TSH

[Coyney42]

My daughters TSH was 14.4 in April. Should the doctor have put her on medication?

[helvella Administrator]

Was April her last test?

At the very least, she should have gone back and had another test about a month later. (That can help to exclude diagnosis on the basis of a single odd result.)

She should also have had a full blood count. Ideally she would also have had iron, vitamin B12, folate and vitamin D. Plus thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin antibodies.

[Coyney42 in reply to helvella]

Thank you. She had another test three weeks later and it was down to 9. By September it had finally come down to 3. Without medication. Her hair is falling out, she has not had more than three hours sleep a night since April. She wakes up with intense heat raging through her body. She was so depressed and anxious that in August her doctor called in MH because she threatened to harm herself. We don't know what to do next.

[helvella Administrator in reply to Coyney42]

Did you ever get Free T4 and/or Free T3 tests?

Did she get tested for any thyroid antibodies?

[helvella Administrator in reply to helvella]

And how old is she?

[shaws Administrator in reply to Coyney42]

There's more than one person who has had a diagnosis of mental illhealth because they were undiagnosed/untreated/undertreated due to the reliance on the blood test (TSH) alone. A Full Thyroid Function Test should have been taken. Your daughter could be hyperthyroid if antibodies are present.

Her blood test should be at the earliest and fast. You can drink water and if on thyroid hormones 24hours should be allowed between the last dose and the test.

Always get a print-out of her blood test results with the ranges and post on a new question. An antibodies test should also be done.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

She can also have private blood test if the doctor wont test everything. She should have a Full Thyroid Function Test, plus antibodies, plus vitamins/minerals (B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate.

We have a list of recommended labs and one does pin-prick tests.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

To get a small discount you have to quote Thyroiduk's code number and Thyroiduk as a practitioner and they'll destroy copy they will be ent.

[rosetrees in reply to helvella]

Get her properly tested for underlying viruses and parasites. Especially Lyme Disease which can cause endocrine problems, but if it gets into the brain can cause psychosis and mental health issues. Read about John Caudwell's son.

[Coyney42]

I trying to find out about the thyroid antibodies test. Will get back to you.

She is 48 years old.

[galathea in reply to Coyney42]

You can get a full raft of tests done by dealing with the labs yourself..... Details of testing are in the left hand column of the homepage. Http://thyroiduk.org.uk

Ferritin needs to be more than 70 to avoid hair loss....

G x

[helvella Administrator]

A TSH of 14.4 is exactly that - a TSH of 14.4.

So far it is not entirely clear why. Some of the symptoms (such as "She wakes up with intense heat raging through her body") are consistent with excess of thyroid hormone. Such as could occur with a TSHoma (tumor producing excess TSH).

Let us not jump guns. Let us not go from total dismissal of the TSH test (as is often stated) to absolute certainty about what it means in this specific case.

[helvella Administrator]

But is was YOU who made the assumption that this high TSH is "seriously HYPOTHYROID"!

Lack of appropriate tests obviously doesn't help.