Thyroid tests - remind me please!

[MiniMum97]

Hi all

Am having my thyroid retested. Please can someone remind me the best time of day etc to do this. Think I have read that it should be fasting as early in morning as poss? Is that right? Anything else I should do?

Thank you!

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

MiniMum97 You are correct, assuming you are hypo and want the highest possible TSH. Then ask for the earliest possible appointment, fasting (water only, breakfast when you get home) and leave off thyroid meds for 24 hours - take when you get back home.

[MrsJim]

But if you're hyper then later in the day after normal food. Best to reduce/cease certain medications with GP support too dependent on the type of thyroid test and if you're already taking thyroid based drug treatment.

Speak to your GP first about the medication and their impacts on altering the data.

[bluebug in reply to MrsJim]

The GP very likely won't know.

It's common with lots of chronic conditions for patients to be more aware of treatments, testing procedures and research than GPs and other health professionals as they have to live with the condition everyday.

[Lilian15 in reply to bluebug]

In my experience they do not care. I had test done for endo and one for GP. Same blood same time on two different testing machines. One showed I was high one said I was low. I queried this with GP and endo. Not having heard anything I phoned lab. They knew nothing about this seems both endo and GP were happy to treat on test results even if they were wrong. Do not worry about me and how was just mKe sure you were treating a result and you would be OK. Don't blame me pass the buck to the path lab if patient treated wrongly. Actually the path lab didn't seem to care either. Very blase about the whole thing. It took me 10 mins to explain that even if on two machines with different numbers they should both show high or low. Endo wanted to increase on result GP esntef to decrease. I still wonder to this day whether anything was done about it.

[Lilian15 in reply to Lilian15]

Predictive text causing typos. Sorry

[Katoir]

I didn't think you needed to fast just not take your med that day .