# New to forums, general hashis help... hashimotos + birth control?



## Elliebelly (Nov 2, 2017)

Hello everyone. I am new to this forum so before I try to ask for advice/suggestions about myself let me give some background info. Sorry in advance for the long story.

My name is Ellie. I'm 22 and I have Hashimoto's, I'm hypothyroid and I take 50 mcg levothyroxine. I was diagnosed about 9 years ago, have always had some sort of fatigue but not anything like I have lately.

I also have tested positive to celiac antibodies, though I never went through the whole process of confirming. But what I do know is I am very sensitive to gluten (suffered from chronic bladder/respiratory infections, several of which hospitalized me, and severe joint pain after taking levo but still eating gluten) so I adhere to a mostly gluten free diet. (I let soy sauce and light breading slide sometimes.) I also am mostly pescatarian aside from occasional chicken a few times a year. (Mentioning this in case there could be a vitamin deficiency or something causing my issues)

I have been on birth control for about 6. I was on Reclipsen, which is a designer birth control that contains 0.15 mg/0.03 desogestrel and ethinyl estradiol. Recently in July the manufacturers of Reclipsen decided to discontinue its production. I got put on enskyce, the generic version, but ever since then I have been experiencing symptoms like I did when I was hypothyroid. And weirder stuff has been happening to me.

Most noticeable is my finger tips on my right hand one my one started to crack open a few weeks after the medication switch, they are scaly and dry and sometimes end up bleeding because they are so damaged. I have been lotioning them every night and nothing seems to work. I also have been taking zinc 25 ish mg, ashwaganda root extract, selenium 100 mcg, and copper 2mg, as well as i just started taking a supplement with 26 mg iron as well as folate and some other things. I also feel tired no matter how much I sleep. I always feel like I am having brain fog issues and I'm very forgetful. I feel really crappy on a regular basis, no matter how much I exercise, sleep, or what kind of food I eat. I feel wired but tired, have a hard time falling asleep and sleep too long when I do, and often just feel anxious and depressed though I have a very healthy social friend group and I am a motivated and productive person. I also I have gained 5 - 6 pounds in the last 6 months though my diet has not changed and I run 2.5 miles at the gym 2-3 times a week. I eat lots of vegetables, rice, whole grains, eggs/lowfat milk, and fish and I'm generally very health conscious. My question is has anyone else had similar feelings after switching birth controls on hashi's and/or did it help when they quit? Or is this most likely unrelated?

I live in Hawaii on the Big Island and healthcare is awful here. I was seeing a nurse practitioner for a while and just recently realized when I had to get tested to renew my script they only tested for TSH. I used to have a good endocrinologist in Minnesota but I no longer live there. I believe they used to do full panel on me. She always said results came back good. When I expressed to Dr. in Hawaii symptoms about my concerns, she told me "I was fine" and don't need re-testing and dry, bizarre hand problem is just "a part of being hypothyroid". Nevertheless I won't go to her anymore. I'm hoping to get a full panel on my levels when I go to see a new Dr. next week.

I know that my symptoms are relatively mild compared to most. But what I believe may be happening is that my new birth control is creating more TBG, and decreasing my conversion of T4 to T3. Should I scrap the birth control and see what happens? Is it ok for me to be taking the vitamins I am, even if I just based the #'s off my own research? CBD oil also makes me feel so much better, but i also fear taking it because i know it inhibits cytochrome P450, which breaks down vitamins & my estrogen based birth control. Anyone else have any knowledge on if CBD is ok to take with hashimoto's, while supplementing with vitamins?

I am so new to all of this research and have only started actually taking the time to learn about it in the last month. So any advice is appreciated.


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

Could you give us the results of your latest blood work?


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## Elliebelly (Nov 2, 2017)

Sorry it took so long. I finally got a test last week. Clearly my TSH levels are elevated. Why would this be? My new Dr. wants to switch me from 50 mcg to 75 mcg. Is this a good idea? She is not an endo because there are no endos on the island where I live. Let me know if anyone has gotten similar results and what helped them.


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## Elliebelly (Nov 2, 2017)




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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

When do you take your levothyroxine compared to all of the other supplements you take?

When did you have lab's drawn in relation to taking your levothyroxine?

Do you have a few more lab results with ranges you could share? Having only 1 with the symptoms you display makes it difficult to make an opinion.

Is your FT-3 always higher in the range than your FT-4? That alone is an odd occurrence.

Most people "feel" the FT-3 and your lab's are not that far off from someone taking a natural dissected thyroid hormone replacement such as Armour which is high in T3 concentration.


