Wife Hypothiroidism problem(Help)

[BigPimpin76]

My wife has been diagnosed with hypothiroidism about a year ago!
I am another victim of low test and due to dumb ass doctors here in Central America , i had to self medicate through a lot of reading and question asking on this awesome forum. My life has changed for better once I understood how my body functions.
Since I dont trust doctors here, i come to ask for some guidance for my wife!
Here is some info.
Since my wife has been on meds , diet and workout, she has been struggling to loose weight. It has been a mission for her!!
As for meds she takes Levothyroxine 50 mcg daily.

At the same time she is taking 50 mcg of Levothyroxine/Levotironina that equals the dose of 100mcg/20 mcg .

I dont know much about Thyroid but something tells me there is a conflict of both meds one with another.

Could someone help please.

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[thisAngelBites]

Hi there,

I will be happy to help you think about this, but you have put in levothyroxine twice, and I wonder if you meant to say she is taking a separate T3 supplement (called cytomel in some countries) as well, or if there is something else, and that is what you are asking about? I think you mis-typed, so could you clarify?

Also, blood work would help a lot here. The most recent TSH, T4, T3, free T3, free T4 - and anything else you have will help us to help you think about what is going on. Also, her age would be good to know.

[BigPimpin76]

Hi there, I will be happy to help you think about this, but you have put in levothyroxine twice, and I wonder if you meant to say she is taking a separate T3 supplement (called cytomel in some countries) as well, or if there is something else, and that is what you are asking about? I think you mis-typed, so could you clarify? Also, blood work would help a lot here. The most recent TSH, T4, T3, free T3, free T4 - and anything else you have will help us to help you think about what is going on. Also, her age would be good to know.

Hey thanks for the reply.
I dont think I mistyped, I wrote exactly what it says on the Box. To me its strange that her doctor is prescribing the same meds?????

My wife is 40 yrs old and here are the results of her recent BW.
Its in spanish






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[thisAngelBites]

I will have a look at the bloodwork now.

Sorry, I was confused about the medications because you mentioned them separately. Why didn't you just say she takes 100 mcg of levothyroxine?

I'm not giving you a hard time - I'm more concerned that you were trying to say something that I am missing.

[thisAngelBites]

Ok, so if this result was taken while she was on 100 mcg of levothyroxine it may be the case that she is taking too much.

I presume she takes it all at one time in the morning, is that correct?

Did she take it the morning of the blood test?

Do you know things like what her blood pressure is? Any comment by the doctor of it being high?

What is her resting heart rate (pulse) - after 10-15 minutes of sitting?

I am concerned she may have a slight problem with other hormones, and this is causing her to not feel well, and the doctor was upping the levothyroxine to try and treat the symptoms. That's not a bad plan of action, but now that he sees her TSH is totally suppressed, and her T3 is over the reference range, I would expect him to be investigating other possibilities because too much T3 can damage her heart in the long run.

[thisAngelBites]

At the same time she is taking 50 mcg of Levothyroxine/Levotironina that equals the dose of 100mcg/20 mcg .

I understand how 2 doses of 50 mcg levothyroxine equals 100 mcg - but where did you get the 20 mcg from? I just need to be really clear on what she is taking.

[BigPimpin76]

Ok, so if this result was taken while she was on 100 mcg of levothyroxine it may be the case that she is taking too much. I presume she takes it all at one time in the morning, is that correct?

Correct! All meds are taken in the morning.



Did she take it the morning of the blood test?

She did not take meds in the morning on the day of BW.


Do you know things like what her blood pressure is?

Blood pressure is fine , doctor says so.


Any comment by the doctor of it being high? What is her resting heart rate (pulse) - after 10-15 minutes of sitting? No idea

I am concerned she may have a slight problem with other hormones, and this is causing her to not feel well, and the doctor was upping the levothyroxine to try and treat the symptoms. That's not a bad plan of action, but now that he sees her TSH is totally suppressed, and her T3 is over the reference range, I would expect him to be investigating other possibilities because too much T3 can damage her heart in the long run.

Yes the plan the doctor is prescribing may be ok but my wife feels a lot of heart racing after the workout and she sees no shift in weight.

