It means you are undermedicated. If you could put the ranges of this as well it makes it easier to comment. They have a cheek to ask you to see the GP next week, they should up your dose and leave a prescription for you today, then you can see the GP next week. He will probably ask you if you missed taking levothyroxine, I should think. Were you only given a blood test for the TSH? when he should have tested T4, Free T4, T3 and Free T3 (these they don't usually do but if you had clinical symptoms I think it's the least he can do). You should have a blood test for a check up every year at the minimum if you're well.
So many of us have low Vit D and low Vit B12. Our B12 should be towards the upper range. We can supplement with sublingual methylcobalamin B12. I am glad they are prescribing Vit D.
Xjjx, That result says you are undermedicated either because 125mcg is insufficient or you are not absorbing it well. The TSH of most people on thyroid replacement is usually comfortable just above or below 1.0.
Levothyroxine should be taken one hour before, or two hours after, food and drink. It should be taken 2 hours away from other medication and supplements and 4 hours away from vitD3, iron, calcium and oestrogen.
If you take your Levothyroxine regularly and away from food etc. as above, your GP should do a coeliac blood screen to rule out coeliac disease as a reason for malabsorption. If you are already gluten-free it may be necessary to explore other investigations for malabsorption.
We get used to not being right when hypo, others see it when we can't. Just thought I would ask the question, as it's how we feel when being treated and not necessarily what the blood tests say.
Hope all goes well with the GP consultation. Happy Christmas.
When my TSH was 3, I was barely able to climb a stairway and you are saying you could start a new job? I wonder if you were able to produce enough natural thyroid and keeping your free T3 high enough to be able to navigate. See if you can possibly get a free T3 and free T4 test to see exactly how much your body is processing. Normally TSH is around 1.0 for best results of thyroid treatment but that can also be a false result but a higher level is more or less truthful which means you should have a lot of symptoms right now. Do you?
Maybe this is yet another aspect of TSH not usefully reflecting how ill someone is?
In some people, TSH will readily and speedily rise; in others it never rises nearly as much. Lots of possible reasons but the important thing is that yet again, we are all different!
Flippant response: What? Surely the only sensitive bit of a man is his pride.
Serious response: I believe that the person's history counts for a lot. If someone has been very hypothyroid for a long time, their pituitary is likely to have increased its TSH-making capacity. So, if treated for a while and then stopped, or insufficient, it can zoom back up. But in someone who has never had their TSH rise very much, it will struggle to go up more than a little.
Also, I am convinced that pituitary problems, sometimes in themselves mild, can end up with inappropriate TSH responses - too little or too much compared with what is regarded as "normal" for the thyroid hormone levels.
I'm sorry x. I feel like I'm talking behind your back. It's such an interesting situation. I looked at your profile and maybe you don't wish to reveal anything but perhaps what Rod suggested is one explanation.
If you only have been diagnosed for 18 months, though, that doesn't seem long. Do you think the new job or other stress has just suddenly affected your adrenal glands which react to stress and coincidentally your thyroid?
Yes to the vit d, 8 weeks worth, I wrote down was 17 now 13.4 but not sure what it was for lol..doh I also have 4.2 down yet again I am not sure what it was a level for..
xjjx, the 17 down to 13.4 will be FT4. Your TSH rose in response to FT4 falling. 4.2 will be your FT3. Results without lab ref ranges can be difficult to interpret but your FT4 is low and your FT3 likely to fall lower until the increased dose kicks in. It takes 7/10 days to absorb the increased dose before it starts to work. Ask the receptionist or practice manager for a printout of your results with the lab ref ranges next time you're passing.
Take your vitD with the fattiest meal of the day to aid absorption and take it 4 hours away from Levothyroxine.
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