Thyroid

It has been discovered that my prolactin levels are elevated and that I may have issues with my thyroid. Can anyone else share their experiences and tell me what medications they take to level them off and what side effects they experience?
Also, if anyone went as far as surgery can you share your symptoms before and how the surgery benefited you?

Re: Thyroid

Elevated Thyroid levels or reduced?

I have Elevated TSH and T4 and prolactin and I have hypothyroid. I have a small nodule on my Thyroid which is being watched.

As far as I know, thyroid is removed ONLY in advanced Thyroid Cancer cases or you can have a tumor /cyst removed depending on size. Again, this is rare from what I know. My DH's Aunt had it done b/c of Cancer. ( thyroid) .

Im on Synthyroid....I have it checked every 3 months and the dosage is raised or lowered based on blood test results.


ETA- My hypothyroid symptoms are Dry skin on hands, peeling skin on hhands, Weight Gain, Fatigue, Brain Fog on occasion, Hair Loss, Always cold and headaches. I get ALL the symptoms at once and I always know my thyroid is off.

Synthroid( the medication for Hypothyroid) has no side effects. Its just synthetic hormone.

Message edited 1/28/2008 9:42:21 PM.

Re: Thyroid

Mine is also elevated. I have hashimoto's form of hypothyroidism. Hashimoto's is an autoimmune disease. When I was first diagnosised my numbers were around 46. I take synthroid and my dosage was just increased to 150. I have not had surgery. My father has an unstable thyroid. He has had both hypo and hyper. He was hyper for so long that it resulted in heart issues. For that reason he had his thyroid killed off. He had to take radioactive iodine. He has Graves form of hyper.

If you have any questions please just let me know.

Re: Thyroid

Posted by dm24angel

Elevated Thyroid levels or reduced?

I have Elevated TSH and T4 and prolactin and I have hypothyroid. I have a small nodule on my Thyroid which is being watched.

As far as I know, thyroid is removed ONLY in advanced Thyroid Cancer cases or you can have a tumor /cyst removed depending on size. Again, this is rare from what I know. My DH's Aunt had it done b/c of Cancer. ( thyroid) .

Im on Synthyroid....I have it checked every 3 months and the dosage is raised or lowered based on blood test results.


ETA- My hypothyroid symptoms are Dry skin on hands, peeling skin on hhands, Weight Gain, Fatigue, Brain Fog on occasion, Hair Loss, Always cold and headaches. I get ALL the symptoms at once and I always know my thyroid is off.

Synthroid( the medication for Hypothyroid) has no side effects. Its just synthetic hormone.

Re: Thyroid

I just got bloodwork yesterday to check my thyroid as well.

They suspect something is off.

Re: Thyroid

Hi, I was diagnosed w/ Grave's disease (characterized by overactive thyroid) six years ago after having unexplained weight loss and fast heartbeat.

Surgery is unusual outside of thyroid cancer. I had a dose of radioactive iodine (a pill)-- no side effects but you have to stay away from other people for 48 hrs to avoid contaminating them w/ radiation. Your thyroid is permanently diminished after this and you take Synthroid the rest of your life (no big deal and no side effects in my experience)

There are also "anti-thyroid" pills you can take for a period of several months. I think if you do this you do not necessarily need Synthroid maintenance afterward. However my endocrinologist said this med can have an immune-suppressing effect like a mild version of chemo, leaving you susceptible to illness. I didn't like the sound of this so I chose iodine.

If your thyroid is UNDERactive, you just take the Synthroid right from the outset.

I also had elevated prolactin when I was TTC! There is a pill they give you to bring down your prolactin levels, you take it twice a week... I cannot for the life of me remember the name of it, it started with a D I think. Again no side effects.

FM me if you want more info!

Re: Thyroid

Deb- Did you get any answers?

Re: Thyroid

There are ways to control it naturally, without drugs or surgery, but it is a massive detox and a very strict diet for at least a year. FM me if you want the details. I had 4 masses, the largest of which was 7mm. I now only have 2 detectable, none of which are over 2mm.

Re: Thyroid

Three years ago I had a nodule on my right side which did not go down with medication. I ended up having surgery even though the biopsy did not show that it was cancer. I had just my right side out. I'm on synthroid and feel great...and hardly a scar at all.
Before they found the nodule my blood work was fine...no signs of being hypo. But my Mom and sister are both hypo and I pretty much expected I would be eventually.

Re: Thyroid

Re: Thyroid

I missed this post. Did they give you any answers yet? I was lactating and they checked everything on me, including thyroid tests. I ended up having a pituitary tumor. One specific kind of tumor actually increases your prolactin levels. Your original tumor might have affected the pitiuitary gland. Every case is different, but an endocronologist helped with me.