Underactive Thyroid - Hypothyrodism

Hi L.,
I had the same problem. My son is now 16, and 6 mo's after I had him, those same issues arose. I was tested and have hypothyroidism - and it came about for me from the birth control shot, Depo Provera. If you read the fine print, hypothyroidism is one of the "May cause...." side effects.

Hi L.,
YES! I was diagnosed right after my son was born, 2.5 years ago. I suspect I was always borderline before then, because we had a hard time getting pregnant. I was put on Synthroid, then also asked to include Armour Thyroid too. I HIGHLY recommend getting Mary Shomon's books about Hypothyroidism. They are extremely helpful. Read over her website tonight- http://thyroid.about.com/ so you can get educated to talk to your doctor tomorrow.
The good news is that meds work. This time we got pregnant on the first try (!!!) MUCH to our surprise! ;) I will tell you to do your homework before getting pregnant again. Your TSH levels will need to be adjusted when you are pregnant as the fetus relies on you for thyroid hormone for the first 12 weeks, so you will need to let your dr. know the MOMENT you are pregnant, otherwise the lack of thyroid hormone can cause problems with the baby's brain development. If you are just seeing your regular doc for treatment, I would suggest seeing an endocrinologist who specializes in hormones and thyroid diseases. Just my .02.

Check the library for the Mary Shomon books as soon as you can. She has lots of tips for talking on an educated level with your doctor. Find out what your TSH level is, and ask if that is normal. When I had a bought of Thyroiditis after my DS was born, my TSH level was at 63- SKY HIGH. Now my dr. keeps it right around 1!

Good luck to you!
T.

Hi L.,

Don't be nervous about getting tested. They draw some blood and that lets them know if you do have thyroid issues. If you do have hypothyroidism, they will put you on a hormone replacement, and you will notice that you won't be nearly as tired and the hair won't be falling out so much. It may take a while to get you on the right dose, so try and be patient with that. It takes like 6-8 wks on a new dose before they can test you again to see how well it is working.

If notice that your hair is still falling out, you can have them check your iron levels too. That can also cause the hair to fall out.

Wishing you the best and everything will be okay. It is any easy thing for them to treat, so just take a deep breath. :)

I was diagnosed in my late 40s: it's especially common as women approach menopause. It's hereditary, too. (My mother has this problem, and so did her mother.) I take Levoxyl, which is the brand name. My regular doctor's PA was not thrilled about Synthroid, and my chiropractor-kinesiologist told me it was really bad stuff. When I took 7- .05mg pills a week, I had heart palpitations (feels like a fluttering in your throat). I now take 6 a week (they break in half easily), which keeps my TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) levels within normal range. I have my CPK doc work on thyroid and hormone issues when I have problems, which controls the problem pretty well. Levoxyl, with a discount card you can get online, costs me about $35 for 3 months of pills from Walgreens... not a bad price. Your doctor will likely start you on .025mg, then recheck your TSH bloods levels after some time. I did OK with that for about a year, then had to move up to .05mg. Don't worry... everything will work out just fine.

Yes L., right after my first son was born, I was diagnosed w/ Hypothyroidism, since then I have a daily medicine (levothyroxine...I'm not sure if I spelled correctly) My older one is 10 years old. I don't understand why your doctor left this untreated, and so much time has passed! (you didn't mention if you saw a family doctor or doctor in internal medicine field at some point in these 4 1/2 years..(?)
With the passing of time the medicine should be adjusted because of pregnancies, hormonal changes or other factors, that's why I go and check my thyroid every year. However, it is important that you talk with your doctor about any bothersome symptom that persists or you notice changes like you mention, that means your medicine should be adjusted.
You should not leave your hypothyroidism untreated is not OK, and not healthy and unsafe. If you feel that way, find a good family doctor and talk to her/him, so she/he can prescribe something. They usually do some blood tests to check several hormones and other things' levels.
After you had D. this you must check every certain time with your doctor (6 months or 1 year depending on your symptoms and how you feel)
It is important to know that if you visit your doctor and keep your appointments regularly, and you still feel tired, problems with weight etc...you must to insist and ask your doctor and find a solution together.
Your health problem is nothing terrible, but if it is left untreated you will feel awful every day, and will get worse. After you see your doctor, keep exercising (your energy will come back!), eat healthy and read a lot about your condition, that helps even more!
Take good care of yourself, you will need all the energy possible with your little one!

