Hi again. I am seeing my Endo in Monday and have asked the GP for my most recent results. These are from March this year. Can anyone help me to understand them.
Many thanks in advance.
Serum TSH level 0.03 mu/L( 0.27- 4.20) LOW
Serum free T4 level 22.5 pmol /L (11.0 - 25.0 )
Serum free T3 level 5.0 pmol/L (3.1 - 6.8 )
My doctor on seeing these results reduced my Levothyroxine from 125 to 100 and I felt awful. So went back and she put them back up to 125.
I am still having a few side effects if the yo yoing of the levels of meds, so wonder were I should have another blood test done.
Are the above results in a good range in any case?
Many thanks
Written by
Crwbin1
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Crwbin, the results are good. TSH is low/suppressed, FT4 in the top 75% of range and FT3 almost in the top third of range. Hopefully your GP will leave your endo to manage your thyroid medication. Suppressed TSH doesn't mean overmedication when FT4 and FT3 are clearly within range.
The ranges are fine in themselves. It's the doctors who can cause havoc by adjusting doses according to your TSH. We can have suppressed TSH's as long as we don't feel overstimulated, i.e. the sensations of too much hormones.
I would ask for an up-to-date blood test - allow 24 hours to elapse taking levo and have the test as early as possible, also fast.
The purpose of taking thyroid hormones is to erradicate any symptoms we may have, not to be medicated only according to the TSH and still have clinical symptoms.
If you've not had B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate done recently ask for these too.
Excerpt:
Dr. Lowe: First I suggest that you ask your doctor to question the scientific basis of the endocrinologists’ notion of "fine tuning" by TSH and thyroid hormone levels. If he does, he’ll learn that the changes he sees in your TSH and thyroid hormone levels are probably nothing more than natural variations in the levels. He would probably see the same variations if he always kept your thyroid hormone dose the same. I’ll briefly review some of the evidence that your doctor should read.
TSH levels don’t significantly correlate day-to-day[1] or week-to-week.[2] One research group measured the TSH and free T3 and free T4 levels of ten normal young men.[3] When they measured the levels every 30 minutes for 24 hours, they found that the hormone levels were lower during the day and higher at night.
Thank you Shaws for your reply and explanation. I will ask for another test, and clutter is right the Endo should drive the thyroid meds. He did say to me to keep on the level I was, but the GP said not because of the results given. It's difficult to know what to do when inbetween two medical professionals.
That's why we have to learn/know the very basics so that we can get well/keep well and know what the best medication is for us individually. I do know, however, in the UK because of the stringent guidelines many are quite unwell with their treatment or even worse than before diagnosis. There should be some flexibility in how patients are medicated and dosed and adjusting dose according to the TSH without taking into consideration how the patient is feeling is wrong.
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