thyroid meds

[natalie82]

I`ve just gone from 50mg to 75mg, does this mean my under active thyroid is getting worse?

[pinklady756]

How long were you on 50mcg? Have you recently had a blood test? An increase in meds will be because your TSH is still high (overactive thyroid) and they're trying to get it into range, not necessarily that it's got worse. It's normal to increase meds gradually when you're first diagnosed.

[shaws Administrator]

That's the procedure when first diagnosed. You begin on a low dose usually 50mcg then around every six weeks you have a blood test and a 25mcg increase until you have no clinical symptoms and feel well. Unfortunately many doctors stop increasing when TSH is anywhere in range. We usually feel well when it's around 1 or lower.

[shaws Administrator]

When you have a blood test it should be at the earliest time possible and fasting. You should allow about 24 hours between your last dose of levo and the test and take it afterwards. You should take levo first thing with one full glass of water and don't eat for about an hour. Or you can take it at bedtime as long as you've left about 3 hours between last eating and levo. Also ask for thyroid antibodies to be tested too, in case you have an Autoimmune Thyroid Disease called Hashimoto's, which means the antibodies attack the thyroid gland and sometimes its too much and at other times less.

Always get a print-out of your blood test results and post if you have a query. Make sure the ranges are also stated.

If GP hasn't tested B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate ask for these too as we are usually deficient and it's important they are towards the top of the range.

We have to read and learn ourselves if we want to recover and have good health with relief of clinical symptoms.

(I am not medically qualified but have hypothyroidism which was undiagnosed/unmedicated for a long time).