I've been reading about this to get more information.....but what exactly is the difference between Hashimotos thyroiditis and hyperthyroidism?
Is it still treated the same?
Sometimes I think that I "over think" things...but I was wondering as I have had to increase my dosage of levothyroxine 3 times now over the years even though I don't think my dosage is still very high (currently 150mcg).
I know there are many of you that deal with this and I thought you might be able to explain it better!
Thanks!
Hi :)
Hyperthyroidism is usually caused by Graves Disease (another autoimmune) Hashimoto's is more likely to result in Hypothyroidism (underactive)
There are some who believe that Hashi's and Graves are opposite ends of a spectrum.
If you're hyper you are producing too much thyroid hormone. If you're underactive you're not producing enough - hence the supplementation. Hashimoto's destroys the gland, so as more of it is destroyed, meds need to be adjusted. People who are 'hyper' sometimes end up on hormone replacement having had the thyroid irradiated or removed. (After which, of course they are 'hypo')
I've needed meds adjusted upwards, downwards and upwards again and am now on 175mcg daily. I've read about people taking 350mcg daily but I think that's pretty high. Some people have trouble converting the T4 to T3.
That's probably still as clear as mud. About.com has a good thyroid forum with tons of helpul info on it.
Take care - Scottie :)
Hashimoto's is autoimmune hypothyroidism. It is possible to have an underactive thyroid for many reasons (menopause comes to mind); it's not always autoimmune. They are treated the same, but I suspect that people w/ Hashimoto's are a little more sensitive to variations in thyroid hormone (that's just my perception; I don't have any research to back it up). They are definitely more likely to develop other autoimmune conditions such as SJS.
You mentioned hyperthyroidism, which I'm assuming was a typo. If not, however, autoimmune hyperthyroidism is called Graves disease. How it manifests itself in terms of symptoms varies based on the person. Hypothyroidism tends to lead to weight gain and sluggishness; hyperthyroidism usually leads to weight loss and too much energy. There are, of course, many other symptoms for each disease.
Having to increase your dosage is pretty normal if you have hypothyroidism. As your immune system continues to destroy your thyroid (if you have Hashimoto's), you'll need higher and higher dosages. Keeping your stress level low and keeping your meds where they should be can help slow that destruction.
Keep track of your blood work yourself. Most people with hypothyroidism feel best with a TSH of around 1, but labs and doctors sometimes use different normal ranges. You need to keep yourself where you feel best. You can get lots of helpful information at http://thyroid.about.com/ and at http://www.aace.com/public/awareness/tam/2004/tsh.php
Best wishes.
Dog gone it! You are right...I meant that I have hypothyroidism...it was either a typo or a brain fart...one of them....lol!
I'm just going to keep track of my labs as was suggested and try to keep my levels low while working with my doctor....my next recheck is in another months or so...so we will see what it does then since I just had a med adjustment last month.
Thanks for the information Scottie and Dragonfly and I will look into the thyroid.about.com website that you both mentioned.