Update on the Levothyroxin Hypothesis

(You can skip to the results if you've heard my story already)

If you haven't seen my post about a little hypothesis I was seeking to find out was true or not, here's the explanation:

I was diagnosed (according to my patient portal) as having hypothyroidism. They explained it as though I had an overactive thyroid, though so that raised a lot of questions. Also I am very underweight and can't handle any type of stimulants to the point that I can barely take Excedrin anymore because 90mg of caffeine is too much and makes my heart race. My thyroid glands are also enlarged. Anyway, they treated with Levothyroxin 75mcg (which is a hormone to replace what the thyroid isn't producing). I had complained that my symptoms were worsening with the medication and thought that it was interacting poorly with the Latuda. The doctors dismissed my symptoms and told me to continue treatment. I quit seeing them after that.

Fast forward to recently, I looked up the diagnosis and lab results in my patient portal. I have high Free T4 and low TSH levels. This combination indicates that I had hyperthyroidism as opposed to it's under active counterpart. According to the American Thyroid Association, many doctors have a tendency to overlook the Free T4 levels, focusing on the low TSH levels (found in both disorders), which only served to raise my suspicions.

My hypothesis was that I had been dangerously misdiagnosed. To test this, I continued treatment, going into this trial with the utmost hope that it would work. To my dismay, after three doses, I noticed a significant decline in my health. I find walking just from the store to my car to be taxing, as I run out of breath and my heart races. It races worse than before, every time I walk for more than a few minutes. I just had to sit on the floor at Walmart because I was up too long. My headaches worsened. My body is having even more difficulty regulating it's temperature and I feel hot and nauseated all the time.

I definitely have hyperthyroidism, not hypo. I should have just looked at the lab results and left it at that.

The trial was a success, but I'm now weak from the extra hormones. On the bright side, I proved my hypothesis. Always trust your instincts when you feel something's wrong. It could save your life. I know it saved mine.