My symptoms started with extreme fatigue, cold hands & feet, slow recovery, and my doc said my levels were "just" low normal....and I had Hashimoto's but he wouldn't treat me. I quit racing....and was literally too tired to seek another opinion. Fast forward many years, I just couldn't get going enough to train regularly, and then when I did was slow to recover. I still ran/biked/swam, but just when I felt like it. I became depressed (which is not typical for me) and a new doctor started me on a small dose of T4 & T3. I felt slightly jittery and medicated. Then the weight started piling on--and would absolutely wouldn't respond to diet and exercise. I finally found a practitioner who was more holistic. She found my thyroid levels were still "low normal" despite the replacement--but also had me check my basal temperature each morning which was shockingly low. I switched to Armour thyroid with a small dose, and slowly upped the dosage over the next 2 years or so. I feel NO side effects. Finally when I was at a fairly high level, I felt good again and fully normal. I am THRILLED that I can actually recover from workouts not to mention getting out of bed!

ps...my weight is back down & my metabolism seems to be normal. And yes, my hair/eye brows are much fuller, and I have muscles again!