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...
Ok, even though I know you all said it was a waste of time, I did the sleep study. Mainly because my mother in law was going to "string me up by my toes" if I didn't, lol. Plus, she said she'd help pay for what insurance doesn't cover, which as it turns out shouldn't be that much.
The sleep study doc called the other night and said I have moderate sleep apnea, that gets close to severe the deeper I'm able to get into sleep, and I barely ever get into "restorative" sleep. Here's my question to all of you smart folks, (much smarter than me! LOL)
Both my PCP and the Endo that I have seen have both wanted the sleep study done, both saying the same thing. That if I have sleep apnea, it could seriously mess up basically everything in my body, like my thyroid and testosterone levels. I have found a few instances on the web about people with symptoms similar to mine. Should I continue and just see if addressing the apnea helps with the thyroid and testosterone? I thought about telling my PCP to continue to monitor them, and if treating the sleep apnea doesn't start to improve my levels, then we would have to start thyroid and testosterone replacement therapy, or I'd go find a doctor smart enough to help.
Or, should I just skip straight to another doctor? I KNOW my thyroid and testosterone levels are the main cause to my misery, but I've also read some pretty scary stuff about sleep apnea as well. What do you all think?
The sleep study doc called the other night and said I have moderate sleep apnea, that gets close to severe the deeper I'm able to get into sleep, and I barely ever get into "restorative" sleep. Here's my question to all of you smart folks, (much smarter than me! LOL)
Both my PCP and the Endo that I have seen have both wanted the sleep study done, both saying the same thing. That if I have sleep apnea, it could seriously mess up basically everything in my body, like my thyroid and testosterone levels. I have found a few instances on the web about people with symptoms similar to mine. Should I continue and just see if addressing the apnea helps with the thyroid and testosterone? I thought about telling my PCP to continue to monitor them, and if treating the sleep apnea doesn't start to improve my levels, then we would have to start thyroid and testosterone replacement therapy, or I'd go find a doctor smart enough to help.
Or, should I just skip straight to another doctor? I KNOW my thyroid and testosterone levels are the main cause to my misery, but I've also read some pretty scary stuff about sleep apnea as well. What do you all think?
If so, why not give that a try - if for no other reason than to placate your "physicians". I would ask the doc who rx'd the C-Pap how long it typically takes to increase testosterone and thyroid levels while on the C-Pap machine.
Only YOU know how serious your symptoms are. If you are unable to function or are having suicidal thoughts - then skip the C-Pap wait time and get some help ASAP.
If you're functioning, but having a difficult time of it...then perhaps giving the C-Pap machine a few weeks to work might work in your interest...at least you can either A. Benefit from it or B. Tell your doctors to take a flying leap if it doesn't pan out.
Endocrinologists maintain that sleep apnea causes Low T and a C-Pap will "fix" Low T and minor hypothyroidism (I've never heard of minor hypothyroidism, but Endocrinologists maintain it does indeed exist).
On the other hand, we know hypothyroidism can cause sleep apnea and Low T (among other horrible things).
In my opinion, you have hypothyroidism and low testosterone and should be treated for both - so I'm not telling you that Sleep apnea is your SOLE issue.
I can tell you that getting a doctor to do what's right for you takes (and this is for both sexes) balls of steel and a finesse of medical jargon.
I guess what you have to ask yourself is: Can you wait? Is it worth it to you to wait? Or do you need to make that call to the thyroid savvy doctor in your area (KY?)?
I'll tell you this - Low T should be treated with injections. Don't bother with gels, creams, or pills (pills can damage your liver). Go straight to the injections.
I'm so sorry you're having to jump through all these hoops, but I guess you'll have to decide that for yourself. Wait and see? Or move right now?
Nothing in my research shows that sleep apnea can cause thyroid issues.
However, the web is full of information that hypothyroidism can cause sleep apnea.
Optimizing thyroid treatment takes many, many months. Why prolong things?
If anything, I'd continue with treatment for sleep apnea.....and pursue treatment for hypothyroidism and low T.
The theory behind these studies (and I'm summarizing here) is that Testosterone is manufactured during our deepest REM sleep (for both sexes), so if one is not getting to REM sleep and staying there long enough then testosterone won't be manufactured...or at least not enough T.
Thing is...we *know* hypothyroidism, even subclinical hypothyroidism can cause BOTH low T and sleep apnea.
Bottom line: I'd use the cpap, and do as CD suggested - get to the doc in KY.
Here's my 2 cents. Some medical conditions are a "diagnosis" and some medical conditions are "symptoms".
Cancer is a diagnosis. Diabetes is a diagnosis.
Some conditions can be either. Depression can be a diagnosis, and be successfully treated with antidepressants and psychotherapy with a shrink. OR .... It can be a symptom (of hypo) and will only go away when the real problem is treated, the hypo.
Sleep apnea may be your diagnosis. Your problems may go away with successful treatment with your c-pap machine.
OR ...... Sleep apnea may be a symptom of hypo. In that case, it will go away when you optimize your thyroid levels.
In my case.......
I was diagnosed with "anxiety disorder". I went to a therapist and took AD's. nothing really helped my anxiety. After some time, other things began to happen. My hair started falling out, my menstrual periods were messed up, I felt weak, i had brain fog, I felt cold.
Anxiety should never have been my diagnosis. It was a SYMPTOM. It's actually getting better on the higher armour dose I am on.
Getting back to you.....
If you're not in a hurry, treat the sleep apnea as a diagnosis. They could be right. Time will tell. If you aren't getting better after a few months, get back on the thyroid bandwagon. I'd line up a good thyroid doctor now. It could take awhile to find one and get an appointment.
Good luck!
I did some Googling (surprise, surprise) and found the following information from what should be a reliable source:
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sleepapnea/signs.html
I think we all know what symptoms are. Signs are things that can be seen or measured.
Yes, some of the symptoms of sleep apnea are similar to some of the symptoms of hypothyroidism.
I could not find information *any* where that says sleep apnea can cause low thyroid hormone levels.
However, there are many studies on PubMed that confirm hypothyroidism can cause (or exacerbate) sleep apnea. Here are just a few:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3055327
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1446468
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23564558
Your thyroid levels are hypo, Jeff.....I really hope you seek treatment
I don't understand why they just don't treat both.
CPAP has made a HUGE difference in the way I feel. Even if it turns out that your SA is not causing your hormonal problems, you're still going to feel so much better for using a CPAP machine. It took me a while to get used to CPAP therapy, and I was rebellious about using it at first, but I'm so glad I stuck with it.
Please seek out a qualified thyroid savvy doctor in your area, you won't regret it.
Continue with your sleep apnea therapy and see how it pans out for you, but don't ignore your thyroid. Its far more likely that your hypo state lead you to sleep anpea than the other way around. Far more.