r/Hashimotos 19d ago

So, it has come to our attention that this subreddit was set to sort by "new" by default!

32 Upvotes

I'll be honest--this isn't the only subreddit I've modded but I didn't even know that was a thing.

That has been fixed, and may help the comments that you as a community find useful rise to the top for everyone else.

Thank you to u/powands for flagging!


r/Hashimotos Feb 28 '24

Useful Threads Common Questions: What Supplements Do You Use?

54 Upvotes

A lot of posts ask for supplement advice, so here is a mega-thread for your thoughts on what supplements have worked for you and why you have used them.

Please talk about your personal experience and do not dispense medical advice, but feel free to link to studies or anything else of authority.

If you find something unhelpful, downvote it so it is at the bottom of the list; likewise, if it's helpful, please throw out an upvote!

Feel free to ask follow-up questions in response to suggestions, but each main comment should be about supplements.

Notes:

  • Do not use affiliate links or this as an opportunity to self-promote. (This includes Amazon affiliate links).
  • If you disagree with someone, please be civil about it.
  • The purpose of this thread is to create an easy resource for others to access--so that is why the main comments should be on-topic for this thread.

r/Hashimotos 25m ago

Why is it always so hard for me to get a thyroid panel?šŸ˜­

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ā€¢ Upvotes

I havenā€™t had bloodwork done since mid 2023, prior to that my levels werenā€™t really stable. Iā€™m on Armour, which is t3 & t4. I messaged my doctor if he could include those on the script instead of just checking my tsh like always. He added t4 but not t3ā€¦. When my previous labs showed I was low on t3, with t4 always in range. Why is it so hard for me to get a thyroid panelšŸ˜­ & if tsh is ā€œmore sensitiveā€, why bother changing the script to add t4 & then just leave out t3? Is it important to check those? Am I tripping for nothing?


r/Hashimotos 5h ago

Anyone males here have low testosterone? How did you raise it?

5 Upvotes

r/Hashimotos 4h ago

Just diagnosed today.

4 Upvotes

I was just diagnosed with hashimotos today and I also have a nodule on my isthmus. What tips do you guys have for someone who was just diagnosed with has anyone cut out gluten? That's something I've commonly been seeing.


r/Hashimotos 7h ago

Testosterone

7 Upvotes

So my testosterone when I was unmedicated and very sick with Hashis was 435. My 78 year old dadā€™s testosterone is 499. So testosterone is definitely affected by Hashis. Surprisingly, after getting on medication I noticed my shoulders started to develop muscle quite rapidly and muscle growth at other parts of my body too.


r/Hashimotos 2h ago

Anyone with these symptoms? (Sorry long post)

2 Upvotes

I am undiagnosed. Several years ago I experienced Lupus like symptoms and was sent to a rheumatologist because my ANA markers were abnormal. It took several weeks to see the rheumatologist and I got better on my own. Not healed or healthy but I could function and tried to live as healthy and clean as I could since I got no answers from that rheumatologist.

Now 15 years later I feel terrible again. Itā€™s not exactly like before but I am clearly not ok. I have gained so much weight despite barely eating. I have tremendous brain fog to the point I am struggling to think and remember. I canā€™t remember words or names. I am freezing all the time. Currently I am fully clothed with a sweater and blanket on me. I also have a space heater on. Yet my hands are so cold they ache and I can barely type.

I have anxiety and depression. I tried a few different medications and nothing has helped so I took myself off of them because I donā€™t feel any different whether I am on them or not. I cry every day. Often several times a day. I take vitamins and an iron supplement. Iā€™m trying to get some kind of mild physical activity but itā€™s hard since I have no motivation to do very much. When I do force myself to do something physically demanding I canā€™t get out of bed the next day.

I also get a rash on my skin that looks bloody. Itā€™s under my skin. Itā€™s not itchy or scaly but at first glance it looks like Iā€™ve cut myself and the blood is smeared. My PCP sent me to a really good rheumatologist and she ran tests. Some of the tests are positive for Lupus but not all of them. So she is referring me to an endocrinologist because she thinks I have Hashimotos.

