- You have 100+ possible hypothyroid symptoms across every body system because every cell has thyroid hormone receptors. The top 10 most common are fatigue, weight gain, mood disorders, menstrual irregularities, muscle/joint pain, cold extremities, dry skin, constipation, brain fog, and neck swelling.
- If you have 5 or more symptoms, your thyroid is likely compromised. With 10+ symptoms, gross thyroid dysfunction is probable. With 15+, you almost certainly need thyroid hormone medication, not just supplements and lifestyle changes.
- 'Normal' labs don't rule out thyroid disease because most doctors use standard reference ranges instead of optimal ranges. You can have tissue-level hypothyroidism with completely normal TSH and free T4 if your reverse T3 is high or you can't convert T4 to T3.
- Don't wait for your doctor to recognize your symptoms as thyroid-related. Take charge by tracking which symptoms you have, requesting comprehensive thyroid testing (including free T3, free T4, and reverse T3), and learning to interpret optimal ranges yourself.
- Your next step is understanding the difference between 'normal' and 'optimal' thyroid lab values so you can get proper treatment even if standard care misses your diagnosis.
If you look at the trend of hypothyroidism over time, you will find that it’s a disease that is increasing.
And women, especially, are more prone to developing it compared to men.
But how do you know if you have thyroid disease? Do you have to get you have to go see a doctor?
Not necessarily.
While the most accurate way to assess whether or not a thyroid disease is present is with the use of lab tests, there’s a whole lot you can learn from your symptoms.
If you just haven’t quite felt like yourself recently, or if you have a sneaking suspicion that something is off with your hormones, this article is for you.
Use this thyroid symptoms checklist to help you determine if further testing is necessary and how likely you are to suffer from a thyroid problem:
Want to take my interactive hypothyroid quiz? Put in your symptoms, and it will tell you how likely it is that your symptoms are related to your thyroid. Access it here.
How To Use This List
Almost every cell in your body has a thyroid hormone receptor so the symptoms of thyroid dysfunction are… astonishingly broad.
Don’t let this overwhelm you, just realize that your thyroid can impact many systems and each person may present with a different set of symptoms even though the problem is primarily related to the thyroid.
Here’s how I would recommend using this checklist:
- Glance at the symptoms presented here and take note of how many you have. As you do, pay attention to the severity of your symptoms. There’s a difference between a weight gain of 5 pounds and a weight gain of 25 pounds (one indicates your situation is more severe).
- If you have 5 or more symptoms then there’s a chance that your thyroid is compromised but can probably be fixed with minor treatments like supplements and lifestyle changes.
- If you have 10 or more symptoms then the chance of you having gross thyroid dysfunction is even higher but you are probably still within the range that lifestyle changes can fix the problem.
- If you have 15 or more symptoms then you are very likely to have gross hypothyroidism that needs treatment with thyroid hormone.
Always remember that your suspicions should be confirmed with a complete set of thyroid lab tests which are outlined here.
Hypothyroid Symptoms By System
Thyroid-Gland Related Symptoms
- Enlarged thyroid
- Swollen thyroid
- Painful thyroid
- Difficult swallowing
- Presence of goiter
- Choking sensation
The most common cause of hypothyroidism is the autoimmune disease Hashimoto’s which results in the destruction of the thyroid gland over time.
But some of the most common thyroid gland disorders, like thyroid nodules, typically do not impact the production of thyroid hormone from the thyroid gland.
Energy-Related Symptoms
- Fatigue
- Decreased tolerance to stress
- Reduced stamina
- Low endurance
- Lethargy
- Long recovery after activity
- Difficult with exertion
- Increased need for sleep
Thyroid hormone regulates the production of cellular energy (ATP) in many cells.
When thyroid function is low, you will experience a global slowdown of cellular energy production which can lead to fatigue in almost any tissue.
Mood-Related Symptoms
- Low-grade depression up to major depression
- Sadness
- A feeling of being “off”
- The need for antidepressants
- Moody
- More emotional than normal (i.e. crying more frequently)
- Anxiety
- Irritability
- Obsessive thinking
- Easy emotional upset
- Emotional instability
- Obsessive thinking
- Nervousness
- Bipolar disorder symptoms
Thyroid hormone impacts hormones and brain-based energy production which can cause changes to your mood.
