Have I gone hyper? Confused...

[mountaingoat83]

Hi all,

I currently take 75mcg levo. I have had 3 blood tests since Feb, and my TSH has done the following:

Feb - 1.3 (0.27 - 4.2)

March - 0.13 (Genova test, also showed normal free T4 but slightly below normal free T3)

May - above result queried by GP due to low TSH with low free T3 so re-run - TSH 0.09, free T4 and free T3 normal (extact result not given), problem with Genova assay assumed

I still have what I think are some hypo symptoms, such as very dry itchy skin on my legs, sluggish digestive system despite healthy diet, and tiredness. However, I have been having trouble getting to sleep in the last couple of weeks, and I quite often wake up in the morning feeling anxious - I am grinding my teeth a lot too (could explain the tiredness). I do quite a lot of exercise, and I have noticed mild chest pain when running. I have also been having some palpitations. Oddly, these latter symptoms used to happen to me before I started any treatment, then they went away. My doc has said we will retest in two months because of the mix of symptoms, but I'm wondering whether I should be thinking about reducing my dose at this point.

If anyone has any thoughts it would be very much appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Emma

[shaws]

I doubt you've gone hyper unless you feel over-stimulated by your meds, i.e. fast heart rate. too hot etc. Dr Toft of the British Thyroid Association says that some of us need a suppressed TSH to feel well and the following is an extract Dr Lowe from which you will see our hormones change throughout the day.

Our thyroid gland hormones change throughout the day. Excerpt

TSH levels don’t significantly correlate day-to-day[1] or week-to-week.[2] One research group measured the TSH and free T3 and free T4 levels of ten normal young men.[3] When they measured the levels every 30 minutes for 24 hours, they found that the hormone levels were lower during the day and higher at night. During the day, the free T3 was 15% lower, the free T4 was 7% lower, and the TSH was 140% lower. When the researchers measured the hormone levels every five minutes for six to seven hours (7 PM-to-11 PM), the levels varied every thirty minutes. The TSH level varied 13%, the free T3 15%, and the free T4 11%.

Other researchers measured the TSH levels of 31 healthy people. They found that women had significantly higher TSH level than men.[1] On different days, individuals had "a large" variation of TSH levels. The large variations were about equally extreme in both men and women. The researchers concluded, "The present study demonstrated a large variation of TSH levels in various conditions, even in the same individuals, indicating the necessity of strictly controlled conditions in the study of TSH secretion."

web.archive.org/web/2010103...

Re your fatigue - maybe this would be helpful for your adrenal glands.

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[mountaingoat83 in reply to shaws]

Thank you for the quick reply Shaws, much appreciated. I don't seem to be feeling hotter than normal, and my heart rate is on the low side (43) although I hope that's because I'm reasonably fit! I always get my bloods done at the same time of day, to try and minimise changes. Last time I took my meds first as I went to the GP about something else so wasn't expecting a blood test, but he said that wouldn't matter.

The sea salt link is interesting. I had a Genova adrenal profile done in March and it was normal, but I don't think I eat much salt, I certainly never add it to food. I think we're all a bit prone to being scared of salt these days!

[shaws in reply to mountaingoat83]

Well, I think that after being persuaded to eat low fat that after a period of years, problems are arising and it is now said we should eat normal fat products. It's the same with salt, I have just heard that salt is helpful for hypertension.

articles.mercola.com/sites/...

[mountaingoat83 in reply to shaws]

Everything in moderation is probably the most sensible approach, given that guidelines keep changing! Before long we'll have no time to do anything in a day in between cramming 87 portions of fruit and veg in!

[mountaingoat83]

I also forgot to say that I seem to be hungry all the time and have put on a couple of pounds in the last couple of months despite keeping a close eye on my net calorie intake.

[shaws in reply to mountaingoat83]

If you're fit, that will give you a low heart rate. My husband's is 38bpm. Re weight gain, just keep an eye on it but I don't think it's always to do with calorie intake. This is a link for info:

web.archive.org/web/2010103...