I get requests on a regular basis to help people get their thyroid hormones balanced. Most of them are women as they are generally more susceptible to hypothyroid. By far the most common complaint I hear is, “My doctor said my thyroid test came back normal but I don’t feel normal.” When they go back to their doctor to insist they are not “normal,” they are sometimes written a prescription for an antidepressant as the doctor quickly scurries out of the exam room.
So, you get your thyroid test back and the “doctor” says you are fine. You know you are not “fine” so what are you to do? Here are five reasons that you have hypothyroid even though the standard test says you are “fine.”
1. You could be producing enough hormone but your body cannot convert it into the active form. Your thyroid produces mainly T4. It is inactive and must be converted in the cell membranes into the active form, T3. This issue is usually caused by high cortisol and inflammation.
2. You could be producing enough hormone, your body is converting it to the active form, but too much is being bound to proteins making it inactive. The thyroid hormones are transported by a protein called thyroid binding globulin (TBG). When TBG levels are too high, the thyroid hormones cannot enter the cells. This is usually caused to too much estrogen. Clear out excess estrogen with cruciferous vegetables and DIM.
3. You could be producing enough hormone, your body is converting it to the active form, but you don’t have enough TBG. It sounds counterintuitive but too little TBG, meaning too much thyroid hormone, will actually cause your cells to become resistant to the hormones. Think about the heel of your foot building up a callous. The cells build up a callous to the thyroid hormones. This is usually caused by too much testosterone.
4. You thyroid works just fine, but the signaling gland, the pituitary, isn’t functioning properly. The pituitary “tells” the thyroid to produce thyroid hormones. If the pituitary is not functioning properly because of stress, high blood sugar, infection, or another reason, it will not send out enough signal for the thyroid. Therefore, the thyroid will not produce enough hormone.
5. The thyroid works fine, the pituitary works fine, but your cells are not taking in the hormones. All your lab test will come back normal in this case and there is no way to test whether or not your cells are resistant to your thyroid hormones. This issue is usually caused by chronic stress and high cortisol levels.
Maybe your doctor has listened to you and does write you a prescription. Ninety nine times out of a hundred, you will get Synthroid, which is 100% T4. When you return to say you still do not feel right, you will get an increase in dose. This pattern will continue until you begin to have side effects from the increasingly high dose of synthetic drug.
Unfortunately, most traditional doctors will not look deeper into the issue. They continue to increase the dose. If they would simply pick up a book, stop learning “medicine” from the cute little pharmaceutical sales rep pushing a drug, and actually learn something new that wasn’t standard practice in the 1970s that has been handed down from teacher to student for forty years maybe people can get some relief.
I was diagnosed as hypothyroid almost seven years ago. I took the meds and did all the blood work, but I never felt better, so eleven months ago I stopped the medicine on my own. My symptoms grew worse. Finally a couple of months ago I went to my GP. She did bloodwork. TSH was normal, but Free T3 and T4 were off, so she sent me for an ultrasound. It indicated a 1.75 cm solid nodule with it’s own blood supply on the right side of my thyroid, which I was told was indicative of cancer. I waited two months to see a specialist. While the TSH he drew was LOW, he says there is nothing wrong with me. I am neither hypo nor hyper thyroid, and what they thought was a nodule is just my thyroid. So, basically, I feel terrible and have had all these symptoms, even been treated for them, all these years, and it has all been in my head. I could not feel more stupid or fat and lazy and useless. How frustrating to learn that somebody is very, very wrong.
That’s a big fat ouch, mine is genetic I have gone through hoops with three doctors. All of whom recommended each other but none of whom seemed to agree with one another. After two years of that BS I have been off the meds for almost 8 months now, aside from a few cramps I don’t feel the different in fact it feels better being off the stuff than on it. Thyroid pills make you feel like a 24/7 robot, that and over dosage can even put a certain burden on your ticker. Yeah I had that done to me they dumped 100mcg on me my bp shot through the roof. So my options are either live with the fact I could die from cancer one day or keep taking pills that could give me a stroke choices choices.
