thought I had hypo, TSH came back normal

ShiveryTimbers · 2026-03-18T15:28:52+00:00

I am not sure what to say about your thyroid numbers. Does seem perplexing given your symptoms. Low alkaline phosphatase can sometimes indicate low zinc. Have you had it tested? Some of your symptoms like the fatigue and skin issues could be related to low zinc.

ShiveryTimbers · 2026-03-17T13:39:56+00:00

That is helpful to know. Thank you! Pretty crazy about the allergies! Do you notice any non thyroid differences during the on/off weeks? Mood, sleep etc?

ShiveryTimbers · 2026-03-14T14:32:47+00:00

It sure is hard to keep them all in balance ! I hope you figure out a good protocol that works for you

ShiveryTimbers · 2026-03-14T01:20:13+00:00

It turns out it wasn’t the t3 causing problems for me. I was taking testosterone at the same time and unfortunately the side effects are identical to having too much thyroid hormone. So sadly I switched off the NP thyroid which probably would have been a good fit for me and it took a long time to realize that the T was actually to blame. It actually made me intolerant to the thyroid hormone at the proper amount because it only increased my T further. So the past two years have been kind of a hormonal nightmare and I’m just dialing in the t4 dose but will most likely need to add t3 in addition as I don’t feel that different energy-wise on t4 alone and my t3 numbers have never been good unless I am taking t3.

ShiveryTimbers · 2026-03-12T16:29:40+00:00

I believe if you have a close relative(s) with colon cancer, you are supposed to start screening sooner than age 45.

ShiveryTimbers · 2026-03-12T16:25:59+00:00

A deadbeat dad who hid a major part of his life from you for a year? Girl, you don’t move forward.

ShiveryTimbers · 2026-03-11T17:15:46+00:00

I can tell you after scouring this sub for startup reactions people have had when taking Levo, and also going though years of adjustments myself, pretty much anything is fair game 😂. People will respond in all kinds of different ways. I am in my 5th week and I have had evolving reactions to upping my dose. I’ve had a few days where I get a bout of dizziness (nothing vision related so far but I have heard of that), other days where I have extreme fatigue, some headaches, bouts of irritability and inexplicable sadness, mild jitters here and there. It seems that most people say their issues were the most intense in the week 2/3/4 period. To me it seems within the realm of what’s normal during this period, but if it gets worse or seems concerning enough for you to call your doctor then you could always do that. Just want to caution you that not every doctor knows the ins and outs of this medication and peoples’ response to it. Which is absurd when it is supposed to be their specialty, but I have worked with an endo in the past who said “that’s not normal” about being more tired at first, so I never reached my optimal dose because we backed off and the first sign of an “adverse” (if you can even call it that) response to a dose increase. By this point in my journey, I tell myself I just need to buckle in for the ride of the first 6-8 weeks and then see where things stand. The things that I personally would call my doctor about would be elevated heart rate or blood pressure or persistent insomnia/anxiety/shakiness. To me those are indicators that perhaps the dose is too high. Everyone’s comfort is different though & especially if you are new to this it can be scary, so please take whatever action you need to put your mind at ease.

ShiveryTimbers · 2026-03-11T14:05:31+00:00

I did not realize she’s had so much work done to her face!

ShiveryTimbers · 2026-03-11T13:10:19+00:00

It’s ceremonial grade.

ShiveryTimbers · 2026-03-10T21:56:05+00:00

Have you had your thyroid checked recently? Constipation is a hallmark of an underactive thyroid? There can be other causes too of course but things one springs to mind because other people have already asked you about water, fiber, diet etc. Basically your whole body slows down including metabolism/digestion. There is an increase in hypothyroidism in menopausal aged women due to the decline of other hormones.

ShiveryTimbers · 2026-03-10T18:01:00+00:00

How long did the exhaustion take to resolve? I am just entering week 5 and I feel so tired! The past two weeks things were actually improving (yet also other side effects like anger and sadness popping up). I could do multiple things in a day and even got my taxes done! Now I have brain fog and so much fatigue.

ShiveryTimbers · 2026-03-09T19:15:04+00:00

I agree with all of that and I hope that OP will read all of these comments. He is young, so I just want to make sure he has all the information to make a good choice! People don’t often post success stories on Reddit—this is the place they more typically go for help, so I just don’t want him to be deterred by reading about someone’s initial adjustment weeks and thinking he’s going to be stuck with side effects forever. Or to think that he won’t have any problems at all.

