#*corticosteroid-induced adrenal insuffiencey is in some cases not regarded as 'true' AI because it does not require the same stringent ....

[snapcracklepop-myjoints]

okay. so. the symptoms you should be looking out for more are:

fatigue. this is the number one symptom.

weight gain

always feeling cold

hair loss (generalised, not just in one spot)

depression

constipation

goiter, or enlarged/swollen thyroid

joint and muscle pain

heavy or irregular periods

dry skin

libido drop can also happen, as mentioned, but the weight thing is specifically weight gain. Trouble maintaining stable weight in general may have other causes and so should be examined separately.

pay extra attention if you:

are afab (including if you are on T) and/or have an estrogen-based hormone system (eg are a trans woman on gender affirming hrt)

are under chronic stress or experienced chronic stress in childhood

have other autoimmune conditions/allergies/other immune dysfunction

have chronically low vitamin d levels [and start taking supplements]

are on lithium or seroquel

have family history of hypothyroidism, hashimoto's, or other autoimmune issues

you also need to get your thyroid antibodies checked.

it is very common for generic levothyroxine to not be as effective as brand name levothyroxine. If you find this to be the case for you, either have your doctor specify synthroid and give prior auth for it OR have your doctor prescribe a higher dose of generic. (for example, im on 100mcg synthroid but 112.5mcg generic levo)

if you have adrenal insufficiency or are on corticosteroids*, you need to keep in mind that thyroid hormone impacts the speed at which your body metabolises cortisol. If you are on levothyroxine, you will metabolise cortisol faster, so you need to pay extra close attention to how youre feeling, and your endo should be extra careful with monitoring and dosing both your levothyroxine and your hydrocortisone/prednisone/corticosteroids, especially if you have upcoming surgery/other thing requiring stress dosing. Failure to do so can cause life threatening complications. I went into adrenal crisis after wisdom tooth surgery because I missed a stress dose and my body was already metabolising the cortisol more quickly due to the levothyroxine.

IF YOU ARE A TRANS FEMME GET YOUR THYROID CHECKED, ESPECIALLY IF YOUVE NOTICED A DROP IN LIBIDO OR AN INABILITY TO MAINTAIN A STABLE WEIGHT

It isn’t a big deal if you have hypothyroidism, you just need to take an artificial thyroid hormone called Levothyroxine…but don’t let it go untreated!!! It’s super fucked up doctors don’t regularly check our thyroid when we start HRT