1. Community
  2. Diabetes and hormone problems
  3. Hyperthyroidism

Hypo to hyper

Posted , 5 users are following.

linda1958
linda1958

I have been under active for 24yrs taking 50mg of levothyroxine went to docs today to be told to stop taking Levi has now hyper. Has this happened to anyone else

Thankyou

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • alasdair80006
    alasdair80006 linda1958

    Posted

    Yes Linda, I had greaves, then got my thyroid burnt out about 3 years ago, then a year ago the doctor, actually nurse said I needed to cut my prescription. So I did some research on what the readings should be. I went back to the doctor and got the numbers from the receptionist. It turns out the lab gives you a range which is very normal but there is another set of normal that is much higher. I tried to explain this to the nurse but she thought I was an idiot, so I did some research and moved to a different practise who insisted on re-testing and confirmed my prescription was correct.

    ​If you feel fine you are fine. I did I was.

     

  • linda187
    linda187 linda1958

    Posted

    I have seen this happen to patients who have a diagnosis of Hashimoto's thyroiditis.  These patients swing back on forth very rapidly because prescribed medicines are too strong for their problem (either levothyroxine for hypo or Methimazole for hyper).  With Hashimoto's it is the actual thyroid gland that is being attacked by antibodies and with Graves disease it is the thyroid stimulating hormone receptors in the Anterior Pituitary Gland that is being attacked.  Perhaps the sensitivity is because in Hashimoto's it is the thyroid gland itself that is being attacked.  There was a lady on this Board who had a problem with the swings and she got control of her disease when she was hyper using a very short period of Methimazole (or Carbimazole if you live in England) like one week in decreasing dosages and then taking 3,000 to4,000 of Regular L-Carnitine daily thereafter along with other supplements.  The Carnitine worked better at regulating her thyroid hormones.  She adjusted her treatment based on taking her morning temperature.  I can send you her emails and story if you would like but first I would ask your docs to confirm your diagnosis.  You can have Hashimoto's alone, Graves alone or a combination of both.  If you have Hashimoto's at all, either alone or with Graves, the Regular L-Carnitine is necessary to control the swings.  Also vitamin D.

    • linda1958
      linda1958 linda187

      Posted

      Thankyou for the reply. It is very frustrating because I have always been under active . I don't feel any different or have any symptoms of graves . My GP just wants me to stop my thyroxine as blood results came back as undetectable. And to repeat the test in 6 wks. It is worrying me stopping the medication so quickly after taking it for so long and also don't want to put the weight on that I have struggled to lose .

    • hypnocool
      hypnocool linda187

      Posted

      How can a doctor tell if I have combination of both.  I asked endo to test if i have hashi, she said I dont because iam hyper/Graves.  its on the other side of spectrum. She scared me because she said if i have hashi she will give me hormones.  In my head i was thinking if i am hyper and hashi at the same time. then i might become more hyper when she puts me on hormone.  So i just brushed it off...I'll just deal with this with methimazole and Reg-L-CArnitine which is working great for me.  

    • linda187
      linda187 hypnocool

      Posted

      Hashi's is usually associated with hypo but sometimes it also begins as hyper.  The lady with Hashi's who posted to the Board was hyper and was told it was Hashi's that just hadn't burned itself out yet.  So as I said, you can have Graves alone, Hashi's alone or a combination of both and the way doctors diagnose it is the anti-TPO blood test which measures the degree of inflammation (can be high in both Graves and Hashi's but is usually quite elevated with Hashi's), TRAb or TBII blood test for Graves antibodies and TGAb blood test for Hashi's antibodies.  With Hashi's as I mentioned what I have seen is that it is way more sensitive to both antithyroid meds, i.e. Methimazole and sends a person from hyper to hypo very quickly or to thyroid hormone replacement for hypo as it does just the opposite - sends the person from hypo to hyper because of the greater sensitivity of the gland.

  • janice1959
    janice1959 linda1958

    Posted

    Hi Linda. I’ve had hypo for 21 years. Have been on .112 levothyroxine for a few years. The past few weeks wasn’t feeling well. Thought maybe i was having vertigo or maybe becoming diabetic or just very hot flashes from menopause. Did blood work and my TSH level was very low.  She redid the blood work and came back even lower.  She lowered my meds to .100. I didn’t take anything today. I know I’m overly medicated.. i will start tomorrow, i just wanted to give my body a break.  She will rerun blood work in 4 weeks.  I know this will take months to regulate myself.  I will also try to see an endocrinologist in the mean time.  I had a sono of my thyroid 3 years ago and was told my thyroid was gone.my body absorbed it. So that’s my story.. i never new anyone else that went through this.. my mom,sister brother, and my daughter all have hypo.  Running in our family for sure. Lol 
    • linda187
      linda187 janice1959

      Posted

      When you say your TSH level was very low, what was the value?
    • linda187
      linda187 janice1959

      Posted

      Yes that value indicates hyperthyroidism.  You will have to decrease your Levo.  Keep us posted on what happens after your next labs and your decreases.
Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.