Can hypothyroid be cured spontaneously

[sara14]

These are my lab results as of Dec 2013 , TSH 2.34, T4-0.82 T3 not done , also I had this done in another clinic a month before and my TSH was 0.99. Two very different variations... These all post injury lab results, dont know my previous ones yet

I had underactive thyroid before my brain injury and took thyroid medication daily. However after brain injury was told my thyroid levels are normal and do not need medication anymore. But I feel the same as before I was diagnosed with low thyroid, sleepy, tired, no energy.. I understand that same symptoms can be caused by brain injury, but can not help thinking that it could be from low thyroid level, since I had that problem before brain injury.. Any helpful information will be appreciated

[Clutter]

Sara, can you post recent thryoid blood tests with lab ref ranges? If you have results prior your injury that would be very helpful to compare.

When hypothyroidism is caused by a viral illness it can revert to normal after several months. You probably remain primary hypothyroid but your injury may have caused pituitary dysfunction which means your TSH level is meaningless and your hypothyroid status must be tested by measuring FT4 and FT3. dailymail.co.uk/health/arti...

Hypopituitarism is treated with Levothyroxine to regulate FT4 (inactive storehouse hormone) which converts in the liver to FT3 (active hormone).

[sara14 in reply to Clutter]

These are my lab results as of Dec 2013 , TSH 2.34, T4-0.82 T3 not done , also I had this done in another clinic a month before and my TSH was 0.99. Two very different variations... These all post injury lab results, dont know my previous ones yet

[Clutter in reply to sara14]

Sara, I'm not sure why you've reposted those Dec results. If you sustained pituitary damage your TSH result is meaningless. Your FT4, however, is dangerously low and means you are unlikely to be producing the active hormone FT3. It is essential you ask your GP to investigate hypopituitarism by testing your FT4 and FT3 and refer you to a pituitary specialist.

[helvella]

If they are assessing whether you are hypothyroid by the TSH test only,then certainly what you have described makes sense.

Before injury, the pituitary would produce more TSH if your thyroid hormone levels were low. After injury, if the hypothalamus and/or pituitary were affected, you might be unable to produce the "right" amount of TSH. So initially the TSH might have been low (usual interpretation being over-medicated/not needing the levothyroxine), then when you stopped taking any thyroid hormone, it should have risen. But was unable to do so.

As Clutter wrote, you MUST have thyroid assessed by clinical presentation and FT4 and FT3 testing.

If the GP handling this is falling into this obvious, well-known and documented "trap", he/she is utterly incapable of handling your treatment for thyroid.

Rod

[mistydog in reply to helvella]

If we as lay people can make this connection/understanding, why are GPs not able to? It makes my blood boil.

[Hidden]

It is extremely unlikely (well, it's not possible, but I'll acknowledge some sort of miracle as a possibility!) - as doctors very well know - that hypothyroidism is going to cure itself. That is why 'Roidies get free prescriptions for life. So I cannot understand why any doctor would tell you such tosh. Overactive - possibly. Underactive - no.

Did you feel well on your thyroid medication before your injury?

[sara14 in reply to Hidden]

Yes I felt great on thyroid medication before, full of energy, alert..

[Hidden in reply to sara14]

Have you got any of it left? Could you go back on it and see if it returns you to how you felt before the injury? Bear in mind that if you've been off thyroid meds for a while you would probably be wise to start with a low dose and increase until you got back to where you felt good.

[sara14]

These are my lab results as of Dec 2013 , TSH 2.34, T4-0.82 T3 not done , also I had this done in another clinic a month before and my TSH was 0.99. Two very different variations... These all post injury lab results, dont know my previous ones yet

[sara14]

These are my lab results as of Dec 2013 , TSH 2.34, T4-0.82 T3 not done , also I had this done in another clinic a month before and my TSH was 0.99. Two very different variations... These all post injury lab results, dont know my previous ones yet

[Clutter in reply to sara14]

Sara,

We need to see the lab ref ranges, the figures in brackets on your results. If the T4 0.82 is actually FT4 0.82 something is very wrong and you won't be converting FT3 at all. FT4 range for my lab is 10-22.7 and my GP wasn't happy with FT4 of 14.

It is entirely conceivable that your TSH can rise from 0.99 to 2.34 in a month and is consistent with hypothyroidism.

[helvella in reply to Clutter]

I suspect that sara14 is not in the UK.

A typical range in another country such as the USA could be 0.8 to 1.8 ng/dL. (In the UK we usually use pmol/L.)

It is really helpful if people put their country on their profiles.

Rod

[Clutter in reply to helvella]

Thanks, Rod. The lab ref range would help cos I lose the will to live if I have to start converting anything other than FT4>FT3

[sara14 in reply to helvella]

I am in USA, sorry did not realize they use different ranges in other countries

[Clutter in reply to sara14]

The ranges vary all over the UK which is why we request them. Do you have yours?

[helvella in reply to sara14]

They use different ranges in different labs - let alone countries!

Mind, mostly they use the same unit of measurement within a country - but even that is not always true.

Rod