Metabolism-Related Symptoms
- Weight gain (even in the presence of diet and exercise)
- Lower than normal body temperature (less than 98.6 degrees)
- Decreased sweating (hypohidrosis)
- Slower than normal metabolism
- High cholesterol
- Lower than normal resting heart rate
Thyroid hormone helps to regulate heat production and global metabolism so one of the first symptoms patients notice is weight gain.
Eventually, these symptoms will spread to a global decrease in metabolic function including the breakdown and elimination of cholesterol.
Gut-Related Symptoms
- Constipation
- Diarrhea (more common in hypothyroidism)
- Hard stools
- Pebble stools
- Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth
- Small intestinal fungal overgrowth
- Acid reflux
- Low stomach acid (hypochlorhydria)
- Colitis
- Painful urination
- Bladder urgency
- Reduced urine production
- Malabsorption of vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients
- Presence of vitamin B12 deficiency
- Presence of iron deficiency
- Presence of vitamin D deficiency
- Presence of other B vitamin deficiencies
- Decreased peristalsis
- Decreased bowel sounds
There is a very strong connection between thyroid function and gut health.
When thyroid hormone is low, symptoms arise from decreased stomach acid and decreased peristalsis leading to a host of gut-specific problems.
Heart-Related Symptoms
- Higher risk of cardiovascular disease (heart attack)
- High cholesterol
- Heart palpitations
- Atrial fibrillation
- Congestive heart failure (only if severe and prolonged)
- The atherogenic build-up of plaque in the carotid arteries (an often silent but very concerning side effect)
- High blood pressure
- Orthostatic hypotension (low blood pressure while standing)
- Heart enlargement on X-ray
- Long-normal intervals on ECG
- Dizziness
Of all of the symptoms caused by thyroid dysfunction, those to the heart may be the most concerning.
Not only does thyroid hormone impact the function of your heart cells themselves, it also increases the risk of heart cell damage through its influence on cholesterol and blood pressure.
Hair, Skin & Nails Related Symptoms
- Dry skin
- Eyebrow hair loss
- Hair loss
- Telogen effluvium
- Alopecia areata
- Androgenetic alopecia
- Hives
- Acne and pimples
- Edema
- Coarse hair
- Dry hair
- Brittle nails
- Cracked nails
- Vitiligo
- Cold skin
- Dry, thick, or scaling skin
- Facial swelling (over the entire face or around the eyes)
- Paleness of skin
- Fragile nails
- Slow growth of nails
- Nail separation at the base
- Depression of nails with flaring in the center
- Softening of the nail
- Decreased sweating
- Decline in collagen
- Accelerated aging and wrinkling
As the largest organ in the body, your skin is especially sensitive to changes in thyroid function simply due to its large size.
And because the skin houses hair follicles and other glands that support the structure of the skin, thyroid dysfunction also impacts hair and nails.
Unfortunately, the skin is one of the last tissues to receive thyroid hormone when ingested by mouth but topical thyroid hormone creams may help solve this problem.
Bone, Muscle & Joint Related Symptoms
- Muscle aches (hypothyroid myopathy)
- Joint pain (difficult to treat but receptive to T3 thyroid hormone)
- Osteoporosis (major bone loss)
- Osteopenia (minor bone loss)
- Muscular weakness
- Carpal tunnel syndrome
- Inflammation in the joints
- Stiffness and reduced mobility
- Frozen shoulder
- Numbness in the hands or feet
- Sensitivity to cold, especially in the hands/feet
Joint and muscle-related problems are not as common as some of the other symptoms listed here but, when they are present, they are often very difficult to treat and require higher doses of specific thyroid medications like SR T3 and liothyronine.
