Hypothyroid, Synthroid & high A1C ??

Julie E said:

(cross-posted to both groups) I have probably had thyroid problems since diagnosis of diabetes
(3 yrs.).
Dr. has just started treating me for thyroid (2 mos.). I am taking .5 Synthroid. My A1c has risen
from the 5's to 6.1 (9 mos. ago) to 6.8 (3 months ago) to 7.1 (now). We added more glucophage
XR 3 months ago in hopes of knocking down my numbers. My TSH went down a little, but my A1c
continues to rise!?!
Dr. keeps saying it is harder to control Diabetes when thyroid is out of whack. Any Hypos (thyroid)
out there have this happen to them? Thanks, Julie E. T2 - 11/00

My doc thinks I might have a Thyroid problem. I have some tests next week to determine whether I
have or not. I am of course concerned but am worried why? Since Dx all sorts of things are going
wrong even though I have managed a fair degree of BG control etc.

Is it possible that the meds I take might be causing a problem?

Pete

Diagnosed 20/03/03 Type II D&E + Metformin + Gliclazide
+ Asprin 210lbs at Dx to target 174lbs achieved. To mail: aspen3 at freeuk.com

"Julie E" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

(cross-posted to both groups)

I have probably had thyroid problems since diagnosis of diabetes (3 yrs.).
Dr. has just started treating me for thyroid (2 mos.). I am taking .5 Synthroid. My A1c has risen
from the 5's to 6.1 (9 mos. ago) to 6.8 (3 months ago) to 7.1 (now). We added more glucophage
XR 3 months ago in

hopes

Quoted message said:

of knocking down my numbers. My TSH went down a little, but my A1c continues to rise!?!

Dr. keeps saying it is harder to control Diabetes when thyroid is out of whack.

Any Hypos (thyroid) out there have this happen to them?

Your Dr. is right. I am hypo thyroid, but my former Endo. was giving me too much Synthroid and then
when my insurance would no longer cover Synthroid, he switched me to Levoxyl, again too high a
dose. I did question him repeatedly because I was having all sorts of symptoms that I thought
related to high thyroid. He refused to let me see my labs and kept telling me that I was fine, and
doing better than I was when I first saw him. And during this period of time, I was having near
constant hypos (BG).

I have since moved to another state and have gotten a good team of Drs. Thyroid is right in range
now. In looking back, I can see that my low A1c and also my hypos (BG) were related to thyroid. It
was also very difficult for me to lose weight running hyper. Go figure! Since the move, my A1c has
been 6.1, 6.3 and now 6.1 again. Normal for my lab is <6.0.

What I notice now is that my BG is not necessarily harder to control, but I must watch what I eat
more carefully than I did before. Now, foods are spiking me that didn't spike me before. And if I
eat so much as one bite too many of certain foods, I have high BG. When my thyroid was hyper, my
main concern was eating enough carbs so I didn't go hypo (BG)! I still have a few hypos (BG) now,
but they are infrequent. And I am losing weight again. So that's good. Another interesting thing
I've noticed is that my psoriasis has cleared up. I think when my thyroid was hyper, everything in
my system was speeded up, including the rate in which my skin cells turned over.

Makes it really difficult when you are battling more than one medical condition. Seems like when you
get one thing under control, another one gets out of whack.

--
Type 2 users.bestweb.net~jboveOpen ↗

Julie,

I am confused by your message...generally, we don't run low BG's if our TSH levels are low. If you
are taking more thyroid medication your BG would go up, not down.

--
Steve Toronto, Canada

"Julie Bove" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Julie E" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

(cross-posted to both groups)

I have probably had thyroid problems since diagnosis of diabetes (3

yrs.).

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Dr. has just started treating me for thyroid (2 mos.). I am taking .5 Synthroid. My A1c has
risen from the 5's to 6.1 (9 mos. ago) to 6.8 (3 months ago) to 7.1 (now). We added more
glucophage XR 3 months ago in

hopes

Quoted message said:

of knocking down my numbers. My TSH went down a little, but my A1c continues to rise!?!

Dr. keeps saying it is harder to control Diabetes when thyroid is out of whack.

Any Hypos (thyroid) out there have this happen to them?

Your Dr. is right. I am hypo thyroid, but my former Endo. was giving me

too

Quoted message said:

much Synthroid and then when my insurance would no longer cover Synthroid, he switched me to
Levoxyl, again too high a dose. I did question him repeatedly because I was having all sorts of
symptoms that I thought

related

Quoted message said:

to high thyroid. He refused to let me see my labs and kept telling me

that

Quoted message said:

I was fine, and doing better than I was when I first saw him. And during this period of time, I
was having near constant hypos (BG).

