21 Y/O suffering from sub clinical hypothyroidism with normal thyroid levels yet still feeling the symptoms everyday.

[hypossee]

two months ago I was diagnosed with subclinical hypothyroidism with tsh of 19.5, t3 and t4 are in normal range and just in 4 weeks of being on levothyroxin 25mcg , my tsh came down to 6.32 after which I increased my dose to 37.5 and took a blood test again in just 1 month for which the result was normal now tsh 2.92 and both my t4 and t3 are in range as well. My question is why do I still feel brain fogged and tired all the time? I'm 21 y/o male and I have no idea what to do right now. Life has become a struggle for me now. For this reason I have even quit school for now and I don't know when I'll be proper to go back again.

[hypossee]

I meant ft3 and ft4

[bantam12 in reply to hypossee]

Your TSH is still to high, around 1 is a better level, are your T4 and 3 mid range or higher ? If not then they will need to increase before you start to feel better. It will take many many months to find the right dose and for your body to adjust, it can't be rushed so increases should be gradual, 6-8 weeks is the norm for tests and increases.

[hypossee in reply to bantam12]

I was diagnosed with

Ft3- 3.35 ; range: 2.3-4.2

Ft4- 1.21 ; range: 0.89-1.76

Tsh- 19.5 ; range: 0.35-5.5

After taking levothyroxin for 4 weeks my tsh came down to 6.32 and after a month from this I took my test again With my does being 37.5

Ft4- 1.01 ; range:0.71-1.85

Tsh-2.93 ; range: 0.32-4

Is it possible that I could go hyper now since I increased my dose so fast? Also I've seen people taking dosage of 75-100 of Levo and I don't understand why do they have to take so much? My tsh came down pretty fast in just 4 weeks from 25 mcg even though it wasn't in range. I see people talking about armour here a lot but i don't know if that's for me or not

[shaws Administrator in reply to hypossee]

From the above, you needed a rise from 25mcg to 50mcg and so on until you had no symptoms.

Many doctors make a big error in believing that once the TSH is 'within the range' that the patient is on sufficient. That is definitely not the case and we have to read and learn about this condition so that we can get back to a fulfilling life and you definitely are young enough to get it to return as soon as you can.

Thyroid hormones cannot be rushed and gradual is best, about 25mcg every six to 8 weeks. The TSH should be around 1 or lower but the emphasis is on how the patient is feeling rather than the blood test.

Thyroid hormones control our metabolism and it is a lifelong disease which has to be medicated optimally otherwise we can develop other problems.

Females are far more likely to become hypothyroid than males, but we do have some on this forum.

When you are due for your next blood test, make the appointment for the earliest and allow 24 hours between your last dose of levo and the test and take it afterwards.

Radd has explained how to take levo for the best outcome. Food can interfere with the uptake. Levo is a replacement thyroid hormone and is also called T4 which is the inactive hormone and has to convert to T3 to enter our receptor cells. T3 is the driving force of our whole body, from brain to toes.

As your dose is increased you should begin to feel much better and carry on with your studies. In the UK, hypothyroidism is classed as 'serious' and any other medications we may need for other illnesses are provided 'free of charge' whereas other patients have to pay a subsidised amount.

You can get well and back to normal health but it has probably taken quite some time for our hormones to drop and symptoms arrive so gradual increases are best.

I hope you feel better soon.

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to hypossee]

You are incredibly unlikely to go hyper or be overmedicated with those results and the amount of levo you are taking. However, if you have hashimotos disease you can swing between hypo and hyper as your thyroid is destroyed and releases hormones (you need an antibody test to find out if you have it). You are aiming for FT4 1.5+ and Ft3 3.7+.

[bantam12]

You won't go hyper on such a tiny dose, 25mcg is the lowest dose to start off on, everyone needs different amounts but the majority of people will be taking between 100 and 200 mcg by the time they are stable. Don't even contemplate changing to armour before you have given Levo a good go, Levo works for most people so you don't need to try anything else just yet.

[radd]

hypossee,

Welcome to our forum and sorry to hear that you are feeling well.

Brain fog and tiredness are classic symptoms of hypothyroidism and Levothyroxine takes up to 6 weeks to initially saturate the body which will only tolerate small increases at any one time. Even when wholly medicated (which can take several months) depending on how long your hypothyroidism has remained undiagnosed, your symptoms may continue for another 6-8 weeks or for some much longer..

The goal of Levothyroxine is to restore the patient to euthyroid status and for most people that means TSH just above or below 1.0. Get retested six weeks after every dose adjustment and leave 24 hours between last dose and blood draw, having the blood drawn early in the morning whilst fasting (water only) as this is when TSH is highest. .

People with thyroid issues often have vitamin deficiencies and it is recommended that you ask your doctor to test Vit B12, vit D, folate and ferritin as optimum levels are required to ensure thyroid meds are absorbed and utilised properly. Also your adrenals may have been compromised whilst supporting a struggling thyroid gland and cortisol hormone may be unbalanced. There is thought that the thyroid gland and the adrenals should be supported together as work together. Supplementing Vit C and living a healthy life style will help adrenals rebalance.

It is important to take your pill on an empty stomach with a glass of water, 1 hour before food, 2 hours before supplements and 4 hours before calcium, iron or vit D supplements.

You are still undermedicated and will not go hyper on a dose of 37.5mcg Levo with such a high TSH. Dose raises are usually done in 25mcg increments. Have you been tested for thyroid antibodies TPOAb and TGAb ?

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Hypothyroidism

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

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This following link explains the importance of vitamins and where they may be obtained.

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/treatm...

[Angel_of_the_North]

TSH of 19.5 isn't subclinical - it's overtly hypo. After you are on meds TSH isn't really relevant unless it starts rising again. You should be aiming for Free t4 and Free T3 in top quarter of range, which usually means TSH under 1 or even suppressed. To use the levo, you need optimal levels of B12 (around 1000), D3, (at least 90), folate and ferritin (half way up ranges), plus selenium (try brazil nuts if not allergic). 25 is usually a starter dose for old/frail people, not 20-somethings. You probably need another dose increase to 50 or75. But post your full results with ranges so people here can advise.