mommy3]

I'm also hypothyroid and was on a .150 mcg dose forever and now have gradually dropped to .115, never understand that although I am healthier now for sure than I was when I started. Now on better vitamins and surely taking better care of my self, exercise, etc. I can totally agree with ocracoke to always have your full thyroid panel done, not just the total but the T3 update, T4 and TSH. All important for the full picture. By doing that, I found when I was hypothyroid for the first time a number of years ago, what a relief when that was diagnosed.

Being hypo and hyper is really different -- with hyper much more challening to maintain stability with from my understanding. susan

[4everwaiting]

I too have thyroid problems.

When i was in my early teens I was always a "little chunky" no matter how little I ate. (My friends were all average or skinny and I always had a complex about my size.) As i got older probably in my early 20's I began to drop weight very quicky although I still ate very little so my thinking was 'finally after all these years of starving its beginning to work'... I noticed that any exertion- something as simple as climbing a flight of stairs would have my heart beating out of my chest, sweating, and completely out of breath- I thought i was having a heart attack. BUT I WAS FINALLY THIN!!! actually too thin, although i could still pinch an inch!

I went to the GP and he sent me to an endocrinologist i was tested and confirmed hyperthyroidism with goiders (sp?) and graves disease. Prescibed synethroid which didn't work as the goiders continued to enlarge.

I did opt for radiation treatment and now my thyroid doesn't function at all and hasn't for twenty years which is now hypothyroidism. I currently take .150 mcg of synthroid and tested every 6 months...

I too feel tired and worn out even if I do nothing, but i think mine is not a thyroid issue as all my levels come back ok. I believe mine is hormone related as i am in my 40's and hopefully changes are a coming- the sooner the better as i would love to see AF pack her bags and leave forever. She's visited every month for 35 years- I would LOVE to bid her fairwell!