Thypo-thyroid Question!!

I switched to a liquid B complex which really helps and am off the thyroid medication all together and I do have to watch what I eat. Need to focus on foods that are not so acidic but more alkaline (excuse the spelling if it's wrong).

Feel better soon.

I've been hypothyroid for 18 years.
When you Dr checks your blood, does he only check the TSH?
He should also be checking your free T3 and T4 as well.
Not every dr is good about working with thyroid problems and very few are willing to work with you to determine your optimum dosage.
The fact that you are still experiencing symptoms in spite of being on levothyroxine means (to me anyway) that your medication is not adequately working for you (or you've got another problem besides thyroid going on).
I had been on Synthroid for about 6 years and although it helped alleviate the worst symptoms I still had other symptoms which did not go away - receding eyebrows, still a bit tired, peeling skin on feet and slow nail growth (brittle nails) and slow hair growth.
I told my doctor I wanted to try a different medication to see if it made a difference.
So I went on Armour Thyroid and I felt SO much better.
Synthroid is pure T4 and most people can convert T4 to T3 when they need it but I'm one of those people who don't do that very well so a medication that contains both T4 and T3 works better for me.
My doctor was great and we worked to find my optimum dosage (she did the blood tests but ALSO listened to how I was feeling) and it turns out I feel best when my numbers indicate that I am right on the edge of being hyperthyroid.
We're careful to make sure I don't feel anxious, over warm, hyper or having heart palpitations (that means I would be over balanced).
What passes for 'normal ranges' is an average and that doesn't mean squat as far as you are concerned - you have to find where YOU feel best.
Ask your doctor about trying different medications and adjusting you till you are on the other end of the 'normal' range.
If he won't work with you (some get really snotty about this), then find another doctor.
When I moved, it took me no less than 5 doctors before I found another good one.
It can take some doing, but you CAN conquer hypothyroidism and feel good again.

http://thyroid.about.com

***** I forgot to mention, if your adrenals and thyroid are off, then you most likely have blood sugar issues, and THAT WILL cause extreme tiredness... Look up hyPOglycemia and hyPER glycemia online.

The adrenal glands feed the thyroid what it needs to function. If you see thyroid problems, no doubt there is some kind of issue at it's core in the adrenals.

B vitamins need each other for uptake, if I remember correctly, b12 needs b6 for uptake. So, dont just take b12. I recommend a liquid b12 dose and then a liquid b complex dose, but put them under the tounge and hold them there for a minute before swallowing. That is the best rate of absorption there- there are a lot of blood vessels there. B12 will help you sleep better at night too...but...don't take it too late in the day or it will keep you up. B vitamins are known for helping the nervous system, and also the skin. The central nervous system is THE way your body communicates with itself (besides the hormones). So B vitamins are definitely good for adrenal/thyroid sufferers. You likely would see a marked difference adding vitamin c as well.

I am not a fan of multi vitamin for the simple reason that anytime there is a deficiency in a vitamin or mineral level, here in America it is not so much malnutrition from food choices as much as it is adrenal hormones imbalances. If you are excreting high or low amounts of adrenal hormones, you will have a change in your stomach acid level (which affects absorption), and in how your kidneys process vit D,calcium,magnesium, and phosphorus. Low adrenal hormones typically result in high calcium, high potassium, low sodium issues, and an acid state in the body. If the adrenals are putting out high hormones, then low potassium, high sodium, low magnesium, low calcium, low vit d and an alkalosis state occurs. You would never want to take vit D supps if you have adrenal fatigue... because vit D increased calcium absporption int he gut, and Addisons( low hormones) people already have a high + imbalance on calcium. You can see how multi vitamins are not the best choice. The best choice is to supplement where you know there is a lack.
Why would high vit D cause a problem? because it causes the body to pull the calcium out of bone and deposit it in tissues. It is known as hypercalcemia.

Since you have thyroid issues you should get a CBC to test for anemia. I assume they did that?

Look up 'adrenal fatigue' online.
My daughter has adrenal fatigue and I am a 12 yr medical researcher.

