Does anyone here have thyroid problems as well as seizures?

[dfwtexas]

I have been posting on another thread about Keppra Hair loss. I had assumed my hair failing out by the handful when I shampoo'd was a side effect in my recent change from Keppra to Keppra XR. Yesterday I finally called the neuro's office as I realized I am going to have to do something or get a wig. I was rather surprised to learn that hair loss can be a definite sign of thyroid problems. So I can going to have more blood work done next week.
I have no clue about the thyroid, I cannot even remember was this in my health class at school? So I started surfing the web to learn about it. When I read about the problems with moods, depression, anxiety, quick temper and irratiablity...it made me wonder, are these issue I am dealing with really Kepprage or my thyroid?
So then I did a google search to see any there any links with seizures and thyroid problem. Interestlingly enough, one of Robin's post from this board came up! I think we are so lucky to have someone like Robin keeping us informed with knowledge she has learn to make her daughter's life better.
But there are a lot of connections...most seem to indicate that the thyroid problem is the cause of seizures.
So has anyone here had thyroid problems? Was it prior or after you had seizures? What type of meds do you take and does it affect how you treat your seizures? I am really trying to learn more about this as I really think my thyroid has been out of whack for years. Which makes me wonder why has it taken so long before one of my many specialist decided to check for this?

 

[Meetz1064]

Yuppers, I

do!

Actually, I believe there are several of us on here that have thyroid problems.

I've had thyroid problems for about ten years now.......well after I was diagnosed with E. However, my thyroid issues are inherited from my father.

I am hypothyroid....in other words, my thyroid works too slowly. And yes, I go through the hair loss thing, on a regular basis.

I also have nails that CAN be brittle, and very dry skin, too. There's more of course, but those are the biggies. Oh, and my cycle can be very strange because of it.....

Right now, my doctor does the compounding of my meds for me. One of them is T3, one of the hormones that is missing or too low. Another that I take is SSKI (Super Saturated Potassium Iodide), one drop per day. T4, which for now is coming in the form of Armour Thyroid, and not working well (pharmaceutical companies are screwing around, it's a long story) is the other.

Take care, and hope that helped some.........

Meetz
:rock:

 

[dfwtexas]

From just the reading I done, I think my problem might be underactive too. I have noticied my skin being very dry and flaky for several months, no matter what kind or how often I put lotion on. Also, my nails are very short and brittle for past several months. I no longer have cycles since I had hysterectomy many moons ago.
I cannot tolerate coldness, but have attributed that to my arm trauma. I keep blankets in my office and on my couch at all times. It appears if you have trouble with cold, it is usually underactive and if you have problem with heat, it is overactive thyroid. I live in Texas and not even bothered my "normal" Texas heat in the least.
Does the hair loss problem go away with taking thyroid meds?
Also, during this time that I have been losing my hair, I have notice my neck and shoulder have been stiff and painful.

 

[Meetz1064]

Lol

I cannot tolerate cold, either, and I live in Indiana! We won't discuss how many blankets I sleep under.......it's kind of stupid, but it's necessary for me.

The hair loss problem has NOT gone away for me, at all. It has DIMINISHED somewhat.....

Stiff and painful neck.......YUP. Got that too. In a big big way. I get shots every so often to manage it......

 

[forward2007]

I just found out I have a lump on my thyroid. They want to do more testing.

 

[dfwtexas]

forward, let me know how that goes. Have you have blood tests done before or had problems before the lump showed up?
Meetz....I lived in Kokomo as a child for awhile (military brat here). I know about those cold IN winters! I don't know that I would be up for it now. Do you find the meds are helping at all? I hate taking more meds especially if I cannot expect to see any improvement with the problems.

 

[Meetz1064]

Oh, yes

the meds are helping. I don't dispute that at all. I'd be in a hellhole without them. But I STILL have a MAJOR intolerance to cold.

I have some very intense personal reasons for staying here, though, which I don't care to go into right now. I will leave Indiana in about 15 years. But right now, I can't. If I could, I would be LONG GONE....

 

[forward2007]

forward, let me know how that goes. Have you have blood tests done before or had problems before the lump showed up?
Meetz....I lived in Kokomo as a child for awhile (military brat here). I know about those cold IN winters! I don't know that I would be up for it now. Do you find the meds are helping at all? I hate taking more meds especially if I cannot expect to see any improvement with the problems.

