r/Hypothyroidism

32M. My mom was diagnosed with hypothyroidism around my age, and my endo thinks I may have early Hashimoto’s.

Recent labs:

TPO antibodies: 20.6 (ref ≤9)
Thyroglobulin antibodies: <0.9, ref range 0-4
TSH: 2.439, ref range .35 to 5
Free T4: 0.6, ref range .8 to 1.5
Free T3: 1.7, ref range 2.2 to 4

I’m not on any thyroid meds. I’ve also had fatigue, hair loss, brittle nails, and other hypo-type symptoms.

For context: I’ve been on TRT for 7 years, 200 mg/week split into 2 injections, with labs in range. I have sleep apnea, but it’s well controlled. I’ve been on Zepbound 5 mg weekly since 4/18/26. No biotin supplementation, and ferritin/iron are normal.

My endo said TRT, sleep apnea, or Zepbound could also be contributing to the fatigue.

Has anyone had a similar pattern of low FT4/FT3 with normal TSH and positive TPO antibodies? Did it end up being Hashimoto’s or something else?

Im sure this has been asked at some point, but what is everyone’s early experience with levothyroxine? If bad, did it ever resolve with time?

I am on week 3 of 75mcg, and I cannot help but notice how completely exhausted I have become since the start of it. I thought my fatigue was bad before, but now keeping my eyes open is hard work, and sleeping in until noon+ midday naps are nonnegotiable. My body aches have also increased, and just feeling really foggy.

Because this medication isn’t really known to have adverse side effects unless improperly dosed, i wonder if this is even related to the medication or if my thyroid is just rapidly getting worse, and my medication has yet to catch up with it. My TSH labs went from 7.50 to 8.53 in just six weeks and I am not sure if this is meaningful info, but I do know that hormone fluctuations in themselves can be a trigger until they are more stable in time. Im just 27 and pretty new to big hormone changes, so I’d like to gather your thoughts on this.

What was your experience, did it resolve, was it similar to any other hormone fluctuations you have been through if you have, do you know much more info about the side effects of this hormone aside from improper dosage?

Edit for missing info:

I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s
Anti-T Peroxidase = 402
Anti-thyroglobin = 330
T3 and reverse T3 were never tested
T4 was still within normal range but on the low end of that range
I started on 75mcg and I don’t feel any of the ways people have described being on too high of a dose

My husband (44 male) , south Asian incidentally was diagnosed with a TIRAD 1 nodule. Size is 6mm*4mm cystic solid with smooth margin and well defined. No cervical lymphadenopathy is seen. Nothing else in mentioned. The rest of neck usg is unremarkable.
My PCP ( also endocrinologist)doesn’t even want to talk about it and called it a normal usg report. Clearly mentioned that no further follow up will be done as well. But the word “Nodule” has caught up with me. I am panicking everytime i am thinking about the word nodule.
I am hypochondriac (going through medication and therapy ). Please help with some insights.

His TSH is elevated but t3 /t4 and antibodies are all normal so PCP took a wait and redo blood test of tsh.
He takes no medication. Just had a full body physical and everything is fine.

I think I've been eating too much fat. I make 14 lbs of ground beef in batches in pots on stove. I then mov the meat to metal strainers for a few minutes. I then put into freezer containers and freeze and then thaw when needed. But I have had a fluctuating thyroid it started out at 0.300 tsh and recently was at 9.400tsh. Ive read that a missed up thyroid will slow the bile flow and mess up your gallbladder also my gallbladder has been hurting everyday since I switched from carnivore diet to just Lion diet, I had an egg intolerance I didn't know about, but fixed it when I stopped eating eggs, but then the thyroid was already messed up and my gallbladder started hurting everyday. I have been adding 5-10 grams of the strained tallow to my meat every meal 3x a day for since December 2025 when I started Lion diet and the gallbladder pain started. Soo between th mesd up thyroid that I'm trying to fix and the extra fat my gallbladder has been in pain and causes me floating stools and diarrhea. Im thinking fixing my thyroid levelscand cutting out the added fat will eventually make th gallbladder stop hurting. What do you all think???

My daughter was born prematurely at 32 weeks and was diagnosed with congenital hypothyroidism. I’d like to know if anyone here has a child with the same condition and could share their experience. Thank you!

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism earlier this year and prescribed 50mcg synthroid. I’ve been taking it for about three months and am getting blood work tomorrow to check my TSH levels. It’s been about 70 days of the medication.

In the last 2-3 days, I’ve experienced a mild chest pain and racing heart. I had an ECG and other testing done and all was normal, but will follow up with my doctor next week.

Yesterday, I forgot to take the medication and didn’t have any symptoms. Today I took my regular dose and am experiencing the chest sensation again.

Wondering if anyone has experienced similar issues while taking Synthroid? Is this a common effect or not normal?

For what it’s worth, I also take Wellbutrin.

30F, hypothyroidism since child, been on 125mcg Synthroid for probably the last 10 yrs.

Finally found a doc who's willing to try a different treatment option than synthroid/levothyroxine, I've been fatigued since high school and every year it feels like it gets worse. Doc dropped me from 125mcg Syn to 112mcg + 5mcg Lio.