My symptoms… shortness of breath, fatigue, touchy reflexes, heat intolerance, profuse sweating, inability to remain asleep, weight gain(weird i know) depression, brittle hair, muscle aches. Lobectomy 1989. Last week tsh .096, t4 low normal, t3 mid normal. Help please!
Hey guys I’m 19 my doc recently took blood tests on me and every thing came back fine but I know I’m not fine my throat is swollen it’s hard to breathe I feel dizzy and high all the time I eat like crazy gaining weight my head pounds all the time I feel weak and sick to my stomach and my heart races when I get up too fast please if anyone if you know what’s wrong with me cause my docter doesn’t 🙁
Did they test your iron levels or a CBC (complete blood count)- I was having a lot of those issues -(no swollen throat) but my hemoglobin was 7.2 and should be 13- I needed to take iron supplements & eat alot of iron enriched foods
Check your bloodpressure
I read this article & started crying, again. Only this time for joy. I’ve been on thyroid meds since I was 17. I’m now 66. That’s almost 50 years. I’ve been on 150 mcg. Levothyroxine for about 3 decades & was told several years ago that my thyroid died & I would be on meds the rest of my life. It’s an inexpensive pill so that isn’t a problem for me. When I start to see a new PCP they will usually bring it down to 137 mcg & 3 months later right back up to 150 mcg. Now the problem is that a test last year came back with my TSH at 19.172. I’ve been told normal is .45 to 5.1. Wouldn’t you consider this to be a big, red flag? My PCP raised my thyroid meds to 175 mcg & I got so sick. I told her it had to be a mistake, but they wouldn’t take another blood test. 3 months later the new test came back .016. She put me back on the 150 mcg. She started treating me as if I trying to manipulate the test. This year I went with another PCP whose test came back .018. She wanted to put me on 125 mcg. We talked & compromise with the 137 mcg. I’ve never bothered to get lab results. All the doctor’s in my life kept me feeling good so I didn’t care. Now I care. I got tests going back to 2006 & thought there must be a correlation here. The test results are all over the board & these doctor’s kept me at 150 mcg. Again, I’m so sick & I don’t know what to do. This new doctor must have talked to last year’s PCP because now she is treating me different & her nurse grouses at me every chance she gets especially when I told her I was researching this. She told me I should never do that as who know what bad information I might get. What gets me is both these doctor’s won’t look at me, as if I were lying. I’m not!!!! This 2nd PCP is now on maternity leave. I’ve got an appt. with a new PCP, but I’m afraid of the same treatment. Am I going crazy??? If a thyroid is dead how can this happen? One other thing that started in April, I have a horrible craving for salt. Could my adrenal gland be the problem? Is there a test for the adrenal gland?
Hello,
Im sorry to hear your story. I’m 37 years old, and i was diagnosed 5 years ago with Hypothyroidism.My TSH level was 135. i didn’t know why, what, and the cause, but since i found out,i’m learning and reading everyday about it. First my dr. put me immediately on Synthroid 25mg, to start, increase my dosage every week, till i got to 137mg. then i was told my levels are good and i should keep this dosage, but i was just feeling worse and worse everyday.i gained about 40 lb, and I’m an active person. In january 2013, after i read a lot of articles and educate a little bit, i asked my doctor for a different thyroid medication, a natural alternative. So i start taking Armour Thyroid (2 grains). I feel a lot better, however, i’m still gaining weight despite all the sacrifices I’m doing. Last month i joined on Facebook several groups(hypothyroidism, Hypothyroidism ladies, Hypothyroidism Mom), and i found out so much more. Im now gluten free(it’s been a month), i feel great and i wouldn’t go back for nothing in the world, i already lost 10 lb. Soon i am going to see a naturopath doctor.
