Does anyone else here suffer from hypothyroidism? Mine is WAY out of control and can't be regulated properly....I was just wondering if anyone DID have it, do you take pills or other means of getting thyroid hormones and what symptoms you have when you can tell it's getting out of whack? I've googled it and have a lot of books and literature...I just was wondering from the point of view of someone else who had it.....it sucks and it fucks EVERYTHING else in your body up almost.....I don't personally know anyone else who has it , or has to deal with it.

12/6/2005 10:35:08 PM

I've never been particularly fat, but as I grew into my college years my weight increased (freshman fifteen much?). In a series of unrelated bloodwork it turned out that my thyroid doesn't work much. I was shocked, I thought that that was only something that affected old ppl. I take Synthroid every morning and maintain my weight around a much healthier 180-190lbs. (I'm 5'7" and muscular). I have more energy and my blood pressure is lower (I don't know if that's related or not).


Shocked: It turns out that everyone on my dad's side of the family have been on thyroid medication since it came out.

[Edited on December 6, 2005 at 11:04 PM. Reason : street cred yo.]

12/6/2005 11:02:17 PM

I'm sorry to hear that; my mom was diagnosed with hypothyroidism between 25 and 30 years ago. I know she takes Thyroxin for it; I'm not sure of the dosage. I do know she had to switch doctors a few years ago and had some problems because the new doctor kept wanting to adjust her dosage (she had been doing fine before, why fuck with it?)

Anyway, if you want, I can ask her what symptoms she had while the doctor was messing around with her dosages. I do know that back in the late 70's (before she was diagnosed) she had back and leg pains associated with it and had trouble walking around.

12/6/2005 11:05:30 PM

Go see an endocrinologist. I assume that you've already been diagnosied. You'll be on pills the erst of your life assuming that the problem doesn't mysteriously wanish. Raleigh Endocrine Associates is good. That's where my fiance goes for here hyperthyroidisim. If you haven't been diagnoised, I'd go see your regular doctor and get your blood tested. If your T3, T4, and TSH levels are out of wack, you should get a referal to an endocrineologist.

12/6/2005 11:48:07 PM

why does it suck? the pills are like a complete cure. if they arent making you feel normal and energized, perhaps youve been misdiagnosed. see a doc.

12/6/2005 11:50:06 PM

yeah, i was diagnosed as a baby, and have taken Synthroid all my life....but now I'm at the highest dosage, but it still isn't controlled....I had a thyroidectomy and had the thyroid removed in 98, and for about the past year, I've stayed sick...and it effects EVERY things...mood, hair, nails, mindset, weight....

i went to the endocrinologist this past week....and the dr the past few weeks.....TSH level was above 150....normal is .5-5.0 or so.......I take the pills, but I was wondering if anyone who had it took other routes, like injections, or some pellet that can be put under the skin. Also, I've started having chronic headaches and migraines that require hospital visits.....Maybe it's because I don't take the medicine at the same time everyday or something....because I take it EVERY day...no skipped doses...but it just isn't regulating it......

[Edited on December 6, 2005 at 11:53 PM. Reason : .]

12/6/2005 11:50:27 PM

removed bc it was overreactive or cancerous?

12/7/2005 12:00:30 AM

Have you discussed this with your doctor? If so, what did they say? If not, I'd make an appointment. Your thyroid being out of wack puts a lot of stress on the rest of your body.

12/7/2005 12:02:00 AM

^^ removed because it never produced anything. non-active

12/7/2005 12:20:42 AM

I didnt know you could have it removed for that reason

12/7/2005 3:09:45 AM

my dad has this. at one point, I remember his count was something insane, like 250 or even higher, I can't really remember. pretty much, his thyroid wasn't functional. He said his whole day consisted of him looking forward to sleeping at night. He takes synthroid and from what I understand, everything is cool.

I also had a friend that was diagnosed with it at age 16.

12/7/2005 8:58:49 AM

actually very common. Hypo or hyper, i have an endocrinology book with test and a reference in it. I can loan it to you.

12/7/2005 8:59:30 AM

I am not sure why the TSH is still high on T4 therapy. Sounds like you are still having hypothyroid symptoms even on the thyroxine. Could be a thyroxine resistance syndrome. Also a TSH secreting pituitary adenoma is possible. I would see a endocrinologist at a major medical center like Wake, Duke, or UNC.

12/7/2005 9:21:35 AM

my thyroid was enlarged when i was around 10 years old. my tsh levels were always normal. i was followed by an endocrinologist at Duke for 2 years while on synthroid and it shrunk back down a little bit. it's still slightly larger than most and it's lopsided and lower on my throat than most. they never really figured out what was going on. i never lost of gained any weight.

they still do blookwork on me every so often when i go in to my neurologist (for myasthenia gravis), and everything is still normal.

12/7/2005 9:41:33 AM

Have you had any changes in your vision?

12/7/2005 9:59:29 AM

me? no

12/7/2005 10:37:24 AM

^ no, Duck

12/7/2005 10:40:28 AM

I take levoxyl but my imbalance is not very severe so i take a very low dosage once daily.
unfortunately i have hyperthyroidism so i can't relate really

12/7/2005 10:49:03 AM

I had a roommate with hypothyrodism. When her medicine wasn't right she had horrible problems. I remember one morning she brushed her hair and a whole patch came out... she would cry about it comming out in clumps in the shower... and we had to find ways to cover up the spots that started to miss hair.
She had a lot of other problems as well, and i was so relieved (I'm sure she was more so!) when she switched doctors and they gave her medicine to help stabalize her. The only thing that bugged me about hers is that she used it as her excuse for being over 300 pounds, when it was clear that if she would just stop eating junk food and pasta that she wouldn't have as much trouble (though i'm sure she wouldn't be skinny because she has so little control over her thyroid).
This year I was diagnosed with a degenerative thyroid... but it's too early to tell if I'll be lucky and it will just stop or if I am going to have to go on meds to control my weight, they said my time frame of knowing could be anywhere from a few weeks to a lot of years for it to just stop working. exciting, huh? especially since i just lost most of my weight!
but, i think you should go to a different doc and see what they say. I can ask my friend what she switched to if you want.

12/7/2005 11:33:22 AM