Hypothyroidism? - how do I get GP to take me seriously?

I think you need to go back to your GP and ask for a print out of your thyroxin test results. Armed with them you can see where you are in the reference ranges which will be given alongside your results. GPs will sometimes say you are fine even if you are right at the bottom of the range and say either you are 'just' depressed and want to put you on an anti depressant as mine did. This is obviously not the answer. Keep positive and go one step at a time. My son also was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and alongside the Levothyroxine was given an anti depressant. His was a very cut and dried case of being seriously lacking in his system. If you are borderline ask for a trial of 25mcgms of Levothyroxine. It will unfortunately take a couple of weeks at least to see if it helps. Even then the weight won't probably just fall off but at least if you eat sensibly it won't continue to pile on. Leave it until later to try and diet, your body has enough problems without starving it at this moment. Best of luck. MaggieW

When you find a way for your GP to take you seriously I think we all should try it!!

It is usually possible to change GP if you are not happy with your current one, I have done that successfully. M V Waugh

Is it possible to find a doctor to prescribe natural dessicated thyroid as in Armour or Westhroid ? Those meds contain the full conversion of thyroid supplement where synthetic hormones like synthroid do not. You need them all for your body to work correctly.

I have the same problems which I know are all thyroid related have seen every Dr in the practice over the last 8 years & was finally told I had a thyroid problem after someone at the Lab tested for thyroid accidentally .Been on thyroxine for about 2 years now but after IMO

rial improvement everything got worse again.Treated for depression, reflux,pain, tiredness, all thyroid symptoms.Saw a new Dr last month & thought at last it would be sorted, I asked if I could try NDT & he said he knew nothing about it but he would read up on it.Iagreed to go back in 2 weeks & I was sure he would prescribe it but alas he would not& wants me to see a specialist.Very few of them will give you NDT even though it was used with good results for over 200 yrs.My Dr says if the Specialist agrees he will let me have it.I have been told to ask local Pharmacies if they dispense NDT & if they do ask which Dr wrote them & if I find that out I can change doctors.Hope that helps a little , I am learning from lots of other thyroid sufferers that you have to fight to get what you need, good luck.

Hello again. I did over 12 years ago have Natural Thyroid extract prescribed for me when Levothyroxine was not treating me well enough despite my blood tests showing me to be in the normal ranges. I had to go private in order to access this treatment and my GP was not happy about this and I had to pay for the pills ,not cheap.. I felt better on it for a while but then it became all to complicated and I went back onto the Levothyroxine at higher dose via my GP This made me feel hypo and I searched articles out on the web and found a consultant on the NHS here in Edinburgh who prescribed a combination of T4 and T3. I had a more sympathetic GP by then who was willing to refer me to this consultant Endocrinologist who prescribed a combination of Levothyroxine T4 and Liothyronine T3 . T3 is what is normally converted by ones body from the T 4 produced by ones own body or from the synthetic pill given to get ones body back to being fully functional. The specialist I saw decided to put me on a reduced amount of thyroxineT4 and gave me a small amount of the liothyronine T3. I have been on100mcgms of the T4 and 10mcgms T3 for the last 8 years and have never felt better. I AM IN MY 70s now but relative to my age feel great. I had a long struggle to get here but it has been well worth it. Keep thinking you can feel better if you can access the right treatment. I was told like a lots of others I was just! depressed and put on Prozac for a while but I knew that wasn't the case, it is extremely difficult if ones GP is not willing to refer one to a specialist but push for it. There is more chance of getting the medication I am on via the NHS than Natural Thyroid Extract and for me it has worked better.Maggie W

Thanks for your reply I am waiting for an appointment to see a specialist but have heard nothing yet.Did you have a lot of aches and pains because I hurt everywhere & my legs are so painful at the bottom that I am unable to walk my dogs which I hate.Have you lost weight on your present medication?Thanks for your help, don't usually hear from older ladies, thanks again I now feel there may be hope for me.

I don't now have any pains except those of mild arthritis AND I am deliberately loosing some of the weight I put on before getting properly medicated. I did have ver strange pains before that. Pains in my wrists pains in my stomach which were all investigated and it was stated that nothing was actually wrong with me. This has obviously been proven to be wrong and the latter medication sorted that out along with scalp problems. Try to try and see out what you would like to say when you meet the specialist when you go to see him/her. Have questions to ask on a bit of paper. My experience has made me much more confident. Best of luck, MaggieW

t