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Suggest Treatment For Severe Fatigue While On Synthroid
Question: Hi, I am a returning customer. My name is grace. For more than 2 or 3 months, I have been extremely tired, lack of motivation, trouble sleeping, and no energy. My energy is so low that sometimes I could hardly talk. I used to able to do things but now, it take lots of effort but end up extremely tired. All my blood work came back normal except my tsh is 0.131 which is low that means it is high. I am taking 88 mcg symthroid. My free T4 is 1.48, my free T3 is 3.2. Thyroid peroxidase autoantibodies is 28.I lost what I am going to tell you
I have flu 1 month ago and I am still feel like I have not got over it. My heart doctor said my echo looks good. Is it my low tsh causes me to feel this tired or I am getting something like chronic fatigue syndrome. I check the symptoms. I have almost every one of them. Please help.I have done all the tests that you mentioned, everything came back normal except tsh and bun/creatinine ratio 32.9. Normal 9.0-28. Should I reduce symthroid?
I have flu 1 month ago and I am still feel like I have not got over it. My heart doctor said my echo looks good. Is it my low tsh causes me to feel this tired or I am getting something like chronic fatigue syndrome. I check the symptoms. I have almost every one of them. Please help.I have done all the tests that you mentioned, everything came back normal except tsh and bun/creatinine ratio 32.9. Normal 9.0-28. Should I reduce symthroid?
Brief Answer:
reducing the synthroid would cause more fatigue
Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic
As you stated, low TSH usually means that the thyroid hormone levels (T3 and T4) are high. This is not usually associated with fatigue.
Your values are not too high however.
TSH is let out from an area in the brain and T3 and T4 are made in the thyroid gland. TSH tells the thyroid gland to make these hormones
When T3 and T4 are too high, they send a message to the brain saying, don't make any more TSH because the thyroid hormones are too high and vice versa.
Fatigue occurs with low levels of thyroid hormones (this would cause a high TSH).
If you had previous blood tests that showed your thyroid hormone levels were low, this would have caused the TSH to go down and it would be the reason that you were started on synthroid.
If this was going on for a long time, it would take the TSH a while to respond and go back up to normal though the T3 and T4 are ok.
The synthroid should not be reduced, reducing it would reduce the thyroid hormone levels (t3 and t4), this would cause more fatigue
The high BUN/creat ratio can happen in dehydration or any condition where there is less blood to the kidneys such as liver or kidney disease. If these were tested in the blood tests and were normal, then should not be a problem.
The chronic fatigue syndrome should definitely be considered and assessed by your doctor.
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
reducing the synthroid would cause more fatigue
Detailed Answer:
HI, thanks for using healthcare magic
As you stated, low TSH usually means that the thyroid hormone levels (T3 and T4) are high. This is not usually associated with fatigue.
Your values are not too high however.
TSH is let out from an area in the brain and T3 and T4 are made in the thyroid gland. TSH tells the thyroid gland to make these hormones
When T3 and T4 are too high, they send a message to the brain saying, don't make any more TSH because the thyroid hormones are too high and vice versa.
Fatigue occurs with low levels of thyroid hormones (this would cause a high TSH).
If you had previous blood tests that showed your thyroid hormone levels were low, this would have caused the TSH to go down and it would be the reason that you were started on synthroid.
If this was going on for a long time, it would take the TSH a while to respond and go back up to normal though the T3 and T4 are ok.
The synthroid should not be reduced, reducing it would reduce the thyroid hormone levels (t3 and t4), this would cause more fatigue
The high BUN/creat ratio can happen in dehydration or any condition where there is less blood to the kidneys such as liver or kidney disease. If these were tested in the blood tests and were normal, then should not be a problem.
The chronic fatigue syndrome should definitely be considered and assessed by your doctor.
I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
I have both of my thyroid out in 2007. so, I took symthroid since 2007. right now, I am on 88 mcg. so, what you are saying is since my free T3 and Free T4 are on the normal range, I should not reduce my med? I am also on the following medication. Clopidalol 75 mg, cardilol 6.25 mg. doxepin 25mg, lorezapam 2 mg. I was just asked to take off Fenofibrate 160 mg for 2 weeks. I wonder if stopping Fenofibrate has anything to do with my condition and symptoms. I feel like my brain is deprived of oxygen, and my brain is hollowed and foggy. I am slurring sometimes as if I am drunk. I was active until few weeks ago. I feel I have flu like symptoms all the times.
Brief Answer:
lowering the synthroid--- decrease the thyroid hormones--- more fatigue
Detailed Answer:
HI
Low levels of thyroid hormones (t3 and t4) would make fatigue worse, if you reduce the synthroid, it would cause these hormones to go down.
This means that this can make the fatigue worse so it would be best not the reduce the medication unless your doctor thinks otherwise.
The discontinuation of the fenofibrate should not have this effect.
If a complete blood count has not be done, this should be done to rule out anemia as a cause of your symptoms.
Your doctor can also assess for chronic fatigue syndrome to see if this is likely
lowering the synthroid--- decrease the thyroid hormones--- more fatigue
Detailed Answer:
HI
Low levels of thyroid hormones (t3 and t4) would make fatigue worse, if you reduce the synthroid, it would cause these hormones to go down.
This means that this can make the fatigue worse so it would be best not the reduce the medication unless your doctor thinks otherwise.
The discontinuation of the fenofibrate should not have this effect.
If a complete blood count has not be done, this should be done to rule out anemia as a cause of your symptoms.
Your doctor can also assess for chronic fatigue syndrome to see if this is likely
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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