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## Elliebelly (Nov 2, 2017)

I take my Levo early in the morning. Usually 40 min to a few hours before I eat, and I've been taking the supplements 8 - 12 hours later at night. Lab was taken mid-day for me, around 3 pm. I am just now realizing in the past my FT-3 was never looked at. What are the symptoms of feeling like you have high FT-3? Is it not a good thing to have high FT-3 levels (if they are in range still)? The supplements I'm taking are supposed to help me in a variety of ways, one of which is helping with the conversion from FT-4 to FT-3, do you think that is having an influence? Here are some of my last labs... seems my TSH was always pretty stable, and same with FT-4. Am I just having a flare up or is it possible the change in my birth control affected the absorption of my medication, or both?


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## Elliebelly (Nov 2, 2017)




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## Elliebelly (Nov 2, 2017)




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## Elliebelly (Nov 2, 2017)

My question is, since I have been relatively normal, except with what looks to be one flare up in 2015, should I assume this is due to the birth control switch, continue to take the 50 mcg and wait another month to see if the problem clears up itself? Or should I take Dr's advice and go to 75 mcg? I am concerned this is possibly a fluke thing and maybe if she gives me 75 mcg I would go hyperthyroid. Also am I maybe affecting by FT-4 to FT-3 conversion in a negative way by overdoing supplements? I am taking 200 mcg selenium, 2mg copper, 25 mg zinc, ~ 500 mg ashwaganda root.


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## Elliebelly (Nov 2, 2017)

Any suggestions?


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

I would drop the ashwaganda root -- that's been known to muddle the waters significantly.

Have you started the 75 or were you waiting?


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## Elliebelly (Nov 2, 2017)

I have not started taking the 75 mcg yet. Ok good to know. I will stop taking it, would it affect my TSH readings?


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## Elliebelly (Nov 2, 2017)

I have stopped taking the generic bc about 10 days ago, side effects are not improving. I had reservations about switching because new Dr wanted to check back in 6 weeks with ONLY TSH again. Got into argument about testing F-T4, F-T3 and TPO. After some pressuring she said she will do the full panel once more, but that's it. I understand why TPO may not be important, but F-T4 & F-T3 is critical, right?


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

TSH is not really that important, but yes, free t4 and free t3 are critical!

When you say "stop taking it" are you referring to the 75 or the 50?


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## Elliebelly (Nov 2, 2017)

Oh I meant stop taking the ashwaganda. I'm still taking the 50 mcg. She insisted TSH was best indicator, which I know is not true.


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## Elliebelly (Nov 2, 2017)

50 to 75 mcg is a relatively small dose change right?


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

Oh sorry! I got it now.

I don't know much about ashwaganda, but I've seen a number of posters report that it has impacted thyroid numbers.

And yes 50 to 75 is a relatively small change. It's entirely possible you will have to make dose changes regularly. It's sort of the nature of Hashi's.


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## Elliebelly (Nov 2, 2017)

Should I be worried about going hyper from the change?


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## Elliebelly (Nov 2, 2017)

And how long should it theoretically take for my symptoms to clear up if the dose is effective?


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## Elliebelly (Nov 2, 2017)

Thanks so much for the responses, sorry for so many questions. Also wanted to mention that half of my thyroid seems to hurt, on the same side where I have the pruney, cracked open fingers. It seems like it is swollen to me by feeling it with my hands. Will the medication reduce the swelling, and should I be concerned enough to make another appointment about this?


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

Any time you increase your meds, you could possibly go hyper. But it sounds like you are symptomatic enough to need a dose increase, so its worth trying it. This medication regulation stuff is an art, not a clear cut science.

You should notice a change after six full weeks.

If you are having thyroid pain, you should have a thyroid ultrasound (especially if you haven't already). Properly dosages should reduce muscle and joint pain.


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## Elliebelly (Nov 2, 2017)

Thanks so much. This has provided me with a lot of relief and confidence. I just finally got a call saying my referral to an endocrinologist on a nearby island had been processed. Hopefully they can do the ultrasound. I will refer to this post again if I have any other weird symptoms or concerns but for the time being this has answered a lot of my questions and I really appreciate you taking the time to respond.


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## Elliebelly (Nov 2, 2017)

Pain with thyroid has gotten kind of severe lately. I am waiting for call back from specialist. Tips to deal with pain while I wait?


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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

Anti inflammatory meds such as Motrin.

You might also consider a cool pack n your thyroid.


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## Elliebelly (Nov 2, 2017)

I had a thyroid ultrasound done at the local hospital. But I have no one to interpret the data for a significant amount of time. If I were to post the results could someone help me interpret it to see if there are any red flags that would be concerning and important to bring up during my next visit?


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

When you say results, do you mean the radiologists report? If yes, then I'd be happy to help!


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## ksimpy9 (Jan 11, 2018)

I was recently put on Enskyce and my TSH jumped dramatically (1.15 to 8.5). The only thing that changed was that I was now on Enskyce. I 100% believe that the change was caused by this medicine which is rare but could happen. Ask to change the brands of BC. Good luck!


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