1. Community
  2. Women's health
  3. Menopause

Is this the menopause- tinnitus, bitter taste, intermittent periods and hypothyroidism?!?!

Posted , 14 users are following.

mrspinkrat
mrspinkrat

It's a fairly long story but I need help and advice please ladies as I'm in a bit of a state.....

It all began last August 2013 when I went to the GP with internal tremors and intermittent periods.

After having bloods checked I was told that I was hypothyoid and started on 50mcg of levothyroxine.

My periods were coming once every 3/4 months.

My last period was in March of this year. I had my FSH tested and the first time was high but was retested and told it was normal. While all this has been going on I developed a very weird and quite distressing bitter taste in my mouth (last November). I tried all sorts to eliminate it from mouthwash to totally changing my diet etc.... I added in multivits and B12 and by May time this year it seemed to have faded..... To be replaced by tinnitus!! Once again, I've been thoroughly checked (including an MRI) but no cause has been found and I'm told to learn to live with it....

What I'm wondering is....am I in the menopause and if so, are these symptoms connected? Apart from missing periods, I have no other menopausal symptoms such as sweats/flushes etc..

I feel at a loss as to what to do next??

Oh, I also have a vit D deficiency but the GP just told me to get out in the sun more....

So if anyone can help me please, I'd be so grateful. The taste is back again now and I'm increasing my B12 but it is horrible and all consuming sad

The tinnitus scares me when I think I've got to live with this for the rest of my life :'(

I'm only 44 btw.

I think that's everything but I might have missed something!

I increased my levithyroxine to 75mcg a couple of months ago as it was thought my TSH was still a little high. It is now 1.2

Thank you xxx

0 likes, 42 replies

42 Replies

Prev Next
  • anxiousface
    anxiousface mrspinkrat

    Posted

    hello mrsprinkrat, i too have had that taste come and go for the last two years and i remember having it when i was pregnant 29yrs ago so I'd say it is something to do with our hormones and nothing to worry about.  My vit D was low on my last bllod test so consultant has put me on some vit D for 3 months.  I've had pulsating tinnitus for a few years now and it never really bothered me until i started in peri and it now gets quite loud and annoying and yes me too was told to live with it after having a CT scan to check everythings ok. By reading your post i think your in peri but of course i'm no doc.  I too havre never had a hot flush (YET) so hopefully we get away with that one.  I have had 2x Bone density because which were fine. Try not to worry cos i find when i'm anxious i hear my tinnitus more.  take care hun x
    • mrspinkrat
      mrspinkrat anxiousface

      Posted

      Hello there anxiousface

      Thank you loads for your reply! I am so pleased to know I'm not alone with this taste thing! I do agree that it is probably hormone related - it can be worse some days than others and I did have a month or so when I didn't really notice it.

      I'm a bit calmer about the tinnitus now too - it onky really bothers me in bed - both trying to get to sleep and when I wake up. I do miss silence!! Lol smile

      Thank you again👍❤️

  • BellaRubia
    BellaRubia mrspinkrat

    Posted

    Hi, Mrspinkrat, I had symptoms very alike yours. And tinnitus can very well be from perimenopause.  It may be related to hypothyroidism as well, as much as I remember have read.  Just to you know, some people develope tinnitus some point in their lives and it just disappears, I hope it is the case. smile. Xx
    • dizzylizzie
      dizzylizzie BellaRubia

      Posted

      Hi I have tinnitus too, the only way I can deal with it is to have radio or tv on to counteract the noises!

      Worse at night  - does any one else find that?

       

    • Tazchurch
      Tazchurch dizzylizzie

      Posted

      Lying down can make it worse and there is also less background noise at night, so yes and is logical
    • mrspinkrat
      mrspinkrat BellaRubia

      Posted

      Hi Bella

      Do you have a weird bitter taste too?

      It's not metallic, it's just sour/bitter...

      Xxxx

    • BellaRubia
      BellaRubia mrspinkrat

      Posted

      I had several things for a period of 4/6 months, including a funny taste in the mouth.  Everything receded, even though the symptoms came back now and them, but they are much less bothering.  And I used to blame my vitamins, too, once it looks like everytime I took them it will get worse.  But I stopped them for a while and nothing changed, so I guessed it was just a coincidence.
    • BellaRubia
      BellaRubia dizzylizzie

      Posted

      Hi, there.  I just try and ignore that.  Some times I barely hear it, some times is anoying :S. It is definetely worse in the silence of the night.  Thinking about that, it was one night when I found I had a tinnitus.

