Breaking Down the Verywell Health Thyroid Survey

Breaking Down the Verywell Health Thyroid Survey

Up to 5-10% of the population (depending on how you define it) suffers from a chronic condition known as hypothyroidism. 

This wouldn’t be a problem, except we have anecdotal, and now survey data, which suggests that there is a big problem with how these patients are being treated. 

This article will walk you through the most recent survey produced by Verywell health and provide my opinion as to why we see a failure in the treatment of these thyroid patients. 

What is the Verywell Health Thyroid Survey?

The Verywell health thyroid survey was is a survey of 840 thyroid patients which really highlights how doctors have been failing thyroid patients. 

I’m not here to bash those doctors but I am here to help you understand why it is that so many thyroid patients continue to suffer from persistent symptoms despite being treated ‘adequately’.

I’ve found while reading over 19,000 comments on this blog, that many thyroid patients are often confused and feel that they are alone in their struggles. 

The entire purpose of my site is to help inform thyroid patients about what I refer to as proper thyroid management.  

And the purpose of my review of this survey is to explain why it is that so many thyroid patients continue to suffer (it will become apparent as we continue). 

You can view the entire survey at any time directly at this link here (1).

So, back on track, what exactly is this survey and why was it done? 

As you’ve probably already experienced, there is a big divide between thyroid patients and doctors who treat thyroid patients. 

Many thyroid patients are experiencing symptoms of hypothyroidism despite undergoing ‘proper’ treatment and their doctors continue to insist that these symptoms are not related to their thyroid disease. 

This has been going on for decades, and I’m one of many sites which attempt to explain why this gap exists. 

This survey was designed to act as a voice for thyroid patients. 

While this survey is incredibly helpful, it’s important to note that surveys are not scientific studies. So, while this information is incredibly helpful, it doesn’t necessarily prove anything. 

But, if you are a physician reading this survey and if you are treating thyroid patients then hopefully it opens up your eyes to what thyroid patients have been experiencing. 

What did this survey show?

I’ve included a list of the key findings below but I also want to highlight some of what I consider to be the most important findings:

verywell health survey overview

#1. Regarding thyroid treatment with thyroid medication, only 6 percent of people felt completely satisfied with only 1 in 5 people (or 20%) feeling completely unsatisfied with their treatment.

This is a massive percentage of people who are unhappy with how their treatment is going. 

6% means that roughly 1 out of every 20 thyroid patients actually feel good about the treatment they are receiving!

On the flip side, roughly 20% of people feel like their therapy is not working at all or helping to improve their symptoms. 

#2. No matter how many years they have been getting treatment, only 35% of thyroid patients claim that they have gotten better.

I’ve argued that hypothyroidism should not be looked at as a chronic disease, meaning a disease that must plague you with symptoms for the rest of your life, but looking at this number suggests that approximately 65% of people taking thyroid treatment still feel poorly. 

#3. 45% of people in this survey have been receiving thyroid treatment for over 10 years. 

This is particularly concerning, especially as a patient, because it indicates that the landscape of thyroid management has not changed recently and it doesn’t look like it’s going to change in the near future. 

And that is exactly why we are having this discussion, to try and push forward a change in treatment paradigm designed to help thyroid patients actually feel better. 

With that in mind, let’s break down some of the other aspects of this survey to get some more information. 

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Patients are Not Being Treated Appropriately

I think that one of the main things that this survey suggests is that thyroid patients are simply not being treated appropriately. 

If you’ve been a thyroid patient for any length of time then you probably know that the treatment paradigm which all physicians operate under is one that focuses primarily on the TSH as a marker of assessing thyroid function and T4-only thyroid medication (such as Synthroid or levothyroxine) to treat hypothyroidism. 

The combination of the TSH and Synthroid are basically the only two things that endocrinologists and family practice doctors focus on. 

I’ve argued, and continue to do so, that this approach doesn’t allow for personalized care, the consideration of individual genetics or preferences, and leads to overall worse outcomes. 

But, let’s put that aside and assume for a second that the TSH and Synthroid were enough to treat the thyroid appropriately. 

What would we expect to see in regard to patients and how they are feeling? 