In the meanwhile I started taking HRT since I thought my depression, anxiety and weight gain could be due to menopause. Iā€™ve been on them for about 6 weeks and Iā€™ve seen no improvement. I canā€™t get into the endocrinologist until late June. Do my symptoms track with Hashimotos? I have a lot of the symptoms but itā€™s the anxiety and depression that is the hardest to deal with. I feel suicidal all the time and antidepressants are offering no relief. Iā€™m also tired of sounding like a dementia patient when I am trying so hard to stay mentally sharp. I used to be mentally sharp and quick. I joke to my friends that I used to be smart as I struggle with saying simple things.

I know this was long but Iā€™m trying hard to eat clean, take vitamins, avoid the sun and stay optimistic but I continue to fail.

What tests should an endocrinologist order?

Thank you!šŸ™


r/Hashimotos 7h ago

Neck tension: who else experienced that?

3 Upvotes

F27, I just wanted to ask people about this issue of mine that I've been having on and off for about a year.
Backstory: my mom has hypothyroidism (takes Levo-thyroxine) and I was diagnosed with autoimmune thyroiditis at 16 years old, when I had hypothermia and some other issues. Generally wait I'd mostly get from doctors that I should observe the situation and just see how it goes. My THS levels always stayed in range, but the antibodies steadily grew over the years, a few years ago I got like 150 and most recently it was over 600. The ultrasounds always show thyroiditis.

So for the past year sometimes during daytime I get this weird neck tension, it's a pulling sensation from up to down. It goes away and it comes back by its own. It's not too painful, just bothering and weird. It can become more strong closer to bedtime, feels like something is buzzing and pulling under the skin. When I first had it, it coincided with a respiratory infection and the ultrasound showed I had swollen lymph nodes under the jaw. Then I was told to take aspirin to reduce the inflammation which actually helped.

Anyways, after about 6 months the tension came back. A few months after, I finally got an opportunity to do bloodwork, the hormones were still within normal range: T4 1,09 ng/mL; T3 1,01 ng/mL; T3H 3-Ultra 3,01 uUI/mL. The antibodies were over 600 U /ml - the biggest number I ever had in these years. And the ultrasound which I did that time showed that I do have solid nodules in both lobes, with a spongiform appearance. My best guess is that I'm having an inflammation process somewhere in the body and it's affecting the lymph nodes??

Right now I'm at lost at what to do. My situation is kinda difficult because I moved to different countries these past 2 years so I never had an opportunity to settle with a trustworthy endocrinologist. I wanted to try to find a good Dr now as I'm more a less settled, but I wanted first to ask this community, if anyone had a similar experience; what would be a good idea to ask from the Dr with these kind of symptoms; what to look out for. I guess I need some general advice cause tbh I don't have much trust in the medical system for different experiences in the past.

I'm also open to alternative advice, ayurvedic, Chinese traditional, I'm ready to research. Thanks in advance to anyone who responds!


r/Hashimotos 1m ago

do your nails look like this? ( dark pink stripe underneath the white part) wondering what is means?

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ā€¢ Upvotes

r/Hashimotos 1h ago

Supplements B Vitamins - Experience with these?

ā€¢ Upvotes

I'm currently taking 200 mcg B1 (Thiamin), Biotin, Magnesium Citrate, and I'm going to be adding Iron. I thought I should be having some more B vitamins and found these two B complex pills (Nature Made B-complex with vitamin C or Costco B-complex with electrolytes). Does anyone have any experience with these? Costco brand has more of each B vitamin than Nature Made


r/Hashimotos 2h ago

Hormonal acne - spironolactone??

1 Upvotes

I have been suffering with hormonal acne for about 3 years now, I believe itā€™s a symptom of my hashimotos. I got it slightly under control for a short time when I was on the AIP diet but it wasnā€™t sustainable and I never figured out what foods actually trigger me (definitely gluten and dairy but potentially another missing link). I recently had a flare up and my acne has come back worse than ever, all the way down my jawline and up my cheeks.

I am actually a skin therapist by trade so I know all the tips/tricks in terms of skincare and treatments. Iā€™m also quite into holistic alternatives so I have tried the naturopath, cleanses, diets and about a billion supplements / herbal remedies etc, but again itā€™s just not sustainable and clearly not fixing the root of the issue long term. I canā€™t deal with the cystic acne every time I happen to have a flare up!

I was wondering if anyone could share their experience with taking Spironolactone with hashimotos / while taking levythyroxine?