      It will pass smile

    • irene20565
      irene20565 dizzylizzie

      Posted

      Hi

      Yes, worse at night, just when you don't need it. My tinnitus is also louder upstairs, does that happen to anyone else?

      Nighttime I have the fan going all night, helps with night sweats and tinnitus. At least 2 of the many problems get reduced by the same thing. Hubby sleeps in a different room, too cold for him, so really that is a 3 rd problems sorted😄

  • mrspinkrat
    mrspinkrat

    Posted

    I've just dug out my Vit D tablets

    They say 25ug (1000iu) but the dosage on the bottle says to take only 1 tablet....

    I'm a bit worried/confused! Should I take more???

    Xxx

    • Astrid64
      Astrid64 mrspinkrat

      Posted

      If you are deficent then 1000 IU a day is not going to do it, do you know what level you came in at number wise for the deficiency!!

      Depends how low you are!

    • fancygoldfish
      fancygoldfish mrspinkrat

      Posted

      In my own experience, I was deficient, 20 ng/ml on the vitamin D hydroxy test, and the doctor prescribed 50,000 IU weekly. A month ago I went to OTC 10,000 IU D3. It has been a YEAR taking this high of dosage (and sitting under a SAD/Vit D light), and I only made it up to 30 ng/ml, which is just barely in the normal range of 30-100. This is still not enough for a reserve and could slip into a deficiency. My doctor said to continue taking 2,000 IU a day of OTC vitamin D, but according to alternative health sources, that is still not enough, I am going to take 5,000 IU of D3 until  my next test in 3 months.

      I am 57, in the US, and definitely struggling through "peripause", as my daughter calls it.

    • AVR1962
      AVR1962 mrspinkrat

      Posted

      If you are deficient, 1000 daily is not enough for the deficieny. You mentioned your GP told you that you were deficient on vit D. I would ask for a copy of those lab records. Below is a quote from my research:

      Measurement of 25(OH)D is the only means to determine whether a patient is vitamin D deficient or sufficient. (This is referring to your lab work.) The measurement of 1,25(OH)2D is not only useless, but can mislead the physician because it is often either normal or even elevated when a patient is vitamin D deficient and has secondary hyperparathyroidism. (I realize you mentioned thyroid not parathyroid, they are not the same but deficiency will effect you the same.) Most commercial laboratories report that a 25(OH)D less than 10 ng/mL is synonymous with vitamin D deficiency. Most experts recommend that less than 20 ng/mL should be designated as vitamin D deficiency.[28-30] To maintain a healthy level of 25(OH)D, the recommendation is that it should be above 30 ng/mL.

      The easiest way to correct vitamin D deficiency is to fill up the empty vitamin D tank by giving the patient an oral dose of 50,000 IU of vitamin D once per week for 8 weeks. To maintain vitamin D sufficiency, the patient should receive either 50,000 IU of vitamin D once or twice per month thereafter. There is an intramuscular form of vitamin D that is usually not very bioavailable and can cause significant discomfort; therefore it is not recommended. However, in Europe, intramuscular injection of 500,000 IU of vitamin D twice per year has appeared to be effective in preventing vitamin D deficiency. (amounts like these should be supervised by a doc)

      End of quote. It's really important to know your test results.

    • BellaRubia
      BellaRubia mrspinkrat

      Posted

      Hi Pinkrat :D That depends on how "deficient" you are.  I am a little bellow the normal, just in the upper limit of low, so I was recommended to take 1000UI.  Do as your doctor said.  Even though the ideal was to eat enough foods with Vitamin D and take a little sun, sometimes we still need it :S 
  • AVR1962
    AVR1962 mrspinkrat

    Posted

    Here's another quote from research about tinnitus, aside from the list of problems that cause it. One safe thing to try is vitamins. Quote below:

    A safe and easy way to help your tinnitus may be with simple vitamin supplements, as these will only work for a percentage of the population of tinnitus sufferers, they cannot be called cures.

    Vitamins (A, B12 and other B vitamins, D and E)

Back to top
Prev Next

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.