Well, hopefully, we would see that their symptoms have completely resolved as their TSH normalized or, in other words, came into the normal range. 

But is that what we see? 

Not at all. 

According to the survey of over 800 people, we see that a staggering 70-80% of thyroid patients continue to suffer from MANY of the symptoms of hypothyroidism despite being treated

And, remember, these aren’t people who just started treatment. We know that approximately 45% of them have been undergoing treatment for 10 years or longer. 

From the image below you can see which symptoms thyroid patients continue to endorse despite this treatment:

  • Fatigue (80%)
  • Weakness (81%)
  • Muscle aches (81%)
  • Cold sensitivity (81%)
  • Loss of libido (84%)
  • Brain fog (81%)
  • Memory loss (79%)
  • Depression (71%)
  • All symptoms (71%)
percent of patients with persistent hypothyroid symptoms despite treatment

Again, let me reiterate the important point that the goal your doctor sets off with is to completely treat the disease and diminish or reduce the symptoms you are feeling associated with that disease. 

If you come in with hypothyroidism and you are experiencing fatigue, cold intolerance, depression, brain fog, and so on, you should expect those symptoms to resolve (if not completely then at least dramatically) once you start taking thyroid medication

If that doesn’t happen then you have a serious problem that needs to be addressed. 

Even in the face of this information and the complaints of patients, doctors are reluctant to believe that the treatment for hypothyroidism may be insufficient (highlighted by studies such as these (2)). 

Furthermore, we can see that patients are not complaining of these symptoms and then keeping them to themselves. 

We see that these patients are discussing these symptoms with their doctor at almost every visit:

  • 90% of patients discuss their fatigue at every visit
  • 78% of patients discuss their weakness at every visit
  • 79% of patients discuss their muscle aches at every visit
  • 76% of patients discuss their dry skin at every visit
  • 72% of patients discuss their sensitivity to cold at every visit
  • 73% of patients discuss their brain fog at every visit
thyroid patients with persistent symptoms

I’ve explained in detail how these persistent symptoms can easily be linked back to hypothyroidism and low thyroid function in several of my articles in the past. 

If you want to read up on those please see the links above to the symptoms described. 

The main point here is that we must reconcile the fact that most patients who are being treated for hypothyroidism remain extremely symptomatic. 

Once we face that fact we can try to explain it away in several ways (I’m playing devil’s advocate here): 

#1. There is some other problem causing these symptoms

It could be that there is some overlap between hypothyroid symptoms and other conditions which can cause similar conditions. 

This logic is exactly why so many patients end up on anti-depressants or end up in counseling/therapy. 

I do believe that there are certainly other conditions that can cause fatigue, weight gain, dry skin, and so on but it’s hard to believe that 80% of thyroid patients are suffering from these conditions in addition to hypothyroidism. 

Much more likely is that their original disease was not treated appropriately. 

#2. The patients haven’t been receiving treatment long enough to experience an improvement

You could also argue that these symptoms might resolve if given enough time for treatment. 

While it does take up to 6-8 weeks for patients to start feeling better on thyroid medication and it can take several months to dial in your dose, it shouldn’t take more than 10 years to get this right. 

shop thyroid supplements for all thyroid patients

So, I don’t think you can explain away these symptoms with time. 

#3. The patients are not telling the truth.  

It would be hard to believe that 70-80% of patients would be lying about their symptoms, but I suppose this could be a potential answer. 

There are some people who malinger in order to get certain medications but this seems like a far fetched theory. 

#4. The treatment these patients are receiving is not appropriate

You could argue that the doctors treating these patients are not using the correct therapies. 

In other words, even though they are using the right treatment paradigm they are failing to execute that paradigm appropriately. 

I don’t believe this to be the case because it’s honestly quite easy to give someone thyroid medication and drop their TSH

The current treatment paradigm is very easy to follow and very formulaic. 

#5. These patients are not being compliant with their medication

It’s possible, and indeed it does happen, that even though patients are on the right medication and dose, that they are not actually being compliant with their medication. 

For instance:

Perhaps you were given a medication to take daily but you only remember to take it a few days per week. 

