Now I am stressing about....

[ivyt73]

I was just diagnosed hypothyroid a week and a half ago and my doc put me on synthroid.  My TSH was 5.18 and my T4 and T3 were normal.  My doc didn't say this but I have since discovered this means I am subclinical hypothyroid.  I didn't feel like I had a lot of symptoms but since being on the meds I feel a bit better.  Less tired, my eyes are not burning, less anxiety and my palpitations have pretty much stopped.  The thing is I am only taking half of the 25mcgs that the doctor prescribed.  I am very sensitive to meds (I only take 5mg of lipitor to control my cholesterol, the starting does is 20mg or 40mg).  I didn't want to experience any side effects or go hyperthyroid so I decided I should start out slow.  I haven't had any side effects so that worked but now I am working myself up that I am not taking enough, almost blaming myself like I am doing something terribly wrong by not taking the full dose yet.  My thought was by taking this low dose I can avoid side effects and then when I retest in about four weeks now I will be better aware of how the meds effects me and this wil help with further dose increases should they be necessary.  I was also thinking that it would be better for my body to start slow then if I need an increase in the future my body will tolerate it better.

What do you guys think?  I am getting more and more anxious that I am doing something wrong even though I know my reasons are sound and logical. 

Thanks,
Ivy

[gcalex]

There is a very good internet group and i hope it doesn't get bleeped out here, stopthethyroidmadess then add a dot and a com.  It has a lot of good information.  According to what I read there and elsewhere what you really need to test are FREE t3 and t4 and that TSH is more of a pituitary indicator not a thyroid indicator.   There is another good site called tiredthyroid and again add a dot and a com.

[ivyt73]

Thanks gcalex,
I think I have seen the first website.  The thing is the thyroid support sites don't understand the anxiety part of taking the meds and even sometimes the anxiety around the diagnosis so they don't seem to respond to some of the posts that they deem just anxious people.  I don't know this for sure but it is a sense I get.  I was hoping some of my fellow hypothyroid folks that also have health anxiety might have an opinion or talk me down.

Thanks so much.
Ivy

[gcalex]

I think it's a great idea to start low with any drug that affects hormones.  So I wouldn't worry at all about not going higher.  Lots of people do better on less than so-called therapeutic doses of many meds. 

[ivyt73]

Thanks, that is what I think too...better to be safe than sorry.  Worst case scenario it will take me longer to reach my perfect dose and that is ok.  I am not in a rush, I don't feel terrible or anything.

Thanks,
Ivy

[gcalex]

And if you do go up on your dose and you get side effects, or perceived ones, you can always go right back down, so it isn't a really big deal.

If you continue to be concerned about thyroid issues you might look into whether it's appropriate to test your FREE T3 and T4 levels -- I did a lot of reading on thyroid at one point that convinced me those numbers were more important than the ones that usually get tested, and the thyroid patient groups were pretty much in agreement about that.  I don't remember all the specifics now though.

[ivyt73]

Hey Gcalex,
I had those tested and they were normal which is why they seem to think I have subclinical hypothyroid.  My TSH went up from 4.8 to 5.18 in about six weeks so that means my pituitary gland is having to push my thyroid hard to keep up the production of the thyroid hormones.  The idea is that if I take synthetic T4 it will allow my thyroid to work less hard and improve the symptoms you get from your thyroid working hard and being ineffective. 

The whole thing is crazy because I feel pretty good but have noticed I feel less tired since taking the synthroid. 

You know how it is when the docs tell you do something you feel guilty if you don't like you are neglecting your health.

It is exhausting.
Ivy

[gcalex]

Your post just said T3 and T4, not FREE T3 and T4 which are different measurements, is why I asked.  Doctors are only consultants, we are in charge of our own health, so the heck with them if they are pressuring you into doing something you aren't comfortable with.

[marc]

My wife is a pharmacist and she said that you should consult with your physician before
modifying the amount of prescription medicine you are taking.

[ivyt73]

absolutely Marc, that is correct and I will tell him.  But, I also agree with gcalex that docs are consultants, we know our body best and it is not a one size fits all treatment.  My doc and I have a good relationship but he does tend to over medicate (in my opinion).  He is doing what is the norm and I understand that but I feel that I am pretty sensitive to meds and that is just me.  When I go back in a few weeks to retest I will definitely tell him that what is going on.

Thanks.

[ivyt73]

Just an update,
I retested my thyroid this week and it went down to 4.95 so now I had to up my dose to the 25mcgs.  The doc understood why I only took the half and agreed to go to the 25 and test again in six weeks.  I have been doing fine on the half a pill but now I am worried about upping the dose and the side effects....sigh. 

I took the 25 this morning and have been depressed and anxious about it all day.  I could use some encouragement and sharing of your experiences with synthroid.

thanks,
Ivy

[gcalex]

As I posted before, there are a LOT of people who have studied thyroid who place no faith at all in TSH.  Personally I would study up on that before just going off your TSH.

[ivyt73]

gcalex, yes I agree and I have studied up on the actual thyroid hormones.  Mine are all on the lower side of normal but my Free T# Uptake actually dropped to officially low according to the lab.  The problem is the doctor scares you in to medicating based on the TSH and that is where I am.  I am not saying that I disagree with taking the medication , the problem is I am medphobic and I was just looking for a little reassurance about the med itself.

Thanks so much for responding.

Ivy