Training and managing fatigue with hypothyroidism

Medical Q&A [Moderated]
1

Hi guys

I am a 29-year-old female.
5-6 years ago I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, but I didn’t have any sort of symptoms until 3 years ago.
At this point I started taking Levaxine, I’m at a 75ug daily dose atm, I plan on seeing a specialist in the near future as I’ve just been seeing my “regular” doctor up till now.

I’ve previously been lifting 3-4 times per week in addition to some HIIT or long distance cardio 2-3 times a week, but for the last 6ish months I’ve really been struggling with my energy levels.
I’ve had to nearly cut out my lifting entirely, I might have the energy to do 1 session in a week keeping it quite light, else I just end up very shaky and dizzy at the end of the workout.
The same applies to my cardio, if I overdo it slightly I feel very fatigued for up to 2 days after.
I have also noticed that I get way worse DOMs than I used to.

I also love to dance, so I have been prioritizing this as a form of exercise as this is not very taxing on my system.

I was hoping to complete a half marathon in September, so I will probably down prioritize lifting to cardio for this period anyway.

So my questions:

Do you have any recommendations in terms of how I should structure my training over time to be able to train without hitting a wall several times a week?

Do I need to set up my program differently in terms of sessions per week for cardio vs lifting?

Does the science say anything specific I should look out for in terms of nutrition for thyroidism?

Should I need to sleep more than what a normal person does? I often need to take naps in addition to my 7 hrs, which of course takes time.

I appreciate any help you are able to provide, English is not my first language, but I hope I was able to explain myself well enough. Please say so if anything is unclear! :slight_smile:

2

Have you had your labs re-checked since your symptoms worsened?

3

I get them checked on a regular basis.
My TSH is has gone up and down a bit since I started my medication.
3 months ago I was at 0.84 and I didn’t feel too bad at that point, but it seems to vary quite a bit without changing my dosage.
6 months ago I was at 2.0, and I have been as high as 3.3.

Fatigue has never been as bad over an extended period of time as the last 6 months though.
Don’t get me wrong I do have good days, but I feel like I crash way too often.

4

This is unfortunately too complex of a situation to address through this forum. It sounds like you may need additional medical evaluation for other conditions or contributors to your fatigue.

5

Are there any negative concerns for someone who just started taking synthroid 88mg in consideration to training and diet?

  • i noticed i was getting more fatigued then my co-workers and more then usual for my job ( electrician) so i saw doctor about test levels . I ended up seeing a endo who prescribed 88mg for my TSH level of 4.14 or 4.33
6

Not really … though I can’t say whether that treatment is appropriate for you based on that TSH level alone.

7

i agree on this, i don’t know how i feel on being on medication for the rest of my life. Although hypothyroid does run in my family on my mothers side including my mother and i do also have brittle toe nails, sometimes cold feet. I have had 3 total TSH tests done they all came back within 4-5 over the course of a year. I know he tested for more including test, FSH, white blood cell count etc but i don’t have the results.

is there any danger in trying the synthyroid for 6-8 weeks if no improvement going back off of it? He said it would treat my fatigue .