Heart Palpatations and Hypothroid

[SAM86809]

I've been having heart palpatations for years!  These seem to come and go.  I've been to a cardiologist for testing and have been told I'm Afib.  Recently my PCP tested my thryoid and it came back that I have low level thyroid.  I went to an Endo and she confirmed I have Hashimoto's disease.  I too, like many of you who have posted, am afraid to go to sleep at night for fear I won't wake up in the morning because my heart palpatations are off the hook wild at times.  I've also been suffering depression and weight gain.  Does the medication help with the depression or are any of you taking depression medication as well?  I'm worried because you read all of the side effects of these medications are horrible.  Also, for those of you who are on meds, do you have to get your blood tested frequently?  Can you tell physically when your levels are off?

I'm also scared because I know my grandma had thyroid issues and for some reason she just stopped taking medication and was in a deep depressions!   It seems that the thyroid has an effect on your entire wellbeing.

[SAM86809]

Thank you for your reply.  I did have testing done but it did not include  Vitamin A, B12, iron/ferritin, zinc, and selenium.  I went to the Endo today and she confirmed that I am Hypothyroid and Vitamin D deficient.  I will have to post the results so I can learn as much as possible.

I also found out today that I have nodules on both sides of the thyroid with one that is pressing against my esphogus. This would explain why I am having difficulties with swallowing.  I am scheduled to have a biopsy done in 2 weeks to confirm that it is not cancerous.  Which I am confident that it is not.  I am also hoping that starting medication will reduce the size of the nodule that is causing me difficulty.  

[gimel]

Depression and weight gain are two of the typical symptoms of being hypothyroid.  With your Hashi's I suspect that you probably have not been adequately tested  or medicated for your hypothyroidism.  (From your post it sounded like you are not taking any medication.)

I say this because so many doctors have the "Immaculate TSH Belief" and only want to use TSH to diagnose and medicate a thyroid patient.  That does not work.  TSH is a pituitary hormone that is affected by so many variables that at best it is only an indicator, to be considered along with more important indicators such as symptoms, and also levels of the biologically active thyroid hormones, Free T3 and Free T4.  FT3 is the most important because it largely regulates metabolism and many other body functions.  Scientific studies have also shown that FT3 correlated best with hypo symptoms, while FT4 and TSH correlated very poorly.    

So if you haven't been tested for FT3 and FT4, then you should request.  If the doctor resists, then just insist on it and don't take no for an answer.  Remember that you are the customer.  Eventually you should also be tested for Vitamin A, D, B12, iron/ferritin, zinc, and selenium, because these are frequently too low in hypothyroids.  When testing is done, please get a copy and post results and reference ranges shown on the lab report and members will be glad to help interpret and advise further.  

A good thyroid doctor will treat a hypo patient clinically by  testing and adjusting FT3 and FT4 as necessary to relieve symptoms, without being constrained by resultant TSH levels.  Symptom relief should be all important, not just test results.  Test results are valuable mainly as indicators during diagnosis and then afterward to track FT3 and fT4 levels as meds are revised to relieve symptoms.  If your doctor is not willing to treat you clinically as described in this link, then you will need to find a good thyroid doctor that will do so.  

http://hormonerestoration.com/files/ThyroidPMD.pdf

In general I think you are worrying too much about your thyroid condition.  Our experience is that the most important thing is having a good thyroid doctor as I described above.  That way you can get the proper treatment that will provide symptom relief.  I would say that more of the horror stories are due to being improperly diagnosed and treated, rather than being related to side effects of the medication.  Yes, you will have to get your blood tested regularly until your medication is the right type, and adequately adjusted, to relieve symptoms.  With Hashi's this takes longer because your levels are gradually changing due to the destruction of your thyroid glands, so meds have to also be gradually increased to offset the loss of natural thyroid hormone..