All over the place..

[Tracylou21]

I was on 150mcg, which was reduced to 125mcg about 6 months ago, after

blood test. Since my recent test, about 3 weeks ago, my gp said to

alternate every other day between 125 and 150mcg. I find this confusing,

& feel muddled up with it. She said my thyroid test was normal, but the TSH

(is that right..?) was up - I think she said 14.. I've had depression for years,

(on antidepressants), & since yesterday have felt really anxious and can't

stop crying.. I just don't know what to do. I'm sorry if this isn't the right place

to post, but I just had to get out how I'm feeling.. I just wish someone could help me..

[Heloise]

Hi Tracy, you posted to the right place. Such a shame because you shouldn't have to feel the way you do because the doctor is so ignorant. Almost all the people who seek help here seems to be due to their ignorant GP or even Endo. The first thing to do is to get a copy of your blood tests with ranges. You are entitled to have them so don't be put off. The normal levels for hypothyroids have to be better than just "normal". If you happen to have your test results for free T4 , free T3 and TSH we could see where you may be falling short. Often the lab or GP will refuse to test the free T3 but they should if you still have symptoms. This is a reason why you have depression with low thyroid.

youtube.com/watch?v=nZ_CP7l...(Not working as expected?)

stopthethyroidmadness.com/l...

[Tracylou21 in reply to Heloise]

Thankyou Heloise, for your response..When I feel like this, I tend to feel really vulnerable, so

have trouble questioning my gp - when I last spoke to her, she was more concerned whether

I had anti-depressant side effects, than about my thyroid.. Hopefully I'll feel a bit stronger in the

next few days, and will get a printout of my results. I will then put them on here. I'm just so fed

up feeling this way. Thanks again.

[Heloise in reply to Tracylou21]

I wonder if GP's take advantage of that vulnerability which is understandable. Have you considered taking a friend with you for your appointments? One of the problems is that your depression is probably due to your thyroid problem. Another problem is that the antidepressant works against your hormone for thyroid.

We are all so fed up with this type of doctor. If you are in the NHS, it is really unfortunate. It is cheaper to dispense T4 and antidepressants than anything else. There are lots of others who have decided to self treat with the proper hormone so there are other options. Don't give up.

[Tracylou21 in reply to Heloise]

Yes, a friend has said that she'll go with me to gp. At least I know that I'm not alone. Thanks again for your helpful advice.

[Heloise in reply to Tracylou21]

Tracy, I'm not a professional but followed a doctor's blog for ten years. I know not everyone finds medical and health articles that interesting but it would be good for you to learn about the thyroid. Often conventional medicine goes against good natural treatments because of the power of the pharmaceutical industry. I guess doctors are caught in the middle and probably fear losing their jobs. But gut health is so important and is also called the second brain. Depression can actually be caused due to this. Gluten which is the stickiest substance we consume may be one of your problems. I don't know for certain but many people find it very helpful to go gluten free.

Keep asking questions Tracy, there are many people here ready to help you.

health.howstuffworks.com/hu...

[Tracylou21 in reply to Heloise]

I suffer with IBS, so have cut gluten out of my diet anyway, probably about 6 months ago, which has helped me physically, but apparently not mentally. Do you mind me asking which Dr's blog you follow? I agree about it being a good idea to find out more about my thyroid - it may make it easier to fight my corner..

I did get my latest blood results (from October this year).. I don't know if you can shed any light on them:

Serum TSH 9.60 mu/l (abnormal)

Serum free T4 level 14.4 pmol/l (normal)

Hope you don't mind, but I'm following your posts - you've been so helpful and kind.

[Heloise in reply to Tracylou21]

Hi Tracy, I don't mind your following my posts. I try to be as accurate as I can but keep in mind I am not a professional. Follow Clutter, she has a lot to offer and is well read and knows a lot about the NHS. She's in the UK I think.

I think many of us have been abused medically and I am outraged at the treatment the NHS doctors which allows so much suffering. I am in the U.S. and their ignorance is almost as bad since they also use similar wide ranges and synthetics rather than NDT. We are on a mission to negate their bad form.

Your TSH is way too high. It should be close to or even below 1.0. Do you know the range for your T4 at 14.4? Something tells me it should probably be around 18 but I'm guessing. This makes it likely that your free T3 is also too low and that's why you have symptoms. Your brain needs T3 and so does your heart. I think that's why symptoms appear.

Do you have enough Levo to go back up to 150? I would do it immediately.

The doctor I followed died a few years ago but there is an archived record that is still online. Are you able to focus on what you read? I know it's difficult when you are ill.

Do you know how to check for private messaging?

[Tracylou21]

The gp's receptionist read the results out to me, and I wrote them down - those results are all that she gave me. Yes I do have enough to go back up to 150mcg, so I'll do that tomorrow. I'm able to focus on reading for a short time, and short paragraphs, at the moment. I'm not sure how to check private messaging. I have seen posts from Clutter on here, so I'll follow her posts more.

I'm not so emotional now, which is something, but still feeling anxious. I know it will pass eventually (until the next time..).. It's just the going through it, as it stops you doing so much.