[Ski]

#1067466

Our need for thyroid hormone replacement can change for MANY reasons, several of which you mention ~ changes in hormonal status (entering menopause), changes in activity level, changes in age, all these things can change our body’s need for thyroid hormone. In addition to that, our body processes the replacement a little differently as we age, so that can change our requirements too, or at least change how much we must take in order to end up at a normal level. A normal body would handle these adjustments quickly and easily through the T4/TSH feedback loop, but since we are on replacement, we must manage it ourselves with regular monitoring. It actually might be more of an anomaly that you didn’t ned a change in your hormone replacement for 14 years!

[Anonymous]

#1018848

Hi all, I am a 46 year old woman who had RAI done 14.3 years ago and started taking synthroid about 14 years ago. In all these years, I have been on a steady dose with only one time when I went hypo, 4 years ago (also went down to 14). At that time, I had been taking my pills with food, and when I stopped doing that, and consequently started taking my pills with distilled water (no minerals) because I had moved to a new house, my levels went back to normal.

I have been on .112 for the past 10 years or so. I have also battled borderline anemia for the past 11 years, and so when I started feeling lethargic a few months ago, no energy, etc, I attributed it to the possibility my anemia had come back. But I had my blood tested for both last month. Got the result today and I am a whopping 14.38 on TSH. I am not anemic either. My doctor bumped me up to .137 synthroid and told me to get my blood tested in 2 months. I have lived in Canada for the past 4 years. This is a GP. I said can you please check my free T3 and T4 as well, she said no. The TSH would suffice. (grr).

Anyway, I am wondering what has thrown me into hypothroidism! I have done a little research and see lots of women go hypothroid when they get into menopause or peri-menopause. I believe I recently entered perimenopause because I have always had very heavy periods (which is why I was always borderline anemic according to my dr.s) and for the past 4 or so have really tapered off. Also, I never had children and I have read a woman usually goes through menopause earlier when she has never given birth. I have a sister who did not have children either and she started perimenopause at 45. My question is, can this cause me to be so hypothyroid even when I am on a synthetic hormone? I dont get it. Does my body all of a sudden require more thyroid hormone because of this?

The only other thing I did change about 8 months ago, was I stopped taking my morning pill with distilled water anymore and started taking it with tap water. Is it possible the minerals in the tap water decreased my uptake? I also really decreased my exercise from walking 3-4 times a week to pretty much nothing. I have also really increased my coffee intake, to about 2.5 cups from 1 cup a day. Other than that, I have not changed anything that I can think of. Last year in July, I lost both of my cats, one expected at age 19, the other terribly unexpected at age 9 due to pancreatic cancer. It was horrifying how she died I was terribly attached to her and was in grieving for a year, only came out of it about last August.

Final thing: what brought me in to the doctor to get tested–of all things– was seeing flashing lights all the times! It started with lights looking like they were about to go out–flickering, and I would tell my husband "this light needs to be changed it is about to go out". Nope, no flickering. Then it went from flickering lights to flashing lights, like camera flashes. I became concerned when I read on the internet this could be a sign of retinal detachment, so I saw an opthomologist last week. She said my eyes were just fine and since the flashing happened in both eyes, it was likely migranes without headaches. Well I have had migranes with aura before and these flashing lights were nothing like the aura which is just in one eye, grows bigger, and lasts for about 20 min. Not the same thing at all. Anyway, it turns out that you can get these flashing lights with graves eye disease (which I have had for 10 years) when your TSH levels get out of whack–which describes me now to a Tee. Just out of curiousity, has anyone else here ever had these flashing lights?

My main question though is, why since I have been steady all these years, have I all of a sudden gone so hypo when my synthroid level has not changed? Thank you in advance for any responses!

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