Sub clinical hypo

[Vidya1956]

My tsh was 6 but ft4 was normal I was advised to try some vitamins and iron etc I'm considering alternate remedies any suggestions please perhaps GG can help

[Clutter]

Vidya, if your GP made that suggestion find a new GP. If that was your first abnormal blood result your GP will want to rule out non-throidal illness like an infection or virus as a cause and should retest in 3 months. If TSH is still high you should be prescribed Levothyroxine. In the meantime a supplement like Nutri-Thyroid may help support your thyroid thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/go_sho...

You should only supplement iron if your ferritin or iron levels are low. Ask your GP to test ferritin, vitamin D, B12 and folate as symptoms of musculoskeletal pain, fatigue and low mood are similar to hypothyroid symptoms.

[greygoose]

What sort of 'alternate' remedy did you have in mind? Because I Don't know of one. If your hormones are deficient, the only treatment I know is hormone replacement. And you obviously are deficient because you have a TSH of 6, whereas the TSH of a 'normal' person, with no thyroid problems, is between 0.8 to 1.25.

You say your FT4 was 'normal', but that is meaningless. If, by that, you mean 'in range', it dépends on where in the range if falls. If it's right at the bottom, then it isn't 'normal' enough to make you feel well. And you Don't have an FT3 result (of course you Don't, I realise that). FT3 is the most important result because T3 is the active hormone. You could have an FT4 at the top of the range, but if your FT3 is at the bottom, you won't feel well. Doctors nowdays are so badly educated that they Don't know that. Could you possibly have that done privately?

Also, you Don't know if you have antibodies. If you do, then when you test again, your TSH could be down again, because varying antibodies means varying TSH. You need your antibodies tested. Could you possibly do that privately, with the FT3? You need TPOab and TGab.

Having said all that, vitamins and minerals are, of course, important. The others have suggested some you might get tested. I would suggest adding to that magnesium and zinc. There are others, but these are the most important. Who suggested you take them?

So, there's still some way to go before you truly know where you are. If you can get all those tests done, we'll be better able to help you.

Hugs, Grey

[Vidya1956]

Thank you Grey I really am happy for all the advice. I am so confused In fact I did have the t3 tested which was in the normal limits By alternate remedies I meant herbal like ashwagandha and tulsi and also aroma therapy However I don't know if anyone else has been successful I am quite apprehensive about having to take thyroxine permanently Are. There any side effect with it do we have to take it forever

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to Vidya1956]

If you are hypo and don't take thyroid hormones, you could die. Ashwaghanda is great for many adrenal problems but hasn't changed my thyroid at all. Possibly guggul might. Really you need to have free t4 in the top quarter of the range and free t3 in the top third to be well. Most people do well on thyroxine alone, but if you don't there is also NDT and T3. Generally the side effects of taking it are far less bad than death and permanent disability, which are the main side effects of not being adequately medicated.

It's not that long since hypothyroid was a death sentence (with most of your life spent in the loony bin).