NWR - Anyone have thyroid issues?

Yes! I have hypothyroidism and all your symptoms could be a sign of it. I wouldn't try any sort of supplement before speaking with a dr. I don't believe it is anything a supplement could solve since it is your thyroid not working properly and I believe you need rx for that.

The supplement is made from freeze dried ground cow's thyroid so it does contain small amounts of the t4 and t3 enzymes. If it helps, I'm definitely going to the doctor, but without insurance right now, that's a big expense for me on top of bills etc.

I'm with Laura, I wouldn't try the supplements without going to a doctor or without knowing where your thyroid is NOW. There are changes you can make to your diet that can help your thyroid, and yoga is apparently good for the thyroid as well, so maybe look into some of that.

From what I've read, supplements aren't really a cure, so I skipped them. I'm on 25 micrograms of synthroid now, the lowest dose possible, and that helped. But I'm also working on my diet (I eat more fish now) and getting back in the gym to also help it out.

Supplements are really shady to me. Never know what they may actually contain or what they may actually do. Is there no low cost clinic in your area? I was having issues of being tired all the time. I slept constantly. I had a very hard time concentrating and thinking. I screwed up a lot at work thinking I had done something and hadn't or did the wrong thing. My symptoms were getting worse. My mom has a thyroid issues, so the doc wanted to run a test to make sure I wasn't having issues. It was a severe vitamin D deficiency.

DH has thyroid issues. Sounds like it is something like you are experiencing. I would get it checked out. I know that the financial burden is overwhelming. But would at least look into getting lab work done so you can see where exactly you are at, compared to where you were and discuss your options with a physician. You may qualify for some kind of assistance as well. Good luck!

There are no low cost clinics, I'm in a rural area. It isn't necessarily the actual office visit cost that's prohibitive, it's the lab work. Labs here charge hundreds of dollars for panels.

Yeah, the lab work is pricey. Even with my insurance I had to pay $300 out of pocket for the lab work for all the normal things that they run for fatigue which included checking thyroid. It seemed crazy high to me even if they were checking a lot of misc things that could cause fatigue. I wasn't expecting that cost at all. I think without insurance the lab work itself was $700-$800.

It helps alot if you sweat everyday, otherwise your system builds up toxins it can't release otherwise. The morning is best

Low TSH levels would actually be a sign of high thyroid, not low. (TSH=thyroid stimulating hormone, and it goes up if the thyroid is not producing enough.) But your symptoms sound more like low thyroid than high.

I hope you're able to get some answers. I've had issues with low thyroid, and it is very frustrating to deal with, particularly if you're not in a position to get definitive diagnosis/treatment.

I have hypothyroidism as well. I went to get checked after sleeping ALL THE TIME! I gained weight.

Hope you can figure something out!

Have the doc check for Celiac disease if you go. Mine thought my problem was thyroid, but when I threw in confusion, diziness and memory loss along with a few other symptoms she decided to test for Celiac - Bingo! She said my thryroid was fine and that my energy level if you take away Celiac was through the roof. Once I started the so called Celiac diet I was myself again.

I have thyroid nodules and had extreme fatigue, weight gain and nearly every other hypothyroid symptom there is. I had normal TSH/T3/T4 readings and the docs would blow me off. FH's aunt has had thyroid issues for years and she had symptoms for a long time before anything showed on the tests.

She recommended a website called stopthethyroidmadness.com. It's great. From there I found an OTC product called Thyro Gold and I take low doses of it. Energy came back and symptoms disappeared. It moved the TSH/T3/T4 values a little bit and my doc said I was "slightly hyperthyroid" now but not enough to treat me. I'm not telling them what I am taking.

All I know is, I no longer feel like a truck hit me and I don't need to sleep 12 hours to feel rested. Good enough for me! I take the lowest dose of Thyro Gold (150) but it gave me my life back. I was SO TIRED all the time. I thought I had cancer!

@Kori, Celiac runs in my family too. I may check for that too.

Livelybrunette - I had heard good things about the Raw Thyroid supplement from someone else who takes it, and it has low doses of the t3/t4 in it. Since it's fairly inexpensive, and easy to get, I'm going to give it a shot for a little bit and see if that helps. If so, I'll figure out how to go to the doctor and get the labs I need, and let them know what I've been taking. I have the problem of sleeping and sleeping and never feeling rested, and I think it's been driving a LOT of other health problems I've seen. I miss being an active person, but I just don't have the energy.

Kori - I've been tested for Celiac, when they found that I don't absorb B vitamins properly. I take a B vitamin supplement now, and it keeps my levels normal, but there was no Celiac disease. I have issues with my gut, but that's not one of them, fortunately. *L*

Moll, let us know how it goes! What is that supplement called? I may want to check it out myself. Thyro Gold is pig hormones. It did the trick for me. I TOTALLY understand how you can get inactive...there is no energy at all when the thyroid is off balance. I hope it works. Again, keep us posted!

I had/may still have a thyroid problem & quit taking Synthroid because I ended up with a terrible side effect. Blood work can be very expensive & they have to make sure they are testing correctly. You need a TSH along with T3 & T4. You might want to try & find someone who does saliva testing. I am about to do this because I am so tired all the time. It will test different hormone levels throughout the day. I just find oral meds are not a one person fits all. Good luck!!

http://www.naturalendocrinesolutions.com/articles/thyroid-blood-tests-vs-saliva-testing/

We have a lot of OB/GYN's who refer to us for saliva testing for hormone therapy. It's a lot to explain here, but feel free to message me & I can give you more info & what to look for.

Yes, I have thyroid issues as well. Hyperthyroidism to be exact. For a while I was told that I had Grave's Disease, but now it has calmed down and it is only classified as Hyperthyroidism. I feel your pain. It is a bummer. I am not able to get medication for it right now, but I am apprehensive to try anything over the counter. It's funny because the doctors say my symptoms should be the exact opposite of what I am experiencing. I am also sluggish, moody, I am not putting on weight so much, but tougher than usual to lose weight. I have a doctors appointment on the 28th of this month, and I am going to ask again if I can get a prescription. I hope it works out for you. Glad to see there are others here for support.

I did some reading, and read that sometimes the body makes a hormone called reverse t3 which can end up making the person test as hyperthyroidism, but show symptoms of hypothyroidism, because the body can't really use the rt3 properly, or something like that. Treatment, I read, is a supplement of natural or synthetic t3 hormones, since the body isn't converting the t4 properly.

Livelybrunette - The Raw Thyroid is similar to the Thyro Gold - it's freeze dried, ground up cow thyroid, and thus has ALL of the thyroid hormones/chemicals in it, in small amounts. I'm really hoping it helps, because I've felt this way for so long now, and I absolutely hate it, but I can remember when I was CONSTANTLY active, and I miss it. A lot. *L*

Mollishism, I have a problem absorbing B vitamins and actually have to have to get them by shot. A word of caution, if you have B12 deficiencies, it can cause balance issues. I tripped and broke my hand about 2 years ago and twice I tripped and sprained my ankle within 6 months!

Definitely go to the doctor and don't try and diagnose yourself... that's never a good thing to do.

I had hyperthyroidism and had half of it removed a couple of years ago (I had many other complications including a tumor). It made a world of difference... but you have to get a good doctor.

I would HIGHLY recommend going to a doctor. I have had thyroid issues since I was 10. I currently now have Thyroid cancer. You need to be on a supplement. If you need to talk to someone about it I am here and you are welcome to connect with me if you'd like. I have been dealing with thyroid issues for half my life now. There are lots of side effects that you need to be cautious and aware of.