Brained-Related Symptoms
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Bipolar disorder
- Inability to concentrate
- Inability to focus
- Forgetfulness
- Brain fog
- Fuzzy thinking (global slowdown of cognitive function)
- Memory problems
- Hyporeflexia (delayed reflexes)
- Irritability
- Slow speech
- Increased risk of seizures
- Poor motor coordination
- Brain-based fatigue
Thyroid hormone impacts neurotransmitter levels like serotonin which have a downstream effect on behavior.
These imbalances can be so strong that they may even lead to a change in personality (hypothyroid patients are more likely to have type D personality disorders) and may even cause psychiatric conditions like bipolar disorder.
Seep-Related Symptoms
- Insomnia
- Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
- The need to sleep more than necessary (hypersomnia)
- Restless leg syndrome
- Sleep apnea
- Daytime sleepiness
- Altered circadian rhythm (disordered cortisol regulation leading to high and low energy at the wrong time of day)
- Night sweats
- Cold sensitivity
Sleep disorders are particularly common among hypothyroid patients and present a big problem given the connection between healthy thyroid function and quality sleep.
You can find tips and tricks on how to sleep your way to better thyroid health here.
The Most Common Symptoms of Hypothyroidism
We just went over 100+ different symptoms associated with hypothyroidism, but, believe it or not, we just barely scratched the surface.
In order to keep perspective, I think it’s important to remember that just because your thyroid may cause a specific symptom doesn’t mean that it will.
Which is why I think it’s important to know the top 10 most common low thyroid symptoms:
When you look at all patients with hypothyroidism, you will see that these set of symptoms are more common than all of the rest.
This means that the presence of these symptoms is more important than some of the esoteric symptoms we just went over:
#1. Fatigue (seen in ~70-80% of patients)
#2. Weight gain (seen in ~60-70% of patients)
#3. Mood disorders (seen in ~50-60% of patients)
#4. Hormone imbalances & Menstrual irregularities (Seen in ~30-50% of patients)
#5. Muscle pain & joint pain (seen in ~40-50% of patients)
#6. Cold hands and feet (seen in ~50-60% of patients)
#7. Dry skin (seen in 50-70% of patients)
#8. Constipation (seen in ~30-50% of patients)
#9. Brain fog (seen in ~40-60% of patients)
#10. Neck swelling (~seen in 15-20% of patients)
So while other symptoms are important, the presence of any of the 10 symptoms listed above should carry more weight when you are considering whether or not your symptoms are truly caused by your thyroid and not something else.
Your Next Steps
You might think that your next step is easy; confirm your suspicion with a set of thyroid lab tests.
Unfortunately, it’s not quite that simple owing to how most doctors evaluate thyroid lab tests.
So when we talk about thyroid hormone symptoms, the discussion always needs to extend to the idea of “optimal” vs “normal” thyroid lab tests.
Because what you will likely find, if you are like thousands of other patients and women out there, is that when you go and get your labs tested, you will be told that you are perfectly “normal” even though you are walking around with many of the symptoms we just discussed.
It’s for this reason that you need to have a basic understanding of which thyroid lab tests are necessary and how to actually evaluate your results.
Don’t worry, though, because this isn’t difficult and I’ve outlined exactly how to do it here so be sure to check out that article next.
For those of you who want information on how to actually fix your thyroid naturally, I have you covered as well.
You can learn how to improve your thyroid with a few simple changes here.
If these natural treatments fail, you can always lean on thyroid hormones which are available both in prescription form (T4 and T3) and over-the-counter form (T2).
Scientific References
#1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6619426/
#2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16148345
#3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26700485
#4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4578869/
#5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4557078/
#6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16148345
#7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27700539
#8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3169863/
#9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18655403
I am a 49yo female who had RAI almost 10 years ago after being diagnosed with Graves disease. I honestly think the diagnosis was incorrect because I had every symptom of being hypo but the doctor said my TSH indicated hyper. I was put on T4 only medication after the RAI and started gaining even more weight. Eventually, I got on Armour and had problems getting my dosage right. Most recently I’ve had a suppressed TSH .01 but my FT3 is 2.6 (low end of the reference range) and my FT4 is .84 (low). My RT3 is 15. My T4 is 5.2, and T3 99. My doctor decreased my NDT med to 30mg from 120mg due to my TSH and doubled my T3. Before this test I was on 25mcg T3 so am now on 50mcg. My body temp has been 96.7 to 97.5 on 25mcg of T3 so hoping I won’t feel so cold. We don’t think I’m converting T4 to T3 well, so hoping the T3 only will help. She had also diagnosed me with Hashi’s about 6 months ago but with recent blood tests, it is not present anymore. I have been on LDN 4.5mg since I was diagnosed so maybe that actually helped.