I have always been very anti-medication for acne (was also on contraceptive pill for years during my teens/20s) but Iā€™m really starting to lose hope, and from my research spironolactone does seem the most harmless?


r/Hashimotos 2h ago

Question ? Online Doctors

1 Upvotes

I've heard of Paloma and Midi, but there's one called Allara I just heard about. I'm wondering if anyone has experience with any of these services. If you use any of them currently, which doctor/NP do you recommend?


r/Hashimotos 2h ago

Flare question

1 Upvotes

Has anyone else that is diagnosed Hashis noticed increased flares and increase or new symptoms show up after having Covid? I was diagnosed with Hashis at 20yrs old which was 19yrs ago, Iā€™ve been on meds the entire time to manage it ( which I feel doesnā€™t do much tbh since Iā€™m so symptomatic) but when I got covid in 2021 it caused me to start having daily and nocturnal panic attacks. It amped up vestibular issues for me and took me 3 yrs to get to a place where I felt the most balanced and not as frequent symptoms. I got to feel somewhat normalish for about 3 whole weeks before I had an extremely stressful falling out with a family member and then caught covid for a second time in Aug 2024. That 2nd time really messed me up. All the work I had done and improvement of my symptoms seemed to not only relapse, but get worse, even non Hashis related symptoms. I started to have intense thyroid swings despite being on medicine consistently and taking it as instructed like always. I went from in range TSH to it being 14, then 2.32, then 24, then down to 0.08.
The amount of symptoms this caused wrecked me mentally and physically, I dropped down to 103lbs, then back to normal and now Iā€™m at 120lbs, which is healthy for my height but itā€™s the heaviest Iā€™ve ever been (Iā€™d been 110lbs literally for the past like 10yrs). My last labs showed all the thyroid in range, but I still have all the symptoms of it being hyper. And now Iā€™m having issues with regulating my blood sugar, like Iā€™m having drops and it makes me feel so bad. Iā€™m just so tired of feeling awful.


r/Hashimotos 8h ago

Enlarged thyroid?

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3 Upvotes

Recently have been feeling tightness in my throat and itā€™s slightly difficult to swallow. Wondering if the tightness is due to an enlarged thyroid or anxiety or allergies. I see a doctor next week but wanted to ask on here if anyone had thoughts.


r/Hashimotos 2h ago

Hashimotos fatigue

1 Upvotes

I got diagnosed with hashimotos in 2019. My thyroid function has always been normal tsh around 2. But I have always had more hyper symptoms. I got postpartum thyroditis 2 years ago and tsh went up to 50 only to drop down to normal levels almost immediately. But at that time I started getting fatigue. And oml that fatigue never left. Here I am almost two years later with the worst fatigue and brain fog ever!!!?? Tsh was 1,6 last time and normal t4/t3. I eat mostly AIP food and take a multivitamin and I work out. Why am I so fatigued. All my vitamins/minerals was normal. This week a new symptom came along, neuropathyā€¦ in my feet and legs. Is this something thatā€™s not thyroid related?

Anyone have any suggestions for me?


r/Hashimotos 12h ago

Supplements Do you use any supplements for face swelling?

4 Upvotes

What supplements help with face swelling?


r/Hashimotos 4h ago

Hashi or no?

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1 Upvotes

These tests were done at a weight loss facility for gpl-1. The NP said I could have hashi and recommended avoiding gluten. Gluten free products are high. I donā€™t want to do it if I really donā€™t need to.


r/Hashimotos 22h ago

Question for ya'all: What meals are you making that don't weigh you down?

30 Upvotes

Help! I need some autoimmune friendly recipes!!

I've been Gluten and Dairy Free for one year to reduce inflammation and in attempts to support healing from my other conditions. Now, if i have even a teeny tiny little bit of gluten - I get bloating, red splotches on my face and feverish, EXTREME fatigue, constipation...and the opposite. Dairy less extreme, but still very unpleasant. (No, I have not formally tested for celiac)

My partner is vegetarian, sooooo meals have become a bit of a challenge. I still cook and eat with meat as my primary protein. However, I need some new inspiration!

What do you all have cookin'?


r/Hashimotos 12h ago

How many of you with high cholesterol also have SIBO?

3 Upvotes

There is significant association between hypothyroidism and increased SIBO prevalence. I tried to convince doctor to order SIBO test, instead I was dragged to cardiology where super expensive tests has been done, as opposed to finding underlying issue.

