On lithium and now thyroid not working well any advise??

I have a sensation in my throat which is causing me problems swallowing- not sure if this is what you are describing- hope you soon start to feel better- I've also put on 3 stone plus since January. It's no fun is it!

Hi Michelle,you poor thing but my best advice is to get informed about your Thyroid issues.I have underactive thyroid & piled on loads of weight.levothyroxine is the only drug that GP's (well 90% of them) will prescribe but many of us do not do well on it.After lots of searching (preferably on english sites) you will find a lot out.There are lots of American thyroid sites but at the start they can be a little confusing,Join a UK thyroid group on Facebook, there are several,joining one will lead you to others.There are lots of people there who can offer much needed support & help you decide how you want to treat your illness,From personel experience I did not get much support when I found the levothyroxine did not help me but I now self medicate & though my GP is unable to prescribe my NDT he does continue to do my blood tests,all the tests you need done not just TSH which does not tell the whole story especially if you are still syptomatic while taking levothyroxine.This is going to be a long journey you are on & you need to do lots of research,joining a UK thyroid group will put you in touch with other sufferers & you will gets lots of tips .The list of people waiting to be accepted is long & you will have to wait to be added but it will be worth the wait.Hope this helps & remember there are thousands of thyroid sufferers out there & now with the Internet we are starting to fight against inferior treatment from our non listening GP's..Your symptoms are very real & you need to get all the information you can to enable you to get the best from your GP,if you have knowledge you have power .

Dear Michelle

Im probably not much help as Ive not started medication yet though have had TSH at 6 since Dec.  Have given myself 4 month window to try to work through various blood tests - that I asked for as I read online more about the condition and tried to unveil layer by layer how my body got to this.  Hypothyroidism is often caused by an auto immune condition and getting to the root of that - and the various other vitamin, hormone or mineral imbalances/deficiencies is key in diagnosing your own personal hypothyroid road map to recovery.  

Unfortunately the GPs have limited time/ knowledge and ability to join the dots individually and holistically so are routinely able to look at 1 or2 test results and offer Levothyroxin at varying doses.  The forums are full of people who either feel better, worse or somewhere inbetween and to figure out your own route to health you need to take a multi system approach.

Diet, stress, food intollerance, leaky gut, digestive issues, cortisol/adrenal function - if not optimal will have an impact on thyroid performance... investigate if you have heavy metal toxicity, high estrogen levels and best advice is google google or join a  FB forum - but who wants to wait for answers?  there are some great videos on you tube if you look for them that are easier to absorb than endless articles... some really good holistic doctors in america that are putting these together as in US it is an epidemic now...!   My view is the thyroid is the fall guy for sensitive souls who may have auto immune conditions that can show up any time in life but often from mid life and accompanying imbalances or deficiencies or stress or often all together prolonged issues that culminate in the thyroid not functioning well and thats when your body throws out its SOS signals through a host of symptoms...

Each person will probably experience a different set of symptoms or overlap to others - because there are so many potential areas that suffer... from hair loss to headaches, skin problems, fatigue, weight gain, depression, anxiety, oedema, gritty eyes and so on... the Levo may aleiviate some of the symptoms for a period - or work well on some people - but often doesnt' sort out the root cause so whilst giving the body a bit mroe energy if the adrenals are not functioning v well and cortisol is low for eg then its a bit like putting the pedal down on a car with the handbrake on.  The adrenals MUST be repaired first, and this can take time with adaptogen tinctures and adrenal support etc, whilst a really careful diet and some problem foods eliminated (like wheat/gluten, dairy, soy, caffeine, alcohol etc).  Its key to not have chlorinated or flouridated water/toothpaste, chemically loaded hair skin or household products and keep coffee or tea out or to bare minimum... support the gut with healing powders like L Glutamine to rebuild digestive tract wall, and pro biotics to help balance the bacterial good and bad guys, and look at some v good chinese herbs, reflexology, nutritionist, homeopath -or accupuncture to support your own healing.   Although its a very difficult condition to relay to people as it has so many layers and tangents to consider and the thyroid is pushing so many functions - and is supporting and supported by so many functions it can be mind boggling.  But persevere, keep a food diary, investigate bit by bit - do your lab work on the blood results for iron. ferritin, B12, folate, cortisol, estrogen/progesterone, TSH, FT3 and FT4 and Vit D and you should start to see what help you need where.  Investigation is key... some of it will be trial and error for your own personal road map to recovery but don't loose heart.  

There are so many people I've discovered with this problem its just shocking and upsetting to realise that so many people are not getting the adequate support and care they need from their GPs... You really have to look at all the related issues if you want your body to be well and become your own boss.  See it as one of life's gifts to help you help yourself and find the absolute balance you need to be optimal.... there's a lot more chemicals and pesticides we are absorbing now a days and we HAVE to start to be a lot more discriminatory in what we eat, how we live... go organic where you can, cook wholefoods as often as you can, avoid high sugar grains and skipping meals... you need BALANCE in blood sugars, proteins, carbs, veggies and buy a juicer and a blender.  Use coconut oil in cooking and smoothies, avocados... avoid uncooked green veggies like kale, cabbage and brocolli etc as they can be goitregenic.  

Once you have started on this path (and there is a lot more info out there) you will bit by bit start to feel better equipped to deal with the uncertainty of the condition - and will learn that eating things that offer you selenium, zinc, magnesium, fish oils and so forth are going to be your best friends... 

Drink plenty of good clean pure water... vit c, d, e, iron if you need it.... find some peace and quiet time. Practice gentle exercise daily - until you get your strength back and try to see your body as just needing the calm and restorative value it needs at this time.... then little by little when you have taken control and bought things back into balance over the months or years... you can relax back into some of the lifestyle choices perhaps that you once had but with gentle respect and moderation... 

Its going to be different for everyone, but I hope you get through this maze and feel better as you progress.  I'm still early days but I do feel a bit better and I'm loosing weight just eliminating said foods and am also apparently looking a bit better too.... with thryoid performance down you not only feel rubbish but it feels like you're melting on the inside with fatigue and slow engine syndrome!  

Stay positive, its only the unknown which is the hard bit to deal with, once you become reserached, lab worked and better familiarised with your personal situation and what helps --- (not always just one small lil pill!) you will hopefully feel better.

Hope thats helpful and sorry for the long ramble!

 

Hi Michelle

Very annoyingly left you a very useful long message with nothing wrong about the text but they've stopped it going in... interesting but I hope you get what you need.  I've offered only good natural and key info.... bit odd.

S.