Need more advice

Hi everyone,

So, I finally found out that I do have hypothyroidism. I am annoyed about how things occurred, however, but what else is new. I waited for over two weeks for my doctor to call me back about my lab results so I called her office again this past Friday to try and talk to her. She actually called me on Saturday but I missed the call and when I called back she didn't answer. She said in the message that my thyroid levels were abnormal and she wanted to start me on a low dose thyroid med. Someone called me from her office today saying that all my labs were normal and I said no my doctor called me over the weekend and said otherwise so she got my doctor on the phone. She said I definitely have hypothyroidism but not the autoimmune kind? I am also annoyed that she called in the med over the weekend but didn't say that ont he message so I could have gotten the med two days ago! I'm also angry that had I not insisted on speaking with my doctor my hypothyroidism could have slipped through the cracks yet again. Now, we are in the midst of storm Sandy and there is no way I am going to the pharmacy to get it now! My other question is that I was taking amitriptyline for fibro pain which works well, however my fatigue is so bad that my psych nurse said that it may be contributing to the fatigue so I should try something else. She said that I should try cymbalta because it helps with pain, anxiety, and should give me a little energy boost as well. Now, I think the thyroid problem probably has a lot to do with the fatigue as well but I think the amitriptyline was making it even worse. I mentioned it to my doctor and she said that she wan't sure about cymbalta because it causes a lot of weight gain. She said that I should try savella instead but wants my psych nurse to make that call because of my other meds. I am now waiting for my psych nurse to call me back about what I should do. Meanwhile I have not taken the amitriptyline in 3 days because I want to go off of it so my pain is excruciating again. I feel like all I do is wait for doctors to call me back. Does anyone have any advice or suggestions about cymbalta or savella?

Thanks,
Jen

I have low thyroid to and the fatigue your having is most likely from your low thryoid. I would take the med for your thyroid first. It made the world of difference for me. I had horrible fatigue, mood problems and cold all the time. All that is gone now. I wouldn't start all the meds you were talking about at one time. You might not even need them once you get your thyroid at a normal level. It didn't take no time before I notice a change. Make sure they follow up with another blood test to recheck your thyroid. It's usually about 2 weeks after you start your first dose. This will help them decide what dose you are going to need. I know how you feel about being frustrated with this. I have had that problem in the past.

Thank you for the responses. I think the thyroid is a lot of where the fatigue is coming from. In the morning I can barely get out of bed the fatigue is so bad. I am at least one-two hours late for work everyday, which luckily I have a job where I can get away with it. I forgot to ask what thyroid med she had called in but she did say that I have to take it on an empty stomach and 2 hours before eating anything. I also think it's a good idea to start taking the thyroid med before introducing any new medication so I will most likely do that. I currently take mood stabilizers to help with my mood so maybe if it is due to the thyroid I can stop taking the mood stabilizers. I'm never impatient with my doctors I understand that they are busy and all that I was just irritated that the nurse at the office said my labs were normal when I knew they weren't. I don't get all worked up about it but I do find it really irritating, the mood stabilizers help with that ;)

Also, I'd just like to add that all of this has not helped my performance in grad school. I have gotten behind in assignments, which I am not happy about. I am not submitting anything late, I am just always finishing things up at the last minute because I can't seem to get my brain to think straight. My professors say that my work is great and not to worry but it is still an additional stress, because even in the midst of previous flare ups I have never gotten this behind in assignments. The amount of reading I have to do is ridiculous and when I can't get my brain to work it is such a problem. Ugg. Only 4 more weeks until the semester is over and I get a little break. I am hoping that the thyroid med will help improve the concentration as well as going off of the amitriptyline.

Thank you, myself! I like the idea about the food timer. I may give that a shot. Maybe things would seem less overwhelming if I knew there was a time limit on each task. Like I can read however much I can get through for one hour, then at the end of the hour take a 30 minute break regardless. Then either start reading again or do some other task then go back to reading. I like it. Thanks for the tips on reading too. Any tips on grad level studying is appreciated!