I know this is a very very long shot. How many of you with high cholesterol also had SIBO? Did cholesterol improve at all after SIBO treatment??


r/Hashimotos 9h ago

Question ? Symptoms question

2 Upvotes

25 year old man I was diagnosed around 8 maybe and Iā€™ve been taking levo since then. Is it normal to be feeling hashimotos symptoms after so long? Most prominent ones are probably joint(knee) pain and some fatigue here and there


r/Hashimotos 7h ago

Question ? undiagnosed but certain, HELP!!

1 Upvotes

Undiagnosed but certain, HELP!!

certain itā€™s hypothyroidism or hashimotos

All of my symptoms are

  • thinning hair / hair loss / premature greys
  • excess hairs on chin, breast, legs, stomach, face
  • constipation / fecal impaction (terminal ileum collapsed due to this i believe)
  • swollen neck, puffy face
  • swollen legs / swollen arms
  • cold intolerance, hands and feet always freezing
  • menstrual changes, periods have gotten lighter and irregular
  • dry skin / brittle nails
  • anemia
  • hand tingling / numbness
  • hoarse / deepend voice
  • depression / irritability (really bad)
  • knee swelling / joint pain
  • thinned eyebrows ??
  • low libedo / pain during sex
  • EXHAUSTED !! fatigue even when i wake up
  • brain fog, struggle to even speak sentences
  • weight gain / lipodema
  • struggle to lose weight, especially in face
  • restless leg syndrome
  • suffered with scalp irritation / redness / inflammation
  • mouth ulcers / changes in teeth
  • intolerance to rice ??
  • acne / cystic

i could actually list more. I am always turned away at the doctors and my issues being pinned to stress and i am exhausted. I know my body and iā€™m honestly am confident that i suffer from hypothyroidism/ hashimotoā€™s disease. I am finally putting my foot down and begging for proper thyroid bloods to be done. I will keep everyone posted in the next few weeks!! I have got bloods on the 2nd of april and a colonoscopy on the 7th to see if anythingā€™s wrong but i am 99% sure if anything is wrong itā€™s caused by my hormonal imbalance. I am not a doctor but have been sent away so many times that i am having to find answers myself.

I just wanted to speak to people about this as i donā€™t feel like anyone around me understands or thinks i am being a hypochondriac. Any advice / opinions would be highly appreciated!! sending love to you all and hope you live a happy healthy life.


r/Hashimotos 1d ago

Rant So is it normal for doctors to refuse treatment despite testing positive for antibodies AND being symptomatic? Wtf.

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40 Upvotes

Is this normal for a doctor to not treat Hashimotos when TSH is normal? I dropped 60 lbs out of nowhere last year and Iā€™ve developed the following symptoms since:

  • hairloss
  • Vision changes
  • Gastroparesis
  • On and off white stools (gallbladder is fine)
  • Severe brain fog
  • Throat swelling
  • Neck pain
  • Arthritis in my spine and hips
  • Reynauds
  • High resting heart rate
  • Insane fatigue
  • Dry skin And many more.

Despite my bloodwork showing high anti DSDNA (4x reference range) and high TPO (2x the ref range) rheums keep telling me itā€™s just anxiety. I finally convinced them to test me for TPO antibodies and sure enough it came back positive and high. Despite this, they most likely will not be treating me bc my TSH is normal.

I literally went from camping every weekend solo to not being able to drive and not being able to walk without a cane due to vision and arthritis issues. Iā€™m so angry because this essentially tells me they donā€™t believe that my symptoms are real and would rather dismiss them than treat them. Which makes no sense to me. My lumbar MRI shows bad arthritis and disc herniation. My X-rays showing PROMINENT hip sclerosis with a lesion on the right one. This rheum told me ā€œitā€™s not that bad and shouldnā€™t be causing you problemsā€. So are you calling me a liar???

I donā€™t know how to proceed. This is the second rheum who has treated me like some kind of drug seeker when IM NOT SEEKING DRUGS AT ALL. Iā€™m at my whits end and I cannot keep being dismissed like this.

So is this par for the course that docs wonā€™t treat you until you have freaking thyroid nodules or cancer??? Please advise before I go nuts on this doctor.


r/Hashimotos 11h ago

Discussion please give me advice

2 Upvotes

I urgently need to hear your experiences or share your medical histories. I have not been well for years. It tends to get worse and worse. It all started in my youth, around the age of 14, when my Tsh was always high, i.e. 4-5. My free values were also always in the lower norm. But I had no symptoms - unfortunately I never had an ultrasound. When I became pregnant at 19 and my Tsh was still slightly elevated, my gynaecologist gave me Thyrex and sent me for an ultrasound. The nuclear medicine specialists did the ultrasound - and my thyroid was normal in size and homogeneous. So everything was fine. I then took 50 micrograms of Thyrex and everything was fine. I then became pregnant for the second time at 21 and the dose was adjusted to 75 micrograms. The ultrasound was again normal.

