Curious about thyroid

[Emilia]

I have read on here and in outside articles the correlation between OSA and hypertension and also some connection to hypothyroidism. A lot of folks have mentioned that their blood pressure has either returned to normal or has been lowered via cpap therapy. Has anyone had an improvement with their thyroid to the point that their Rx level has been lowered.... for example 100mcg down to 50mcg or some such improvement? Just wondering.....

[sleeplessinaz]

Hi--I don't have high blood pressure --but I do have hypothyroidism. Nothing has changed in my script in fact they might have to increase it!! I am on 25 mcgs. LOL! Good luck!!

Carrie

[Emilia]

Hi Carrie.... I was just wondering, that's all. I take a mild diuretic for borderline hypertension. I expect that to improve to normal once I get on my cpap next week. I started out with 25 mcg of Synthroid several years ago, and it has been adjusted upward ever since. I now take 88 mcg 5 days a week and 100 mcg the other 2 days....this has brought my TSH to 1.6 per my last test taken a month ago. I will be curious to see if cpap influences my TSH at all.... no expectations, but since I get tested every 6 months, it will be interesting!

[WearyOne]

I'm on thyroid medication because I no long have a thyroid, so that might not correlate to your situation. (I have Graves' Disease with caused hyperthyroidism. Had thyroid ablated, which of course makes one hypothyroid.) But my Synthroid dosage has not changed. Also, my blood pressure medication has not changed either and I've been on cpap 3-1/2 years. Not to say yours won't, but that's been my situation.

Pam

[Tcamillemars]

I am hypothyroid and nothing has changed since I started therapy.

[elena88]

My blood pressure when I woke up in the morning was high, now its normal.

I discovered I was hypothryroid as well.
My thyroid was at eight now its four and going down, but Im taking armour thyroid, so have no idea if machine helped
because got the diagnosis same month I got the machine.

good luck though!

[Physician]

I have read on here and in outside articles the correlation between OSA and hypertension and also some connection to hypothyroidism. A lot of folks have mentioned that their blood pressure has either returned to normal or has been lowered via cpap therapy. Has anyone had an improvement with their thyroid to the point that their Rx level has been lowered.... for example 100mcg down to 50mcg or some such improvement? Just wondering.....

Physicians OVER diagnose hypothyroidism because there are reasons for having a low T4 blood test other than being low in thyroid. May sure that the diagnosis of Primary Hypothyroidism is made by an elevated TSH level, generally >10. If one is hypothyroid, the average replacement therapy is Synthroid 0.15 mg. per day. One can repeat the TSH level to see that it is suppressed.

[who]

My understanding (imperfect at best) about one of the connections between overt hypothyroidism and OSA is that hypothyroidism can cause some swelling in the throat, which it is thought may cause, or worsen, obstructions during sleep. So I believe it may be more a matter of the treatment of overt hypothyroidism sometimes helping the OSA and not so much a matter of the treatment of the OSA being documented as improving thyroid function. (Although, of course, that may be possible, too, since sleeping and breathing are important for every organ system in the body, after all.) As Physician states, though, there are many other conditions that can affect test outcomes, especially temporarily. So treatment should never be a knee-jerk reaction from one bad screening-test outcome, especially if the patient is dealing with, or recovering from, serious ailments at the time.

[bdonahueweedman]

I'm on thyroid medication because I no long have a thyroid, so that might not correlate to your situation. (I have Graves' Disease with caused hyperthyroidism. Had thyroid ablated, which of course makes one hypothyroid.) But my Synthroid dosage has not changed. Also, my blood pressure medication has not changed either and I've been on cpap 3-1/2 years. Not to say yours won't, but that's been my situation.

Pam

Man IS there a bigger rip-off than Graves? I lost 60 pounds...size 4 jeans (of course my hair all fell out and I couldn't write my name from shaking so bad...but Pam! Size FOUR!!) I had the RAI and of course gained it all back. Everyone rolls their eyes when you say, "NO, I really CANT lose weight." Ugh. Hate it! Was your experience similar?
beth

[SleepingUgly]

I also have seen no research to suggest that treating apnea would improve hypothyroidism. BUT, hypothyroidism can be a cause of apnea (e.g., goiter). Also, I saw a teeny tiny study that suggested a correlation between apnea and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (the leading cause of hypothyroidism) IN EUTHYROID patients. But it was in a sample size of 7, so would need to be replicated to be a little more compelling. But interesting question of why patients with normal TSHs would be more likely to have apnea. I wonder if it had to do with the definition of "euthyroid", which I can't remember or wasn't specified in the article. Physician, most endocrinologists nowadays would not wait for a TSH of 10 to treat someone as hypothyroid. Even 4 or 5 would be considered treatment worthy, I believe. I think the recommendations were changed. Echo cited this reference on another thread, I think.

[WearyOne]

Man IS there a bigger rip-off than Graves? I lost 60 pounds...size 4 jeans (of course my hair all fell out and I couldn't write my name from shaking so bad...but Pam! Size FOUR!!) I had the RAI and of course gained it all back. Everyone rolls their eyes when you say, "NO, I really CANT lose weight." Ugh. Hate it! Was your experience similar?
beth

Beth, actually, it wasn't! I found my out pretty quickly, at least once it got to the point of the elevated heart rate, and was put on a beta blocker immediately to slow it down. Also, I was so exhausted from the elevated rate and more hungry from the elevated adrenalin that my weight didn't change at all (most folks do lose weight before they're treated). And then I GAINED weight when I went hypo after the RAI and before things were stabilized with medication!

I still remember when I had just started the beta blocker and was waiting for my first endo appointment, I was trying to help my son replace the fan on his video card in his computer. I was so shaky and nervous from the extra adrenalin, and it was SO hard to concentrate, I didn't know if I'd get through it or not!

And then six months later, I'm diagnosed with OSA!

Fun, fun...

Pam

[echo]

Physician, most endocrinologists nowadays would not wait for a TSH of 10 to treat someone as hypothyroid. Even 4 or 5 would be considered treatment worthy, I believe. I think the recommendations were changed. Echo cited this reference on another thread, I think.

Current recommendation is 3. Here is the most recent post I made on this topic: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=53922&#p501703

I doubt that after starting cpap the dose requirements would go down, probably once the thyroid is damaged it does not recover (as opposed to whatever reversible mechanism causes high BP).

[Emilia]

Yes, the American Thyroid Association goes by the new guidelines from 2003 that views 'normal' thyroid TSH as being between .5 -- 2.5

[who]

"Due to a lack of data, specifically data regarding who to treat and what effects treatment may have on certain populations, experts and practicing physicians remain torn about the limit and deciding when to treat for hypothyroidism." -- http://www.endocrinetoday.com/view.aspx?rid=28716