Underactive Thyroid

I was told by my endocrinologist that he likes you to run with TSH quite low (ie bordering under treated) because overtreatment risks osteoporosis.

I was however bumped up to 200mcg prior to conception and throughout pregnancy.

I managed to stay on that dose for 4 yrs until they spotted it :-D

Interesting Mrs P - did you request the increase in dose or did your dr suggest it? Hope you don't mind me asking! I just wish I could have 125mcgs...

I requested it because again my endocrinologist had said (several years before) to go back to him if ever I was preggers as I would need an increase.

I should add 175mcg is my normal dose (You can imagine how ill I felt before replacement)

V'rap - I'm not that far away, what do I have to do to get on your list:-)

I've had to fight for the best part of three years to get to the 100mcg I'm on now - and only got that after my lovely GP diagnosed me as having CFS (despite me marathon training) and referred me to the CFS clinic who talked to me said 'your thyroxine levels are too low, what's the problem?' and wrote to my doc to say the same. All of a sudden I wasn't a depressive looking for an excuse and whingeing all the time but someone who needed double the dose I had been kept on for two years! I'm still only 1.67 so room for manouvre but I don't feel bad enough to fight again just yet.

Ian - do you find that you're mentally tired too, a kind of foggy brain? Difficulty remembering things or concentrating?

I'm tired much of the time. But that could be due to depression or a (hopefully transient) side effect of Fluoxetine. I had a lot of trouble remembering and concentrating (and sleeping - early morning waking: 3am etc - plus 'flight into sleep' - due to anxiety). But since the fluoxetine started working that seems a bit better.

I'll give it another week or so and if the tiredness is still troublesome I'll pop back to the GP for a bit of a review. I'm very lucky to have a triathlete for a GP so at least he hasn't said 'don't run so much'.

Post script. After about 12 months on Prozac I've now been off it for about 4 weeks and I feel absolutely fine. I've no symptoms. I'm optimistic, energetic, sleeping and eating normally. Training is going well and everything in the garden is rosy (finished the FLM in 3:29 despite contracting a cold the week before). I know there is some controversy about Fluoxetine (Prozac) but it helped me as did an understanding GP - and the forum of course. I'm a psychiatric nurse by trade but this was my one and only excursion into mental illness (that I'm aware of anyway!). It has been an interesting lesson. I would now say to anyone - go and get treated. Its much better than the deep lager therapy that I used to do and much better than being grumpy with the kids all the time.

Lovely to see you Ian and to have such a positive result. I'm a student psychiatric nurse! Great FLM time too.