# the uncertainty is killing me



## MemphisWalker (May 21, 2015)

Hello there,

I am a 18 year old male suffering from fatigue, lightheadedness, vertigo, dizziness and a lack of concentration and Motivation/ apathy. I have consulted doctors for about a month now and for more than two weeks i have been taking 25mg t4, because my doctor thinks hypothyroidism could be the cause of my symptoms.

Shortly after starting t4 my symptoms got even a little worse. But my doc told me to take the meds till my next appointment in 4 weeks.

My biggest problem right now is not knowing if my symptoms are realy caused by hypothyroidism since not even my doc is sure about that. My parents and my doctor are both suggesting that a psychological problem like depression etc. could be the actual cause for my symptoms. Also my grades dropped quite a bit since i started to feel this way. And my parents are thinking I'm just getting lazy.

What is making me crazy is that i'm starting to belive that they are right since i still don't see any improvement since my lab results don't look that bad and my doc keeps telling me my hypo is very mild and not likely to be the cause of my symptoms.

About me: i have been doing Bodybuilding for about two years now. Four times a week with about 90 minute sessions. I still keep working out because i always enjoyed it and it helps me to relax. At the moment it is pretty hard for me to do. I still feel physically strong but mentally i lack the concentration and endurance i had in prior times. Also i feel like all my symptoms get worse after working out.

I generally feel happy; have good friends and go out with them on the weekends. Recently i don't feel like going out anymore. I also don't feel the Passion/Joy i used to have when playing my trumpet other instruments. Not even when playing computer games / watching movies. The joy i got from those things just seems to have vanished somehow.

Now i was thinking about asking my doc. to increase my does to 50mg/75mg and maybe risking some hyper symptoms. But i was hoping this could be a fast way to get my hormones in the right range for at least a short period of time in order to find out if my thyroid is the cause of all of this. If i got symptoms of hyperthyroidism without feeling normal in between i would know that my thyroid wasn't the cause. So far my theory.

I know this isn't exactly what it says in the textbooks, but i would rather suffer the smyptoms of hyperthyroidism for some time and be certain that everything will eventually turn out fine rather than spending the next weeks/ months not knowing if i will feel normal again. Should i talk with him about this ?

my lab test the day before starting t4:

ft4: ....12 pq/ml 7 - 19

ft3: ....3.6 pq/ml 1.6 - 4.2

TSH: .4.55 uIE/ml 0.1 - 4.5

i have high cortisol: cortisol 16H ... 173 ug/24h 46 - 131

thank you very much for your time


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

Hi there. Could you please post your lab's ranges for those results?


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## Rdonnelly (May 2, 2012)

Its good your getting to work figuring out all this early at least. I have what I believe to be a genetic pre disposition to depression I have struggled with my whole life. And the last 5 years post hypo/hashi's diagnosis certainly has made all that waayyyy worse. And psychological symptoms post meds have always been equal or greater to annoying physical side affects. Sythroid gave me more energy initially but mentally made me really blah for lack of a better word. The natural meds were much better about still feeling mentally "normal" on aside from anxiety when t3 gets up there.

Some of my best memories are of lifting weights when I was your age and feeling on top of the world after a work out. Now I only exercise to make a living, I am 36 and still a climbing arborist (climb trees with chainsaw).

Keeping working out in the meanwhile is my advice but go easy and change it up, maybe some fun outdoor activities that are less organized / goal oriented. Look forward to helping if I can.


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## MemphisWalker (May 21, 2015)

Thanks for your replies,
my endo is now sending me to a neurologist and doesn't believe my thyroid to cause any of the symptoms. Since i started the meds ft4 and ft3 were never tested anymore only tsh since she thinks the others don't matter anymore. 
What do you think ? Are hypo symptoms even possible with my values ?


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

It's possible with those values...most of us like a little higher numbers, but to be clear, your numbers aren't awful.

I would ask your doctor to test your thyroid antibodies. I would also ask about testing your free testosterone. Low t mimics hypothyroid really, really closely.


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## Octavia (Aug 1, 2011)

Your TSH definitely shows room for improvement. IF you do have a thyroid issue, 25 mcg of T4 may not be a high enough dose.


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