I have since moved to another state and have gotten a good team of Drs. Thyroid is right in range
now. In looking back, I can see that my low A1c and also my hypos (BG) were related to thyroid. It
was also very

difficult

Quoted message said:

for me to lose weight running hyper. Go figure! Since the move, my A1c

has

Quoted message said:

been 6.1, 6.3 and now 6.1 again. Normal for my lab is <6.0.

What I notice now is that my BG is not necessarily harder to control, but

I

Quoted message said:

must watch what I eat more carefully than I did before. Now, foods are spiking me that didn't
spike me before. And if I eat so much as one bite too many of certain foods, I have high BG. When
my thyroid was hyper, my main concern was eating enough carbs so I didn't go hypo (BG)! I still

have

Quoted message said:

a few hypos (BG) now, but they are infrequent. And I am losing weight again. So that's good.
Another interesting thing I've noticed is that my psoriasis has cleared up. I think when my
thyroid was hyper, everything

in

Quoted message said:

my system was speeded up, including the rate in which my skin cells turned over.

Makes it really difficult when you are battling more than one medical condition. Seems like when
you get one thing under control, another one gets out of whack.

--
Type 2 users.bestweb.net~jboveOpen ↗

"Julie Bove" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Your Dr. is right. I am hypo thyroid, but my former Endo. was giving me

too

Quoted message said:

much Synthroid and then when my insurance would no longer cover Synthroid, he switched me to
Levoxyl, again too high a dose. I did question him repeatedly because I was having all sorts of
symptoms that I thought

related

Quoted message said:

to high thyroid. He refused to let me see my labs and kept telling me

that

Quoted message said:

I was fine, and doing better than I was when I first saw him. And during this period of time, I
was having near constant hypos (BG).

I have since moved to another state and have gotten a good team of Drs. Thyroid is right in range
now. In looking back, I can see that my low A1c and also my hypos (BG) were related to thyroid. It
was also very

difficult

Quoted message said:

for me to lose weight running hyper. Go figure! Since the move, my A1c

has

Quoted message said:

been 6.1, 6.3 and now 6.1 again. Normal for my lab is <6.0.

What I notice now is that my BG is not necessarily harder to control, but

I

Quoted message said:

must watch what I eat more carefully than I did before. Now, foods are spiking me that didn't
spike me before. And if I eat so much as one bite too many of certain foods, I have high BG. When
my thyroid was hyper, my main concern was eating enough carbs so I didn't go hypo (BG)! I still

have

Quoted message said:

a few hypos (BG) now, but they are infrequent. And I am losing weight again. So that's good.
Another interesting thing I've noticed is that my psoriasis has cleared up. I think when my
thyroid was hyper, everything

in

Quoted message said:

my system was speeded up, including the rate in which my skin cells turned over.

Makes it really difficult when you are battling more than one medical condition. Seems like when
you get one thing under control, another one gets out of whack.

--
Type 2 users.bestweb.net~jboveOpen ↗

I'm glad things are finally looking up in one area for you. You are actually the one who got me to
thinking about my Thyroid, well you and the fact that my hair was falling out - lol! I keep telling
DH that when my Thyroid is fixed, about 101 other things wrong with my body will start to heal. Hey,
a girl can hope!!

Julie E

"Pete" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

My doc thinks I might have a Thyroid problem. I have some tests next week to determine whether I
have or not. I am of course concerned but am worried why? Since Dx all sorts of things are going
wrong even though I have managed a fair degree of BG control etc.

Is it possible that the meds I take might be causing a problem?

I don't think meds can cause a thyroid problem. But certain meds can cause diabetes. Beta Blockers
have been linked to diabetes. Certain steroids can bring on diabetes. I'm sure there are others.
Thyroid problems can in some people bring on diabetes. There used to be a poster here whose wife was
diagnosed with diabetes and then a thyroid problem. After the thyroid problem got under control, she
no longer seemed to have diabetes. I believe hers is probably a rare case though.

I too have had a ton of things go wrong since being diagnosed with diabetes. Part of the problem is
that when you have more than one medical problem, you are seeing a lot of different specialists.
Each one wants to focus on his or her specialty. So many times I've been told "You have THIS! You
certainly don't have THAT. See? I tested you. THIS is what it is". Then the next specialist I see
will tell me "No! You have this other thing. It is THAT, but not what the other Dr. said it is." And
then I have the Drs. who don't want to commit to anything. "Well, if HE said you have THAT, then you
have THAT! Who am I to dispute him?" Or, "Well, you might have THIS and you might also have THAT.
But let's not worry about that now. Lets just get you feeling better!"

--
Type 2 users.bestweb.net~jboveOpen ↗

Julie Bove said:

"Pete" <[email hidden]> wrote in message -"]news:[email hidden]-
berlin.de...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

My doc thinks I might have a Thyroid problem. I have some tests next week to determine whether I
have or not. I am of course concerned but am worried why? Since Dx all sorts of things are going
wrong even though I have managed a fair degree of BG control etc.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Is it possible that the meds I take might be causing a problem?