My big question is, do I care about the TSH being suppressed? If so, how do I raise my TSH, T4 and FT3 levels while decreasing my RT3??
Ugh, what a mess.
Thank you for taking time to have such a great site for us to turn to.
Annette
Hi Annette,
You can read more about the dangers of TSH suppression here: https://www.restartmed.com/suppressed-tsh/
I have been tested and told for 3 years in a row that I’m healthy and my labs are normal. Yet my symptoms keep growing and my current state is so frustrating and depressing. I’m not sure if it’s related but I’ve had blurry vision for 5 months which fluctuates day to day and hour to hour… new prescriptions have not helped. I also have had intense headaches and migraines… Along with the common symptoms (chronic fatigue, foggy memory, muscle aches, depression, etc).
My mom has fibromyalgia and hypothyroidism. I’m no longer in touch with her so I don’t know where her levels were before they finally diagnosed her but it took 10 years.
What can I do to figure out if I truly have a thyroid problem if the bloodwork is “normal”? I haven’t found a doctor who treats holistically or functionally. Any advice would be appreciated!
Thank you!
I am actually wondering if Doctors are purposely taking a blind eye to the symptoms of hypothyroidism due to the added business they receive when the patients being treated are not responding well to their therapy. I am in constant argument with my doctors regarding test ranges and side effects. I swear they have a pill for all your aches and pains, but nothing that works for getting your thyroid numbers where they should be.
Hi Stephen,
It may seem that way, but there is truly an unlimited amount of people that need medical attention so I don’t think this is motivated out to greed. Instead, I think it’s a falling behind on the science and a failure to accept a new paradigm of treatment.
Good Morning Dr. Childs.
First and foremost, may the Lord continue to bless you in your your mission to help thousands of misinformed, mistreated, and abused innocent patients all over the world.
I have searched and asked my colleagues all over the world regarding the SAFE AND LEGAL use of porcine derived NDT products in patients with an established diagnosis of Hashimoto’s with obvious elevated thyroid antibodies.
I have cautiously used NDT in patients with Hashimoto’s concomitantantly with proteolytic enzymes and LDN while monitoring antibody levels with mixed results.
Unfortunately, these patients vehemently decline Cytomel or any compounded recommendations!
Pub Med is ambivalent in its conclusions!
Any literature, sites, comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Respectfully,
Jose L. LizardiMD
Advanced Anti Aging & Integrative Gynecology LLC
Dr. Childs,
I happened upon your site this morning while searching for natural thyroid supplements. You have a wealth of information here-it’s going to take some time to go through all of it, but I am happy you are sharing this information for us who need straight forward info concerning thyroid conditions.
I’m giving your website to the surgeon I’ve been referred to at my local VA hospital this week.
I’ve been diagnosed with a multi-nodular goiter the past 10 yrs. Various testing/labs (needle biopsies, nuclear medicine, blood work, ultrasound) findings are always within ‘normal’ ranges. I’m 59 y/o and I have 4 of the typical hypothyroid symptoms but my doctor doesn’t say I have hypothyroidism.
Thank you for your work and sharing this information which I am going to be sharing with my physicians.
P.S. I believe your bio would read better (I’m taking a writing course) if it read-
I’m a physician who specializes in helping people……
God bless
Hi Kat,
Glad you find the information helpful! I will make some changes to the bio ๐
Hi, Dr. Child’s,
Hope you are good? I’m hoping somebody can make sense of my recent revelation!
I’m a 42 year old female living in Ireland and for years I have lived with most of the symptoms on your list. I have had my thyroid checked but they only check they TSH which was normal and so I continued to live in a half-dead state. I can say that confidently now because two weeks ago I discovered by chance what it felt like to be symptom-free.