First week of adding 5 mcg/1x day to 125mcg Syn was life changing. I felt awake, I felt present, I exercised for the first time in 10 years, I wanted to go do things and I had the energy for it, I didn't crash after one errand. It was like night and day. I didn't feel hyped up or overstimulated or anything.

But beginning of the second week I think I had hyper symptoms -- pulse was about +10bpm than my usual of 60, blood pressure up +20/+15, it was hard to sleep, a bit of anxiety. Since my 112 Syn still wasn't in I began alternating between 125 and 62.5 and dropped to 2.5mcg Lio in a desperate attempt to finally be able to get some sleep.

My follow up appointment isn't for another month and I'm trying to figure out how to recapture that first week 🥴 but I don't understand enough about how the liothyronine levels work. Does adjusting T3/T4 meds make your levels bounce around a bit? I only ever adjust Syn +/-25mcg and never really notice any difference. Do I just need to stick it out on 112 Syn + 5mcg Lio (once the 112 comes in) and push through any side effects for the next month?

Edit to add - Interestingly, symptoms of higher BP and higher pulse (~80) starts around 8pm, which is 12 hrs after I took my meds. Wonder what would happen if I took the meds at night 🤔

19F haven’t got my periods even after taking periods delaying medicines and also dealing with thyroid

i took the period delaying medicine consulted by my gynac for 5 nights. ideally my periods should have started with 2-7 days after the last pill. It’s the 8th day and my periods haven’t started. i am getting cramps and every 10 mins i feel like i’ve got my periods but i don’t get them.
i also have TSH-5.8.
the reason i’m asking in this sub is i’m a college student in india in a place where no doctors can be trusted and being a female i cannot go to the doctors outside campus as it’s not safe and i would exceed my outing timings of the campus hostel.

any doctor that can help me, please do.

my gynac also mentioned that i would be under a lot of stress for this to happen, but i don’t think i’m under stress (i might be subconsciously).

Hi everyone,

I am a first-time mom to a sweet 2-week-old baby girl I live in the UK and her newborn screening test, her bloodwork came back with high TSH (71.2) and low FT4 (9.1). We were immediately referred to the pediatric hospital and she just started her daily liquid levothyroxine medication.

As a new mom, I am feeling extremely anxious, overwhelmed, and worried about her cognitive and physical development. The doctors told us that catching it this early (at 2 weeks) means she should grow up completely fine, but I really need to hear real-life reassurance right now. They say among all the scary things in the blood test screening , this is the easiest for them.

What frightens me the most right now is not having the absolute certainty that the treatment will work and that she will develop completely normally.

I would love to hear from parents of older kids who were diagnosed at birth, or adults who grew up with congenital hypothyroidism:
How are your kids doing now with school, sports, and life in general?

Did early treatment give them a completely normal life?

Please send us some hope and good energy.
Thank you so much from a very worried mom. ❤️

being an 18yr old and finding out u have hypothyroidism and having the same dosage as your aunty is bad bro i like cried for few days then i changed my routine also i started a good diet so yea just wanted to share what i felt

Currently going through the battles of postpartum thyroiditis and currently have sub-clinical hypothyroidism after having hyperthyroidism. I’ve been dieting the last two months, fasting 14hrs a day, walking 1.5 miles four times a week and eat roughly 1400cal a day, and the scale is not moving. Due to my age, my dr does not want me taking a GLP and has recommended Wellbutrin for weight loss but I’m skeptical after reading online. What has worked for you in regards to weight loss with hypothyroidism?

Good morning everyone!

I had my thyroid removed (and lost a parathyroid gland) earlier this year in March, and my tests are OK.

TSH: 1.31

T4: 0.68

Thyroglobulin: 0.1

Plus: Vitamins are excellent.

I remain sedentary and a little overweight. I weigh 66kg and am 1.61cm tall.

I'm taking levothyroxine, "Puran T4" brand, 100 mcg.

The problem is that every time I take it, I get terribly sleepy, which makes me go back to sleep, and I don't know what to do.

Like, I wake up at 7 am, hand my daughter over to the transport, and go back to sleep until 11 am. It feels like I'm drugged. And by 10/11 pm I'm almost dying. My sleep has really changed a lot.

Could it be psychological or related to the medication?

Gut test, normal
TSH is 1.8
On 50mg Synthroid + Cytomel
Starting LDN tonight
Ferritin of 20, sat 16% (doc said this is not the problem)

I feel dead, so fatigued I cry everyday and in a fog I don’t feel alive.

(Don't think this violates the rules)

This is a followup to my post expressing downright horror about the possibility of NDT being discontinued. There is apparently a bill introduced that would help protect those taking it, as well as a petition to sign. I've contacte my rep and this is what I wrote:

I urge you to please vote yes on H.R.8630 - PEAT Act of 2026, protecting access to natural dessicated thyroid. I've taken Armour Thyroid for 6 years, after my hypothyroidism tanked my mental health and synthetic options failed, after several attempts. For some of us levothyroxine and liothyronine just don't work and natural desiccated thyroid does. There's a misconception that people want to take this because it's "natural." I did not want to take pig thyroid, nor did I want to pay the high price for it, but I needed it. I would love to be able to take the synthetic thyroid meds, but they just didn't work. I cannot express to you enough how much this improved my quality of life.

