← Return to Hypothyroidism symptoms worsening since starting rifampin

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I’ll meet with my family doctor today to discuss upping my thyroid medicine. I have to be very clear though that these symptoms of hypothyroidism have become as bad as they are. Anyone else have a problem looking and sounding all chipper the day you meet with the dr?
I will have an appointment either this Thursday or next with my infectious disease doctor. He is the top doc around my province and works in conjunction with my pulmonologist who did my bronchoscopy (also an A+ dr.) and discovered the MAC. He treated me for the lung infection that landed me in the hospital and on IV antibiotics from August to October last year.
Sorry… When I say I was asymptomatic I should be saying I have no bronchiectasis. I did have aches, pains and fatigue but generally I had way more energy than I do now. (I could at least walk daily with my puppy. Now my hundred pound year old must be wondering what is going on… )
My CT scan showed my MAC had begun to worsen the same time my infection was clearing up, and my results showing that my cultures we’re susceptible to the Big 3 were back, so it was decided I had to start on daily doses of all three. My six month mark for CT is in July.
Praying this downward trend is all caused by the interaction of Rifampin with my Thyroxin. The alternate scenario is these drugs aren’t working. My latest blood tests shows thyroid still isn’t functioning normally and I have the numbness on face etc that I had 29 years ago when I first was diagnosed with hypothyroidism so i am pretty confident it’s the issue….
I also looked back through my posts here and on NTM site and realized that I did have these similar symptoms for MAC too. I guess it means I started to improve in between beginning of treatment and these thyroid problems after all —Enough that I forgot how things were right before I started treatment. I do remember now wondering why I still was waiting for treatment cause I had started feeling more MAC symptoms.
It’s all coming around now.

I don’t like this being like a broken record circling around and around. Seems as though one illness and treatment after another. I imagined a much more jovial forties and fifties than I have had haha.

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Replies to "I’ll meet with my family doctor today to discuss upping my thyroid medicine. I have to..."

I can REALLY relate - when I had to take the meds daily (before Arikayce was available) it felt like "the life was draining out of me" - much like what you describe.

The only thing that puzzles me about your regimen is why you have been prescribed meds daily - this is usually reserved for more severe cases, as in where cavities are present or you are highly symptomatic.

Maybe the conversation you need to have with your doctors is whether you can reduce the frequency of dosage to 3X per week? Or perhaps add one of the newer drugs like Arikayce to your regimen to try to knock out the NTM?