My Doctor put me on 20mg of prednisone to treat a case of contact dermatitis on my scalp.
By day two I was ME again! I didn’t even realise that person still existed. The mind-numbing brain fog was gone, the hearing difficulties, the excruciating eye pain, I could BREATHE! I had not realized that I wasn’t getting the air into my lungs! I felt fluid, sharp, level-headed. The aches and pains were gone and I smiled and laughed at ease throughout my days.
I now knew 100% that there was an underlying reason I felt like a zombie on a daily basis.
Everything I have read points to my thyroid but when I marched into my Doctors office with news of my discovery she told me that the steroid could not affect my thyroid and it’s function.
I am desperate to find somebody that can help me join the dots.
Thanks a million,
Ciara
Th
Hi Ciara,
I’m not sure what else to say except that your physician is wrong. You can read more about the interaction of steroids on thyroid function here: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2784889/
I have already seen a specialist who is only ordering yearly ultrasounds for benign polyps and cysts on my thyroid. He says that he can,t do anything more than keeping an eye on them to make sure there is no change. In the meantime, I have several of the symptoms of hypothyroidism.
Hi Marcie,
Your Doctor is right that he/she can’t do anything about the nodules but something can certainly be done for your symptoms! Make sure you get started with a complete thyroid lab test to determine if your thyroid is functioning appropriately. If you need treatment it will show up on your labs.
I am 29 years old and experience the symptoms of hair loss, anxiety, thick tongue, swelling of my face, neck and feet, sparse eyebrows, low basal temperature, swelling of eyelids, super dry skin, swelling, hoarseness, choking sensation, difficulty swallowing are what have upped the ante for me. The last three are driving me nuts and have caused me to loose my appetite and loose a lot of weight. The sensation of choking makes me afraid to eat. I want this to go away. Thank God I am not crazy. I have been telling doctors it feels like there is a lump in my throat and that I have difficulty swallowing. No one is believing me. I need help. I have lost like 20 lbs in the past year. I just started interpreting my own labs and saw that they are low! I have begun reading Dr. Wentz book but need a very good practioner nearby in Atlanta GA if anyone can refer me to one. Please this is dire for me. And I didn’t even list all the symptoms that I feel! Where do I start? I have fired my doctor (conventional)?
Hi Jen,
The best thing you can do is look for a physician who is knowledgeable and who can help you. I’ve created this resource which can help get you started: https://www.restartmed.com/thyroid-doctor/
For the FT3/rT3 you need to provide units of measurement. The 0.2 value comes from dividing pg/ml by ng/dl. If you use ng/dl for both numerator and denominator the value is 0.02.
Hi Murray,
Thanks for your comment! It should be fixed in the post now.
I have a lingual thyroid. It was discovered at age 2 . You can visibly shine a light and see it at the base of my tongue. Iโm am 31 years old and have been on thyroxine since 2years old. I have many symptoms on this list but also have some opposite symptoms such as the difficulty gaining and maintaining a healthy weight. Iโm exhausted all the time . Stressed and anxious. Iโm also treated for ADHD. I have a wonderful family practitioner who makes me feel heard but typically test me traditionally. He has been open to a vitamin D and calcium test when I told him about the amount of route canals and cavities have developed and my teeth literally feel like my body.. rotting from the inside out. My values were low and for a while I took supplements but it didnโt help enough and eventually just stopped. Probiotics helped with my gut but I eventually stopped that habit too. And havenโt experienced the extent of symptoms before them. I clear my throat constantly and wish I could find a surgeon who has removed a lingual thyroid. What little research Iโve found shows it to be a dangerous and rare surgery.any direction you can point me in would be amazing.
Hi Randi,
Unfortunately, I don’t have much information to give you on a lingual thyroid! Sorry about that.
My pain, fogginess, depression, lethargy, and exhaustion make it difficult to be compliant with my treatments.
How do I get better if I don’t feel like taking care of myself?