Gail

I have a few people I have worked with that completely changed their thyroid with diet and the proper supplements. You will love the affects of B12. It will balance you out and give you energy. Multivitamins and extra B12 are great if you get the right product. Most of them that you buy over the counter, your body does not absorb so you are paying for expensive pee (sorry). Be sure you learn about the products that properly absorb into your body and really focus on the ingredients, the high chemical, sugar and salt contents now days will not be good for your thyroid and will also make you tired and even make you gain weight. As far as getting sick on the multivitamin, I have the same thing happen so I always take it at night after dinner. Then I sleep through the sick. With most vitamins the key is to take it the same time every day. You will probably find if you get he right vitamin it won't make you as sick too.

Good luck!

I agree w/B! Totally true, they should be checking BOTH and my doc was only doing one. She was against armour thyroid (because it went off the market when it first came out for more testing likke 5 years ago, that's her reason!) so I had to go to another doc to try out the armour thyroid. I like it a lot better (aside from its smell, it smells rancid to me but obviously you just swallow it and then it's gone, lol!) but when I got my first rx for it I read through the warnings and it said "this rx has no side-effects"! What!? I didn't even know that was possible! It's also cheaper than synthroid/levothyroxin too. I was paying $30 for synthroid (I had read and was told my several docs to NEVER do generic w/it so I didn't) and the armour thyroid is $10 I think. Good luck!

I take my multi, B complex, and soy protein smoothie within half an hour of my thyroid pill. Never had a problem. I also drink green tea.
I use armor thyroid. I have been on the same does for 10 years.
I have lots of energy. I teach aerobics.

Does your throat hurt? Mine hurt when I was on too high of a dose. Is it possible you have sleep apnea as well? That will make you tired all day long. Multi vitamins give me nausea. I have been taking my kids' Marvel Heroes Gummies for years because they seem to help my health and don't upset my stomach. Green tea's energy benefits come from caffeine, so you will want to find a balance between that and the coffee.

My mom was on synthroid for about 4 years and then got super super tired. She asked for an adjustment and they lowered the dose instead of upping it, which we were surprised about, but she felt better. She needed the meds high at one point, and then she didn't need it so much. She eventually got off the meds altogether, even though her doctor back when she was diagnosed said it won't heal itself. She's been functioning fine for a few years now without the meds. So at least in HER case, her fatigue did lead to lowering the dose. She does however take a multivitamin and has mentioned B vitamins but I don't know which ones. She's doing well though! Yay!

Here are some other helpful things I have learned over the years:

Generic does not work as well as the named brand. My Endocrinologist suggested I not take generic and I definitely feel the difference.

Some medications or supplements(vitamins) can make SYNTHROID less effective if taken at the same time, so it's best to take SYNTHROID 4 hours before or after you take these things. Some examples are iron products, calcium supplements, or antacids.

Take SYNTHROID as a single dose, preferably on an empty stomach, one-half to one hour before breakfast. SYNTHROID absorption is increased on an empty stomach. Some foods may cause your body to absorb less SYNTHROID. You should avoid infant soy formula, cotton seed meal, walnuts, and high-fiber foods while taking SYNTHROID. Take Synthroid the same time every day!

DRINK WATER! The majority of the thyroxine dose is absorbed from the small intestine (the jejunum and upper ileum). To "propel" the pill down to the jejunum you need to drink a full glass of water - about 300ml (half a pint). This is essential, as the drug will not be adequately absorbed from other sites in the body.

Many people find that cutting down on tea and coffee helps enormously, and recent research suggests plausible reasons: caffeine seems to prevent full absorption of thyroxine, while tea has a high fluoride content.

I have dealt with hypothyroid problems for a number of years although my dose is very stable and, by supplementing properly, I've gotten rid of all the side effects (hair loss, lethargy, etc.). The 4 hour wait is for iron, calcium and zinc but not the B vitamins. However, it makes no sense to take individual vitamins (such as the B12, or even the entire B family). The fact that a multivitamin makes you sick does not surprise me - they are very hard for a lot of people, and you're only absorbing 15-30% of it anyway. The rest is wasted and/or wreaking havoc on your digestive system. If your problem is in the stomach, you're probably reacting to the coating (shellac, wax, all kinds of garbage in there) and maybe to the fillers. If your problem is lower in the intestine, it's probably due to the fact that the darn thing just isn't dissolved. And if it's not dissolved, it's not absorbed. So you're still tired.

