TSH up, T4 down, antibody's positive

[emma1990]

Hi all,

Here is a breakdown of my past results:

January 2014

Serum TSH - 10.44 (0.27 - 4.20)

Serum free T4 - 14.8 (11.80 - 24.60).

August 2014 - on 50mg thyroxine

Serum TSH - 3.75 (0.27 - 4.20)

Serum free T4 - 18.2 (11.80 - 24.60).

September 2014 - on 50mg thyroxine

Serum TSH - 4.5 (0.27 - 4.20)

Serum free T4 - 17.8 (11.80 - 24.60).

Tested positive for antibody's

LFT, FBC, Ferritin and B12 = Normal

Increase to 75mg thyroxine today - Next blood test 3rd November.

Any reason why my TSH increases and the T4 drops since starting the thyroxine in March, especially the change in a space of a month? Also being tested for antibody's, I know from reading on this site that it is hashimoto's.

Any advice from people about where to go from here? The Dr told me nothing! Goiter still visible and doesn't look like it will reduce in size :S

Hoping that the constipation, cold intolerance, weight gain and fatigue will subside now i'm increasing the dose.

Thanks

[gabkad]

The differences between the second two tests is not significant. But it also means that your thyroid is still producing hormones because your dose is low.

Do you know how high the antibodies are?

The next time you get blood taken ask for the fT3 test to be done as well. And if at 75mcg you are still having the symptoms, see if your doctor will prescribe 5 mcg T3 medication.

Also get your ferritin, folate, B12 and vitamin D tested. These need to be optimal in order to benefit from thyroid hormone replacement.

[emma1990 in reply to gabkad]

Thanks for the reply,

I have no clue how high the antibody's were, but my ferritin and B12 were normal. They only tested them because I was loosing hair. He's done my blood test slip now, he's written TFT, do i go back and ask specifically for the FT3 too? Everytime I get my results back only the TSH and FT4 is shown.

[gabkad in reply to emma1990]

You need to get copies of your blood test results. 'normal' and 'optimal' are not necessarily the same thing. Doctors think nothing of what we would consider low B12 levels. The international standard for B12 is being discussed by the WHO as being 480. But it's not unusual for doctors to say that 200 is fine. Same with ferritin. You could be at 26 (like I was years ago) and 'it's fine'. 70 to 90 is target for optimal health.

[Marz]

There is no such thing as normal - what is normal for one person is not for another....always have copies of results for your own records....