Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

[kimis]

My Dr. called yesterday to say my thyroid gland is enlarged and my bloodwork confirms Hashimoto's. He also said something that I had never heard before. His almost exact words were....Somewhere in your younger years you got a virus that got in to your thyroid gland. WTF did you say? I started the pills today and I see him in 7 weeks. I have to say I am a bit nervous taking levothyroxine due to all I have read on those thyroid sites, but I must give it a chance so I can decide for myself. I have had a strange feeling in my head, neck and chest all morning.....oh I hate starting new meds!!!!!! My imagination is sooooo much worse than any side effect!

[Mother of Jibril]

I've read that there lots of possible triggers for Hashimoto's... viruses, bacteria, puberty, pregnancy, trauma, food intolerances, etc... The strangest might be microchimerism; apparently, fetal cells have been found in the thyroids of people with Graves disease and Hashimoto's. That could explain why these disorders are 10X more common in women and why your body starts seeing your thyroid as "foreign." However, in my case... I definitely had symptoms of hypothyroidism LONG before I became pregnant.

I've been taking levothyroxine (100mcg/day) for about four months now. My labs (TSH, free T4, free T3) are all back to normal and I feel better than I have in years! I've made some other good changes too... vitamin D, no more gluten, no more corn... but levothyroxine is working for me. I know a lot of people swear by Armour. I'm sure for some people it works better than anything else. IMO, the most important thing is how you personally feel on the medication (whichever one you take).

[ShayFL]

Give the Synthroid a go. But if it doesnt work for you after a reasonable amount of time, dont be afraid to ask for Armour.

I do great on straight Armour, but my Sister uses a combo of Synthroid and Armour and feels amazing.

Thyroid is tricky and there is no one drug that works perfectly for everyone. There are many options both natural and synthetic. It can take awhile to get it right. So be patient.

And welcome to the club!

[kimis]

WOW...a new club! Now I'm in two clubs, and 8 months ago I wasn't in any clubs at all. I know that many of you have more than celiac to deal with, and I know there is probably a connection between celiac and the other things. This forum has helped me countless times on issues beyond celiac, and everyone has been so comforting and helpful and especially sympathetic.

Back to the levothyroxine...did any of you feel kinda anxious taking it the first few days? I panic over things easily, and I can't tell if I am doing this to myself or what. I read about the side effects before, and I was afraid I might feel racy or have trouble falling asleep. The whole heart palpitation thing scares me the most. So, basically I am asking what your experiences were when you first started this or a similar drug, and how they changed over time. I know everyone is different, but it makes me feel so much better knowing....you know? Thanks again!

[MaryJones2]

Thyroid medication dosage is notoriously hard to nail and it takes a while for your body to get used to thyroid medication. If you've only been on it a few days you might want to give it a week or two and if you are still having problems you might need to switch medications or adjust your dose. It often takes a few months for everything to plane out.

[ShayFL]

I had palps, severe anxiety and racing thoughts on Synthroid. It was so bad one night I called 911. I thought I was having a heart attack. The paramedics were so nice to me. But that drug didnt agree with me At ALL!! And I was on a very low dose. I took it for a month and then got off it.

Armour agreed with me straight off. But me and my Doc. started low 15 mg (1/4 grain) and upped it by 15 mg every 2 weeks when symptoms would return. I would feel better then after a few weeks get the hypo symptoms again. When I got to 120 mg (2 grains) the raises got longer apart. I would go about 2 months then between raises. Got to 195 mg (3 1/4 grains) but then I really started hammering my Ferritin to get it up to snuff and I got a little hyper recently. So have dropped down to 3 grains and feel very good today. Just hyperish for about a week. Then I caught on and realized that the increased Ferritin was making my thyroid conversion from T4 to T3 more efficient and I didnt need as much medication. I expect I will need to reduce again as I get my Ferritin to "optimal" levels.

It is a balancing act and it can change after you think you have the right amount. For instance some women need an extra 15 mg the week before their period as thyroid is reduced then. Some also need an extra 15 mg or so in the winter months. Cold affects your thyroid and conversion of hormones. Menopause will change your requirements for thyroid.

Some Docs wont change your dosage as long as you are in the "normal" range. Countless millions suffer because of this. Best to find a really good Holistic Doc. who specializes in thyroid/hormonal issues. Trust me. Worth it even if you have to pay out of pocket.

