Dear all, any of you have ever had a higher than normal level of TSH (Thyroid stimulating hormone)? I had mine tested and got a 5.something number that is a level of (for some experiments or medical reports) hypothyroidsm. That was tested on the final part of a 3 month period where I was feeling lazy, tired, with some muscles sore without an specific cause and I got some weight even controlling my nutrition. All sintoms of hypothyroidsm but…the doctors said it could be an acute picture and…
I would like to share experiences on the topic, so please if you had some with it, let me know:
How did it affected your performance or training routine?
What was the medical conduct to treat it?
Was an acute event or you had cronicall issues with it?
Is it possible to relate higher TSH levels and overtraining?
Thank you very much!
I was diagnosed with hypo about 5 years ago. What can I say so far…It sucks even when on the hormone supplements. I have good days and bad days and the thing I miss most is consistency. I have much to much to say on the topic than I can write on here without producing a small novel. I will PM you my cell # and we can chat if you would like. Probably the easiest thing to do. Just let me know.
Summarize it and we keep chating with others on helping adress this topic!
Great to hear someone in the same boat!
Go ahead!
Thanks
Its important to get the entire Thyroid panel done, as TSH only shows one aspect of thyroid function.
Although my TSH levels are within the “normal” range, they are a bit on the high side. My doctor put me on some homeopathic supplements, including a form of iodine, to help push the thyroid into a slightly more active level. I do actually feel the difference, with some of that latent fatigue disappearing. In terms of performance, its hard to say because I’m not at peak training loads. But it sure helps not to want to crawl into bed all the time.
Ok so let me see what I can offer that is helpfull.
I was diagnosed roughly 5 but maybe 7 years ago as hypo. I was having the hardest time remembering anything and was actually worried that I was starting down the path of alzheimers as I had virtually no short term memory. I would forget things within 3-5 seconds of learning them, peoples names for example. I dont know what I was initially but my doc was thinking that along with some other symptoms might be the cause so they did the blood work and it came back that I was. That started me down the path of hormone supplements. This is not an easy path b/c its so much guess work. For the first year I cam back once a month to have blood work done to make sure that I was getting the right amount of thyroid into my system. Now 5+ years later im basically on 6 month checkups and my level gets adjusted probably every other time. In fact I think im due for an adjustment and was just telling my wife this morning that I needed to get an appointment set up.
SO now onto your questions.
It has affected my perfomance a lot im sorry to say. I am currently taking 100mcg daily and that has suppressed me down to a TSH level of around .47 I think. I have done best with a level close to zero. Anyway I still have virtually no metabolism and find it nearly impossible to lose weight. I am very active and work out a lot but the weight stays. However if I stop working out the weight comes on like a banshee. I do get fatigued easier and I get cold very very easily. In fact im almost always cold. I envy you for being so far south. Ohio has me freezing even in the summer. However I am still active in training and fitness. I teach fitness classes on my lunch break a couple of times a week at the local YMCA and I have raced close to 10 times this summer with my final big race being the steelhead 70.3 in a week. I did IMFL a few years ago as well. SO its not keeping me from doing things its just making it more difficult.
The path of treatment has been synthetic thyroid supplmentation. Like I said I am currently at 100mcg a day everyday and that has been working well. Unfortunately your body and thyroid are smart and the pills are not. what I mean by this is that the amount of hormones you need varies and fluctuates everyday. A pill can not do that so thats why there are ups and downs. I find the seasons really affect me and I often have to get my levels checked for winter vs summer. Also the level of training im doing can impact it as well.
there was no event per say that triggered it. I mentioned the memory as the catalyst that got me in to see the doc. After that I guess I had some other symptoms like fatigue that were red flags.
I do not think that there is any relation between training and TSH. As I undrestand it the brain releases TSH into the body so basically as a message to the thyroid to say “yo we need more of your good stuff!” If the thyroid is not responding the body sends more. That is why a blood test is a good indicator. at a level of 5 your body is basically begging your thyroid for hormones and sorry to say but you thyroid has put up the do not disturb sign.
I have to go but if you have any other questions or want me to expand on anything further let me know.
cheers!
I just got back from lab testing where I got blood samples to test T3 and T4 hormones and tomorrow will have a US of my thyroids.
By the way, when I got the higher TSH levels I was also stopping to take Cymbalta a year after the treatment began and peaking for my HIM race of the season so training was at low levels in volume and at a higher intensity!
I am just 28 and got scared on what does it means in term of a long-term sports career.
After 4 weeks off-season, this fatigue feeling is still around and I am not training anything at all. I am in doubt if getting back into training routine would make me struggle even more.
Good to read you about it, keep the thoughts coming, Marcos
I just got back from lab testing where I got blood samples to test T3 and T4 hormones and tomorrow will have a US of my thyroids.
By the way, when I got the higher TSH levels I was also stopping to take Cymbalta a year after the treatment began and peaking for my HIM race of the season so training was at low levels in volume and at a higher intensity!
I am just 28 and got scared on what does it means in term of a long-term sports career.