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[BigPimpin76]

I will have a look at the bloodwork now. Sorry, I was confused about the medications because you mentioned them separately. Why didn't you just say she takes 100 mcg of levothyroxine? I'm not giving you a hard time - I'm more concerned that you were trying to say something that I am missing.

I know you arent giving me a hard time Sent from my iPhone using Forum

[Mr.BB]

I know you arent giving me a hard time Sent from my iPhone using Forum

Yes, your post is confusing. It seems your wife is taking 2 meds, but you posted that both contain levothyroxine?!?!?

Dont know what is Levotironina...

Can you post a pic of the med boxes maybe?

[BigPimpin76]

Yes, your post is confusing. It seems your wife is taking 2 meds, but you posted that both contain levothyroxine?!?!? Dont know what is Levotironina... Can you post a pic of the med boxes maybe?

I know it's confusing as well since I don't understand why the doc is prescribing the same meds.
I will post a pic of the meds

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[BigPimpin76]

Yes, your post is confusing. It seems your wife is taking 2 meds, but you posted that both contain levothyroxine?!?!? Dont know what is Levotironina... Can you post a pic of the med boxes maybe?

This is what she is taking. Half a pill each morning








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[The Deadlifting Dog]

This is what she is taking. Half a pill each morning <img src="http://forums.steroid.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=158441"/> <img src="http://forums.steroid.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=158442"/> Sent from my iPhone using Forum

I believe she is taking...
100 mcg of T4 per day
And 10 mcg of T3 per day

How much does she weigh?

[BigPimpin76]

I believe she is taking... 100 mcg of T4 per day And 10 mcg of T3 per day How much does she weigh?

Yep that dose makes sense! Correct!
As of now she weighs 146 lbs.
Not much shift in weight what so ever, despite her doing Crossfit and diet which she maintains perfectly!

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[The Deadlifting Dog]

Yep that dose makes sense! Correct! As of now she weighs 146 lbs. Not much shift in weight what so ever, despite her doing Crossfit and diet which she maintains perfectly! Sent from my iPhone using Forum

Her lack of weight loss is not caused by a lack of thyroid meds.
She is on a hefty dose for her size.
She needs to eat less calories.

[BigPimpin76]

I told my wife to talk to the Doc!
He accepted his error in ading 10 mcg of T3 since it threw my wife's BW out of wack after everything was in check before.
What my wife wanted was to loos weight faster the Doc prescribed to add T3 in the mix.
That didn't work!

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[BigPimpin76]

Lil bump?

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[thisAngelBites]

I agree with Deadlifting Dog - now I understand she is taking 100 mcg of T4 and 10 mcg of T3.

How does your wife feel? Does she feel absolutely fine, but unable to lose weight, or does she have any other symptoms?

There are other things needed for thyroid hormone to work properly. If it doesn't work properly (can't get into the cells), it accumulates in the blood you can end up with very fast tendon reactions. Her doctor could test this reflex by testing her achilles tendon or the tendon just beneath her knee.

You need to have enough vitamin D3, enough vitamin B12, enough folate in the body. He could consider checking those.

Also, her cortisol could be a problem - and that will impact how well her body uses thyroid hormone. The best way to test cortisol is to do 4 saliva tests in a day at different times (usually 8am, noon, 3 or 4 pm and midnight). Crossfit is pretty stressful exercise and can affect cortisol levels.

Also, it's a good idea to make sure the stored iron in her body is high enough, by doing a ferritin test, but if she feels absolutely fine and has no fatigue then it's less likely the iron is super low.

The other thing is that at 40, hormones have started decreasing. She may have less DHEA (which can be tested) and less pregnenolone, and both of these convert to other hormones. Also she could have her testosterone levels checked at the same time, because T being low would make her more likely to hold on to extra weight, especially in the tummy and around the midsection. The same is true for progesterone and estrogen levels, which would also be useful to know.

I wish I could give you a more simple answer, but I think if you talk to the doctor and raise these things he could do some more blood work, because I really think you need more information.

The other possibility is to keep a daily log of her food and post it in the nutrition forum and have them direct you a bit in response. Her T3 is high, and T3 raises appetite - so you could have something like that to factor into this whole thing as well.

