Anyone here with Hyper from Hashimoto's?

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-27-2003
Anyone here with Hyper from Hashimoto's?
5
Tue, 08-10-2004 - 2:13pm

How can it possibly be treated? A month and a half ago my TSH was .003.  Now, it is normal.  Through out my pregnancy I took 400 mg of PTU a day.  At the end of my pregnancy I started showing up hypo.  At the time, it was assumed I had Graves now we know differently.  But my big hang up is, if your hormones fluctuate that much and aren't reliable (for lack of a better word), how can you be medicated?  After a while, you will be over medicated?  Am I missing something?  How can they treat this effectively?


 


 

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
Tue, 08-10-2004 - 2:53pm
Hi Emily - well, you have to take into account your pregnancy as the reason for the big fluctuations. And what can happen post partum is that a woman can become hypothyroid - it's brought on by the hormonal upheavals of pregnancy. Since you were hyper during your pregnancy, it makes sense that you've gone the other way since giving birth - and even passing through normal!! Most of the time, post partum hypothyroidism clears up on its own. It can come on anywhere from childbirth to 6 months after and can last anywhere from 6 months to a year. And I think it takes almost a year for all your other hormones to get back to normal after giving birth. So I wouldn't worry if I were you!! I guess you're anxious to see how it will all end up! Cathy :)
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-27-2003
Tue, 08-10-2004 - 3:20pm

No that isn't it at all.

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
Tue, 08-10-2004 - 5:22pm
I'm sorry I misunderstood you!! I understand your point and your question and my best guess would be that your endo would have to take all that into account, and not be rash in prescribing any medication based on one test's results. I think time is the answer on this one. You really can't be sure that your thyroid won't swing back one way or the other. So it would be important to be sensitive to any symptoms you might have as an indication that you may be going hyper or hypo and also be tested regularly. So, you made sense!! Did I just make sense??? :) Cathy
iVillage Member
Registered: 05-27-2003
Wed, 08-11-2004 - 9:17am

Yep.

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-09-2001
Wed, 08-11-2004 - 9:49am
Here's a list of symptoms but let's hope that you've stabilized!!! (from this site:http://www.endocrineweb.com/hypo1.html)

Symptoms of Hypothyroidism

Fatigue

Weakness

Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight

Coarse, dry hair

Dry, rough pale skin

Hair loss

Cold intolerance (can't tolerate the cold like those around you)

Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches

Constipation

Depression

Irritability

Memory loss

Abnormal menstrual cycles

Decreased libido

Each individual patient will have any number of these symptoms which will vary with the severity of the thyroid hormone deficiency and the length of time the body has been deprived of the proper amount of hormone. Some patients will have one of these symptoms as their main complaint, while another will not have that problem at all and will be suffering from a different symptom. Most will have a combination of a number of these symptoms. Occasionally, some patients with hypothyroidism have no symptoms at all, or they are just so subtle that they go unnoticed. Note: Although this may sound obvious, if you have these symptoms, you need to discuss them with your doctor and probably seek the skills of an endocrinologist. If you have already been diagnosed and treated for hypothyroidism and you continue to have any or all of these symptoms, you need to discuss it with your physician. Although treatment of hypothyroidism can be quite easy in some individuals, others will have a difficult time finding the right type and amount of replacement thyroid hormone.

Cathy :)