Hi Debbie,
You may have luck by finding someone who is willing and able to keep you accountable! In addition, if you are on the right therapies then you should see your symptoms improving fairly rapidly (over the course of a few weeks).
Thank you for all of the info youโve made available. I was diagnosed w/ hypothyroidism in 1998 after my 2nd child was born. I saw one of the top endoโs in my area who is incredibly thorough & spent a great deal of time explaining everything to me. He conducted all of the tests you also recommend & used his own lab due to not trusting the frequent inaccuracies & ranges used by many of the area labs (Quest, LabCorp, etc.). I was told that due to my mothers hypothyroidism – she later had her thyroid removed at Johns Hopkins years later due to repeated problems & concerns it would become cancerous – that I didnโt have the postpartum type, but the โpermanent type.โ I was placed on Synthroid at 88mcg & did well for years on that dose w/ a few tweaks when I was pregnant w/ my 3rd child.
Fast forward to last year… I switched insurerโs & ended up not having my thyroid meds for 2+ months. When my new doc tested my thyroid functioning, she said my levels were โnormalโ which blew me away!! I told her I wanted to retest in 3 weeks & she agreed since it can take awhile for thyroid levels to register the change. 3 weeks later it was slightly abnormal so she put me on 25mcg, significantly lower than the 88 I had been on for years. Since then Iโve continued to have a # of symptoms though my doc says my bloodwork is fine. I just donโt buy it & am going to try & get her to do more detailed bloodwork, but could be a struggle since I have Kaiser.
Is there a reason I could be stable on 88mcg for 2 decades, & now only need 25mcg despite having the โpermanent typeโ of thyroid disorder? What is the minimum tests you recommend at this point? Kaiser has only tested TSH, T4, & Free T3.
Thank you
Hi Lise,
Yes, the demand that your body has for thyroid hormone will fluctuate over your lifetime and that is completely normal. You will want to get a full thyroid panel which you can find here: https://www.restartmed.com/normal-thyroid-levels/
Hi Dr. Childs, I’ll try to make this short. I’m 55 yrs old I was having a lot of hair loss. I was put on Iodine 25mg a day by a naturopath. I instantly felt better, lost about 4 lbs without trying and my hair stopped falling out in 4 weeks. I was fantastic!! I found an MD who knows about Iodine and I just wanted to have someone that I could use my insurance with. He found my RT3 to be 33.5, put me on cytomel 50mcg a day!! He told me to lower dosage if tachycardia started, and it did! I lowered immediately so it stopped, but drastic hair loss started, I showed him but he said I would have to put up with. it. I stayed on Cytomel(5 months) 25mcg then last 6 weeks of taking it, I did 12.5mcg. I stopped at the end of Dec 2018. I still have hair loss which is I now a total of 9 months! My eyes are also puffy underneath now. PLEASE, CAN YOU TELL ME WHAT TO DO? I don’t feel I needed the cytomel at all! I’m scared and don’t know what’s going on. I just want the hair loss to stop and puffy under eyes to go away. Will my hair grow back? I’ve lost about half of it. I don’t see any new growth as of yet.
Hi Laura,
I would take a look at this article which will help you determine why you are losing your hair: https://www.restartmed.com/thyroid-hair-loss/
It may be because your dose was excessively high or it may have been secondary to the medication itself as it is known to cause and exacerbate hair loss. Either way, the article listed above should help. Whether or not it will grow back depends on what caused it to begin with.
Hi there –
What can I draw from lab results if my TSH is 6.31, my Free T3 is 4.5 and my Free T4 is 15?
Hi Shannon,
I would recommend that you take a look at this article for more information to help with that: https://www.restartmed.com/normal-thyroid-levels/
I had my labs done recently and I was alarmed by my doctor because of the following results and he kept referring to me having Hashimoto’s. I have never been diagnosed as such, nor do I feel I have the symptoms listed above, but maybe I have been able to keep it at bay with my diet? I know that you can diagnosis me, and I am definitely not asking you to do that, but if you could point me in the right direction, I would greatly appreciate it.