After 4 weeks off-season, this fatigue feeling is still around and I am not training anything at all. I am in doubt if getting back into training routine would make me struggle even more.
Good to read you about it, keep the thoughts coming, Marcos
I’ve been hypothyroid for 10 years now, well-controlled on synthroid. As long as I remember to take it every day it’s no big deal.
It will definitely take a while to find the right combination of synthroid dose and T4/TSH levels–just a little change in my T4 can cause some pretty big changes in mood, energy level, etc. Just be patient…
Dude a TSH of 5 is nothing. I was diagnosed at 237. I shit you not. the highest TSH my endochrinologist had seen in 23 years of practice. I’m on 175mcg/day of levoxyl and my readings are more like 1.0-1.5 in most tests this past year. Some people feel better at the lower end of the “normal” range. I’m one of those people. When I’m in the middle of a hard training season I find my adrenal fatigue sets in pretty fast and it’s hard to stay motivated. My advice is to get a lot of sleep for starters. Also, see if you doctor will drop your t4 perscription a little and add some t3 to the mix, or try Armor (derived from cows) since it’s a mix too. Some people have really different responses to the combo versus throwing t4 at the fire alone. If your GP is all you have seen I reccomend you go to an endochrinologist. No disrespect to the GP, but thyroid conditions are very complicated and most GP’s are not the best at manageing them and don’t know a lot about the condition or the latest and greatest research on the subject.
Good luck. You will be tweaking your perscrition for the first two years or so, be patient.
Dave
Its important to get the entire Thyroid panel done, as TSH only shows one aspect of thyroid function.
Although my TSH levels are within the “normal” range, they are a bit on the high side. My doctor put me on some homeopathic supplements, including a form of iodine, to help push the thyroid into a slightly more active level. I do actually feel the difference, with some of that latent fatigue disappearing. In terms of performance, its hard to say because I’m not at peak training loads. But it sure helps not to want to crawl into bed all the time.
That’s not exactly what the doctor books say about treating hypothyroidism…
Well, at no point did I say I was a doctor, I just reported what my doctor has recommended for me. Nor did I say that I was hypo, just that my doctor felt my numbers were not in a place she wanted them. I think the OP was looking for a discussion, not a diagnosis or treatment.
Training for my last ironman race a few years ago, I was tired and thought I was overtraining. I had lost 15lb through exercise and diet and was averaging about 6-7 hours of sleep a night. Nonetheless, I lacked energy and went for a physical. My TSH was 9, so clearly in the hypothyroid range. I started 50mcg of Synthroid and cut back a little on the exercise.
I have had only one adjustment to 88mcg since then and my TSH has been within the normal range. It hasn’t affected my training and my weight has been affected only by my ability to control my gluttony. My BMI drops into the 23-25 range during race season and stays within 25-27 range off season. I’m making a concerted effort to stay in the 23-25 range all year.
It’s not that big a deal.
Well, at no point did I say I was a doctor, I just reported what my doctor has recommended for me. Nor did I say that I was hypo, just that my doctor felt my numbers were not in a place she wanted them. I think the OP was looking for a discussion, not a diagnosis or treatment.
An elevated TSH is, by definition, hypothyroidism, provided the T4 is low or even normal. If you have “subclinical hypothyroidism,” i.e. elevated TSH and a normal T4, and have symptoms–which you do–it should probably be treated with thyroid hormone replacement. Sorry to threadjack, but I work with a lot of first-rate endocrinologists, one of whom is the current president of a national society in the field, and I don’t think a single one would ever recommend some homeopathic iodine mixture as treatment for hypothyroidism.
the most definitive way to differentiate what is going on is the following panel:
TSH
FT4
FT3
and thyroid antibodies.
no cymbalta nor training at any level cause TSH to be elevated. If your testosterone levels are shifting theoretically that could shift thyroid numbers as testosterone (and estrogen) and thyroid all bind to sex binding globulin.
I treat TONS of thyroid patients, I have been hypothryoid for 25 years and my mother is too - easy to control
Good to hear you all! Tons of great inputs, thanks!
Thought we could still discuss the topic and help others on the same boat. And I am also keeping myself on the track advised by the doctors and I am doing all the exams/tests before the formal/“closed” diagnose.
By the way, just got back from thyroids ultra-sound and the doctor told me that mine was normal on the anatomic part and that he would verify on “some math” the size of it (maybe a protocol to determine size or, do not know exactly). But for now, all the info I have is that the gland is completely normal.
Besides all you said and the symptoms that I do feel on some extent, is it possible to have this TSH levels off of the track because of (lots of) training or because Cymbalta was being withdrawn? What’re the possibilities to have that developed? Is it an auto-immune “disease” and some time it can go just the way it come?
Keep the good thoughts coming and the most up to date know-how on dealing with it, thanks, Marcos
All done!
Thank you all for the inputs and for sharing your experience!
The exams were all fine and doc advised to repeat everything in 6 months.
Let’s get back to training and get ready for race season!
MAA