[BigPimpin76]

I agree with Deadlifting Dog - now I understand she is taking 100 mcg of T4 and 10 mcg of T3. How does your wife feel? Does she feel absolutely fine, but unable to lose weight, or does she have any other symptoms? There are other things needed for thyroid hormone to work properly. If it doesn't work properly (can't get into the cells), it accumulates in the blood you can end up with very fast tendon reactions. Her doctor could test this reflex by testing her achilles tendon or the tendon just beneath her knee. You need to have enough vitamin D3, enough vitamin B12, enough folate in the body. He could consider checking those. Also, her cortisol could be a problem - and that will impact how well her body uses thyroid hormone. The best way to test cortisol is to do 4 saliva tests in a day at different times (usually 8am, noon, 3 or 4 pm and midnight). Crossfit is pretty stressful exercise and can affect cortisol levels. Also, it's a good idea to make sure the stored iron in her body is high enough, by doing a ferritin test, but if she feels absolutely fine and has no fatigue then it's less likely the iron is super low. The other thing is that at 40, hormones have started decreasing. She may have less DHEA (which can be tested) and less pregnenolone, and both of these convert to other hormones. Also she could have her testosterone levels checked at the same time, because T being low would make her more likely to hold on to extra weight, especially in the tummy and around the midsection. The same is true for progesterone and estrogen levels, which would also be useful to know. I wish I could give you a more simple answer, but I think if you talk to the doctor and raise these things he could do some more blood work, because I really think you need more information. The other possibility is to keep a daily log of her food and post it in the nutrition forum and have them direct you a bit in response. Her T3 is high, and T3 raises appetite - so you could have something like that to factor into this whole thing as well.

Hey Angel!
Thanks for the Info!
I think all you has written makes more sense. I Advised my wife to get a Hormone panel to see where the problem is!
Yes, Crossfit is a very tough sport and it makes sense that it creates stress to the body and it creates cortisol.
Also, her daily life as a wife creates stress, kids, "husband" , work, Crossfit etc.
Id say sexual activity in marriage gets supressed. Me on the other hand with TRT after almost 2 years have felt much better.
But on her behalf getting Hormones checked to get balanced wouldn't be a bad idea.

I got a question, what supplement is good against cortisol?
Vitamin C? At what dosage for women?

Again, thank for your input

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[BigPimpin76]

I agree with Deadlifting Dog - now I understand she is taking 100 mcg of T4 and 10 mcg of T3. How does your wife feel? Does she feel absolutely fine, but unable to lose weight, or does she have any other symptoms? There are other things needed for thyroid hormone to work properly. If it doesn't work properly (can't get into the cells), it accumulates in the blood you can end up with very fast tendon reactions. Her doctor could test this reflex by testing her achilles tendon or the tendon just beneath her knee. You need to have enough vitamin D3, enough vitamin B12, enough folate in the body. He could consider checking those. Also, her cortisol could be a problem - and that will impact how well her body uses thyroid hormone. The best way to test cortisol is to do 4 saliva tests in a day at different times (usually 8am, noon, 3 or 4 pm and midnight). Crossfit is pretty stressful exercise and can affect cortisol levels. Also, it's a good idea to make sure the stored iron in her body is high enough, by doing a ferritin test, but if she feels absolutely fine and has no fatigue then it's less likely the iron is super low. The other thing is that at 40, hormones have started decreasing. She may have less DHEA (which can be tested) and less pregnenolone, and both of these convert to other hormones. Also she could have her testosterone levels checked at the same time, because T being low would make her more likely to hold on to extra weight, especially in the tummy and around the midsection. The same is true for progesterone and estrogen levels, which would also be useful to know. I wish I could give you a more simple answer, but I think if you talk to the doctor and raise these things he could do some more blood work, because I really think you need more information. The other possibility is to keep a daily log of her food and post it in the nutrition forum and have them direct you a bit in response. Her T3 is high, and T3 raises appetite - so you could have something like that to factor into this whole thing as well.

I want to get my wife to get some BW in regards to hormones. What hormones should she get tested. Whats best advised Sent from my iPhone using Forum

[thisAngelBites]

If I were you, I would wait for test results to supplement for cortisol, although Vitamin C is good, and you will pee out any excess. Sometimes cortisol is high and sometimes it is low and they can oddly appear very similar, symptomatically.

I mentioned a bunch of tests above, but for hormones specifically I would get oestradiol (sometimes called E2), progesterone, testosterone and sex hormone binding globulin (abbreviated SHBG - which can also get high from too much T3 and binds testosterone).