Again, I feel that this is probably not likely given the fact that most people WANT to feel better and don’t want to experience the extreme quality of life symptoms that hypothyroidism causes. 

#6. Or (what I believe to be correct) lastly, the current hypothyroid treatment paradigm is inappropriately simplified and not helpful

Lastly, and this is what I believe is true here, is it’s possible (indeed probable) that our current understanding and treatment paradigm for treating hypothyroidism is just plain wrong. 

I suspect this because I’ve been able to help hundreds of people who have failed this current treatment paradigm feel more like their old selves. 

You can read more about these case studies and approach here

Problems with T4 Only Thyroid Medication

Any very important point worth talking about is the section of this survey that highlights the treatments that patients pursue to treat their thyroid disease. 

As a thyroid patient, you might see this survey and feel hopeless but that is only the case if you think that your only treatment option available is T4-only thyroid medication. 

Let’s look at the survey results to break it down further: 

percent of patients getting treatment with T4 only thyroid medication

You can see from this image that approximately 91% of thyroid patients who took this survey are taking T4 only thyroid medication. 

Medications which fit into this class include levothyroxine, Synthroid, Tirosint, and Levoxyl. 

Medications NOT included in this class, and not asked about, include other thyroid medications such as T4/T3 combinations, T3 only thyroid medications, and NDT

In my opinion, and based on clinical outcomes from several other studies (3), patients tend to prefer these T4/T3 combination medications as they experience an improvement in symptoms (4) when switching from T4 to these medications. 

patient quality of life symptoms on NDT vs T4 only thyroid medication

Much of this probably has to do with the fact that your thyroid produces a natural amount of T4 and T3 in its healthy state. 

But, suddenly, when you start replacing lost thyroid hormone with thyroid medication, you are only replacing that lost T4 and no effort or consideration is given to the lost T3. 

For the record, your thyroid produces approximately 80% T4 and 20% T3 (5). 

We also see that some people pursue thyroid removal as a “therapy” and I’m not sure I agree with this statement. 

Thyroidectomy, or thyroid removal, is a therapy to treat hyperthyroidism and thyroid cancer but once you have your thyroid removed you are considered hypothyroid for all intents and purposes. 

Expanding further on the list of therapies includes those people who try massage, chiropractic work, and counseling/therapy. 

Massage may help alleviate some of the symptoms CAUSED by hypothyroidism (including muscle aches and pains) but it will NOT fix the main problem which is the undertreatment of the thyroid. 

Chiropractic work, while it can be helpful as well, again will not reverse that issue. 

And counseling and therapy may help you deal with your symptoms, but they will not reverse them. 

So what we see here is that both patients and physicians are not even focusing on the right aspects of thyroid management. 

Instead of focusing on whether or not thyroid hormone is actually being utilized by your cells, whether or not your body is able to convert thyroid hormone to its active form, whether or not you are absorbing your thyroid hormone medication, or whether or not you are dealing with other hormones imbalances, the focus is placed solely on your TSH and T4 only thyroid medication. 

And this IS the big problem. 

Getting Thyroid Information

I think one of the most concerning aspects of this discussion has to center on how patients are getting their information. 

It makes perfect sense for patients to seek out a second opinion or alternative information if they are not getting anywhere with their current doctor. 

And it makes further sense to try and find that information online. 

There’s only one problem with this…

And that’s the source of information that most thyroid patients are going to. 

According to this survey, 43% of patients are seeking information from WebMD, 42% are seeking information from Verywell health (probably biased since they gave out the survey), and 40% are going to the Mayo Clinic

where thyroid patients get their information

The other websites represent a smaller percentage but are still relevant to this discussion. 

I’m not criticizing the information found on any of these websites but you must understand that the information you find on these websites will be the EXACT same information that your doctor is providing you with (that includes both your endocrinologist and primary care provider). 

This means that you go to another source seeking advanced information and further help but this source is providing the exact same information. 

None of these websites offer information outside of what is considered the ‘conventional’ or ‘standard’ approach. 

All of these websites MUST provide information on the current standard of care (otherwise they risk jeopardizing their reputation). 

This is both good and bad. 

Good in the sense that you will see consistency among providers in terms of how to treat. 

