Causes of Weight Gain

[MSWR0319]

I have a friend who confessed to me a few months ago that she had gained 30+ pounds since January. She's a very active person, runs three miles a day and is always on the go. There is no way she should be gaining that much weight, even if she was eating like crap, which she isn't. I knew she had gained weight but didn't realize it was that much. I mentioned to her that maybe she should ask her dr to check her thyroid, and she actually had just had yearly bloodwork done for her insurance which included only a TSH. Her TSH was 2.5. I have thyroid issues and my endo likes to keep it under 2, ideally he says most people feel their best around 1.5 but that varies by person. So I told her this and sent her a link with other symptoms of thyroid issues and she told me she has quite a few of them. So she talked to her doctor and he said he wouldn't run any other thyroid tests because 2.5 was totally normal. Her husband also told her that something is off, as she's the kind of person who doesn't like to go to the doctor because she's afraid they'll tell her nothing is wrong (and then of course stuff like this happens). She decided to talk to her OB/GYN about it at her checkup and told me tonight that she wouldn't run any tests either because 2.5 is totally within the normal limits. She also told me that she has gained 8 lbs since the end of August and is so tired all of the time. I keep telling her she's got to get some more bloodwork done at the very least, but she doesn't know what to do.

Maybe it's not thyroid but it sounds highly possible to me. Do any of you have any other ideas as to what the cause could be? She was having some hive issues in January that no one could figure out, but finally went away as well. I found that can be a sign of hashimotos, but didn't know if that could be a sign for something else? Any suggestions would be appreciated! I just feel so bad for her, she's normally a super active person and she won't go to the doctor because they keep telling her she's "fine". I've told her they told me I was "fine" with a TSH of 3.5, but in fact I wasn't. I just want to help her feel better.

[Smillow]

Been there done that! It is a very frustrating situation. It took me 10 years to find a doctor willing to treat my thyroid. I found an endocrinologist who tested my TPA level. It was over 900. It should be close to 0. A complicating factor is that thyroid issues can cause heavy menstrual bleeding which can cause anemia. And then anemia can cause you to heavy heavy menstrual bleeding...
How old is your friend?
I was unable to get pregnant until my TSH level was under 1.5. Tried for 5 years. The month I got my levels below 1.5, I was pregnant.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Tell her to see an endocrinologist.


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[Kindra178]

See an endo. I gain weight with tsh at 2.5. It really depends on where she started. Have her check her old records and see where the tsh was 3-5 years ago. If she’s normal at 1, then she will gain weight at 2.5.


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[MSWR0319]

See an endo. I gain weight with tsh at 2.5. It really depends on where she started. Have her check her old records and see where the tsh was 3-5 years ago. If she’s normal at 1, then she will gain weight at 2.5.


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Thank you!! She looked back on past yearly tests and sure enough, her TSH was hovering around 1 until this big jump. I hope she’ll listen to me. She feels like crap.

[meggie t]

I am still trying to find someone to treat me, although I haven't looked as hard as I should. When I lived in another state, my aggressive OB treated my thyroid, which enabled me to get pregnant. She told me that when I move, I'll probably have to find someone either in a holistic practice or an endo that most likely doesn't take insurance in order to get treated. So annoying. I also feel best at about 1.25-1.5, as well as taking cytomel for T3 (another thing that most docs don't test).

She needs to keep trying to find a doc that will treat her.

[Kindra178]

Maggie, the latest recs are EVERYONE should take cytomel. If your endo doesn’t follow this rec, find a new endo!

They came out of the American Thyroid Association meeting of October 2018. An example, sort of, how the functional folks were ahead of the conventional folks.


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[smiles33]

I'm just jumping onto this thread rather than my own, but I recently had incredibly high test levels for my thyroid. I go in annually for a fasting blood test for my glucose and cholesterol due to family history. This time, my TSH was so high that she had 2 additional tests run. The levels are:

TSH was 7.93 (this is the level that you're all saying should be under 2?) It was already 3.95 back in 2015, the only other time it was tested.
Anti-Thyroglobulin Ab is 9.4 (and normal range is under 4 per my doctor's chart, never tested before)
Anti-TPO Antibody is 240.6 IU/mL (and normal range is under 6.0, never tested before).

My doctor asked if I was taking any supplements or vitamins as biotins can affect the test results (I'm not taking anything and usually only eat home cooked foods). Otherwise, she said to retest, non-fasting this time, in 2 weeks. No other info or advice was provided to me. So of course, I googled and I have several of the symptoms of Hashimoto's:

- irregular menstrual cycles
- about 20 pounds weight gain since 2014, but I attributed it to being older and metabolism slowing down as I'm now in my 40s)
- Hair loss
- memory lapses
- joint issues
- fatigue

Most of these I figured were age-related....

I shared my test results with my family (as there is often a genetic component) and my mom mentioned off-hand that she's has thyroid issues on-and-off over the years. She never told me! She also said she arbitrarily STOPS taking meds when she feels better and then goes back to the doctor to get re-tested a year or two later when she doesn't "feel right." Ugh, I told her to stop self-diagnosing and talk to the doctor before discontinuing meds.

Anyhow, I realize I'm supposed to just wait 2 weeks and retest, but any BTDT advice?

[Mommy_Mea]

Reading your symptoms, did you have your calcium checked? Hasmimotos often goes hand in hand with hyperparathyroidism (parathyroids control calcium in your body).

I'm just jumping onto this thread rather than my own, but I recently had incredibly high test levels for my thyroid. I go in annually for a fasting blood test for my glucose and cholesterol due to family history. This time, my TSH was so high that she had 2 additional tests run. The levels are:

TSH was 7.93 (this is the level that you're all saying should be under 2?) It was already 3.95 back in 2015, the only other time it was tested.
Anti-Thyroglobulin Ab is 9.4 (and normal range is under 4 per my doctor's chart, never tested before)
Anti-TPO Antibody is 240.6 IU/mL (and normal range is under 6.0, never tested before).

My doctor asked if I was taking any supplements or vitamins as biotins can affect the test results (I'm not taking anything and usually only eat home cooked foods). Otherwise, she said to retest, non-fasting this time, in 2 weeks. No other info or advice was provided to me. So of course, I googled and I have several of the symptoms of Hashimoto's:

- irregular menstrual cycles
- about 20 pounds weight gain since 2014, but I attributed it to being older and metabolism slowing down as I'm now in my 40s)
- Hair loss
- memory lapses
- joint issues
- fatigue

Most of these I figured were age-related....

I shared my test results with my family (as there is often a genetic component) and my mom mentioned off-hand that she's has thyroid issues on-and-off over the years. She never told me! She also said she arbitrarily STOPS taking meds when she feels better and then goes back to the doctor to get re-tested a year or two later when she doesn't "feel right." Ugh, I told her to stop self-diagnosing and talk to the doctor before discontinuing meds.

Anyhow, I realize I'm supposed to just wait 2 weeks and retest, but any BTDT advice?

[smiles33]

Yes, calcium is normal (9.5 mg/dL), as is Vitamin B12 level (631 pg/mL).