Ask her doc which day of her cycle she should get the blood drawn - for women obviously the values change at different stages of the menstrual cycle. Your doc may have a preference for a particular day, and he will be most familiar with results from that day.

[BigPimpin76]

If I were you, I would wait for test results to supplement for cortisol, although Vitamin C is good, and you will pee out any excess. Sometimes cortisol is high and sometimes it is low and they can oddly appear very similar, symptomatically. I mentioned a bunch of tests above, but for hormones specifically I would get oestradiol (sometimes called E2), progesterone, testosterone and sex hormone binding globulin (abbreviated SHBG - which can also get high from too much T3 and binds testosterone). Ask her doc which day of her cycle she should get the blood drawn - for women obviously the values change at different stages of the menstrual cycle. Your doc may have a preference for a particular day, and he will be most familiar with results from that day.

Apreciate the response.
First, the doc said for her to quit the 10 mg of T3 and keep the protocol as it was before, where results seem to have been working in a steady but slow fat loss.
Before adding the T3 her Thyroid levels were in check!

As for diet, it seems to be very in check. I am suspecting some sodium that equals to water retention.

I told her too increase the amount of water intake.

As for Crossfit, it makes sense in regards to increasing stress to the body. So instead, she will do some fast walking for an Hour.
I am thinking that will do the trick.
She will increase vitamin C intake.

So to follow up as you advised,tomorrow she will get hormones checked.

I will keep you posted on Bw...
Maybe you can help furthe

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[thisAngelBites]

All sounds good. Things like yoga and pilates are good, less stressful ways to exercise as well. But walking (I personally think the more walking -even normal paced walking- the better for general well-being) is great.

I'll watch for the blood work.

[BigPimpin76]

All sounds good. Things like yoga and pilates are good, less stressful ways to exercise as well. But walking (I personally think the more walking -even normal paced walking- the better for general well-being) is great. I'll watch for the blood work.

Hey Angel.
Posting my wife's BW











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[thisAngelBites]

What day of her cycle was the blood drawn?

[BigPimpin76]

What day of her cycle was the blood drawn?

Day 28th

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[thisAngelBites]

Ok, so I've had a look at the bloods tests.

The general impression is that her hormones are somewhat low. There can be various causes for this. Stress can cause the body do this or it can be a normal part of decline of hormones due to aging.

I remember what you said about the stress in your wife's life, and at the end of the day, how people handle stress is important too - some people are very laid back, others are more anxious, and this changes the body's hormonal response. If you perceive things as stressful, they are.

When you feel stressed, your body preferentially takes the building-block hormones and uses as much as it can to counteract the stress. This can leave you with low hormones everywhere else. You will have a better idea whether your wife feels the stress strongly enough that this could be causing a problem for her, as I don't know her.

The morning cortisol is lower than where you would want it - one way to help try and get a better daily rhythm of cortisol is to try to live in sync with the daylight - the two most important things are getting out in the bright daylight in the morning so that your brain gets clear signals that it is daytime (and trying to avoid screens at night after dark), and the other thing is having breakfast first thing (this is another clear sign to your body after fasting all night that it is daytime).

Anything to reduce stress would be good. Moderate (not intense) exercise is always good, for other people talking to friends or joining some kind of support or hobby group (people can provide each other with such good support, in many cases much better than medicine) that meets regularly. Meditation and deep breathing can be great helps too.

Some doctors prescribe cortisol or methylprednisolone to people like your wife, but I am guessing most physicians are going to say her levels are not low enough for that (and I continue to read the medical research I am starting to think that is not a great idea anyway). If these were my results, I would try to live more in accordance with the daylight as I suggested, and going to bed earlier (people whose adrenals are not making the right amount of hormone seem to really benefit from early bedtimes - like 10pm), and trying to get as much support as I could, and incorporating anti stressful activities.

As for the sex hormones and such, I would really recommend your wife speak to her doctor about it. Female hormones are much more involved than men's hormones, and you need someone who has treated many women, and knows how to make the healthiest recommendations so you don't increase any cancer risks.

Having said that, you could try and supplement with DHEA, which is a hormone that converts downstream to the sex hormones (including testosterone , which you can see is quite low in the normal range, and which will affect libido along with stress!). She could consider a small amount (like 15mg), but watch, as she could get enough to convert to testosterone that she could get side effects like hair growth on the lip or chin.