But bad in the sense that this rigid philosophy doesn’t allow for variation in treatment!

It’s especially bad if the current treatment turns out to not work very well because this means that with the consistency mentioned above, providers will be consistently wrong in their management. 

It gets even worse when you know that standard medicine is at least 15-17 years behind the current literature (6). 

When you go to websites such as those listed above you are only hearing the same information over and over again, and if it didn’t help the first time it’s unlikely to help the second or third time you read it. 

Instead of going to those sources, you may want to consider other sources, such as this one. 

The downside to reading websites such as mine, which focus on newer studies and newer management to old conditions, is that some of the therapies might be proven at a later time to be less effective (I certainly don’t claim to be perfect and not all of my therapies end up working out well). 

But the upside and this upside is huge, is that you can take advantage of therapies that are at least 15-17 years ahead of the curve! 

How would you like to wait 15-17 years before you start feeling better? This proposition is unsettling. 

I understand you may be hesitant to trust a website such as mine about your health, but how on earth does it make sense to keep getting the same information and advice from doctors who treat you the exact same way?

If you are someone who has been treated for over 10 years and you are STILL not feeling better then it might be time to consider a different approach. 

I know that it can be difficult to find sources to trust and this is exactly why I provide links to scientific studies which support any of the claims you see on my website. 

I suggest you do your own research, learn to understand some of the basics, and try to make your own informed decision about your health. 

After all, life is too short to spend 10+ years experiencing symptoms such as fatigue, weight gain, cold intolerance, low libido, and so on. 

Takeaways & Conclusion

In my opinion, this survey outlines pretty much exactly what I see among thyroid patients. 

My hope is that as this information becomes more disseminated and available that doctors will be forced to take a hard look at how they evaluate their thyroid patients. 

As this happens, hopefully, they will look to sources such as this which provide a fresh look at this disease that is crippling millions of people around the world. 

If you are someone who is suffering from this disease or these symptoms then be sure you are proactive about your health. 

Learn, read, and research as much as you can so you can be an advocate for yourself. I have plenty of free resources designed to help you do just that.

Now I want to hear from you:

Are you a thyroid patient who is also struggling?

Are you one of the lucky few 6% of people who do well on their current treatment?

Or are you one of the ~80% of people who still remains symptomatic despite treatment?

Leave your questions or comments below so we can keep the discussion going! 

Scientific References

#1. https://www.verywellhealth.com/survey-finds-doctors-are-failing-thyroid-disease-patients-4583130

#2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5321289/

#3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3680960/

#4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5965938/

#5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519566/

#6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3241518/

survey shows that only 35% of thyroid patients feel better

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About Dr. Westin Childs

Hey! I'm Westin Childs D.O. (former Osteopathic Physician). I don't practice medicine anymore and instead specialize in helping people like YOU who have thyroid problems, hormone imbalances, and weight loss resistance. I love to write and share what I've learned over the years. I also happen to formulate the best supplements on the market (well, at least in my opinion!) and I'm proud to say that over 80,000+ people have used them over the last 7 years. You can read more about my own personal health journey and why I am so passionate about what I do.

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19 thoughts on “Breaking Down the Verywell Health Thyroid Survey”

  1. I am a 53 y/o woman who has been hypothyroid since I was 19. I was given a short dose of thyroid meds and taken off them very quickly. Since then, I’ve suffered with all of the usual hypothyroid symptoms. It wasn’t until I was 39 that I finally found a good doctor and he started me on cytomel. It bothered my stomach, so I requested Armour. I had been on Armour since then until a couple of months ago. My blood tests were showing I was slightly hyperthyroid. I also have fibromyalgia and am menopausal. My hot flashes diminished once I started T3 only. I had been reading about successes with T3. My NP agreed to work with me on trying T3 because she had gone to a thyroid seminar. I read 2 years ago about Wilson’s Temperature syndrome. Everything I read about it resonated with me. So, I’ve been on compounded T3 for a couple months now. I reach an optimal dose, then my symptoms return after my cells acclimate. I’m currently at 40 mcg 2x per day (80 total per day). I see my NP in 2 days. I asked her to help me do the Wilson’s therapy with T3 only. She’s very hesitant. I believe that she’s concerned that the T3 could be potentially risky, but my medical history shows no heart or blood pressure issues. She even said my blood pressure is usually low normal. My body temperature has been below normal at least since I started checking it in 2005. It’s 97.6° now and I just took my second dose about an hour ago. I’m on the right track. I just pray my NP will have faith in us to do this together.

