Is 0.39 TSH not low? (range 0.3 - 5.5)

[Ivorheadache]

Hi everyone, my 24 yr old daughter has not been well, multiple episodes of pleurisy and pneumonia last couple of years that don't respond quickly to treatment (she keeps being asked if she is asthmatic she isn't). In recent months she has developed anxiety/mild depression symptoms brain fog poor memory and is just not her normal self. GP gave her anti depressants. But she did follow my advice and ask for thyroid blood tests due to me having Hashimoto's and virtually all female relatives having thyroid problems. She got 0.39 TSH result but today asked GP for T4 result. GP said they would have automatically added T4 and T3 if her TSH had been low or borderline. I want to advise her to go back to GP but need a second opinion myself!

[Heloise]

It's certainly difficult to call her hypothyroid with a TSH that low but that's why the TSH especially on its own is not definitive. She could have Graves and fluctuate between high and low. One expert says that the antibody tests are more valuable than thyroid function tests. Would her doctor consider that request?

[Ivorheadache in reply to Heloise]

She will be registering at my GP's in a few weeks and is going to ask there!

[shaws Administrator]

You may have to have the TFT blood tests done privately. Before the blood tests came in doctors used to prescribe, on a trial basis, Natural Thyroid Hormones, on clinical symptoms alone. Nowadays, the guidelines say that only the TSH should be the diagnosis and some have to wait till it reaches 10 before medication is prescribed. Some info below.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

[Ivorheadache in reply to shaws]

Many thanks I will have a read!

[Heloise]

youtube.com/watch?v=cIKmuIf...(Not working as expected?)

[Ivorheadache]

Thank you so much for this info - I haven't heard of that before. We will have a look on the internet.