underactive thyroid medication thyroxine - OK with Constant-AFib?
Posted , 5 users are following.
Cardiologist diagnosed me with constant AFib + palpitations, but my blood pressure has never been above Normal Range. While waiting (5 months, so far) to investigate cause (Vagus Nerve injury?) I aim to ask family doctor if I can go back on thyroxine (eg Levothyroxine, Eltroxin) for my underactive thyroid. My TSH blood result = 3.77 mIU/L (almost too high for Normal Range) + in 2011 it was 4.04 mIU/L (beyond NR) but doctor disregarded it.
About 18 years ago, my T4 reading was too low for NR, and I responded OK to thyroxine. After a year or two on thyroxine, there was an error in renewing the prescription, resulting in no more medication.
BBC's tv documentary 'Trust Me, I'm a Doctor' on 08/02/2017 described people with results like mine - TSH very high in NR, T4 very low in NR - as warranting further investigation if, like me, strong symptoms exist. My internal neck was severely injured, 21 years ago. Ever since, I've experienced muscle-spasms, poor body-temperature control, unexplained weight-gain [4 stone (56 pounds)].
Are there any contraindications for taking thyroixine if, like me, a person has untreated AFib? I'm aware T3 medication is thought to sometimes cause heart arrhythmia. But what about the basic thyroxine medication?
0 likes, 3 replies
marco LizUK
Posted
Drug info says to get help straight away if it causes heart irregularity, so there is a risk.
Can't understand why your afib hasn't been treated after 5 months. I would be chasing up your GP and Cardiologist.
I've found through experience that if you don't make a noise you stay at the bottom of the list.
kate07761 LizUK
Posted
I don't know the answer but I find it interesting that you might have an underactive thryoid problom and you refer to a vagus nerve problem because both seem to be mentioned a lot with AF patients. I don't know the answer to your questions but as T3 is given to patient who's bodies are not good at converting the tablets given as T4 to T3 then I would assume they are effectively the same. If you have a thryoid problem then you should be treated for it - I get the impression they avoid giving T4 or T3 to people who don't really need it because it can cause a strain on your heart. But then I would ponder your body not getting what it needs will put a strain on your heart. The thryoid question is a mine field - when I got to GP's they always see me as symptomatic as having a thryroid problem but I always test borderline and I'm not treated. Having said that I have been treated in past and then I was stopped (was on T3) at time and then I got AF. Was it connected who knows. T3 gives me staying power but the AF drugs have wiped me out. I'm afraide medicine doesn't like to 'join up the dots' between different things happening in body! Have you been diagnosed as having a Vagus Nerve problem? Interesting if so as many of us think its our Vagus Nerve causing our AF but this is not being agreed by cardiolgists.
LizUK kate07761
Posted
Thanks for input, Marco, kate07761 - and linda51222
Spot on, Marco, 5 weeks ago I chased my family doctor, asking him to chase the cardiologist who had diagnosed "AFib throughout with poorly controlled rate" and "fast ventricular rate AFib". He proposed I go on high-BP medication (Bisoprolol 5mg), despite my never having BP above Normal Range, + being asthmatic (so beta blockers are contra-indicated) + previously, for a 6-week period, I tried Verapamil but it put me into low-BP, especially in my Right arm (BP 80/46), with generalised oedema + feeling much worse. Pulse didn't drop either! Top question for cardiologist - why wasn't I offered heart restart (cardioversion)? Anyone have ideas/ experience of possible reason?
Elsewhere in this helpful AFib forum, I've mentioned the cardiologist relied upon merely 2 minutes of me in my 'normal routine' before premature battery-death of my 24-hour Holter tape-recording. This despite me notifying him, at time of returning it, that I needed to try again. Meanwhile, since AFib diagnoses 5 months ago, I don't know whether the near-blacking-out experience every time I bend over for more than 2 seconds (eg tying laces) could lead to heart attack or stroke, or whether I can get back to pushing myself with exercise or at least non-essential walking. I have plans for this spring onwards. Patience is wearing thin.
Friday this week is my deadline before the family doctor will receive a big nudge to pass along to the cardiologist + the neurologist I also, 6 weeks prior, asked to be referred to, hoping to test for Vagus Nerve connection, if any. Must confess, I am feeling very disappointed, especially as the same doctors' practise neglected ever to treat me for the severe prolapse of a disc in my lower-neck, 21 years ago.