Hypothyroidism Support Group

Hypothyroidism is the disease state caused by insufficient production of thyrohormone by the thyroid gland. There are several distinct causes for chronic hypothyroidism, the most common being Hashimoto's thyroiditis and hypothyroidism following radioiodine therapy for hyperthyroidism. Advanced hypothyroidism may cause severe complications, the most serious one of which is...

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Help! Constipated beyond words!

scorpiogirl76
scorpiogirl76
So, my levels have dropped to a hypo state for my well being as I usually do best when my Free T4 is in the upper half... I was taking 100 mcg of Synthroid and 5 mcg of Cytomel daily together in the mornings for the last 5 or so months and now I am on 112 mcg of Synthroid with my cytomel dose as of 3 weeks ago.... I am MISERABLY constipated! I've had one bowel movement on Oct 3, a second one with the help of exlax on Oct 15 and an almost complete clean out on Oct 19 with the help of magnesium citrate and I haven't gone since. I took an exlax this afternoon and still no relief and I am MISERABLE.... I am guessing it's being hypo.... does ANYONE have ANY advice on how to get my bowels moving again? I eat a healthy, high fiber diet... lots of fruits and veggies and limit my gluten intake.

Here are my latest labs on 9/25:

Free T4: 1.22 (range 0.82-1.77)
TSH: 1.570 (range 0.450-4.50)

I didn't do the Free T3 this lab... Prior to this lab, My Free T4 was sitting at 1.3 for about 6 months...
scorpiogirl76
scorpiogirl76
I forgot to mention that my heartrate has been in the upper 50's... it usually is in the upper 60's to lower 70's.
bransnana
bransnana
Yes, I think with the decrease in your dose over the last few months,it has caught up with you. Maybe on the higher dose you had more FT4 to convert to the FT3. Even though you're on the Cytomel, you might not have enough T-3 now then when you were on a higher dose. maybe go back up from 100 to 125 in the next few weeks. The heart rate is a dead give away of someone being hypo too.(along with being constpated) Even though your FT4 isn't rock bottom you probably feel more comfortable with a higher number or the fact that you don't have enough to convert to the more active T-3. I take a mix of magnesium everyday.It's got oxide and citrate and glucinate 400.(I think that's it) in it. You can try taking mag.citrate every other day or so.I couldn't take 500 everyday, I'd have the other problem I think.You're supposed to take it to bowel tolerance.
keeska
keeska
It's so hard when you are bounced from hypo to hyper and back over and over again. I don't know how you guys do it. I had my thyroid removed, so it's easier to control my levels. ALL the thyroid hormones I get come from meds. No thyroid to help (or not).

Are you drinking LOTS and LOTS of water?
deleted_user
deleted_user
You can get something at the drugstore (ask the pharmacist) that people use to clean out real fast for a colonoscopy the next day. I have had to resort to that before. Works within hrs. Just be prepared after you take it. It doesn't give much warning before it works.

If you feel like you can make it to a pharmacy go get it. I know just how you're feeling.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I was having the same problem and I am or was hypo. I was told to take magnesium. It helps sometimes. I just started cytomel and that is helping now.
deleted_user
deleted_user
Boy, it sure does!

Does it take a while for cytomel to build up? I'm already feeling mine.
deleted_user
deleted_user
When I suffer from really bad constipation, which is frequently, I eat a whole bushel of grapes. I go buy a bag of them and scarf them down in one sitting.

Works every time.
deleted_user
deleted_user
Making something really good to eat to be your medicine can't be beat.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I find chia seed useful helping regulate bowel
keeska
keeska
normalparanot, Cytomel (T3) is the thyroid hormone that is immediately used by the body, and is not stored. Levothyroxine (T4) is the one that is stored in fat and muscle cells for the body to convert into T3. It takes a while to store enough T4 for your body to convert to T3. It took me a year of building up T4 for my endo to add T3 to the mix. And what a difference! I have a brain again! LOL
deleted_user
deleted_user
Keesa, I thought it was that way, but my first cytomel pill was working in an hour, no joke! But I didn't know about the body having to store enough T4 to convert into T3.

I've been on levothyroxin and synthroid for many years, so I guess that's why my doc decided I might be having a conversion problem?

confused again, stupid brain fog!! :-)
keeska
keeska
Yeah, the loss of my brain was a major drawback. It got so bad that (don't laugh) I watched my DVD's of all six seasons of Hogan's Heros, one right after the other, and when I finished the last season I started on the first season again, and it was like watching it for the first time. Over and over. It was bad.

I'm on 200mcg Levoxyl and 10mgc Cytomel/day. My endo was hesitant to keep me on that dose, but I told her the hypo symptoms were horrible and that I'd been hyperthyroid for 30 years and nobody cared. I don't know why they would not worry about someone who was hyper, and insist that others remain hypo. Makes no sense.

She looked at me and told me that I'm a good bargainer. ??? She left me at that same dose thankfully.

I hate that I'll have to take thyroid meds for the rest of my life. I almost wish they'd left my thyroid in, cancer or not.
MaryKdau
MaryKdau
Probiotics ask health food store & enzymes help me with constipation
deleted_user
deleted_user
cant stress enough chia seed soaked in gel helped me most
kklim
kklim
Yoghurt works for me. I usually take it with sunflower seed (for the selenium), cinnamon powder (said to help thyroid function) and coconut oil (speed up metabolism so food doesn't stay undigested for too long)