The AMA recommended that everyone supplement in 2002 so you're on the right track, but the Physicians' Desk Reference says that pills aren't absorbed well (that's where that 15-30% figure comes from). If you want the info, I can send it to you. It's an attachment so you'll have to PM me with your email address.

Anyway, the AMA says liquid is far better, and food scientists will tell you that premixed liquids don't have much shelf life. So powder you mix in liquid is the best, AND it has to have ALL the nutrients, not just selected vitamins. If you look at all the vitamin products out there, you'll see that most companies make a zillion different combinations to appeal to a huge market, rather than really making a comprehensive product. So we wind up with "complete" multivitamins and then they say "plus calcium" or "plus iron" or whatever. Makes no sense. The vitamin industry is not well regulated, so they can put pretty much anything in there.

Also, if the product is outsourced to another country for manufacture (even if a US company distributes it), you have no idea what you're getting.

I've switched, and for 5 years I have never been sick, and I work out at the gym 6 days a week with more energy than women many years younger. So it works if you do it right - and it's easiest with a company that provides free support and helps you connect with other people who have your same issues.

And I have a friend who was exhausted too - her doctor told her it was because she had 5 kids. Yes, but now she has 4 more productive hours in her day and is not sucking down that coffee or those fistfuls of vitamins. She's happier and isn't wasting money on a whole bunch of bottles of pills, but she's supplementing effectively with an absorption rate upwards of 90-95%.

Let me know if you want more info. You probably have more going on that just the thyroid issue, so it might make sense to reduce the prescription but do other things to help the exhaustion.

Yes I am also on 100mg. I also take vitamin d by prescription, I take liquid vitamin b12 also. Its working great! I am losing weight now and I do have more energy . I have other issues like Fibromyalgia and it seems to be helping me all around. Eat right and stay healthy.
I know your going to be tired no matter what with three children. If you like green tea...go for it!!
Drink lots of water, you can get dehydrated with all the caffeine your taking in and that alone will make you tired. Try to only have one cup of java in the morning.

I too have hypo- thyroid and was tired eventhough my numbers were perfect. I first made sure my doctor looked at all the numbers, TSH, T4, and T3. All perfect! I did a little googling and digging online and sorting through the "crazy stuff" you sometimes run across online. I decided to ask my doctor about adding a T3. So he reduced my synthroid and added the T3. I feel wonderful!!!!
This is my take on why that worked for me (and I could be way off base, but it makes sense in my head), the synthroid is a T4 and your liver converts it to a T3. I think that my body needed an easier way to get the T3. I think that even though my numbers were perfect, my body was tired after the whole process.
What ever the reason, I feel great. The only negative is that the T3 has a short half-life and you must take it twice a day. But you can take it on a full stomach so it isn't so bad.
Good luck! (oh, yeah, I also have 3 kids, 17, 6, and 3 and teach, but I am so glad I didn't dismiss this as just being part of having a busy life)

You can feel tired with too much thyroid as well as too little. Exhaustion is a side effect of both. The trick is finding the balance, and the precise number where you feel right.
My dose changes frequently. I was recently stable on .100mg, but my doc just backed me down to .75mg, as suddenly my levels were high during my last test.

You can take vitamins, just not within 4 hrs of your dose of thyroid. You have to allow for absorption into your system.
And no coffee for at least an hour after you take it, either, or else it'll be ineffective.

Once your levels are balanced, you'll start to feel normal again.

has your dr. checked your T3? What about your adrenals? If your adrenals aren't working, then your thyroid can't work either. I was on synthroid for 2 years and I felt horrible the whole time I was on it. I finally switched over to nature throid (similar to armour ((sp?)). It has the T3 in it also that I need. I feel 100% better after I switched! Seriously I have so much energy now and I feel so great! Yes, you should be taking a multi vitamin. Maybe try a different brand? Green tea is not good for you if you are hypothyroid. My dr. has warned me about taking it. Every morning after breakfast, I take my nature throid, a womens multi, vit. D (I'm very low), vit B complex (makes a huge difference in how I feel!), and 2 chewable vit. C. There are times when I do also take adrenal support as well.
If I were you I would really look into the more natural thyroid meds because if you have been on synthroid (or levoxyroxine one) and it's just not working for you, then you might not be converting your T4 into T3 and that could possibly be the problem. Talk to your dr. about it more or go and see a homeopathic Dr. (which is what I did)
Good luck!