Another "building block" hormone you could try is pregnenolone (50 mg or so), because it also will contribute to the general hormone shortage.

Probably the best thing to do is to speak to her doc, hear what he or she thinks and say you would like to take some of these precursor hormones for several weeks, and then retest blood and reevaluate how your wife is feeling, and if those are not enough you could raise doses or consider to directly supplement each hormone. Ask his view of such a plan. She's a little young for HRT (although I am all in favour of people living optimally, rather than suffering with low levels), and I wouldn't be surprised if taking this stuff, and actively trying to relax doesn't help things. Convince her to put the weight loss on the back burner until she gets this stuff in order. The body loves to hold on to fat when we are stressed, and the doc may consider another small bump in T3 once her well-being is improved, and it will probably work better then.

This is what I would do if that was my bloodwork. I hope it's useful to you in some way!

[BigPimpin76]

Ok, so I've had a look at the bloods tests. The general impression is that her hormones are somewhat low. There can be various causes for this. Stress can cause the body do this or it can be a normal part of decline of hormones due to aging. I remember what you said about the stress in your wife's life, and at the end of the day, how people handle stress is important too - some people are very laid back, others are more anxious, and this changes the body's hormonal response. If you perceive things as stressful, they are. When you feel stressed, your body preferentially takes the building-block hormones and uses as much as it can to counteract the stress. This can leave you with low hormones everywhere else. You will have a better idea whether your wife feels the stress strongly enough that this could be causing a problem for her, as I don't know her. The morning cortisol is lower than where you would want it - one way to help try and get a better daily rhythm of cortisol is to try to live in sync with the daylight - the two most important things are getting out in the bright daylight in the morning so that your brain gets clear signals that it is daytime (and trying to avoid screens at night after dark), and the other thing is having breakfast first thing (this is another clear sign to your body after fasting all night that it is daytime). Anything to reduce stress would be good. Moderate (not intense) exercise is always good, for other people talking to friends or joining some kind of support or hobby group (people can provide each other with such good support, in many cases much better than medicine) that meets regularly. Meditation and deep breathing can be great helps too. Some doctors prescribe cortisol or methylprednisolone to people like your wife, but I am guessing most physicians are going to say her levels are not low enough for that (and I continue to read the medical research I am starting to think that is not a great idea anyway). If these were my results, I would try to live more in accordance with the daylight as I suggested, and going to bed earlier (people whose adrenals are not making the right amount of hormone seem to really benefit from early bedtimes - like 10pm), and trying to get as much support as I could, and incorporating anti stressful activities. As for the sex hormones and such, I would really recommend your wife speak to her doctor about it. Female hormones are much more involved than men's hormones, and you need someone who has treated many women, and knows how to make the healthiest recommendations so you don't increase any cancer risks. Having said that, you could try and supplement with DHEA, which is a hormone that converts downstream to the sex hormones (including testosterone, which you can see is quite low in the normal range, and which will affect libido along with stress!). She could consider a small amount (like 15mg), but watch, as she could get enough to convert to testosterone that she could get side effects like hair growth on the lip or chin. Another "building block" hormone you could try is pregnenolone (50 mg or so), because it also will contribute to the general hormone shortage. Probably the best thing to do is to speak to her doc, hear what he or she thinks and say you would like to take some of these precursor hormones for several weeks, and then retest blood and reevaluate how your wife is feeling, and if those are not enough you could raise doses or consider to directly supplement each hormone. Ask his view of such a plan. She's a little young for HRT (although I am all in favour of people living optimally, rather than suffering with low levels), and I wouldn't be surprised if taking this stuff, and actively trying to relax doesn't help things. Convince her to put the weight loss on the back burner until she gets this stuff in order. The body loves to hold on to fat when we are stressed, and the doc may consider another small bump in T3 once her well-being is improved, and it will probably work better then. This is what I would do if that was my bloodwork. I hope it's useful to you in some way!

Hello Angel,
I am thankful and impressed on how you took the time to elaborate on your thoughts in what you suggest.

My wife got an appointment with the Endo as of today!!

I will keep you posted!

Thanks again and God Bless

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[thisAngelBites]

Good luck at the doctor's - hope it all goes well.