Test results in "normal" range????

[matt36]

Hello all. I've had three blood tests and all have been considered within the "normal" range, but the DR has said that it is slightly low, but nothing to cause concern. However he has put me on Levothyroxine 25mg as I told him i was always tired, couldn't think straight and demanded he do something. I haven't put on any weight though and concerned it might not be hypothyroidism.

I've been feeling dreadful for almost 18 months now and I've had a number of weeks off work. At first I thought it was diet related and changed that to help, but I'm still shattered a lot of the time. What experience have other people had with their blood results and differing symptoms?

I was just in a meeting today and was virtually falling asleep.

Thanks

Matt

[Clutter]

Hi Matt, sorry to hear you're so exhausted. If you can post your recent thyroid blood results it will help members to comment/advise.

25mcg is a very low dose and is unlikely to offer you much relief. Unless you have heart problems or are over 60 the full replacement dose 75mcg/100mcg is usually prescribed. Make sure to take Levothyroxine with a full glass of water an hour before or 90 minutes after food, two hours away from other medication and supplements and 4 hours away from iron and calcium.

You should have a follow up thyroid function test in 4/6 weeks to see whether your Levothyroxine dose should be increased.

You should also ask for your ferritin, vitamin D, B12 and folate to be tested. These often drop in the year prior to hypothyroid diagnosis. Ferritin needs to be 70-90 and the others high in range to ensure optimal absorption of thyroxine and for general wellbeing.

[Hidden]

mmm sounds familiar you could beg for a urine test much more accurate … my serum blood results were all normal but urine testing for T3 and T4 and cortisol revealed very low results now on armour and hormones. good luck

[Muffy]

What are your blood test results and their ranges?

Also, what time of day did you have the blood drawn? The earlier in the day the better and for your next blood test don't take your thyroxine until after your blood test.

Until the TSH tests came in, the normal dose of thyroxine was much higher, often 200mcg and 400mcg per day!

[matt36 in reply to Muffy]

My blood test results are as follows. T4 level 13.3 and TSH level 2.63.

How much can diet affect symptoms?

Thanks for all the replies. Whatever these test results say I know my life

quality has dropped massively in the last 18 months.

Thanks

Matt

[Muffy in reply to matt36]

Most patients feel best when their TSH is one or below and FT4 at the top end of range.

[matt36 in reply to Muffy]

What do I need to do to lower mine? Thanks Matt

[Muffy]

PS My daughter lost weight before being treated for hypothyroidism, something that fools the doctors!

[Muffy]

You need a higher dose of thyroxine, but looks like your Dr might not agree to that, but do remember what I said about the timing of your blood test and not to take your Thyroxine before the test. This will mean your TSH could well be higher and your thyroxine lower in the range which would give you the argument that you need a higher dose. Also, on just 25mcg thyroxine, the body adjusts to the thyroxine and you are back to square one. Once on around 50mcg or 75mcg, you could well see a difference.

[eeng]

You asked "What experience have other people had with their blood results and differing symptoms?"

When I was mildly hypothyroid I found that apart from tiredness my main symptoms were feeling cold all the time, gradual weight gain (I had always been able to lose it before), slight annoying tinnitus when I tried to sleep, poor balance, particularly at night, night sweats, dry skin. My TSH was 7 when I was diagnosed, 25mcg made a small difference to my symptoms initially but not very much, although my TSH fell quite a lot. 50mcg helped quite a bit and my TSH fell to 0.89 at first, then rose to 1.2. I am now on 75mcg and feel a lot better. I am more-or-less symptom free now but I can feel that I will be ready for another increase in the winter. I have Thyroid antibodies so the normal course of events would be for my thyroid function to gradually deteriorate. I hope this helps.

[Artemis]

Matt, you are very lucky to get treatment at all from your Dr. My last NHS test was TSH 2.8 & FT4 12.7 & have symptoms of fatigue, headaches, dizziness, constipation, constant dry itchy ears, low body temperature, plantar fasciitis, poor sleep & brain fog. No real help to get to the root of the problem. But I now qualify for free prescriptions because of my age & have quite a list of things on my repeat form which keep me going. I did a private test recently which showed my TSH has gone up to 5.04 with the comment that I have mild hypothyroidism. Because it was a home blood test I was able to do it at 7.00 am in the morning on an empty stomach, which is not possible at my doctors as the earliest time you can get is 8.30 & you're never seen on time.