Thyroid Peroxidase Ab: 7 (ref 0-34IU/mL)
Thyroglobulin Antibody: 17.8 (ref: 0.0 – 0.9 IU/mL)
TSH+T4F+T3F+T3R: 1.480 (ref 0.45 – 4.5uIU/mL)
T3F: 3.8 (ref 2.0 – 4.4 pg/mL)
T4F: 1.39 (ref 0.82 – 1.77ng/mL)
RT3 Serum: 18.6 (ref 9.2 – 24.1ng/mL)
Homocysteine: 9.5 (ref 0.0 – 15umol/L)
I did a Genova Lab Test which also had the following results he said was alarming. Not that I don’t trust him, but an unbiased look at these results tells you what?
Alpha-Lipoic Acid – Borderline – recommended 100mg daily
Cobalamin – Borderline – recommended 500mcg daily
Folic Acid – High Need – recommended 1,200mcg daily
Magnesium – Borderline – recommended 600mg daily
Manganese – High Need – recommended 7mg daily
Omega-3 – High Need – recommended 2,000mg daily
Selenium – 107 – Borderline – range 109-330mcg/L
Benzoic Acid – 0.03 – range <=0.05
Pyruvic Acid – 5 – range 7 – 32
Succinic Acid – <dl – range 0.4 – 4.6
Vanilmandelic Acid – 0.9 – range 0.4 – 3.6
Homovanillic Acid – 0.8 – range 1.2 – 5.3
Formiminoglutamic Acid – 3.2 – range <=1.5
Orotic Acid – 0.31 – range 0.33-1.01
Most of my amino acids were on the low end within the reference ranges.
Arginine – 7 – range 3-43
Histidine – 210 – range 102-763
Isoleucine – 6 – range 3-25
Leucine – 15 – range 6-61
Lysine – 40 – range 15-231
Methionine – 3 – range 2-16
Phenylalanine – 15 – range 7-92
Taurine – 217 – range 39-568
Threonine – 54 – range 9-97
Tryptophan – 20 – range 8-58
Valine – 22 – range 5-43
Glycine – 45 – range 47-435
Thank you Dr Childs for taking my question. I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and had a complete thyroidectomy including 2 parathyroid glands in 1982. I have been doing well with my Levothyroxine , .1 mg until now. My current TSH level is .24, down from my average of about 1.7-2.2. I am experiencing hair loss, sensitivity to cold, and hives. The hives are the size of a quarter, swollen and itchy. They do not subside even though I have been taking antihistamines for three days. Right now they are limited to my hand, wrist, neck and chest I am. now 64 and am very uncomfortable with lowering my Levothyroxin dosage. I am afraid of suppressing my TSH any more, since my body cannot replace the thyroid function. Is this a good course of action?
Hi Mary,
Lowering your levothyroxine dose would increase your TSH not decreased it.
Hi. I have been told that I have a thyroid problem as the outer ends of my eyebrows stopped growing. Is this true? I do have some hair loss and it is getting worse. I am diabetic, have a cholesterol problem, weigh 200 pounds, have high blood pressure all night but it is a high normal all day. I am 85 years old, retired and bored which unfortunately makes me somewhat lazy. Thyroid tests come back normal.
Hi Loreenn,
The loss of the lateral 1/3 of the eyebrows is a very sensitive sign for hypothyroidism so if that is what you are referring to then you may have a problem.
I hope this is seen. Thereโs no way I could give a complete picture of the nightmare that I have been going through since 2015. I have seen 49 drโs/practitioners since then. Prior to 2015 I owned and ran a masonry business and home inspection business. Now I canโt even work. But I canโt get disability because I canโt get a diagnosis. My family is suffering because of my health.
*Thyroid question- Am I actually hypothyroid?
Without levothyroxine, my TSH has been as high as 8 or 9. But the question I have is… Why are my T3 & T4 always normal, no matter if I am being treated (taking levothyroxine) or not. I have never had an abnormal T3 or T4 lab test. A functional medicine dr did tell me recently that my Tโs were not high enough. But would that make me feel like I do? Like Iโm slowly dying? Now, as far as TSH is concerned, I have read that opiate pain medication can elevate TSH, and I have taken pain medication for a back issue for years now. I just donโt know whatโs going on. None of the doctors Iโve seen can figure anything out. My GI dr is telling me I should go to the Mayo Clinic because she & no one has been able to help me. Even if my insurance would pay for that, I canโt finance the trip.