    Reply
    • Hi Emily,

      It sounds like you might be headed in the right direction. Just so you are aware, the T3 protocol can certainly help some people but I am of the opinion that it only helps a certain type of thyroid patient and other thyroid patients are better served by taking consistent T3 medication.

      Reply
  2. I’m a 46-year-old female and was diagnosed when I was 23. I was put on Levothyroxine (by Kaizer dr) and felt awful. She only tested TSH and told me I was “fine” and would have to get used to being “fat and tired” since I wouldn’t exercise. Like I had energy for that! Fast forward to my 32nd birthday and Armour thyroid medication. Slightly better, TSH suppressed to 0.001, T4 is 6.4, Total T3 1.98, Reverse T3 14, Free T3 5.99, and Free T4 1.01. I’m still exhausted, haven’t ever been able to lose weight (tried keto, veggies and meat only, low fat no sugar no refined carbs, short of total deprivation and air only) I take 5,000mg of D with K every morning since I live in Alaska. In the winter I go up to 10,000.
    I’m currently on 120mg of Armour SID.

    Reply
  3. One question I would ask about the survey since there was overwhelming dissatisfaction over medical treatment is, were they overweight and had bad body image or was it feeling tired and out of sorts all the time that caused the dissatisfaction?

    The results leave me to believe as a patient, I don’t have much positive to look forward to when I address my thyroid issues with my doctor? Does it appear that GPs know very little about thyroid issues? How about endocrinologists? Now, all I have is the energy issues and inability to lose body fat.

    Reply
    • Hi Rodney,

      The big problem, insofar as I can tell, is that physicians don’t believe that there is a problem with the current treatment paradigm. Meanwhile, we have patients basically pleading for different treatments/therapies and widespread dissatisfaction with the current model. What strikes me as odd is that very few of these physicians take a practical look and ask if they could be doing anything different. They are perfectly fine with the status quo and in no hurry to change.

      That is until they get hit with hypothyroidism. I always find it somewhat amusing that physicians end up in my office when the model has failed them but they don’t become believers until that occurs. It’s a strange predicament and the reason I have my blog.

      Reply
  4. I had been on Cytomel for the past 20 years. The past few years my blood pressure had been climbing slowing and in February stopped taking it all together once I had been on a regime of vitamins after doing research on the similarity of T3 and RT3 issues. I have noticed I can think better make fewer mistakes at work my cognitive understanding has improved, decision making is better my blood pressure is slowing coming down. I had always had low blood pressure when in my 20’s. I believe that I had always been a sufferer of my T4 being changed into RT3 instead of the healthy usable form T3, using vitamin therapy I feel better than I have in years. I would like to find a supplement that supports my thyroid health in its entirety instead of taking random amounts of each. Do you know of a superior thyroid supplement for thyroid patients?

    Reply
  5. Hi Doc,
    I looked at your charts and that’s me! Check check check.
    I have been the gambit. Graves to thyroid removal to Synthroid 130 to 200 > armor > then to nature thyroid but now I have bowel issues swings one to the other every couple days. I am three years into the struggle 58 pounds bigger 64 years old and feel like I am 75.

