Help needed please re results

[Catwoman50]

Today I went to have blood test taken and asked for printout of previous results (May 2014) . On the basis of these results my levothyroxine was reduced from 100 mcg to 75 mcg, since when I have been unable to lose weight, sleep badly, my skin is dry, and I suffer with constipation, to list some of my symptoms. The results were:

serum TSH Level 0.02 ( 0.40-4.90mu/L

serum free T4 normal 18.9 pmol/L (9.00 -19 pmol/L)

serum free T4 normal 4.6 pmol/L (2.60-5.70pmol/L)

these are the only results, no Ferratin, or B etc seem to have been taken. My current results should be back next Tuesday, it would be really helpful to know what I should be looking out for.

I hope someone can help.

[Catwoman50]

I'm sorry I don't understand your reply?

[humanbean]

1) What time of day was your blood drawn?

2) Did you take levo in the 24 hours before the blood was drawn?

To reduce the risk of getting your levo dose lowered you have to get a test with the highest possible TSH you can manage.

To achieve this :

1) To produce a test result for TSH which is as high as possible you must arrange for blood to be drawn as early as possible in the morning. (TSH is highest during the night and lowest in the afternoon.)

2) Don't take levo in the 24 hours before the blood is drawn. So...

a) If you usually take levo in the morning, don't take it on the day of the blood draw until after the blood has been taken. Instead take it immediately afterwards.

b) If you usually take levo in the evening, don't take it on the night before the test but take a dose immediately after the blood is drawn, then take your night time dose as usual that evening.

3) There is a possibility that eating will lower TSH. So don't eat until after the blood is taken on the day of the test.

Doing all these things will (hopefully) keep your TSH high enough to reduce the risk of you getting your levo dose lowered.

[Catwoman50]

Well it looks like my result from today's bloods won't be very accurate then, as my appointment was at 1.30 and I had taken my levo are 8.30am. Another year before they will be done again. I don't remember what time of day it was as it was a year ago.

I am still hoping someone will post back with an opinion on my results as posted from last blood test. In the hope I can get some clarification about what they mean.

[galathea]

well your last blood test was fairly ok... T4 towards top end of the range although there was some room for improvement with the free t3. Maybe if you had increased the levo slightly and gone just over range, the free t3 would have increased. ( all this is in dr Toft's booklet.). Link to follow.

But the doctor has ignored the free t3, taken one look at the low tsh.... and has reduced your meds in an effort to increase the tsh. There is no reason for this other than idiocy and some attempt to do the impossible. You cannot have good levels of thyroid hormone and a higher tsh.

So if the old dose made you feel ok, you ought really to stick with it. And be prepared to argue about the tsh. My tsh is 0.01. The doctor gave up having kittens about it years ago.

Xx. G

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