Excessive Sweating ... Can Hypo Thyroid Change To Hyper?

[nb-canada]

Hi everyone,

It has been awhile since I have been on the forum ... it seemed I lived on here when I was first diagnosed.    You were all such a great help.  Thank you!!!

 

I will be 7 years gluten free in March 2015.  I have been feeling great, lost 40 pounds, more active than I had ever been.  Life was good!

 

BUT now ... I have been having spells of excessive sweating on the head area ... forehead gets covered in sweat and hair gets very damp.  I had been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism in December 2008, a year after I heard about Celiac.  I am also on Estrogel so don't think it is menopause.  But a doctor told me I should not be on Estrogen and I cut it in half for a couple weeks and couldn't take it so went back up to full dose.  It is since that time that I am having the excessive sweating.  When I was having menopausal symptoms they were not like this.

 

Also I have been having diarrhea quite often which is unusual.

 

My question is .... is it possible to be Hypothyroid and also Hyperthyroid?  Or, is it possible that because of being gluten free I no longer need the Synthroid so my thryoid is elevated?   It would be nice.     I am due for blood tests and I do have a doctor appointment on Monday for my B12 shot so I will ask him but was wondering if anyone else has had this problem.

 

Thanks in advance for you help.

[cyclinglady]

How old are you? Do you have a uterus? If yes, you should be on progestrone to protect your uterus.

The sweating sounds like perimenpause or post-menopause symptoms.

Is is possible to be swing from hypo to hyper when you have autoimmune thyroiditis (Graves or Hashimoto's). I had crazy swings during the last two years of perimenopause and undiagnosed celiac disease. It drove my doctors crazy (me too).

Your need to get another thyroid panel to determine. Usually if you are running hyper, you are warm all the time. Stick out your arms and look for shaking hands. Muscle fatigue is another symptom and eye muscle issues. Pop-up sweating is a hot flash and related to estrogen and other hormonal deficiencies. Breakthrough hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms can occur on HRT treatment. Your HRT meds may need adjusting.

I am slowly weaning off HRT and am getting hot flashes. I am on HRT to help build bone.

[icelandgirl]

I agree with cyclinglady. If you have Hashis you can definitely swing from hypo to hyper. A full thyroid panel including antibodies would be great right now to see what is up with your thyroid. Make sure they get TSH, free T3, free T4, Reverse T3, TPOAb and TgAb. I've been hypothyroid for 14 years but was just recently diagnosed with Hashis. I've had some swings in the past few months and it's pretty annoying.

It's great to hear that you are doing so well gluten free!

[nb-canada]

Thanks for responding Icelandgirl and Cyclinglady.

 

I am 62 and had a complete hysterectomy at 38 ... have been on HRT since then.  Before starting HRT I had awful sweats and this does seem to be like that but mostly in the head\face area.  It comes and goes fast, one minute sweat is falling off my forehead and the next I am cool.  When I decreased the HRT 1.5 months ago for only 2 weeks I started with these flashes.  They are unlike the flashes I used to get before going on treatment and seem to be happening more often .  It has been almost a month since going back on full HRT so it should be under control by now but seems to be getting worse.  Hopefully my doctor will take me serious because it is not very nice.

 

I do walk 5 km 5 days a week and I do sweat all over but it is not the same at all.

 

It sure does feel great having the Celiac under control after suffering for so long .... I am enjoying life now (except for the sweating problem).  

[cyclinglady]

Well, if you are backing off on the hormones, it is like going through another menopause. Per the ladies at the YMCA, menopausal symptoms tend to wax and wane into your 80's! Ugh! I never knew that! I have had every perimenopausal symptom there is over the course of 12 years. As I am backing off on HRT, hot flashes are appearing. Hopefully they will go away soon. Some ladies, like my Mom, have had no symptoms. How lucky is that?

I recommend plenty of fans around your house!

[bartfull]

I was never on HRT. Just didn't want it. But my hot flashes were ALWAYS in my head and face. Menopause came early for me (at 43) and I am now 60. And yes, I STILL get hot flashes occasionally. It's not like it was at first when I would get them dozens of times a day or anything. Just once every week or two and only for a few minutes.

[nvsmom]

I'm hypothyroid, 40 years old, and I am starting to get flashes of heat.I'll wake up in the morning with a greasy head and a moist t-shirt in the front.  I also get sweatier than I should when I do other activities or I'm late and flustered.  Its just enough to be slightly annoying and make me wonder if I'm hitting perimenopause.

 

I thought about it being caused by hyperthyroidism too, but I've been hyper once (med induced) and it didn't feel this way.

 

Ugh, why can't men have it instead?  They enjoy our bodies, so they should have to carry some of the burden too!  

[nb-canada]

Cylinglady .... I have been back on HRT for a month so I should be back to normal I would think, especially since I had only cut my meds in half for 2 weeks.

 

Will see what the doctor says tomorrow and let you know the results of the tests when I get them.  I was just hoping that after being gluten free for over 6 years that my thyroid had been corrected and I could go off the meds .... wishful thinking.  I hate taking meds ... after going gluten-free and losing the weight I was taken off blood pressure meds which I had been on for 2 years.  A girl can dream.  