Here's how to find your rep: https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

Here's the bill: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/8630/text

Petition: https://c.org/PDzyxGqMd9

I’ve had hypothyroidism for 13yrs and Rheumatoid arthritis for 5 I think. Im the past 2 weeks on my 20km commute to work I’m driving directly into the sun for the majority of the drive and have the heater going as it’s winter (NZ) … not a problem in itself but at the point the traffic slows from 120kmhr motorway to slow off ramp traffic I get overtaken with intense sleepiness.

My eyes want to close, blinking gets slow, eyes are unfocused and I just want to pull over for a nap. Coincidentally just had my bloods done and they are all “within normal levels”.

Has anyone else experienced this? I have an appointment with my GP booked but couldn’t get one until next week.

I’m looking for experiences from people with Hashimoto’s/hypothyroidism who became significantly worse after starting levothyroxine.
My timeline:

10 January 2026: TSH 1.98; ferritin 51; B12 358; vitamin D 71.

19 June 2026: TSH had risen to 7.45, with FT4 13.2. I was experiencing significant fatigue and other symptoms.
9 July 2026: thyroid antibodies came back strongly positive — TPO >400 and TgAb 155, consistent with autoimmune thyroid disease.

July 2026: I started levothyroxine.

Since starting levothyroxine, instead of gradually feeling better, my fatigue has become much worse. I’m now so exhausted that I can be bedridden and sleeping excessively.

9 July: TSH 2.59, FT4 17.6, FT3 4.6.

28 July: TSH 1.63, FT4 16.0, FT3 4.5 — the laboratory reported normal thyroid function.

28 July: reverse T3 400 pmol/L (within the laboratory range).

Despite my thyroid numbers normalising, I feel significantly worse rather than better.
I’m also experiencing extreme skin dryness/dehydration, dull/matte skin and worsening skin symptoms, despite using moisturisers such as QV Intensive Ceramides, hydration, and supplementation of omega 3, 5, 7, krill oil , primrose etc.

I’ve had quite a lot of other testing. My ANA was 1:640, which led to a rheumatology referral, but anti-dsDNA was negative, ENA was negative, C3/C4 were normal, ESR 7 and CRP <3.

I’m trying to understand whether this could be related to levothyroxine, the dose, Hashimoto’s itself, or something else entirely.

Has anyone experienced severe fatigue getting worse after starting levothyroxine even though TSH/FT4/FT3 subsequently became normal?

I am interested in people who became so exhausted they were spending most of their time in bed. Did things eventually improve, or did changing the dose/medication make a difference?

I have Hashimoto’s and I’m currently in my third month of taking levothyroxine 50 mcg.

I’ve been in a long-distance relationship for a long time, and I’ve always missed my boyfriend, but over the past few weeks I’ve noticed that I feel so much more in need of seeing him and being physically close to him.

I don’t necessarily mean it in a sexual way. I just really crave intimacy; touching him, cuddling, being held, sleeping next to him, just having him physically there. It feels much stronger than usual, to the point where I have trouble sleeping because I miss him so much.

Has anyone else noticed increased emotional/physical affection or a stronger need for intimacy after starting levothyroxine? Gosh, it’s torturing me!

I have been TTC for 7 months. I have had one chemical pregnancy and no luck otherwise. I recently had some bloods done which revealed a TSH level of 9.41 but normal T4 of 13.91 (still on the lower side). My GP has ordered some further bloods to double check my TSH but also my TPO-ab antibodies. My GP did not seem concerned at all and did not seem sure that it was a factor in why I haven’t successfully conceived yet, which makes me very worried as want to ensure I am getting the right care. My understanding is I should be on levothyroxine, but she won’t put me on that till TSH elevation is confirmed (which is understandable) aswell as positive TPO-ab.
I am desperately worried that I will never have another child (I have a 2 year old, conceived with no problems). I cannot stop googling and worrying that every single pregnancy (if I’m lucky enough to conceive again) will end in miscarriage due to my TSH levels and even once those are managed; TPO-ab will likely cause miscarriage too. Is this correct? Does anyone have any cknowledge about this that can share?

My mom (59) was just diagnosed with hypothyroidism (TSH 11.53, FT4 0.698) with possible pituitary involvement from an old brain injury 25 years ago. She started levothyroxine (50mg) about 10 days ago and last night had severe anxiety, complete insomnia and extreme restlessness.

My questions for people who’ve been through this,
Did levothyroxine cause you severe anxiety early on and when did it resolve?

Did it ever just not get better, did some of you need dose adjustments?

Any specific things that helped the anxiety while adjusting?

For anyone with pituitary involvement specifically, was your experience different to standard hypothyroidism?

Worried because she already has depression and anxiety from the hypothyroidism itself and this feels like it’s making things worse before better.