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A couple of weeks ago upon receiving blood work results from my annual physical, I posted a question about changes in TSH levels and wls. I just want to follow up on that with some information someone else might find interesting/helpful.
My TSH level came back at 0.309 after being steady at around 2.6 while on 137 mcg. of generic Synthroid. My doctor asked if I had been experiencing and symptoms of hyperthyroidism. I told her no, so she said we'd retest in 6 weeks to see how things were going.
I did some research on the Mayo Clinic website and found that I was having symptoms, but was attributing them to mild dumping syndrome. I had noticed for a while,that when I'd eat, more times than not, my heart would race up to around 120 beats per minute. It would last about 45 minutes or so.. I would get flushes of total body heat and break out in a mild full body sweat periodically throughout the day. At night, I would wake up about every hour and a half, throwing off the covers, wait about 5 minutes until I cooled down/dried out, then cover back up again.
So I called the office and talked with the nurse. She took down all my issues and had a chat with my doc. She called me back and said that Doc thought it was thyroid related and dropped my dosage to 125 mcg.
Within three days, my heart has stopped the racing. I still have the periodic heat/sweat issue and the nighttime cover game going on. The rule of thumb dosage for Synthroid is 1.7 mcg per kilogram of body weight. Symptoms are also considered when fine tuning the effective dosage. According to this, I think I can look forward to having my dosage drop to around 110 mcg whenI go back for blood work on Dec. 26.
So, to sum it up, I was overdosing on generic Synthroid, not experiencing dumping of any kind. If you're having something going on that is out of your norm, please don't assume it's directly related to your wls. Yes, weightloss does change how your body deals with meds. In this case, Synthroid is one of those drugs that has a very fine line between toxicity and therapeutic levels. Had I not gotten curious and checked it out, who knows whether or not the problem would have been addressed in time.
Spotz
My TSH level came back at 0.309 after being steady at around 2.6 while on 137 mcg. of generic Synthroid. My doctor asked if I had been experiencing and symptoms of hyperthyroidism. I told her no, so she said we'd retest in 6 weeks to see how things were going.
I did some research on the Mayo Clinic website and found that I was having symptoms, but was attributing them to mild dumping syndrome. I had noticed for a while,that when I'd eat, more times than not, my heart would race up to around 120 beats per minute. It would last about 45 minutes or so.. I would get flushes of total body heat and break out in a mild full body sweat periodically throughout the day. At night, I would wake up about every hour and a half, throwing off the covers, wait about 5 minutes until I cooled down/dried out, then cover back up again.
So I called the office and talked with the nurse. She took down all my issues and had a chat with my doc. She called me back and said that Doc thought it was thyroid related and dropped my dosage to 125 mcg.
Within three days, my heart has stopped the racing. I still have the periodic heat/sweat issue and the nighttime cover game going on. The rule of thumb dosage for Synthroid is 1.7 mcg per kilogram of body weight. Symptoms are also considered when fine tuning the effective dosage. According to this, I think I can look forward to having my dosage drop to around 110 mcg whenI go back for blood work on Dec. 26.
So, to sum it up, I was overdosing on generic Synthroid, not experiencing dumping of any kind. If you're having something going on that is out of your norm, please don't assume it's directly related to your wls. Yes, weightloss does change how your body deals with meds. In this case, Synthroid is one of those drugs that has a very fine line between toxicity and therapeutic levels. Had I not gotten curious and checked it out, who knows whether or not the problem would have been addressed in time.
Spotz
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My 6mo twin DD's are EBF and just started rice cereal on the first. Everything has been going fine except this morning one of them had a diaper rash (lots of redness around her anus). I read this as one of the signs of an allergy. BUT I did just buy a different brand diaper yesterday (which they have used randomly before w/no issues). Do you think its the cereal or the diaper? Im ready to start...
My endocrinologist is watching me because as you said as our weight drops all our hormones change.
