Menopause Discussion > Other Health Discussion

Thyroid issues & support

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Wrensong:
Hello Helly1977 &  :welcomemm:  So sorry to hear of all you've been through, which sadly is not uncommon when thyroid probs meet menopause.  Circs not conducive to writing much at present, but just wanted to welcome you & say that you are not alone with it all now as the many wonderful women we have on this forum will want to do all they can to help.

Will try to come back to this thread at some point, meanwhile  :hug:
Wx

Wrensong:
Hi again Helly1977.  Would you be happy to tell us your current symptoms, together with any recent TFT, testosterone & oestradiol results, if you know them (i.e. since starting HRT)?  Also how long you have now been on this regimen, how many sprays of Lenzetto you use & how much Tostran?  That might help us get a better idea of how things stand. 

Your body has had to accommodate a lot of hormonal changes, becoming menopausal, Thyroxine dose reduced, then back up, starting T3 & the 3 components of your HRT regimen, it's no wonder you are not feeling as well as you need to.  I'm afraid it can take quite a bit of tweaking to get it all in balance, which can be frustrating as you have found, but it should be possible to improve on how you are feeling now, with perseverance.

The good thing is that you have had help from a good Endocrinologist who listened to you & validated your symptoms, which must have been a relief, so you are at least now on the right road.  Can I ask, are you in a position to go back to him/her for reviews or was it a one-off consultation? 

Like you I'm on T3 & T4, but very long term hypothyroid & also long postmenopause.  I remember only too well though, how difficult & frightening a time were the initial years & how very alone I felt with it all as medics didn't seem to know what was going on with me, so you have my sympathies.

Personally I find the more steady release from oestradiol patches suits my body better than any of the once or twice a day methods, but you may be different & if Lenzetto controls your menopause symptoms well enough I wouldn't suggest changing it just now.  If you are on Mirena you have the big advantage of not having to try to balance your thyroid with a cyclical progestogen, so it should be easier to get you feeling stable.

We have quite a few hypothyroid members on HRT, with a wealth of cumulative experience, so you shouldn't be short of support & advice on here.  Do come back & tell us a bit more if you are happy to share details.
Wx

Keep On Swimming:
Hello everyone!

I haven't been here for a while so I hope all you ladies are all as well as possible!

Big thanks once again to Wrensong for this thread   :)

Sorry, I won't be able to provide any Hashimoto-related help/advice today because I'm really struggling with the Hashimoto / peri combo... I can't even think straight (very bad night's sleep due to hot flushes / whooshes of anxiety and nausea) but I'll try to write down my head-scratching query...

Here goes: for those of us in peri, given the DAILY hormonal fluctations of our reproductive hormones, how do you get the HRT dose right so that you don't end up overdosed in oestrogen?

I'll explain: a year ago, my peri symptoms cranked up to become unbearable (night sweats Big Dipper style with anxiety and nausea, poor sleep, very low mood, not wanting to be here sometimes). So beg Nov my gyne's colleague (my own gyne was on a month's hol) put me on oestrogen gel (Estréva 0.1%) 1 pump/day. (I'm on Cerazette and in France they let peri women stay on Cerazette + the gel because we get frequent ultrasounds to check our womb linings.) After 5 days I was a new woman! All symptoms had almost vanished! Then 3 weeks later my own gyne came back from hols and said, come in and see me and made me stop the gel + pill for a week to "see where I was at" (blood test revealed peri) and then put me back on the pill + gel BUT this time I didn't get the magic feeling, so after 3 weeks I asked to increase the gel and was allowed to add another 0.5 pump. Well, I ended up so ill (weak, nausea, feeling faint and dizzy) that I couldn't leave the house for 9 days.

My GP said decrease to 0.5 pump, so I did that for a few days but my endocrinologue stepped in and said, come off the gel, your body can't cope with the fluctuating hormones + the gel because when you are high in oestrogen you are overdosing your body with the gel too - once you are through the meno this will be fantastic treatment for you. And she put me on a natural treatment called Sérélys Méno which has really calmed the night sweats and means my sleep is better.

BUT, for weeks now I've been getting terrible spells of feeling weak / shaky / nausea / period cramps that just come on in the blink of an eye and last for several hours to half a day. They're very frequent, almost daily and it's very hard to work or be/do where/what I'm meant to be doing. I had a big check up with my GP this week who has ruled out everything else (because of Hashi I've been tested for so many things over here...) including my thryoid dose which is ok for the first time in a year and she said it's the meno. She said, could you not just apply a tiny amount of the gel everyday?

I haven't a clue if I could just apply a pea-sized amount of the gel everyday! Has anyone ever done that in peri? I'm waiting for a call back from my gyne, so I'll let you know what she says, in case my experience could help anyone else.

I had no idea peri could make women feel so terribly ill...

On that positive note, I shall end. Thank you for reading this long ramble, I hope it makes sense!
xxx

Helly1977:
Hi @wrensong. Thanks for your post. I can go back to the endocrinologist but I wasn’t sure if I should go to him or a menopause specialist?
I started on the HRT regime in June 22.

I’m certainly happy to share everything and I’m so relieved to hear that there are others who can share their experiences, hints and. Survival tips! A huge relief.

My current symptoms are (brace yourself!)
disturbed sleep,
Waves of complete exhaustion
Itchy skin
Brain fog
Excessive worrying
Poor concentration
Irritability
Crying spells
Little feelings of interest or enjoyment in anything.
Low mood- like really low mood. I haven’t felt suicidal but I have felt completely disengaged/disinterested in anything bad happening to me. ( this is a massive shift from before as I was scared of everything and so fearful of dying etc)
Interestingly, a lot of these symptoms come later in the day and so I thought I was just tired but now I wonder if the slow release option you mentioned might help with this.

My current medications are
Thyroxine 100mcg + lyothine 5mcgs
Mirena
Lenzetto 3 sprays - (gone up to 3, about 5 weeks ago)
Tostran- 1 pump daily

My most recent full bloods were TSH <0.03
Free T4 14.9
Free T3 5.68
Oestrodiol 53
Testosterone 2.98
Then when I started going full uncontrollable crying etc they rechecked
TSH 0.03
t4 12.6
(They wouldn’t check any others)

I have been recording my symptoms to take to the doctor when I go next. Not that I’m confident I’ll be heard.
Thanks for sharing any thoughts on this, Helly

Wrensong:
Hug KOS  ;).  You already know my thoughts & that I didn't take HRT (but for a month) in peri, so I'll leave your post for someone else to answer.
Wx

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