[icelandgirl]

The thyroid is such a tough thing...having it be off by just a little can wreak havoc on your body. My endo says it's the master hormone...I never realized how much it controlled until recently. Best of luck at your appointment and please let us know how it goes.

[nb-canada]

I will Icelandgirl.  

[nb-canada]

I realized that there have been other things that have changed in the last month also ... frequent diarrhea, shortness of breath, increased appetite. Saw my doctor this morning and he thinks it is possible that being gluten-free has caused changes to my thyroid, may need changes in the dose of my Synthroid ... I am hoping to stop it all together.    

 

He is sending me for tests.  Not sure when I will be having them but I will keep you posted ... probably won't get the result until next month when I go back for my B12, if I have my tests before then. He said that it is possible that cutting my HRT for that short period of time might have started the whole thing even though it has been 4 weeks since I have gone back to full dose.

[icelandgirl]

That thyroid! Mine has been up and down in the past few months and I hate it! Hopefully you can get the blood work done quickly and get your medication changed so that if it's thyroid you start feeling better quickly!

[nb-canada]

Tests on November 18 and doctor appointment on the 24th so hopefully will then know what is going on.

[nvsmom]

Good luck!

[nb-canada]

I got the results of my tests and they are inconclusive.  The doctor has sent me for a chest x-ray and a stress test.  I know there is something not right and my TSH level was higher than the normal limit.  Maybe I am wrong about it being the thyroid but I am not giving up, I know something is wrong.  

[cyclinglady]

Thanks for the update. But...what was your TSH? If it is high (hypo) you might need more thyroid replacement (it is not a drug....)

It is worrisome to be out of breath. My anemias (iron-deficiency and Thals) have done that. You are taking b12 injections. Is your b12 serum blood level increasing? I assume your hemoglobin is okay and you do not have anemia.

Here is an off-the wall thought. Maybe when you got off the HRT briefly and went back on, your body is trying to tell you to get off the HRT. Perhaps it is time to biologically go off the HRT and go through menopause. Is there a reason to still be on it? I loved using HRT, and used it off and on to alleviate perimenopausal symptoms for 12 years. After going through menopause and then getting diagnosed with Osteoporosis (fractures) I opted to try HRT to help heal and build bone. Now, after a year, I am off. Just a few hot flashes. Not so bad. Anyway, just something to consider. It may be just one contributing factor to your symptoms.

[Monamae]

I got the results of my tests and they are inconclusive.  The doctor has sent me for a chest x-ray and a stress test.  I know there is something not right and my TSH level was higher than the normal limit.  Maybe I am wrong about it being the thyroid but I am not giving up, I know something is wrong.  

In your first post you mentioned that you take Synthroid.  The manufacturer of Synthroid does not guarantee that their product is gluten-free.  I take a gluten-free generic brand.  Maybe a switch to generic would help?

[nb-canada]

Monomae ... thanks I am going to check in to the Synthroid, maybe you are right.  The pharmacy does have a note that my meds are supposed to be gluten free but you never know.

 

Cyclinglade ... sorry I didn't get a copy of the results of my tests.  I am due for another set of tests in April or so and will ask for a copy of the results.  I am just so fed up right now.

 

The shortness of breath seems to be gone.  The chest x-ray and stress test were good. Still getting the occasional sweating spell which I can live with.  

 

But I am still getting frequent diarrhea.  I am at a loss as to why.  I have not consumed any gluten that I know off.  The other day I was searching on Google for a substitute flour and came across an article saying that xanthum gum is now being made with wheat but in the process the gluten is supposed to be eliminated.  Has any one heard of this?  If that is the case maybe that is why I am getting the diarrhea.  I hope that is not the case.  In the article she said that we didn't really need the xanthum gum.

 

This is a statement they said is from Bob's Red Mill ... “Regarding corn in xanthan gum: The microorganism that produces xanthan gum is actually fed a glucose solution that is derived from wheat starch. Gluten is found in the protein part of the wheat kernel and no gluten is contained in the solution of glucose. Additionally, after the bacteria eats the glucose, there is no wheat to be found in the outer coating that it produces, which is what makes up xanthan gum. The short answer here is, there is no corn used at all in the making of xanthan gum.”

 

This is the link to the article ... Open Original Shared Link

 

Now I am going to do some research on synthroid and xanthum gum.  

[cahill]

to answer your original question ,, yes you can go from hypo to hyper . I have hashmotos and I bounce around . My endo thinks I may be going into graves ,, always something

 

I would question the xamthum gum

[cyclinglady]

I too have bounced from hyper to hyper. The year just before menopause and my celiac disease dx was the worst. Was stable for a year, now it is acting up again. Hard to medicate.

I have some kind of intolerance to Xanthan gum. It does not bother my hubby -- just me. I bake with guar gum. I continue to serve crackers and bread to my hubby containing xanthan Gum.

Not sure about Sythroid as I have taken Armour Thyroid for almost 20 years.

Always get copies of your lab results or hospital records. It is just a good thing to keep your own history.