    Reply
  6. Hi Dr. Childs,

    Sorry for this lengthy post but I do feel it’s right along with this article and how thyroid patients are treated.
    My background… I’m a 52 y/o woman who has been hypothyroid since my son was born 28 years ago. I had been on Synthyroid since diagnosed and never really ever felt 100% better. I have battled with weight, fatigue, depression, feeling cold, brain fog and weak muscles for years. I never lost my pregnancy weight and no matter what I did or ate I stayed the same. When I asked my doctor about this it seemed I was just ignored as I was an athlete and remained very active. I was told to eat a low fat diet and do more cardio – even though I was a runner and did half marathons regularly. My doctor called me “fit and fat” and told me I was healthy. It wasn’t until I entered menopause that things really got out of balance! First I had a traumatic leg injury and couldn’t run anymore so I switched to walking and weights. This still didn’t change my size and I was feeling extremely exhausted and frustrated. My TSH became very low 0.33 and had I had no energy at all to even workout- I was also so foggy I had difficulty concentrating at work. I was also becoming heavier- I gained 30 pounds almost overnight even with working out harder and eating less. So I indeed searched the web and asked my doc if he would test T3 and RT3- he refused so I sought out a functional medicine doctor who tested me. My RT3 was 27. She didn’t change my medicine at first just added supplements Selenium and Zinc and I did the Whole 30 to reset. I started feeling better but still battling as I haven’t been back to regular workouts now since January- I’m just walking and not consistently- Finally in April she put me on Armour 90mg and it has been a game changer- she also put me on a Thyroid Support Supplement. My RT3 is down to 14 but my ratio is still not good but in normal range? it’s 19.8. She had me try a Keto Green diet but it had me gaining weight and feeling sluggish again and just thick…so after 4 weeks I stopped it and went back on a whole food approach without counting carbs and feel much better. My clarity is back and energy up after just a week. I agree that not all approaches fit everyone and I also think as a patient we need to ask questions and be a vocal advocate for us. I’m still wanting my new doc to test my insulin and leptin as I think I’m not converting well. My fear as I’m sure many thyroid patients feel is that we sound crazy as our symptoms of “not feeling optimal” aren’t heard as our numbers are in normal ranges. This survey report shows me just what I feel and experienced!
    Any advice for asking for tests and getting this weight off so I can communicate effectively to my doc would be appreciated. Thanks for all you do…I so appreciate your site and videos!

    Reply
  7. Hi Doctor Childs
    I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism 10 years ago. I’m a very active person and my size and weight have always been consistent. I’m about to be 55. (At age 28 I went through menopause due to a complete hysterectomy.) The first treatment for my hypothyroid was Armour Thyroid. I remained with that treatment for many years as my general practitioners would adjust the dosage when appropriate. I thought I was always happy with the Armour Thyroid. Because of several multi-state moves, I had a new GP who suggested I see an endocrinologist. I complied and he instantly denounced my use of Armour Thyroid and placed me on Synthroid for the first time three years ago. I have never felt regulated and things are always changing with my mood, fatigue, weight gain, and brain function. I stopped going to the endocrinologist because it seriously felt like a nonproductive visit time after time. I went back to my GP and asked him to help me manage my thyroid. I began reading and researching for myself regarding understanding the numbers and how to determine exactly what I needed. My GP suggested that my T3 needed to be at the higher end of my range and I agreed with that, and he placed me on Cytomel. Along with the Synthroid 88 MCG, I now take Cytomel 25 MCG. This helped a lot with my vitality, but not necessarily the extra 10 pounds. Recently my blood work TSH became lower than the low end of the range .o3, and symptoms came back like a vengeance. I had unfortunately gone through two knee surgeries Within 4 months and battled an infection with one of the wounds and was then on high doses of antibiotics. So after getting through that bad time my thyroid numbers changed and I had full body aches, inflammation, weakness, fatigue, and severe mood issues. The GP didn’t want to make any changes to my medication and I went another 6 weeks running blood work for all other severe autoimmune diseases and other scary conditions. I went back and asked for the PA and begged for her to consider that my below low TSH number had to be an indicator that I needed an adjustment to my meds. She agreed, said I was experiencing hypo symptoms with a hyper TSH number and lowered the Synthroid to 75 MCG. I need to add that before this change in the last 3 months I have been taking the thyroid adrenal reset and it actually felt like it was saving my life and giving me back a lot of my vitality and spunk. Since lowering the Synthroid to the 75 MCG and continuing to take the cytomel and the thyroid adrenal reset supplements, my TSH number remains lower than low, At .01. (2 labs 2 months apart) Weight hasn’t changed much… maybe 2 lbs
    My question is: should I be concerned to pursue the need for the TSH to rise to within the lab range at the lower end as it was around 1.0? I’m thinking my Synthroid needs to be reduced again. (?) Maybe because the thyroid support supplements are helping me. (?) I’m also not sure going back to Armour is an answer (?) Thank you in advance for any guidance or resources you can suggest.

