Im new here.
tested thyroid in August2016
TSH 10.4
FT4 11.4
TG Antibody 341.8
TPO Antibody 1000
prescribed Euthyrox by Endo - 1st month 25ug ; second month 50ug
Im halfway through 2nd month and really feeling worse ; low BP ; brain fog
weight loss; cannot sleep; feels like I cant breathe etc. I can honestly say I felt better before this medication. Any advice would be greatly appreciated
scruby It helps if you put reference ranges after your results (normally in brackets) as they do vary between labs. However, you have a diagnosis of hypothyroidism and have been started on thyroid hormone. It is still very early days and it takes time to find the right level of medication for the patient. Hopefully you are being re-tested 6 weeks after your dose increase regularly until you are optimally treated, as that is the protocol. It can take months for your symptoms to settle and start feeling well.
However, you have very high antibodies for both TG and TPO, and this is positive or autoimmune thyroid disease aka Hashimoto's. This is where antibodies attack the thyroid until it is destroyed. While this is happening your symptoms(and results) will fluctuate. Hashi's isn't treated, it's the resulting hypothyroidism that is treated. What you may not have been told by your GP, because they don't seem to know, is that you can help to reduce the antibody attacks.
Firstly you should adopt a 100% gluten free diet, absolutely no cheating. Gluten contains gliadin which is a protein which triggers the antibody attacks. Many members have had great success by adopting a gluten free diet. Some members also find they need to be dairy free.
Supplementing with selenium is also supposed to help reduce the attacks, as does keeping TSH very low or suppressed.
Here's some reading about Hashi's:
stopthethyroidmadness.com/h...
Thank you SeasideSuzie
Herewith reference ranges. Yes test to be done in October
TSH 10.4 (035 - 4.94)
FT4 11.4 (9.0 - 19.0)
TG Antibody 341.8 (<4.11)
TPO Antibody 1000 (<5.61)
Thanks scruby Well, you have a fair way to go with your TSH, that needs to be down to about 1 or below or wherever it needs to be for your FT4 (and FT3 if they will test it) to be in the upper part of their ranges. With that range for FT4 that would be about 16+ if that's where you feel well and symptoms subside.
Levo doesn't suit everyone but we have to give it time when starting, sometimes a starter dose does make us feel worse, so see how you go. You will most likely be increased to 75mcg daily next time, and so on until you are feeling better. Push for increases if you don't feel well, don't let your GP be guided by TSH alone. This might be helpful if you find you need some back up in the future:
Dr Toft, past president of the British Thyroid Association and leading endocrinologist, wrote this in a Pulse Online magazine article:
"The appropriate dose of levothyroxine is that which restores euthyroidism and serum TSH to the lower part of the reference range - 0.2-0.5mU/l.
In this case, free thyroxine is likely to be in the upper part of its reference range or even slightly elevated – 18-22pmol/l. Most patients will feel well in that circumstance.
But some need a higher dose of levothyroxine to suppress serum TSH and then the serum-free T4 concentration will be elevated at around 24-28pmol/l.
This 'exogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism' is not dangerous as long as serum T3 is unequivocally normal – that is, serum total around T3 1.7nmol/l (reference range 1.0-2.2nmol/l)."
If you email louise.warvill@thyroiduk.org.uk she will let you have a copy of the article which you can print out and show your GP or Endo.
Hypothyroid
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroid 
Hypothyroid?
