I have been diagnosed with hypothroidism 5 years ago .
Inspite of taking large dose of thyroxine (275 mcg) my TSH still sky high ranging from 18-26.
Latest thyroid antibodies was 360
my BMI is 43 , my cholesterol and triglyceride also started to rise
Iam taking escitalopram ( cipralex 20 mg daily )
I don know if Iam missing something to be done .
How we can treat this high antibodies and how far I can go up with doses of thyroxine
Thanks
Hello aqar1234:
I am an RN -Nurse and have Hashimoto's thyroid disease, since I was 27 and now I am 54.
In some of us, despite taking the levothyroxine medication, we can't absorb it. I was not able to get my TSH correct for years. After years of trying different thyroid meds, NDH (Armour Thyroid) helped me and it worked on me. It became hard to get as most people can take Levo. I went onto another med called Cytomel. My TSH went into normal range.
Now as to high cholesterol and Triglyceride levels, you may have a family trait of that or have you put on a lot of weight. Weight gain can make it go up. I take Lipitor for my chloesterol, they have the generic name is astorvastin calcium tablets is the generic name. When your body makes high amts. of cholesterol it can plug up an aterty to your heart. There are a ton of these meds on the market and your doctor can prescribe you one of them.
It is also a good idea to evaluate your diet, watch carbs and avoid a lot of dairy foods. In some people we make more cholesterol as it is an inherited trait. My whole family has high cholesterol so sometimes it is a family trait.
Do you have Hashimoto's? In Hashimoto's a protein antibody in our system goes haywire and thinks our thyroid gland is a foreign body. Normally you need antibodies to protect you from germs and in some of us it goes crazy. It makes your antibody level rise. if you can get your replacement hormone to work, you will lower the antibody reaction.
Ask your doctor to give you another thyroid med. There are others out there and some are:
Natural Dessicated Thyroid Hormone (NDH) "Armour thyroid"
Thyrolar
Cytomel
It sounds a lot like I had, so you need to say to the doctor, can I change to another replacement hormone? It seems like you have given LEVO plenty of time to work and for some reason, it won't work on you. It does happen, the body just can't make it work.
Also make sure your vitamin's in your body are okay. A mineral panel is a blood draw that can tell if you are low on iron or magnesium etc.....if you have low levels of minerals Levo won't work well.
Talk with your MD. Do you see an endocrinologist? I hope this helps.
Be well, Shelly
Thanks a million Shelly 19
I do have thyroid antibodies. It was high as well 360.
I will check minerals and other forms of thyroid hormone.
For cholesterol I'm getting an omega 3 tablet.
Do you think the timing of taking the Thyroxine make a difference. I was taking on morning but I will try at night
thanks for your valuable opinion and time
Hello Aqar:
You need to take Levo about a hour BEFORE a meal. It is best to take it at the same time each day. If it is better for you, you can take it at night, but without any food in your stomach. Food blocks the medicine from absorbing to receptor sites in the intestines.
Yes, Omega 3 can help. Eat lot's of fish, not fried foods and fish has good Omega 3's in it. Salmon is good. You can bake it. Avoid dairy items and if you do eat them, use good judgement like 2 eggs etc....keep an eye on your cholesterol because it is important to good health and your arteries.
Let us know how you get on with this. Be well XO Shelly
Exercise a little if you can, it helps to reduce the cholesterol. Walking is a good exercise and I lost 30 pounds doing that.
Also avoid soya as it can affect the absorption of thyroxine. After taking thyroxine, leave at least 4 hours before taking vitamins and minerals such as iron etc. Patient information leaflet says iron + others things (I can't remember what they all are) affect the absorption on thyroxine.