Thyroid Tests-Advice

[Mr-Sensible69]

Have had symptoms of thyroid for many years now, mainly of hypo over past 4 years. GPs assurre me that nothing is wrong as TSH tests are normal. Most recent reading was 1.42, Im a 46 year old male. GPs currently telling me that there is no need for further testing as they can telling everything that they need to know about thyroid from testing the TSH level. This is complete crap is it not? Advice Please

[SmallBlueThing]

You imply that you've also been hyper and have older test results, which could support your case and your GP's and our understanding of it (not that I claim to be a medic).

Try a differential diagnosis of your symptoms. For example, if you have daytime sleepiness, it could be due to obstructive sleep apnoea, which is more likely if you're hypo, but being hypo is by no means the sole cause of OSA.

I/we can offer more help and suggestions if provided with more details.

Best wishes for an improvement in your health!

[Hidden]

Hello Mr-Sensible,

Welcome to our forum and sorry to hear that you feel unwell.

The TSH measurement alone may not be able to determine certain thyroid conditions. It is better to have FT4 & FT3 thyroid hormones tested as well in order to get a better picture.

If your doctor is uncooperative, many members use the links below to complete their own private thyroid testing.

Post results complete with ranges ( numbers in brackets) for members to comment.

Also ask your doctor to test Vit B12, Vit D, folate and ferritin as people with low thyroid hormone are often deficient in these and again post results with ranges for comment.

I hope you feel better soon,

Flower

Private labs testing

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

Blue Horizon Medicals All Tests

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

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Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional and this information is not intended to be a substitute for medical guidance from your own doctor. Please check with your personal physician before applying any of these suggestions.

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[Hidden]

B12 deficiency also give similar symptoms as low thyroid. There is a website called PAS you can look at. The TSh test results vary a lot according to the time of day they are taken. The test needs to be taken first thing it the morning before eating.If yours wasnt then you tsh would show as lower. It would have been helpful if you GP had done your T4 and T3 as well. Most GPs know very lttle about thyroid issues.

[Connie75]

Hi there, I was tested for Lupus and others while suffering from numerous symptoms incl raynauds, which I have had for approx 16 years. I was told numerous times that my ferritin was low and to eat more greens and red meat, that there was nothing wrong with me and I was probably allergic to something - still no offer for allergy tests though! I ended up complaining in writing and demanded thyroid tests. I had TSH levels tested twice previously but as level was 1.88 it was classed as normal. The following test result was 5.88, so T4 checked - hypothyroid. However, GP will not even consider testing T3 etc, will not refer me to a specialist and will also not consider hashimotos or sheehans or any other condition to test.

I asked GP if there was a connection to the low ferritin levels. Answer - NO! Funnily enough its a symptom of hypothyroidism..........and a trigger for the doctor to test thyroid!

GP prescribed high level of thyroxine - the side effects felt like they were going to kill me. I stopped taking the meds, advised GP - she told me it wasnt the meds - it was a virus. I am now on a lower dose and am still struggling.

I have contacted private healthcare and they have requested GP referral. This has happened to me previously when I needed to see a dermatologist. I am dreading asking for a referral and going in to debt to find out what is actually wrong with me.

I feel like I am losing a battle. It seems like most professions some GPs are attentive while others not so. We just need to plug away at them. I feel your frustration.

[Browneyes27870 in reply to Connie75]

Please try b12 they do work you may not solve all your problems but in time you will feel a lot better my symptoms where caused by anxiety they where so severe I thought I was having a breakdown thanks to this site and other peoples help I now feel free from it all self help and B12 

Thank you all so much

Pat

[eeng]

It doesn't help that you are male. at least 90% of people with hypothyroidism are female, so doctors are much less likely to even consider hypothyroidism in a man. It doesn't mean you aren't hypo though.

[Eddie83]

Complete and utter crap for a large fraction of the population. I lost my prime years to that line of thinking. Currently I am on a daily dose of T3+T4=15+75 mcg. This pulls my TSH down to 0.5 and my FT3 up to mid-range. I feel quite well at that dose, and know it is correct because a slight increase from that dose will eventually make me hyper. The problem is that you are in a capitated system where the powers that be have decided that they don't want to spend what is required, to make people well. To be well, you have to do a lot of things. The thyroid-specific things are to test all of TSH,FT3,FT4,rT3,TPOAb,TGAb at minimum; and treat the patient with NDT, NDT+T3, or T3+T4.