I had blood drawn the other day but I didn't get the result yet. I haven't had any problems with cold weather. If I hear anything I will let you know.

 

[skillefer]

Hi jg! I am hypothyroid...it caused me to gain weight easily, be lethargic, and lose hair like crazy. When my doc ordered blood work, it came back at normal levels. As I was walking out of the docs (GP) office, a nutritionist who worked with him overheard me saying that I still thought there was something wrong. She took me aside and asked me to tell her what my symptoms were. I described them. The fact that I could fall asleep anywhere, my hands and feet were ALWAYS like ice, my hair was coming out like crazy (lucky I have thick hair) and that I could look at cake and gain weight. She told me to take my temperature for 5 days from my armpit before getting out of bed for 5 days, and to write the temps down. Then, bring the temps to her the next week... I thought it was a quirky request but did it. When I brought my temps back to her, she smiled and said that I was a border case. Just enough thyroid hormones to make the screening read normal, but so low a level that I was having symptoms. So I get to be on thyroid medicine. I wondered how I managed to have hypothyroid, and she asked if my mom had gestational diabetes. I laughed and said Yes. My mom got huge with all 3 of us kids and had gestational diabetes for all 3 of us. The nutritionist said that I higher percentage of people who were diagnosed with hypthyroid had moms who had gestational diabetes. She couldn't say for certain that that was what triggered mine, but it was a possibility. So in the meantime, while you wait for the results from the bloodwork, you might want to try taking your temp from your armpit before even setting foot out of bed for 5 days.

 

[dfwtexas]

Thanks Skill..I think I recalled reading something about your temps running low, is that what showed up for you? If so, that is interesting, because I know my body temp has always ran low..pretty much most of my life. If I have 98.6, I am running a fever. All my docs know about it, and have always told me some people are that way.
I know my mother didn't have gestational diabetes during her pregnacies, but I was borderline gestational diabetes during the last month of my last pregnancy.
The weight thing is interesting, because I have had that problem for last couple of years. I really don't eat very much, but never lose any weight.

 

[Meetz1064]

I also

have the temperature problem. Anything over 97.5 is a HIGH temperature for me. My average body temp is 94.8, and my doctor just is floored by that, but it never fails when they take it....

 

[Cint]

I've had hypothyroid since my 2nd child was born and I also had epilepsy then, too. After about 6 months after childbirth, I just couldn't get my energy back, so went back to get a check up and the dr. checked my thyroid, and it was low. I've been on a lot of different AEDs and know that some of them do fluctuate the thyroid levels. Seems like when I was on Tegretol, my thyroid fluctuated quite a bit. My thyroid issues run in my family, also.
Forward2007, my daughter had a lump on her thyroid and upon testing, found out that she has Hashimoto's disease. She, too has to take thyroid meds the rest of her life. Half of her thyroid is now missing, and she is only 26 years old. Usually it shows up when a person is in their mid 40's!

Cindy

 

[dfwtexas]

Oh, my Meetz, I have never had my temp that low! I generally am around 97.0 - 97.6. I'm glad to hear the meds are doing so good.
The more I have read about thyroid problems really makes me think that mine has been out of whack for 4 years or so. With so many of the initial symptoms being "normal" when you are struggling single mom, you just don't think there's anything wrong. In fact, I think it might have been a the root of my trauma accident was so bad. I kept developing more and stronger infections even while on a ton of antibotics. I didn't realize the effect problems with your thyroid can wreck havoc on your immune system.
I probably won't get the chance to go to lab for the blood work until later this week. I did take my morning temperature and it was 96.7, so it was lower than normal.

 

[dfwtexas]

Wow, my morning temp today was 95.5...it is dropping!

 

[skillefer]

Glad to have been of some help... As for me, the thyroid medicine was fantastic...dropped some weight..or at least it was easier, and had more energy.

 

[forward2007]

I just got the results back and they said I have a slightly underactive Thyroid. It will be interesting to see if the Neurologist has any interest in this.

 

[dfwtexas]

I talked to the doc who drew the blood and he said I was in normal range, but I remember from someone on here (dang, that short term memory problem) that the blood test will not always show. I had that doc fax the blood test to my neuro and I am waiting to talk to him and tell him about the low morning temps. I thought the hair was doing better, but this morning I got another handful of hair.
Let me know what your neuro says!