Blood test results

[Vix22]

Hi, I got my first blood test results 3 weeks ago which were; tsh 79.11, t4 7.5 and antibodies 6500. I was put on 25mg levo for 2 weeks and retested, results tsh 45.86, t3 4.6 and t4 11.7 on the same day as the blood test my levo was increased to 50mg for 1 week increasing to 100mg. Could anyone interpret the results?

I took 100mg for the first time yesterday and my palms were sweating and I felt very confused. The locum doctor advised to stop taking the tablets however I called the endo who advised me to continue as advised......

[Treepie]

Hello Vix, you need to put the reference ranges shown in brackets after your results for the knowledgeable folk on this site to provide advice. Your TSH is still very high ,it may be that you needed longer on 50 before moving to 100 but I do not know enough - still learning!

[Clutter]

Vix, increases are usually in 25mcg increments every 4/8 weeks so your increases may be too much, too soon, for you to handle. Go back to 50mcg daily for 5/7 days and then increase to 75mcg for two weeks before increasing to 100mcg. If you have problems increasing dose again go back to the dose you were comfortable on for a few days before attempting to increase again. If 25mcg increments feel too much increase by 12.5mcg daily by cutting a 25mcg tablet in half.

Your TSH has come down considerably on 25mcg but it is still very high and the aim should be to reduce it steadily until it is just above or below 1.0. We really need to see the FT4 and FT3 ranges to interpret how good/low they are but they don't look as low as I'd expect with such a high TSH and you shouldn't expect much improvement until you've been on Levothyroxine for 6/8 weeks.

[shaws Administrator]

They have increased your levo too quickly. Although your TSH was very high initially they shouldn't put your dose up so quickly. Slowly and gradually is the best way. No wonder you don't feel well. I am not medically qualified but I would miss your dose altogether tomorrow and let your system settle down. Take 50mcg for 4 to 6 weeks get a blood test and increase by 25mcg to 75mcg and so on until you reach 100. Anytime you feel overdosed, reduce back down to the previous level.

It is trial and error but taking too high a dose can give so many unpleasant symptoms.

When you get a blood test don't take levothyroxine before it, take it afterwards and leave about 24 hours between levo and the test. Always get a print-out of the results and make sure the ranges are stated.

If you take other medications/supplements leave 4 hours gap between levo and supplements.

If GP hasn't tested B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate ask for these to be done too.

[Vix22 in reply to shaws]

I had a blood test this morning which I should have the results of tomorrow but I had taken the 100mcg the day before. The endo insists I stick to 100mcg regardless of my symptoms (I didn't feel safe driving to the docs) I also advised that I am relying on one leg more than the other since staring the levo and my headaches are very bad the last few days.... Should these 'side effects' give me cause for concern?

[shaws Administrator in reply to Vix22]

You cannot function if the dose is too high for you at present. I had a TSH of 100 and started at 25mcg (should have been 50) but had to wait 6 weeks to go to 75 and another before got to 100mcg. You have to do what's best for you, not what's best for the Endo. It is most unpleasant to have overstimulated symptoms which shouldn't be necessary.

That's o.k. that you had levo the day before. That's what we do. Approx 24 hours between levo and blood test and take levo afterwards and continue as we have done. You take levo with one glass of water and don't eat for around 1 hour.

[shaws Administrator in reply to Vix22]

When we have hypothyroidism, it probably takes years to creep up on us. Therefore our body has to learn to assimilate synthetic hormones gradually, so our bodies adapt to the gradual increase. If too much initially that's why many of us get more unpleasant symptoms, i.e. palpitations, sweating etc etc. that some people stop taking them which is the last thing they should do.

[eeng]

Read the posts on this site about how various vitamins and minerals seem to get depleted before and becoming hypothyroid. You may be able to help yourself by taking supplements to achieve healthy levels (not just within the 'normal' range) of vitamin B12, D, ferritin and folate.