Anyway, I was completely shocked when I got the test results and the TSH was so much lower than what it had been running. I though there must have been some kind of "spontaneous healing"! I'm just really kicking myself for not making such an easy connection between the weightloss and the TSH reading! I think that when my focus over the last year had been solely on weightloss, that anything that went awry had something to do with possible direct side affects of my RNY gbs. I guess that happens when we become over vigilant!
I just wanted to alert everyone about other possible reasons for symptoms than simply wls issues like dumping.
Blessings!
Spotz
thanks for sharing this information i have Hypothyroidism and i know my levels have changed, but they didn't want to change my meds just yet. I see the doctor again in January and hoping to be tested again and decrease the meds. I am good when i get up and going but as soon as i take my thyroid medication i am tired ugh.. They wouldn't decrease meds right now as they were changing another med and in order to be sure that its working correctly couldn't change more than one at a time.
Thanks for sharing the information.
is that on the same site? Unfortunatly if that were to become an issue with me id be screwed lol I don't do well at all on levotyroxine sp?
Can you tell spotz normally if your TSH is low? I used to be good at it now Im just not. There is also another test for thyroid my endocrinologists do it but I cant remember the name its blood though. I think it is more acurate then the TSH....i think not positive ive seen so many docs in the last 2 years they all have me spinning.
Tor I hope they get you all adjusted quickly it is not fun when the thyroid is off.
Oh I used to have a book on all the systems it effects ill try to find it for the name it was a medical teaching book of some kind. I like haveing thyroid buddys lol but Im sorry you two have to deal with it too.
Yes, Kat, I think that is where I read it. I'm curious about the effect on clotting factors because in March I'll be getting rid of my elephant skin. I imagine that the surgeon will take me off the generic Synthroid until healing is well on its way. I was taken off of it for the RNY, I think maybe for the same reason.
I was well managed before my weightloss with the generic Synthroid. All symptoms disappeared once the initial balance was found when I was first diagnosed. This is the first hiccup. Now that I know what the hyperthyroid symptoms are, I'll be able to tell when things are out of my norm.
When the TSH is high, it just means that the thyroid is being asked to up its production of hormones, meaning it's slow or hypo. The symptoms can be coldness, sluggishness, weight gain for the main ones. When the TSH is low, it means the thyroid is being asked to produce less hormone, meaning it's fast or hyper. The symptoms can be flushing, sweating, trouble with sleep, heart racing and or palpatations or arrhythmia. If you are overdosed on meds for hypothyroidism, you will have the symptoms relating to hyperthyroidism.
You two probably know this already, but I though I'd put it out there for others who might be reading and may not know and might be curious.
Thanks for the discussion!
Spotz
My surgeons took me off mine after surgery with everything elso because of the issues keeping things down. I shoulld of known better.
Ive had the dx since 94 but with the RNY and no one knowing what to do wth me untill this new bariatric doc my PCP saw high pth and calcium levels and had me see the endocrinologist. I actually dont know if she will keep following me from time to time or just stabolise everything.
A month ago I had my physical and the results showed a flip to hyperthyroidism. My Rx was too much medication for the amount of body to medicate. That's why the change from hypo to hyper symptoms. Now with the lower dosage, I no longer have the racing heart, but the other symptoms have not improved. I'm really trying to tough it out as far as these issues go.
I don't think my doctor will make another decrease until the blood work on Dec. 26. I suspect that I'll be reduced from the 125 mcg that I'm currently taking to somewhere around 110 mcg. That would most likely return the TSH to the middle of the normal range, which is where it was since getting the dosage zeroed in after my diagnosis 10 years ago.
But then again, I could be totally off base! Maybe I HAVE had some kind of mystical spontaneous healing and won't need to be medicated at all! :)
Spotz
Ill keep good thoughts for Dec 26 that your doc will be able to adjust you so the symptoms will be gone. Such a small gland with a intense temper. :)