I have had it for a little over a year now. I have 2 kids, ages 5 and almost 3. I had the exact same symptoms that you have. The hair falling out was pretty bad for me. I would wake up in the morning and pass out on the couch an hour later. I have been on synthroid. I take it everyday. My dr said I will pretty much be on it for life. She said if I stop taking it then my levels will go through the roof. So, since taking it, I would say I'm about 95% feeling better. I still am pretty tired a lot, but that could be because I am taking care of 2 kids and I'm also more of a night owl than a morning person.

I was getting these symptoms also and decided to get a full blood work up to see what was going on with me. I learned my thyroid levels were low, (hypothyroidism), and my estrogen was high and progesterone was low. Also my cholesterol, the bad kind, was high. These things, I have learned often go hand in hand. Basically, my body was out of balance and it stemmed from my hormone system. Not surprising these days with the way we are stressed from modern life. I found a company called Young Living and they make some excellent products for naturally and safely recovering your health. I now take a product called Thyromin that has put my thyroid levels back to normal. I also use an essential oil blend they sell called Endo-Flex which supports the glandular systems and the thyroid. I put a few drops on my neck, right where the thyroid is located, a couple times a day. The third product I use from this company is a concentrated drink called Ninxia Red. Two shot glasses of this per day is an overall health tonic. These three things have completely healed my thyroid issues and strengthened me. Also, very important, do not drink coffee or caffeinated beverages. Caffeine causes the body to release cortisol which, if you drink lots of caffeine, will cause your adrenal glands to "burn out" adding to the thyroid problem again. ( I was a coffee fiend! ) So this is my best advice and you should also go to this site: oil-testimonials.com and put in a search for thyroid. You will find other people that have had success curing thyroid problems. The company website is: youngliving.com. Feel free to email me if you need any help. ____@____.com
All the best,
C. Watts

Don't be nervous. It's nothing. I've been on thyroid replacement for 15 years. It's cool - you take this little pill every day, and your problems go away. Not bad!

Sounds like thyroid issues to me - take synthroid or levothroid, I highly recommend staying away from dessicated cow thyroid (I think it's called Armour).

My Mom was diagnosed with this a few years ago. Her levels change all of the time so she went in for blood tests every 6 months, but now I think she only goes in once a year. She takes one pill daily and if she misses it...she can tell. They change the dosage accordingly. It runs in our family and it's completely treatable. She felt like a new person after being treated.

L.,

Yep, I was finally diagnosed with Hypothyroidism when my daughter turned 4. It turned out that I developed Hasimotos disease while I was pregnant. Hashi's is an autoimmune disease that attacks the Thyroid and slowly decreases the production of thyroid hormones. It is a silent disease with no symptoms until you develop hypothyroidism. Some of the more obscure indicators of hypothyroidism you did not mention are loss of eyebrow hair at the outer corners, coarsening of the skin, development of nodules in the thyroid, intolerance to cold, and in my case an enlarged thyroid gland (goiter), which began to obstruct my airway.

After nearly a year of blood tests, sonograms, a biopsy, and a referral to an Endocrinologist we decided to remove the thyroid completely. Last June I had a complete thyroidectomy at St. Joseph Hospital. The thyroid was the size of the surgeons fist when she got it out.

This past year we have been working to get my synthroid levels correct. I have to have a my TSH levels checked six-eight weeks after I have been on a medication level. We have adjusted my synthroid 3 times in the last 9 months. Our target is a 1.0 TSH. Currently, I take 150mcg of Synthroid a day. The next appointment with my Endocrinologist is in June.

The good news is that while I'm still learning how to eat and loose weight. My energy levels are much better. I don't feel tired and sluggish all the time and I'm not depressed. Dr. Menon says that Hypothyroidism is the most under diagnosed issue in women. Frequently doctors just tell us to work harder to loose the weight or prescribe antidepressants.

Hope this helps answer you questions.

Best wishes,
J.

PS - Blood test don't always give doctors the whole picture. I tested within normal ranges for TSH the entire time. It was not until the goiter started to show that I could convince my regular doctor something was wrong.