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Question for those that have Hypothyroidism
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Question for those that have Hypothyroidism

› Forums › General Melanoma Community › Question for those that have Hypothyroidism

  • Post
    • July 19, 2017 at 7:37 pm
    jennunicorn
    Participant

      Since being told my TSH number was high 2 weeks ago, meaning my thyroid is underactive, I have noticed that I am getting a lot more fatigued than usual. Mostly in a weird foggy brain, feeling off, not quite myself, tired way. For those who have also experienced hypothyroidism, does this sound similar?

      I will see the nurse practitioner tomorrow before my infusion since my oncologist is on vacation this week, and will let her know all of this. It usually takes until the end of the day to get the TSH blood test back, so I won't know if it's gotten worse until tomorrow evening. 

      When others have started on Synthroid (levothyroxine), how long did it take before you felt more normal again? I am in the process of interviewing for a new job, I have my second interview on Friday, and if I get this job I really need to be back to more normal energy levels, so I'm stressing a little bit about this if you can't tell. 

       

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    • Replies
        • July 19, 2017 at 8:26 pm
        Hukill
        Participant

          My thyriod went in November and I have been on hormones since. The fatigue has never left or gotten better even though my thyriod numbers every 2 weeks are good. I also have insomnia as a side effect too so I am always tired and can't sleep. I have tried every prescription including tramazapam and tranodol(spelling) and nothing works.

          • July 19, 2017 at 10:18 pm
          Jubes
          Participant

            Hi jenn. I lost thyroid function almost immediately. That was three years ago. I didn't really notice the tiredness etc as I was going through lots of other symptoms and it was the least of my worries. However the endo tried various doses of thuroxin until the levels were good and I'm on 75 ug thyroxin daily and don't even think about it. 

            Hope you find the right dose to help with fatigue

            anne-Louise 

            • July 19, 2017 at 10:25 pm
            DZnDef
            Participant

              Hi Jenn!

              I was hypothyroid long before we discovered the melanoma.  I was on Synthroid for a while.  My numbers improved but my energy did not return.  I finally got a doc that put me on Nature-Throid.  This gave me my energy back and some brain fog lifted.  A good friend of mine switched from Synthroid to Nature-Throid but had the opposite experience so she is back on Synthroid and feeling like herself again.  Which is all to say you might need to experiment to find what works best with your body.  But once I got on the right one for me, the effect was fairly immediate.  Good luck to you!

              Cheers!

              Maggie

              • July 20, 2017 at 12:28 am
              jennunicorn
              Participant

                Thanks for the responses everyone, it always helps!

                  • July 20, 2017 at 12:32 pm
                  momsmole
                  Participant

                    I also was on Synthroid for years before melanoma.  I've had very good luck with Synthroid, but have to be certain that the drug or insurance company does not give me the generic version.  Some people get no benefit from the generic.  You might check to be sure you are getting Synthroid.  I felt terrible before Synthroid:  fatigue, muscle aches, night sweats, mood swings, lots of uncomfortable symptoms.  Once my dosage was stabilized and I got on the "real" drug, I've been much better.  I don't take any drugs for melanoma, tho, so my experience may be different from yours.  I just had a WLE and SNLB about a year ago.  I would say if you don't feel better in another week or so, tell your doctor.  Good luck!

                     

                    • July 20, 2017 at 4:17 pm
                    jennunicorn
                    Participant

                      Thanks for letting me know about the generic not working as well. Fingers crossed that my TSH levels are normal today and this fatigue stuff is just a boring side effect.

                    • July 20, 2017 at 5:07 pm
                    casagrayson
                    Participant

                      I have many endocrine issues (I'm not the melanoma patient); fortunately my thyroid has been behaving. However, my specialist has said that most endos don't treat aggressively enough.  Most patients find they feel much better with FreeT3 and FreeT4 in the upper 2/3 of the range.  TSH is not a good indicator for adjusting dosages.

                        • July 20, 2017 at 5:16 pm
                        jennunicorn
                        Participant

                          My T3 and T4 tests have always been good and have never fluctuated much, always in the upper normal range, nothing different when I had it tested 2 weeks ago other than the TSH being higher than normal range. Will see what today's blood test shows, maybe the TSH test last time was just a funky day and it'll be back in the normal range again… at least that is what I'm hoping for so I don't have to go through this process of finding the right dosage and all that. Thanks 🙂

                        • July 20, 2017 at 11:22 pm
                        Ridingaroundwith27Jennifers
                        Participant

                          Hi Jenn,

                          I'm on 75mg of levothyroxine and feel much better.  My TSH dropped back to normal right away.  I still have some fatigue but I think that may be from a combination of the Nivo, insomnia, and Keppra.  The Dr said it may take a while to find the correct dose of levothyroxine but 75 worked well for me right away.  I hope they get your dose figured out quickly and you find relief soon.

                          Best,

                          Jennifer

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