Hypothyroid question

[MeghanPA]

A little background on me... I am 25yrs old I graduated nursing school in Sept. 2013 as an LPN and in Feb 2012 I was diagnosed w/ hypothyroidism during a pre nursing school physical. I was on Levothyroxine for a month to see if my symptoms would resolve. OH MY GOD I had so much energy during that month I felt great I was working out and losing weight I was feeling so much healthier then I've felt in years. Due to a mix up in communication the script was out after a month and so I was off it and had a horrible rebound of hypothyroid symptoms...A few month's later I went to the Dr. crying over the fatigue and got the bloodwork done my levels were almost double what the high end of normal is... which is like 4.40 mine was like 7.4 or something like that so obviously I got put back on the meds... It didn't have the same effect though, I mean I was at the point of sleeping all but 7 hours of my day and he put me back on and I went to a normal sleep pattern of 8hrs a night and 1 1hr nap a day... I just got a job it's every other weekend 11pm to 7am and although it's only 4 days a month I feel like it's totally screwing me up.... I feel like it's effecting my thyroid and causing my hypothyroidism to get worse.. I just had a level done and it was 3.30....

My question is this, could working night shift even if it's just those 4 nights screw w/ my thyroid and be contributing? I feel like I get good sleep at night I wake up and I am wide awake until about 3 when I am too tired to function and need a nap... My levels are in the normal range although still high and the first time he put me on 75mcg it went from being high down to almost the low end of normal. So, I really think my dosage is not right... But my doctor is insisting on me just trying to lose weight and see if that helps.. It will help I'm sure but at the same time I constantly feel sluggish and like I'm walking through Jello just a few short hours after waking up and I know this is not normal...

[JBudd, MSN]

We can't give medical advice here.

My experience with going on meds was that euphoria and high energy at first, but it levels off. Levothyroxin causes insomnia, you might try adjusting the times you take it (I work nights, so I take it before going to work, rather than in the morning when I sleep. Fatigue goes along with working nights for the first months. These are just my experiences.

You can always go get a second opinion from another doctor.

[roser13, ASN, RN]

Please take your symptoms to your PCP for advice and treatment. We cannot give either here, nor should you rely on an Internet forum for medical issues.

[MeghanPA]

Sorry, didn't realize I didn't make what I'm looking for clear... I was wondering if anyone else with hypothyroidism has felt that working nights has messed with it, and how they handled it.... I'm a baby nurse so I am probably going to get stuck w/ the crappier shifts for a while no matter where I go and I am just trying to get advice so I can figure out what works for me..... I do have a message in to my dr about dosage so hopefully he'll respond to that lol.... But yeah, just wanting advice on how others w/ hypothyroidism have dealt if they have to work nights and if anyone here knows of any studies on the effects of night shift on people with hypothyroidism and what not I'd love to see them so please share links.... I

[MunoRN, RN]

As others have said, we can't give specific medical advice, but as a general rule try to remember that working night shift, even a few nights a week, has been well established to royally mess with you endocrine system, of which thyroid function is just a small part. I would suggest working with your PCP to address your thyroid levels and treatment, but don't expect that this will come anywhere close to resolving the long list of symptoms that night shift workers experience, regardless of intrinsic thyroid function.

[TheCommuter, BSN, RN]

I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism secondary to Graves Disease in 1998 at the age of 17. I've been hypothyroid since late 2005 after opting to undergo radioactive iodine ablation. I've been on Synthroid ever since.

I've worked 12-hour nights for the past 4 years with no major issues. However, I take my Synthroid at 4:00pm when I awaken on an empty stomach, and I make sure not to eat anything for at least 60 minutes after swallowing that pill. You want as much of the medication to absorb as possible. Food delays absorption.

Regular exercise helps with regulating your sleep/wake cycles while on night shift. It also assists with weight control, which (unfortunately) tends to be a lifelong battle for those of us who are hypothyroid since our metabolic rates are slower.

Good luck to you!