[Mr-Sensible69]

Thanks for your responses, most helpful and confirms that I am being told complete crap. Other TSH results, Sept 12 1.49/July 14 1.64, all 3 tests were done mid morning.

Now heres the background to this and what I really think is going on.

Some years ago I was misprescribed a very dangerous and controversial drug, venlafaxine at the highest dose and suffered what should have been to any doctor an entirely predictable severe adverse reaction. Now this drug is known to cause thyroid trouble, part of the controversey around it and I've had thyroid type symptoms of both hypo and hyper since, first 2 years afer I was on it hypo symptoms then it all seamed to change to hypo symptoms for 4 yrs. Now i know that certain medical drugs can cause auto immune thyroiditis. Its related to iodine which regulates the thyroid and the drugs have in them iodine which is used to transport the active ingriedients around the body.

There were serious issues with myself being on venlafaxine in the first instance(its one of those anti depressants that you hear lots about) and grounds for negligence. My case was also subject to an investigation which was not flattering in its findings to either the GP(the guy didnt have a clue what he was giving out and what it could infact do) or the practice that he worked in(investigation did admit that there was mismanagement taking place that was comprimising patient safety). ie theres a bit of scandal attached to my case here. In other words another of the NHS horror stories that we keep reading about in the papers.

A month back a GP who didnt know the background to the case told that I had just given a text book description of autoimmune thyroiditis and questioned why I had never had a full thyroid check and that auto immune will not show on TSH test. He reckoned that I am currently coming out of a hypo phase. I believe that in auto immune thyroiditis(it's the same as postpartum thyroiditis, however i'm clearly not postpartum) a person flips between hyper/normal and hypo and that if its the drug induced variety it starts with a hypo phase followed by return to normal then followed by a hypo phase and generally the hypo phase lasts double the time period of the hypo phase. Most cases naturally recover, however the time windows vary hugely from person to person. I can see 3 distinct phases looking back at my own time line now including an 8 month phase where everything appeared to be almost back to normal. I was also told by a medical negligence lawyer that the medical profession doesn't care to admit to its existence as they create it. The purpose of medicine is to treat illness, not create it where it doesn't exist. Incompetent and dodgy doctors specialise in the later.

My sleeping has went haywire and I'm currently off work due to this. However, this GP has now backtracked and is now denying ever saying the above to me, ie he is now towing the party line having been made aware by the others in the practice the background to the case ie scandal for general practice medicine needing to be covered. At present my natural sleeping time is 10.30am till 6pm, no use if your job is 9-5 which mine is. This has been going on ever since I came off this venlafaxine stuff, the severity changes each month, as does the severity of other symptoms. At present certain aspects are greatly improving. Im a serious athlete and my sporting perfromance in some departments has significantly improved over past 3 months. It also was quite noticeable impacted on, particularly over past 4 years, however as thyroid hormones are energy chemicals they are vital in athletic performance.

I did see a sports medicne specialist last April and she recommended further testing, however GPs comletely poo-poo'd her and she's is a very experienced GP herself. She did confirm verbally that it is indeed drug induced thyroid, but never put that in writing.

Very recently GP who initiated the most recent TSH test told me that auto immune thyroiditis is overactive thyroid-this is crap I believe and again assurred me again that they can tell everything from TSH.

Now I've had thyroid symptoms since being on a drug that is known to cause thyroid, 2 plus 2 equals 4, however they keep telling me that 2 plus 2 equals 5/7/9/-4/-2 etc and they haven't even bothered really testing it. I suspect a case of turkey's not voting for xmas at play here.

Anyway Ive got myself referred to a private endrinocoligist, lets see what he says.

Eddie 83, your bang on about the system. They're not dealing with stuff that they could easily deal with in order to save money. ie if you can still walk,talk, breathe you dont need treatment after all they decide who's ill and in need of treatment in the first instance.

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