Confused

[Daija]

Hi there. First post on here ..just need some help!

Had under active thyroid for ten years,on 150mcg of thyroxine. Always told bloods are 'normal'.

Been feeling very poorly for about ten months. Constantly tired, dry skin, constipated and more severely feeling very depressed. Just kept getting fobbed off by gp so gave up going, moved house recently and changed GPS. Went to see new go and was prescribed flueoxetine for depression. Took for three days but made me so sick I had to stop. Went back to gp and he ordered bloods to be done. Got a call last night to say T4 is10.5 normal range is 7-17

Tsh is 43 normal range is 0,2-4.5

He's increased dose of levothyroxine to 200mcg daily and said I should feel better in a few weeks. As I don't understand what these results actually mean I'm just worried the tsh looks incredibly high.

I feel really I'll but I am also worried I'm over reacting???

Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[Marz]

Sorry you are feeling unwell and confused. I am confused too with your TSH reading of 43 - could it perhaps be 4.3 ? With the medication you are taking I find it difficult to believe it is 43. There must be an absorption issue if it is 43. Are you taking the T4 away from food - take the tablet an hour before eating or drinking or two hours afterwards.

Have you had your levels tested of B12 - VitD - Iron - Ferritin - Folate ? They all need to be high in their respective ranges - both for you to feel well and for the T4 medication you are taking to convert into the ACTIVE T3 hormone. The latter has not been tested and is the most important one.

Maybe ask for actual copies of your results so you can monitor your own progress....

Have you had your anti-bodies tested - Anti-TPO and Anti-Tg ? The AD's that were prescribed contain fluoride - hence the name. Not good for thyroids.

Being incorrectly medicated will cause you to feel depressed.

[Clutter]

Welcome to the forum, Daija.

It's a good idea to request a print out of your thyroid results with the lab ref ranges so you can be sure of them. If your TSH isn't significantly reduced at your next thyroid test your GP should refer you to an endocrinologist as it's possible you have some resistance to thyroid hormone. TSH>20 has been shown to impair driving reactions more than being above the drink driving limit so please drive with caution until your level drops.

Your high TSH will be why you are feeling so unwell and can also cause depression. You aren't over reacting. It takes 7/10 days for the increased dose to be absorbed and start working but up to six weeks to feel the full impact. Make sure you have a follow up test in 6 weeks and don't take your Levothyroxine for 24hrs prior to the blood draw as it may skew the results.

Levothyroxine needs to be taken with water on an empty stomach one hour before or 2 hours after food and drink as food and drink can affect absorption and it must be taken 2 hours away from other medication and supplements and 4 hours away from iron, calcium and oestrogen.

[Daija in reply to Clutter]

Thankyo so much. It helps just knowing im not alone. My family are finding it hard with me being so "off color" all the time. At last I hope there is light at the end of the tunnel.

[Clutter in reply to Daija]

Daija, family can be a pain sometimes. They should consider that 'hard' is what you are experiencing, not your inability to provide usual hotel service and be the fun of the party.