If your Ferritin is too low, it might be very hard to get to a good level of thyroid hormone.

Did they test your Ferritin?

Also, if you adrenals are deficient, you will get "hyper" feelings even on a very small amount of thyroid hormone (natural or synthetic). You wont actually be "hyper" but you will feel that way.

Did they test your cortisol levels?

Parathyroid hormone levels PTH?

[Live2BWell]

I was Dx with Hashimotos a year ago (give or take.) It's been a LONG healing process, and I have come to understand that treating autoimmune thyroid and healing is nothing like treating/healing hypothyroidism even though the medication is the same. It's been a complicated process. Hang in there!

I am on 100mcg of Synthroid and recently dignosed Celiac. I am having to make a total lifestyle change, but my health is slowly improving.

I am learning my triggers, which I still have autoimmune triggers (thyroid) despite medication.

Take care of you!

[angelschick]

I also have Hasi, DX about 4 years ago. I am on Armour - synthroid did nothing for me at all. I didn't experience side effects, I didn't experience anything! LOL! I would suggest you poke around these sites -

www.realthyroidhelp.com

www.stopthethyroidmadness.com

It's a long process so try not to expect instant results. Hang in there!

Amy

[kimis]

I was Dx with Hashimotos a year ago (give or take.) It's been a LONG healing process, and I have come to understand that treating autoimmune thyroid and healing is nothing like treating/healing hypothyroidism even though the medication is the same. It's been a complicated process. Hang in there!

I am on 100mcg of Synthroid and recently dignosed Celiac. I am having to make a total lifestyle change, but my health is slowly improving.

I am learning my triggers, which I still have autoimmune triggers (thyroid) despite medication.

Take care of you!

Jessica, What are autoimmune triggers?

Another question I have is...Why is Armor less common than levothyroxines? From the little I have read, it seems like Dr.s don't agree with giving it.

[Roda]

My Dr. called yesterday to say my thyroid gland is enlarged and my bloodwork confirms Hashimoto's. He also said something that I had never heard before. His almost exact words were....Somewhere in your younger years you got a virus that got in to your thyroid gland. WTF did you say? I started the pills today and I see him in 7 weeks. I have to say I am a bit nervous taking levothyroxine due to all I have read on those thyroid sites, but I must give it a chance so I can decide for myself. I have had a strange feeling in my head, neck and chest all morning.....oh I hate starting new meds!!!!!! My imagination is sooooo much worse than any side effect!

I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's in 2000 during my 3rd but 1st suscessful pregnancy. I was already being treated for an underactive tyroid before I got pregnant with my oldest son. Found out about half way thru the pregnancy it was Hashimoto's. I am recently diagnosed with celiac in Oct. this year. I know everyone has different advice so you just need to sort it all out and decide what is best for you. You need to find a good endrcrinologist. Alot of your GP's don't like to treat or change dosage of meds if your levels are in "range". A good endocrinologist will adjust your meds more so on symptoms and they have a lower range that they go by when adjusting meds. I am currently taking 125 mcg of levothyroxine once a day and 5 mcg of cytomel twice a day. This is the first time that I have ever been on a combination of meds. The levothyroxine is T4 and cytomel is T3. My doctor likes this combination better rather than Armour (not sure if spelling is correct) since she thinks it is easier to regulate. I think it works better also.

The only time I have had adverse effects from thyroid medication was after the birth of both of my children. I was on levothyroxine only at the time. During the course of my pregnancy my dosage was adjusted up several times. After delivery I got very nervous, shakey and dropped weight really fast. I didn't need as much so it took awhile to lower the dosage back to where I was not overactive from it. Other than that I have no other problems with it.

Hang in there!

Rhoda

[emcmaster]

I was dx with Hashimoto's 10 years ago, when I was 13, long before I got sick and even longer before I was dx Celiac. My thyroid antibodies were 30x the normal amount, which should have clued my doctors to Celiac when I did start getting sick. But that's a moot point now...

Anyway, I've been on levothyroxine or synthroid for many years, without a problem. I currently take 175 mcg/day. I also have a goiter.

Are you seeing an endocrinologist? I think it's really important to see someone who knows what they are talking about when it comes to thyroid. I've seen family practice docs to treat thyroid before and it has always resulted in my meds being adjusted and my feeling awful because it was too high or low. I currently see Dr. Steven Dofman in Dallas and he is one of the most highly regarded endocrinologists in the country.