Thyroid Issues

[Mikee]

   I am 1 year post treatment with harvoni. I cleared the virus but I just was diagnosed Hypothyroid. anybody else experience this ?

[dragonslayer]

I was diagnosed Hypo a few years ago, after having had HCV for near 40 yrs but before Harvoni.. Im thinking and have seen some research that HCV has been linked to Hypo, but havent seen anything related to Harvoni and Hypo...  Then, there's the fact that many people go Hypo as part of the aging process.   Ive been off Harvoni for over a year, and am still testing Hypo.

I think  there are too many factors that may influence the Hypo diagnosis to pin it on Harvoni, but that's just my opinion.

[Mikee]

Thank you for your opinion. I guess hypo also runs in my family. 

[Mugwump]

   I am 1 year post treatment with harvoni. I cleared the virus but I just was diagnosed Hypothyroid. anybody else experience this ?

Strange but I experienced the complete opposite. I was diagnosed with Graves disease in 1988 and had my thyroid nuked because there were granulations in the gland and a pronounced stiffening similar to what happens with cirrhosis. My thyroid levels shot up to around 160 to a high of over 200 so they put me on a med to reduce the production of thyroid hormone but it did not work well. I tested positive anti thyroid peroxidase but the result could not be repeated. Finally one specialist said that he suspected that I was not suffering from a full blown Graves but some other unknown agent was causing my body to reject my thyroid gland.


I can tell you that a long term excess of thyroid hormone in the system is not a pleasant thing. It causes severe headaches, disturbances in thinking, vision problems with bulging eyes, lack of sleep to an extreme degree, paranoia, auditory hallucinations and a host of other issues.


Two years later just before I was finally diagnosed with HCV I read a treatise written by an Australian doctor who was following all the Vietnam Vets in that country that had contracted HCV. The gist of what he suspected was that the immune system of those who are infected by HCV can cause issues with rejection of other body tissues especially the thyroid gland. There is very strong evidence that the speed at which the gland deteriorates and thus loses the ability to produce adequate hormone is increased in some people who have HCV.


Eric