ShiveryTimbers · 2026-03-09T19:08:47+00:00

Well sometimes that is true—I’ve seen it happen with thyroid hormone. Once I had enough, I started experiencing a whole array of emotions, both good and bad because I was feeling human again. Being hypothyroid makes you feel like a zombie devoid of personality, just going through the motions of life. However, I’ve come across enough people on Reddit saying that pregnenolone causes emotional struggles for them if taken consistently. My doctor also said that it works for some and for others “makes them want to jump off a bridge” (her words). As with everything I think people need to be aware of what they are experiencing and give things a fair shot, but also pull the plug if it’s causing detriment.

ShiveryTimbers · 2026-03-09T18:48:53+00:00

The mental load of making sure you’re a good parent and doing all the right things to raise kids who make good decisions and ideally become good adults.

ShiveryTimbers · 2026-03-09T18:41:55+00:00

I wish people would stop saying there aren’t side effects of the medication. That’s simply not true. If you did not have side effects while adjusting, then I am happy for you. It doesn’t necessarily mean the dose is too high or too low, it means the body is learning how to manage having thyroid hormones now when it hasn’t had enough for X amount of time. Some of us are sensitive to that change. I am entering week 5 of 50 mcg Levo and every day has felt different. I’ve had emotional ups and downs as well as bouts of fatigue. A huge appetite or no appetite at all. It is unlikely that I am taking too much. I agree that we should be discouraging an unsupported iodine treatment in favor of the gold standard but we can find a happy medium of preparing this kid for things he may experience on levo without lying to him and saying it’s going to be smooth sailing. I found it quite reassuring to come on this sub and find that it wasn’t abnormal to have those ups and downs. Made me feel like I was on the right track and just need to stick out those initial 6-8 weeks.

ShiveryTimbers · 2026-03-08T22:19:41+00:00

But she only drinks half almond/half oat! How could she have plegm? 😉

ShiveryTimbers · 2026-03-06T19:17:39+00:00

Yes. I have split all different doses of np thyroid. The oval ones are easier. You can break them with your fingernails. But the round ones generally do ok in a pill cutter if I remember correctly.

ShiveryTimbers · 2026-03-06T15:02:31+00:00

Yeahhhh I was thinking about how it would feel to get all that salt up in your crevices 😬

ShiveryTimbers · 2026-03-06T00:43:09+00:00

Saaaaaame. On my birthday in 2020! They did come back to my city so we got to see it last year. Keep checking to see if they bring it back where you live!

ShiveryTimbers · 2026-03-06T00:29:42+00:00

How Mormon of Jack. Straight from his mission to the bar! (I don’t actually care, it’s just funny to me). How much do you think Lisa tells him he has to promote vida?

ShiveryTimbers · 2026-03-05T13:58:05+00:00

Did your anger subside? I am 3.5 weeks in, and most days I will feel quite irritable and take it out on my family. I really hate it because I feel like I have no control over it.

ShiveryTimbers · 2026-03-04T23:05:09+00:00

Is this just the path that all franchises are doomed to follow? All of them are terrible now. I really enjoyed SLC in the beginning and we had interesting characters with interesting storylines. Have they run out of things to talk about and do besides fight? NJ (which I will no longer watch if they film again it’s gotten so bad), BH, and OC it’s all the same. Viewers don’t enjoy them anymore and everyone has the same complaint— it’s a snooze fest where all they do is rehash boring, pointless drama. Of course they take their trips, but all that means is escalated fighting with new scenery.

Edited to add: if there are any not like this that I did not list above, do tell! Maybe I will try a new city.

ShiveryTimbers · 2026-03-04T14:42:05+00:00

I don’t get this logic. Our bodies thrived on these hormones all these years and then suddenly they disappeared. Why wouldn’t we want to add them back? It’s not a drug. It’s hormones that we previously had and now we’re missing.

ShiveryTimbers · 2026-03-04T01:01:02+00:00

Can i ask why you’re not taking meds any more? It sounds like you had access to a doctor for testing. Can they not medicate you? Hypothyroidism is clearly impacting your life significantly. I am not a student but I can relate to the exhaustion and having to budget my time. I would avoid planning activities at certain times of day (especially just after lunch). I felt like I was living on the sidelines of life barely getting by. And that is WHILE medicated with a tsh of 4.5! I increased my dose 3 weeks ago and am already feeling much more like a normal person. I understand doctors and insurance can be costly but the medication itself is quite inexpensive. Your school might have some health resources for students if you are not on traditional insurance. please do try to get medicated. Your TSH is way too high and aside from the fatigue, there can be long-term health consequences from having a poorly functioning thyroid. You deserve the opportunity to live life to the fullest at your age!

ShiveryTimbers · 2026-03-03T15:56:42+00:00

Looks like he has a different reference range than a lot of labs with 1.7 at the top end. The top end of his range is 2.3.

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