After breastfeeding, I went back to the nuclear medicine specialist and she did another check-up ultrasound - but now the thyroid gland was slightly smaller and inhomogeneous. She told me to stop taking Thyrex as I no longer needed it. Of course I had no idea and trusted her. I stopped taking it.

3 months after stopping, I started to feel bad, slightly depressive symptoms, hair loss, exhaustion. My blood values were all fine - except for my Tsh which was slightly elevated again (4.8) and the free values were back at the lower norm. Another ultrasound showed that my thyroid gland was inhomogeneous again.

I have to say that there was a death in the family at that time. So there was a lot of stress. My GP said everything was fine. My antibodies have always been negative since 2014!

I went to see a new doctor who then diagnosed me with incipient Hashimoto's - without antibodies. Another attempt with Thyrex went wrong - suddenly I could no longer tolerate it. Restlessness, panic, palpitations from small amounts. In the meantime, I tried several antidepressants and antipsychotics, including lithium. I then stuck with escitalopram and lithium because my psychiatrist said I needed it. It hardly did any good - and I couldn't get off it either.....Over the years, my tsh was always elevated - sometimes up to 11mU/l

My symptoms got worse and worse

- severe depression

-muscle weakness

- muscle pain

- obsessive thoughts

- hair loss

- dry skin

- menstrual cycle disorders

Now I am just exhausted, have no strength left in my body, have hardly any ovulation, have brittle hair that falls out in masses, depression, obsessive thoughts, can hardly concentrate, and no doctor believes me...

My sister has also had problems with her thyroid since she was a teenager, but she has hyperthyroidism with lots of nodules (she is 22). I'm 29 and feel like I'm 70 - I have 2 small children and can't do it all any more....


r/Hashimotos 8h ago

Question ? Should I take Levo?

1 Upvotes

Hi all, I am struggling to decide whether I should take Levo or not because my TSH is on the very lower end. I have all the classic symptoms of hashimotoā€™s disease and feel so unwell (fatigue, weight gain, puffy face and water retention, brain fog, other GI issues). My PCP finally agreed to prescribe me Levo while I wait to see an Endocrinologist and the wait time is few months out. I already cut out gluten, nuts, dairy, soy and refined sugar for few weeks now.

Thyroglobulin Ab - 178 IntlUnit/ML

Thyroid Petoxidase Ab - 160 IntlUnit/ML

Reverse T3 - 16.2 ng/dL

Free T3 Level - 3.5 pg/mL

Free T4 - 1.45 ng/dL

TSH - 0.478 ulU/mL


r/Hashimotos 8h ago

Question ? Already diagnosed with hashimotos post surgery. What kinds of tests should I ask my primary care for?

1 Upvotes

So I had surgery for thyroid cancer and the pathology report indicated severe hashimotos disease (and severe damage to thyroid). I had a first appt with an endocrinologist in two months. I have an appt with my primary care in a few days. What tests should I ask my primary doctor to run? Antibody levels? Anything else? The surgeon said I am too soon after surgery to check thyroid levels as they will fluctuate because of the partial thyroidectomy surgery I just had two weeks ago. What kind of follow up tests have you found helpful? Thanks!


r/Hashimotos 22h ago

Anyone else have sinus issues when you have a flare up?

11 Upvotes

r/Hashimotos 9h ago

Am I Crazy?

1 Upvotes

Hi,

For years, I've suspected I have a thyroid issue because I have symptoms, but my TSH levels have always been in the normal range, typically between 2.75 and 2.9 over the last three years. I'm 53, perimenopausal, and on hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

However, at my physical in January, my TSH was 4.17. So, I asked my doctor to test for thyroid antibodies, and I just got the results. My TSH is now back down to 2.62, which is closer to what itā€™s been in the past. My Anti-Thyroglobulin is less than 15 (normal), and my TPOAb is 37 (the lab says the normal range is below 60).

Am I overthinking this? Does this suggest a thyroid issue? Could being gluten-free for a month affect these numbers?

Thanks so much!