    Reply
  8. Hi Dr. Childs,

    After 23 years of struggling with all these symptoms, I finally found an endocrinologist that was willing to do further tests. They all said I was within range(1). My reverse T3 was high, but he still says it’s not my thyroid. Yet the uptake scan showed that it isn’t functioning due to swelling, it is a 5. Which lead to a diagnosis of Hashimoto’s. I sat stunned as he then proceeded to tell me that he wouldn’t treat me for it. He just wanted me to continue taking Qsymia. Which was making me crazy on top of feeling like I am losing my mind. He did give me Anti-inflammatory medicine, but it increased my anxiety and my vision became blurry. Currently, I have taken myself off the medications and have begun avoiding all wheat, corn, soy, dairy, and sugar. I don’t know what else to do. Please, I need your help.

    Reply
  9. Dr. Childs Thank you for the great info! do you think my sudden gout issues could be because of my hypothyroid? I take levothyroxine .75 and t-3 .5. My thyroid went crazy about 3 years ago and after that is when I had first gout flare, now have had 1 per year. I have lost 20 #s but was using pea protein & wonder if that caused the flare. Just wondering if there is anything more I could do with my thyroid? Last check TSH was 1.75. Maybe there is no correlation but wanted to check. Thank you

    Reply
  10. Dear Dr. Childs,
    Thank you for your continued support to patients like me who have suffered all forms of hypothyroid symptoms despite being high doses of levothyroxine of up to 150mcg.
    Since I started reading your works and implementing what I have read, I can say my life has completely changed. I feel much better.
    I live in one of developing counties with limited access to specialized care due to associated costs. I would benefit may be from a combination of T4/T3 or plain T3 but those forms of treatment are unavailable, I, therefore, supplement with selenium and zinc which has brought down TSH (which is the only form of monitoring) from 4.8 to the lower end of the range.
    Thank you so much, the knowledge I have gathered has made my days feel much better!

    Reply
  11. I have been.diagnosed with severe hypothyroidism and prior to that seeing the same fnp for two years for paxil and zanax for acute anxiety… I have a two-inch stack of medical debt and she wants to keep sending me to everyone else. My TSH is 80. since I realized this is impacting to the point of debilitating my life within my single income home with a teenager I have started researching extensively on my own. My FNP wants to send me to an endocrinologist, at this point, after extensive research I have decided mentally to take back my life. Working on exercise, right supplements, sleep, lowering stress, and changing what I can..slowly.. in my diet. Should I go to her and just let her know we have to figure this out or is that high of TSH level indicate something worse then hypothyroidism to where I need further evaluation by yet another doctor?

    Reply
    • Hi Gretchen,

      Yes, if your only option is to work with your current doctor then you will want to just go to her and level with her about your symptoms and how you are feeling.

      Reply
  12. Hi Dr,

    I’m desperate for help.
    I’m 42 years old, been hypothyroid for over 10 years. Saw every dr I could find and kept getting told I was depressed, over weight, everything’s normal, etc. I finally saw a endodontist and was told my levels all looked normal come back in 6 months. A couple years later I found a “well known” “arrogant” functional medicine dr. Who said my loves are some of the worst she’s ever seen. Guaranteed she knew how to “fix me”.
    My levels are
    TSH is 0.01
    RT3 is 10.2
    FT4 is 0.45
    FT3 is 3.1
    She has added and changed meds over the last 2 years. 75mcg Tirosint, 25 mcg Cytomel, 10 mg hydrocortisone and about 10 different supplements. Ashwaganda, magnesium, Vit D, Dim 3 and so on. Tried Synthroid and felt awful on it.
    I’m so fatigued I barely get out of bed. I have 3 kids and am missing everything.
    Got tired of waiting for this dr to “fix me”, so after 2 years I changed drs.
    New traditional medicine dr put me on 75 mcg Tirosint and stopped my Cytomel. I’ve felt no Difference.
    I’m at the end of my rope. I’m so depressed. Please help me. Thanks

    Please email me. I’m desperate for help.

    Reply

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