Low thyroid symptoms with normal blood levels

Many people live with symptoms of low thyroid and are not getting any help for their symptoms. Often times patients will explain what the symptoms to their practitioner and the practitioner will test their thyroid levels. In most cases, however, practitioners only draw a Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) Level. I rarely see this level above what the lab considers "normal range," which would warrant thyroid treatment.
I draw a more extensive thyroid panel and what I tend to see is that the TSH may be in normal range, but the other thyroid hormone levels are not normal leaving patients with elevated antibodies that indicate Hashimoto's Disease, an autoimmune disease of the thyroid gland.
Hashimoto's typically presents with the symptoms of weight gain, fatigue, hair loss, difficulty sleeping, foggy thinking, depression, constipation, cold and/or heat intolerance, and sometimes even a goiter, or enlarged thyroid gland. If Hashimoto's goes untreated, it can result in destruction of the thyroid gland and insufficient production of thyroid hormones, a condition called Hypothyroidism. Unfortunately, when a patient is symptomatic and has "normal" thyroid levels, the symptoms are addressed with medications that are just masking a deeper issue that will eventually present itself in another symptom. Patients are often prescribed anti-depressants, anti-anxiety medications, ADD medications, and sleeping medications instead of getting treatment for the underlying thyroid condition.
Now you know that there should be more extensive testing for thyroid problems, but how are hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's treated? There are many things to consider when at treatments. When I have a patient that has symptoms of Hypothyroidism and the labs show low levels of thyroid production, I often start treatment with thyroid hormones. I do hormone therapy using the most conservative doses initially and titrating up based on labs and symptoms as needed per patient. I will typically discuss and will often test for adrenal function as well, and I may treat thyroid and adrenal together since they work so closely with each other. When patients have elevated thyroid antibodies, I usually treat them with hormones and adrenal supports, like I do with Hypothyroidism. In addition, I do nutritional education about the importance of an anti-inflammatory diet and recommend other dietary recommendations and supplements that may be useful for each particular patient.
If you have been told over the years that your thyroid is "normal," yet you still have symptoms of Hashimoto's or hypothyroidism and are having a hard time functioning, consider finding a practitioner who is willing to dig deeper to get you the answers you deserve so you receive the help you need.
Karen Hyden, APN-BC, MSN, www.wellnesssolutionsus.com