Did your Doctor ever order ALL these tests? If not, please ask for:
Basics: TSH, Free T4, Free T3, Reverse T3, TPO, TgAB, TSI, Vit. D, RBC Magnesium
Hair issues: Ferritin, Iron, Sex hormones, Cortisol test, Minerals
Inflammation: CRP, ANA, SED, Homocysteine
Weight issues: Free T3. Reverse T3, Ferritin, Vit D, Sex Hormones, Cortisol
Also important: B12, Parasites, H. Pylori
Other Root Causes: EBV, Lyme, Heavy Metals
Hello. I havent been feeling good. My dr told me few wks ago my thyroid was off and i was anemic she checked for t3,t4,t7and tsh. I was told from a thyroid forum i should ask for tpo and tgab. They also told me to have her check my vitamins. I am known for having low vitD. The thing is my dr said she doesnt check vitamins. I was shocked. I changed my dr. But i will ask my new dr to check my vitamins and decided to order tpo and tgab lab test online.
Oh by the way when she got my blood work she said it shows its all normal. I feel its my thyroid because i have so many symptoms .
Oh yes I was also told it’s my age and hormones haha I’m 54 come on crazy.
Your Dr needs to have have his teeth loosened
Hello I just feel TERRIBLE I have felt like this for ages have loads of the symptoms of thyroid probs with nodules and goitre beginning to show but the standard tests come back as normal,,,I too have been given all sorts of medecines anti depressants because I am so low with all of it that I burst into tears people think Im imagining problems but why would one do that? I so badly want to feel well.I need advice as to any other test I could have that would show something….I cant lose weight whatever I do just feel a wreck and really unhappy Help someone please !!!!!!
Jane
Me too. I don’t know what to do. And being this heavy, the heaviest I have ever been, is just making it worse. Like you I can not drop a single pound no matter what I do. I wish someone could help us.
You guys are NOT alone. I’m so frustrated with my Dr and I’m feeling like I’m completely losing my mind. I recently started Armour and it was working, but it didn’t last long, but because my levels are ‘stable’ he won’t listen to me. He just says I have thyroiditis and to take tylenol. My surgeon found a mass on my thyroid during a MRI unrelated to why I went and personally called me. My Dr had ordered me an ultrasound already, so I told my surgeon I’d forward him the results as well. I heard back from my Dr., and the nurse tells me, my ultrasound came back normal and that there were no masses/nodules (grant you my surgeon, nor I told my Dr. about what he had found on the MRI). So, tell me how an MRI can pick up something on my thyroid, but I come back with a normal ultrasound? I still am waiting for my surgeon to tell me what he got from the ultrasound, but I’m wondering if I need to change Dr.’s?!? My Dr. office did also tell me my white blood cell count was high, but again, just to take tylenol! I’m in tears everyday because I feel sick and stuck and all these visits and labs have cost me. I can’t afford to start all over with a new Dr. But, again, just reading everyone’s frustration, I feel somewhat more normal when it comes to dealing with hypo!
Hello everyone. I’m 26 weeks pregnant and my TSH came back abnormal. On 03/24/15 my tsh was 0.299
My regular doc sent me for a full blood drawn free
thyroxine index 1.7 1.2-4.9 1
t3 uptake 18 24-39 % LOW
thyroxine (t4) 9.4 4.5-12.0 ug/dL
tsh 0.480 0.450-4.500 uIU/mL
My doc says everything is fine.. but I feel shaky and rapid heart beats for almost 5 months and i’m not getting any answers. PLEASE HELP
I just found this link was wondering if anyone started levothyroxine and then their periods stopped! I’m trying to get pregnabt but since staring these tablets I haven’t had a period which is 3 months now?
Many thanks
Hai, i feel the same, am on thyrox 100mg form the age of 10 and now am 26. my blood tests are normal but i feel very low, moreover, i forgot how to smile.please help me
Same here tsh say I’m fine but I feel like I’m dying can’t sleep I have no bowl movement neck and chest hurt my head hurt all the time I so weak I’m depress because I don’t know what’s to do.
Wow, you just described me to a “T”!!! In a strange way I feel better, just knowing I am not alone.
Same here tsh say I’m fine but I feel like I’m dying