Hello. Thank you for this informative article. I hope this comment is seen. Iโm hoping to keep this short, but I have been suffering from several GI and endocrine issues (at least) since 2018 and was only recently diagnosed. I have seen over 15 doctors, most of which told me I just needed antidepressants. After finally finding good doctors, and after being on treatment plans for 5 months now, things are not improving. I am looking at other culprits. I have had my thyroid levels tested repeatedly (but only TSH, free T3, free T4, and reverse T3), all of which have been โnormalโ (according to doctors). My last TSH level, in April, was 1.321… more indicative of hyper rather than hypothyroidism. However, I have 15-20 symptoms of hypothyroidism as you listed above. Any thoughts or advice? Could something be wrong with the test, or is it likely something other than hypothyroidism? Anything would help. Thank you!
Hello I am 44yoa. When I was 16 I had my periods for maybe 6 months always with horrible cramping and then they stopped. My doctor ran thyroid test and showed as hypo. He put me on synthroid for one week did labs and then ran labs after two weeks or on the synthroid and stated my hypo was no longer n had corrected. So I seen specialist and was diagnosed w early menopause. But now I have way more than ten of the symptoms on list including my most traumatizing of any being dry brittle hair and hair loss, dry mucous membranes, pounding heartbeat, anxiety, emotional reactions out of whack, and more! I just wonder if it wasnโt the thyroid after all and The early menopause could have been reversed w proper treatment?!?!
I was diagnosed a couple of months ago with hypothyroidism, my primary Dr diagnosed me and sent me to see a endocrinologist. I go to see my endocrinologist for the second visit at the end of October for a second blood draw, and ultra sound. I have been on various thyroid meds and have the same side effects. Headaches, aches and pain in my neck and body, etc. I am on levothyoxine 50mg right now. I usually take it in the morning on an empty stomach as always. So as the day progresses I star to feel terrible, so i am going to try taking it before i go to bed.
Can I take supplements and if so what would be recommended.
Hi Victoria,
Yes, I strongly recommend that all thyroid patients consider using supplements. You can check out which ones I recommend here: https://www.restartmed.com/thyroid-supplements/
You can also find a list of supplements designed specifically for thyroid patients here: https://www.restartmed.com/shop/
Hi! Dr. Childs,
I skimmed the info because there is so much of it. That’s a good thing and I will read more when I have more time. I don’t think I saw anything about taking temp before getting out of bed to test basal temperature or the role of the adrenals, in addition to iron and sex hormones, in conversion of T4 to T3 and using DATs (daily average temps) to assess the health of adrenals. Without having insurance since my husband lost his job a few years ago, I use temps to determine how I’m doing and if they are low or unstable in relation to the adrenals, then my doc will run labs.
Hi Tami,
I’m not sure if I discuss the use of temperature testing/monitoring in this article or not but I have over 500+ articles that I’ve written over the years and it’s been discussed in others. You can search for specific topics using the search function if you are looking for something specific. I’ve written on just about every topic related to thyroid function over the last 7 years.
Dr child’s I have posted in the past, it was helpful. However I started taking t3 but my dr will only prescribe 5 mg. I do save them up and double The dose every other mo. It’s helpful. However, I have no thyroid and I take 112 sybthroid. My TSH is .035 for almost a year, free t4 high end normal and t3 low end normal. So I should be hyper but All my symptoms are hypo! Can you please help explain this? My Dr doesn’t know what to do.now she wants to lower the synthroid. What should I do, and please tell me where to find your reply? Email? I’m not tech savvy.
Hi Linda,
Of course. The assumption that a low TSH means guarantees are hyperthyroid is absolutely false. Many thyroid patients have low and even suppressed TSH levels and are still hypothyroid because their body isn’t able to properly convert and utilize T3 and T2.