Quoted message said:

I don't think meds can cause a thyroid problem. But certain meds can cause diabetes. Beta Blockers
have been linked to diabetes. Certain steroids can bring on diabetes. I'm sure there are others.
Thyroid problems can in some people bring on diabetes. There used to be a poster here whose wife
was diagnosed with diabetes and then a thyroid problem. After the thyroid problem got under
control, she no longer seemed to have diabetes. I believe hers is probably a rare case though.

Quoted message said:

I too have had a ton of things go wrong since being diagnosed with diabetes. Part of the problem is
that when you have more than one medical problem, you are seeing a lot of different specialists.
Each one wants to focus on his or her specialty. So many times I've been told "You have THIS! You
certainly don't have THAT. See? I tested you. THIS is what it is". Then the next specialist I see
will tell me "No! You have this other thing. It is THAT, but not what the other Dr. said it is."
And then I have the Drs. who don't want to commit to anything. "Well, if HE said you have THAT,
then you have THAT! Who am I to dispute him?" Or, "Well, you might have THIS and you might also
have THAT. But let's not worry about that now. Lets just get you feeling better!"

I have been assuming that a Thyroid problem would have signs and symptoms that are - reasonably
discernable and distinct. Ah well I shall just have to wait and see.

Pete

Diagnosed 20/03/03 Type II D&E + Metformin + Gliclazide
+ Asprin 210lbs at Dx to target 174lbs achieved. To mail: aspen3 at freeuk.com

"Hypo Man" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Julie,

I am confused by your message...generally, we don't run low BG's if our

TSH

Quoted message said:

levels are low. If you are taking more thyroid medication your BG would go up, not down.

Low TSH = hyper thyroid. High TSH = hypo thyroid. Too much medication for hypo thyroid = hyper
thyroid. Confusing, but true.

--
Type 2 users.bestweb.net~jboveOpen ↗

but, did you not say that you were running low BG's?

--
Steve Toronto, Canada

"Julie Bove" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Hypo Man" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Julie,

I am confused by your message...generally, we don't run low BG's if our

TSH

Quoted message said:

levels are low. If you are taking more thyroid medication your BG would

go

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

up, not down.

Low TSH = hyper thyroid. High TSH = hypo thyroid. Too much medication

for

Quoted message said:

hypo thyroid = hyper thyroid. Confusing, but true.

--
Type 2 users.bestweb.net~jboveOpen ↗

"Pete" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have been assuming that a Thyroid problem would have signs and symptoms that are - reasonably
discernable and distinct. Ah well I shall just have to wait and see.

You would think so. But so many of the symptoms for thyroid can also be symptoms of something else.
And if you have additional health problems, it only muddies the waters. My father in law had an
undiagnosed thyroid problem for years! He noticed that he was tired, had puffy eyes and was gaining
weight. But his Dr. kept telling him there was nothing wrong with him. Finally my sister in law who
is a nurse, went in to the Dr. with him and demanded they check his thyroid. Bingo!

--
Type 2 users.bestweb.net~jboveOpen ↗

Julie Bove said:

"Pete" <[email hidden]> wrote in message -"]news:[email hidden]-
berlin.de...

Quoted message said:

I have been assuming that a Thyroid problem would have signs and symptoms that are - reasonably
discernable and distinct. Ah well I shall just have to wait and see.

Quoted message said:

You would think so. But so many of the symptoms for thyroid can also be symptoms of something else.
And if you have additional health problems, it only muddies the waters. My father in law had an
undiagnosed thyroid problem for years! He noticed that he was tired, had puffy eyes and was gaining
weight. But his Dr. kept telling him there was nothing wrong with him. Finally my sister in law who
is a nurse, went in to the Dr. with him and demanded they check his thyroid. Bingo!

I hear of many similar tales. Thankfully, since becoming diabetic, I pay more attention to the
little things which may or may not indicate something important. I am no longer content to amble
along until something realy radical goes wrong and then rely upon the doc. But I think that is the
trend for a lot of people now. The public are better informed than they used to be.

Pete

Diagnosed 20/03/03 Type II D&E + Metformin + Gliclazide
+ Asprin 210lbs at Dx to target 174lbs achieved. To mail: aspen3 at freeuk.com

"Hypo Man" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

but, did you not say that you were running low BG's?

Yes! When I was hyper thyroid, I had low BG. And this makes sense. When the thyroid is hyper,
everything in the body is speeded up. When the thyroid is hypo, everything is slowed down. So it
also makes sense that hypo thyroid could lead to higher BG. I have noticed having to change my
diabetes meds and the amount of carbs I eat as my thyroid changes.

--
Type 2 users.bestweb.net~jboveOpen ↗