This is more of a personal story. When I hit my 40s I started to feel more tired and irritable. I thought it is just part of aging and raising a family in a demanding world that we live in.
I noticed that my blood pressure was lower than normal. It seemed that I had difficulties dealing with any adversities of life. My hair was falling out quite rapidly, I had anxiety attacks quite often as well. My sex drive was not what it used to be.
Well, is that not part of normal aging? Many would say yes. My wife suggested that I would go see her Endocrine doctor to have my thyroid checked. So I did.
She examined me and told me that my thyroid was slightly enlarged, borderline. The lab took all the necessary blood tests.
When the results came back, my TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) level was 2.5 which is somewhat in a normal range depending on the lab that is used. The normal range could be between 1 and 4.0 or so. The higher the number, the more it points towards hypothyroidism (slow thyroid). As part of the complete evaluation, your T3 and T4 results are also important.
If your results are borderline, you should look at the whole picture and see how you feel. If you display some abnormal symptoms, you may be a candidate for a low dose of thyroid medication.
I started taking a low dose of Synthroid. Another alternative is Armor thyroid medication which contains T3. If you are converting T3 properly, you do not need T3. Excessive T3 can make you anxious.
What was the result? I started feeling better, my sex drive improved, even my hair started growing in some areas. Overall more calm, normal feeling.
If you experience similar symptoms, go and have your Thyroid checked.