Just came back from endocrinologist. Got diagnosed w/ Subclinical Hypothyroidism. My TSH is @ 5.938, and T4 is normal @ 1.22 ng/dl.
Finally found the cause of my nonexistent libido at very high testosterone levels, among other minor symptoms that were haunting me most of my adult life (tinnitus, depression that successfully got treated last autumn, dry skin etc).
Turns out my overall tiredness wasn’t because I didn’t manage my RPE properly. lol Still, somehow my progress with your help was phenomenal (around 389.06 wilks), especially for my age (31) given I started lifting seriously at 25. For which I am eternally grateful to you.
Anyway, I wanted to ask a second opinion from you about if it matters at what time of day should I take levothyroxine. For the next month until the next blood tests, I was prescribed 37.5 mcg to take 30 min before breakfast at 7 in the morning to simulate natural TSH cycle or something. I always wake up at ~11AM so this will really complicate things for me. Is there any difference on when to take the pill?
I was also prescribed vitamin D3 because it’s way below normal levels - 21 nmol/L, should be above 75. I know your stance on vitamin D supplementation so I’m a bit skeptical on it, but obviously going to comply.
And I was prescribed something called Gamalate B6. No idea what this is or what’s it for.
Also, I’d like to know if you have any recommendations in regards to lifting with this ailment? Or everything goes as usual?
I think specific advice here is beyond the scope of what we can do on a forum and would require professional consultation. That said, a few thoughts here:
Levothyroxine is usually recommended to be taken first think in the AM, whenever that is, and about 30-60 min before eating.
Vitamin D sufficiency is probably closer to 50 nmol/L or 20ng/mL. Taking vitamin D with a low value may be useful.
Gamalate B6 is presumably vitamin b6. The entire complex of b vitamins are important to thyroid function, so I’m not sure b6 supplementation is ideal, but you can ask your doctor about that.
There are no special lifting considerations for subclinical or overt hypothyroidism, especially when managed appropriately.
31 is not even close to being old or having age affect training outcomes.
God bless you Jordan, thank you as always for your input!
As for Gamalate B6, I gave doctor a call about it and checked the manual. It’s a mix of magnesium glutamate hydrobromide, gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid, gamma-Aminobutyric acid, and vitamin B6. It’s used for emotional lability, depressive/asthenic states, for managing memory and concentration issues, etc. She told me that it will help me get my brain function in order, which will help with libido issues. I also found a 2020 study that it was used to treat children with ADHD. Kinda strange, but whatever. I’m from Ukraine we have a tendency for unorthodox treatments. Stuff like phenibut is widely prescribed, while it’s banned in a lot of countries. I took it as well last autumn.
Yea, I’m hopeful all of your physicians are practicing evidence-based medicine regardless of your location. You can also be your own advocate for obtaining a high level of care.