Thyroid Problem....Sleep disorder??

[JL911]

Ive been dating my current gf now for over 6 months. When we started dating we would hang out till all hours of the night laugh be happy have a ton of fun...She was full of energy and actually tired me out. However the past 2 months have been extremely difficult. Theres been a very big change.

 

My gf has a thyroid problem. She takes meds 2 times a day and while on her medication she seems perfectly awake, but once 11pm rolls around its almost instant she is crashing and falling asleep...

 

She went to the doctor to get her levels checked and they claimed everything came back normal...

 

I am beginning to wonder if she has some sort of sleep disorder...

 

Im 26 shes 25...Its very frustrating for me right now...I know none of it has to do with me, but its hard to want to spend time with someone and have them passing out on you each night you are with them. I just want her to feel better and have some energy.

[threebyfate]

It sounds like you were happy with her when she was hyper. The only problem with hyperthyroidism is that you literally burn years off of your life with all kinds of health implications associated to it.

 

The radioactive iodine treatment(s) sometimes causes hypothyroidism.

[JL911]

She was never over active. It was always underactive and it was treated originally and she had that disorder diagnosed at 19. After 2 or so years on the original medication her dosage was upped due to her feeling fatigued and tired once more and she was fine for a few years. Now we are having the same issues again...

 

No I think what has happened is that now she has a problem with her levels again. From what we have found with these thyroid problems is while a level of THS is in the blood it doesnt necessarily mean your body is absorbing it properly.

 

My mother also has an underactive thyroid and experienced similar problems when I was in highschool. Somehow they got her set on a particular brand and dosage after trying only 1 other medication and she has been fine ever since. My mom has said it can take awhile till they find a proper medication and dosage for someone.

 

This isnt a matter of dating and how I felt fine with her being spunky, she at one point in our relationship was awake and her medication was working how it should...its a matter of her health and well being...Its very scary and very frustrating watching a person you care so much for struggle to keep their eyes open...

[threebyfate]

Okay, so you're saying she had hypothyroidism rather than hyperthyroidism.

 

Did you know that there's controversy over the effectiveness of treatment for hypothyroidism?

 

Also, if she had hypothyroidism, I don't understand why she would have been up all night, full of energy. Most often from what I've read, one consistent symptom of hypothyroidism is fatigue.

 

Edit - I'm no medical professional but have experienced quite a bit of hyperthyroidism in my family.

[JL911]

She was treated for the disorder prior to ever meeting me. Her medication kept her on a regular sleep schedule and eliminated the fatigue for her and she had no issues staying up till 2am or 3am with me.

 

However again meeting me her meds had to be upped because the dosage got to a point where it was no longer helping and fatigue was starting to set back in and again it got her back into a normal life without fatigue. '

 

Now here we are again with her on the upped dosage feeling fatigued and tired. I dont know if she needs another jump in medication or a different medication or what...

[threebyfate]

http://www.mayoclinic.org/medicalprofs/hypothyroidism-02-08.html

 

The above is a link to the controversial nature of hypothyroidism treatment.

[Ilovecake]

I have Graves Disease and am hyperthyroid (too much thyroid hormones). Before I was diagnosed I slept like a bear, since I started taking my meds I've developed insomnia. Even though her levels might be perfect according to her doctor doesn't mean that they are perfect for her. Unfortunately different doctors and labs look at thyroid levels very differently. When you are hyperthyroid everything in your body works so fast that it literally exhaust you on the other hand if you are hypothyroid which means not enough thyroid hormone your whole body works sluggishly and that can make you really tired. Just be patient with her. I was dumped by my boyfriend after I was diagnosed because I was going through physical and psychological changes. The thyroid regulates everything in your body including your brain so you're going to see some changes with your girl. Just give her some time to get it all straightened out.

 

I suggest you and your girl look at this website it has a lot of information including natural remedies she can work with that will help her energy level. Exercize is very important as well.

 

http://thyroid.about.com/

Edited April 12, 2010 by Ilovecake

[eraser]

First, let me say that I am not a medical professional.

 

Now, let me say this: it sounds like she has not been optimized on her thyroid treatment.

 

Like someone said earlier, there is a lot of controversy regarding hypothyroidism diagnoses and treatments. However, in my research (and I've done a lot), I have come to find that many people respond better to 1) using medications that are classified as natural dessicated thyroid treatments and 2) working with doctors who all but disregard TSH readings. The reason for using natural dessicated thyroid medications is that they contain ingredients that closely mimic the hormones that a functioning thyroid would naturally produce. What your girlfriend is probably taking is a synthetic treatment, like Synthroid, which only produces one hormone. This can obviously cause problems. Now, the reason for disregarding TSH readings is that they can simply be unreliable measures. People have been known to remain sick even if their readings come back as "normal" or "within range." Patients respond better when their symptoms (including fatigue), and not their readings, are treated. Doctors can steadily and regularly increase dosages until all associated symptoms of hypothyroidism are eliminated. Two years is way too long to wait between increases. Increases are usually done every two WEEKS until symptoms subside.

 

There is a LOT of other information that I haven't even begun posting about. Let me know if this is something you might be interested in researching. I will post some relevant links, if so.