# New here - under medicated?



## AutumnFlower (Mar 30, 2015)

Hi I'm hoping someone can help. I take thyroxine (150 mcg) but my symptoms haven't gotten better and to make matters worse I have an upper respiratory infection for the second time in a month. It's so bad that I wake up coughing and so I take something like Veno's or Locketts to help calm down my symptoms. What worries me is that this is my second virus/infection in the space of a month and before I often have one cold at the start of the year and the next one I have happens at the end of the year.

On Wednesday night I had a fizzy feeling in my lower legs so I did what I usually do when I get that feeling which is to straighten my legs out to help the circulation. My legs felt warm, not swollen or red, and I hoped this would sort the problem. But for most of the morning when I was in bed my legs hurt to straighten out, to bend or move. They hurt even when I kept them still. I'm active and very mobile so I know it's not because I've been inactive.

When I got up Thursday I noticed a bruise on the top of my leg. It was only a small bruise and I tend to bruise easily anyway. Before I'd get a bruise and even though I couldn't remember how I got it I thought nothing of it. But this time I had pain all the way down my leg, more noticeably in my thigh and knee joint, again not changed with rest or movement. I took some painkillers to see if that would help but the pain got worse. In the end I went to my doctor and she called me to say that she'd order a blood test to work out why I keep bruising but I'm not very confident that this blood test is going to show anything because things like platelets, white blood cells always come back in range. The only things that go a bit high are plasma viscosity and red blood cell count (but not that much)

There is a family history of heart disease but the only thing I have had to check for heart disease is an ECG and that showed sinus arrhythmia which the doctor told me is normal in young (30 years old) slim people like me. I was checked for diabetes because there's a family history of that. Again, the HbA1c was normal and so was glucose.

So now i'm still in pain and have no idea what to do. Painkillers only make it worse, my legs (more so my right one) feel like they're bruised all over and the bottoms of my feet feel like they're on fire. I'm worried as well that my periods are always black, painful and heavy and I'm already anemic (low ferritin) so I don't really want to lose any more blood.

My hypo symptoms: tired, joint pain, constipation, slow heart, cold hands, hair loss, dry skin, weight gain, heavy periods, cold shooting pain in lower legs (ongoing), stiff arm and legs and the above bruising and pain down my leg (more noticeable in my right).

Is it likely that my immune system isn't very strong at the moment because I have another infection a few weeks apart from the first one?
Or am I just under medicated?

My doctor has retested ferritin, thyroid (?) which wasn't due, autoimmune profile which I guess includes TPO, rheumatoid factor. I don't know what's going on or what I need to do. Any ideas?

Thank you

Thyroid:

February this year (150 mcg) symptoms as above

TSH - 3.6 (0.2-4.2)
FT4 - 15.2 (12-22)
FT3 - 4 (3.9-6.8)

December last year (125 mcg) symptoms - constipation, tired, joint pain, dry skin, feeling cold

TSH - 6.1 (0.2-4.2)
FT4 - 19.7 (12-22)
FT3 - 4.3 (3.9-6.8)

October last year (100 mcg) symptoms - constipation, tired, feeling cold, weight loss, dry skin

TSH - 3.2 (0.2-4.2)
FT4 - 16.8 (12-22)
FT3 - 4.6 (3.9-6.8)

July last year (50 mcg) symptoms - sweating, weight loss, tired, dry hair, dry skin

TSH - 34 (0.2-4.2)
FT4 - 10.2 (12-22)
FT3 - 5.4 (3.9-6.8)

April last year (no thyroxine) symptoms - feeling hot, pale skin, tired, constipation, joint pain, weight loss

TSH - 0.03 (0.2-4.2)
FT4 - 21.5 (12-22)
FT3 - 7 (3.9-6.8)
TPO - 271 (<34)

Other tests:

January this year

Folate - 6 (4.6-18.7)
Vitamin B12 - 421 (180-900)
Vitamin D - 44.6 (25-75)

December last year

Ferritin - 13 (30-400)
Zinc - 17 (14-22)
Magnesium - 0.87 (0.7-1)


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

Yes, you are under medicated. It looks like you are someone who does not convert t4 to t3, as your free t3 is painfully low. Has your doctor considered a reduction in your thyroxine and adding in a t3 medication?

Have you had a thyroid ultrasound?


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## AutumnFlower (Mar 30, 2015)

joplin1975 said:


> Yes, you are under medicated. It looks like you are someone who does not convert t4 to t3, as your free t3 is painfully low. Has your doctor considered a reduction in your thyroxine and adding in a t3 medication?
> 
> Have you had a thyroid ultrasound?


Thanks for replying. No, my doctor hasn't considered reducing my thyroxine because they want the TSH around 1. But the symptoms I now have are suggestive of hyperthyroid but on the other hand I can't work out if it's still from the flu/virus/cold I still have hanging around.

I have asked my doctor about T3 and they said they've never heard of it.

I have had an ultrasound on the thyroid which says it was enlarged but the doctor said nothing about the findings. I don't know what else I ought to do really.


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## jenny v (May 6, 2012)

> I have asked my doctor about T3 and they said they've never heard of it.


Ooof, that's a good sign you need a new doctor! If they aren't even up to date on the medications available I don't know if I'd trust their care.


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## webster2 (May 19, 2011)

It seems like you are a good candidate for T3 medication and a new doctor.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

Understanding the Thyroid: Why You Should Check Your Free T3
http://breakingmuscle.com/health-medicine/understanding-thyroid-why-you-should-check-your-free-t3
(Copy and paste into your browser)

Dr. Mercola (FREES)
http://www.mercola.com/article/hypothyroid/diagnosis_comp.htm
(Copy and paste into your browser)

Free T3 and Free T4 are the only accurate measurement of the actual active thyroid hormone levels in the body. This is the hormone that is actually free and exerting effect on the cells. These are the thyroid hormones that count.

It does not look like you are undermedicated; rather, it looks like you may be on the wrong medication because it looks like you are not converting. Dessicated porcine thyroid or add exogenous T3 to your thyroxine.

It sounds like you are not in the USA so you would have to find out the names of these meds and hope and pray your doctor agrees that you need exogenous T3.

All your symptoms may not be from just the thyroid though. Leg pain can be from low ferritin but if I where you, I would ask for Anti-dsDNA for Lupus. I feel something else may be going on which is not unusual w/autoimmune patients.

Have you had an ultra-sound of your thyroid.....................??

Welcome to the board!


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## AutumnFlower (Mar 30, 2015)

Andros said:


> Understanding the Thyroid: Why You Should Check Your Free T3
> http://breakingmuscle.com/health-medicine/understanding-thyroid-why-you-should-check-your-free-t3
> (Copy and paste into your browser)
> 
> ...


Thank you Andros.

Yes I had an ultrasound of the thyroid and I was told it was enlarged and vascular. I haven't got a clue what that means.


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

jenny v said:


> Ooof, that's a good sign you need a new doctor! If they aren't even up to date on the medications available I don't know if I'd trust their care.


Agreed!

Are you in the States?


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## AutumnFlower (Mar 30, 2015)

No I'm in the UK. Sorry, I forgot to mention. Are there any good doctors I could see about this in the UK?


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## joplin1975 (Jul 21, 2011)

We have a couple of posters in the UK who have had to fight like made to get t3 meds...hopefully they will be popping in here soon to help you out.


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