Suggest Treatment For Hypothyroidism, Exhaustion, Palpitations And High Pulse Rate

Posted on Wed, 3 Jun 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 3 Jun 2015 Answered on

Tue, 30 Jun 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : I have been recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism & prescribed Thyroup 25 for 7 days then increase to 50 mg. Background is I was suffering from exhaustion, palpitations, high pulse rate, slightly elevated BP. GP advised thyro profile. T3,T4 were high & TSH low. Endo advised scan which suggested inflammation & Thyroiditis. He prescribed beta blocker & ecosprin & calcium 1gm and advised thyro profile repeat in 4-6 weeks and also warned about fluctuation from hyper to hypo. Recent repeat shows low T3,T4 and very high TSH - 53. Wait gain 4 kg in 8 weeks.

Answered by Dr. Ajish TP (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Thyroiditis can progress to hypothyroidism

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Welcome to HCM. I have gone through the question and understand your concerns.

Don't worry. This is a common condition. You initially had thyroiditis - here your thyroid is damaged by either virus ( viral thyroiditis) or some antibodies produced in the body ( Hashimoto's thyroiditis).

When thyroid is damaged, the thyroid hormones that are stored in thyroid is released into blood all of a sudden. This will cause high heart rate, fever, shivering and weight loss. In blood tests thyroid hormone ( T3 & T4) will be increased and TSH will be low. The treatment is beta blockers that decrease your symptoms.

Since thyroid is destroyed, after the release of stored hormones, there is no longer enough thyroid hormone production. So after a period of 4-6 weeks the blood thyroid hormones will be less and your TSH go up. You develop hypothyroidism and has to be started on thyroxine.

Hope I have answered your questions. If you have any further queries I will be happy to help you

Regards,

Dr Ajish TP [MD,DM]
Consultant Endocrinologist

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar