# New to Hashimoto's



## Sheikla (Sep 11, 2011)

I have been told last month that I have Hashimoto's but the drs say I just need to get regulated. I have been working with drs for the past year on getting it regulated, going down to 50 and up as high as 125. Right now I am on 88. My last results on the 9th of Sept were: TSH .030 low .450-4.50 range. T4 Free was 2.18 high .82-1.77 range. Also AST (SGOT) 42 high 0-40 range. Last month the thyroid Antibodies were 1299 Thyroid peroxidase and 586 for Thyroglobulin. I am so fatigued that making breakfast wears me out and I have to go back to bed for a couple of hours to regain some energy. I do feel better towards evenings and I take my thyroid at 7:00 am. Any help on how to get some energy back and how to regulate my thyroid?


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

Welcome from another newbie! :anim_32:

Wish I had a "magic" answer for you. Unfortunately, as I am learning myself, there isn't one. But there are a lot of little things you can do to help:

* Selenium has anti-inflammatory properties.
* A good daily multi-vitamin (avoid those with excess iodine).
* Diet (intake) and exercise (movement).
* Getting B-12, Vitamin D, and Iron levels checked.
* Taking liquid fish oil (full of Omega 3's).
* Investigate whether something like Cytomel (synthetic T3) or Armour (natural T4/T3 combo) might help. The Free T3 test can help here.
* If your TSH rises, there are studies that taking your Levothyroxine at night can help with absorption of the medicine, thus lowering your TSH more effectively. (But you aren't in that boat right now.)
* If you are taking a generic Levothyroxine product instead of a brand-name, that can have an effect as well. There is a 10% slop factor in either direction for the generic makers. For example, taking 88 MCG, one month you might be getting an extra 8.8 MCG, the next shorted by 8.8 MCG.
* Avoid excess sugars and carbs. Might have gluten intolerance which can cause some inflammation.
* Avoid lots of soy, iodine, and certain goitrogen veggies (broccoli, bok choy, etc.).

Some helpful links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goitrogen
http://www.thyroidmanager.org/

Looking at your labs, it appears that you are _hyper_ at the moment, judging from your low TSH and elevated Free T4. On straight Levothyroxine (Synthroid, Levoxyl, etc.) there is a 3-4 week window for the new dose to take effect, with a 6-8 week window for full effect.

As far as the elevated antibodies, I don't have enough knowledge to comment on that. Obviously there is some sort of autoimmune thing going on, and involving your thyroid. Thankfully your docs have caught it and you're being treated!


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## beingmeags (Aug 23, 2011)

Hi Sheikla 

I found changing my diet was a huge help when it came to my energy levels, which is something bigfoot has mentioned above.

I am on a gluten free diet, which means 95% of the time I live on fruit, vegetables, lean meats, dairy and legumes... with the occasional bar of chocolate to keep my spirits up! I also try and stay away from soy, but I'm not as aggressive with it as I am the gluten.

Although my mental health is a bit questionable (from the lack of feel good foods like chips, deep fried food and buttered white bread) my health has really improved, especially my energy level.

I hope this helps! Good luck!

I'm on 50mcg of l-thyroxine


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## Sheikla (Sep 11, 2011)

Thanks to both of you for your input! I will work on the food changes. I am on the Synthroid not the generic.

Thanks again!


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