Why Do I have Hypothyroid symptoms AND hyperthyroid symptoms?
I hear this question from a lot of patients. A patient comes in, and they share with me that they have fatigue, sleeplessness, their hair is falling out, their libido is down, and their heart is racing. Sometimes, their racing heart wakes them up at night, and when they wake up tremors are being felt through their body (inward type of shaking).
A lot of the time, the patient tells me, “I wake up like that and have to use the restroom. Once my heart rate calms down, I can go back to sleep.”
Does this sound like you or a family member? If so, the number one reason why a patient is struggling with both hypothyroid and hyperthyroid symptoms is due to Hashimoto’s Disease. You may remember (if not, short term memory loss is a classic symptom of thyroid dysfunction, as well), that when the body is attacking the thyroid gland, that is an autoimmune condition called Hashimoto’s Disease.
TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) is what most primary care physicians and endocrinologists check in order to determine if your thyroid gland is functioning well (maybe, a T4 or T3). Based off of the levels of TSH, your medication is kept the same, lowered or raised. If you are in the “hyperthyroid state” of Hashimoto’s Disease, your doctor may lower your medication; but, your fatigue worsens. The doctor lowered the medication dosage because they were thinking you had too much thyroid hormone and then they ask you to have your thyroid markers checked in the three months.
Three months pass and you get your TSH checked again, and now the markers is really high. You are struggling with fatigue, not sleeping well, and you may have put on a few extra pounds. Now, you doctor wants to raise you thyroid medication again (you are in the hypothyroid state of Hashimoto’s Disease). I have heard this many times, and patients get confused as to why your levels are all over the map.
The secret, there is no secret! You have Hashimoto’s Disease. If it is not controlled properly it is very common to battle this medication roller coaster.
You must have you doctor check your thyroid antibodies to rule in or rule out Hashimoto’s Disease. If your markers are negative AND your WBC (white blood cell) markers are low, your body may not be strong enough to make antibody markers.
Keep in mind, there are triggers that drive these hypothyroid and hyperthyroid symptoms. I will touch upon those in my next blog!
Would you like to schedule a time to speak and talk about your health condition? If so, please call my staff at (866) 375-4641 to schedule your complimentary phone consultation.
