Up and down

[Leesy121]

I am reducing my thyroxine dose from 100mcg to 75mcg due to overmedication. It's been five weeks now and things are improving but things still seem up and down. I am due on my period too which does seem to briefly unsettle things. Are my levels still settling?

[Marz]

What makes you think you are over medicated ?

On your post 18 days ago you had good advice. Do you have your redults now ??

[Leesy121 in reply to Marz]

No still don't have the figures. Had a blood test last Thursday and waiting to see if my levels have come down.

[Leesy121 in reply to Marz]

Right. At the beginning my results were

T4 20.5 (7-17)

TSH 3.63 0.20-4.50)

That was five weeks ago and I was experiencing hyper symptoms.

Now it is

T4 14.8

TSH 2.81

[Marz in reply to Leesy121]

It is possible you are not converting the T4 into T3 - without the result for FT3 it is impossible to tell.

As has been suggested here and on your previous thread you need those vits and minerals checked.

Maybe you have Hashimotos - have you been checked ?

How do you take your meds ? - and are you taking any other medication ?

[Leesy121 in reply to Marz]

I take thyroxine in the morning before any food, meds etc. I'm also on warfarin.

[Marz in reply to Leesy121]

Have you had your Thyroid Anti-bodies tested ?

[Leesy121 in reply to Marz]

No I live in England, is this a standard test they should do?

[Marz in reply to Leesy121]

No it seems Docs think it is not important as treatment is the same. However if it was me I would want to know as there is much you can do to help yourself.... with diet and supplements.

So you need the FULL Profile tested - TSH - FT4 - FT3 and the Anti-bodies Anti-TPO and Tg.

If your GP is resistant then I suggest you have them done Privately through Thyroid UK - with Blue Horizon or Medichecks.

thyroiduk.org.uk/medichecks

Medichecks have a Special Offer at the moment and they are Home Testing Kits.

If you have Anti-Bodies then it is Auto-immune and you may have other Auto-immune conditions now or in the future.

Do not forget to add the Vitamins and Minerals mentioned above when testing ....

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Leesy121]

Neither result suggests over medication. But weird that TSH has fallen, reducing dose. It suggests thyroid fluctuations which usually mean Hashimoto's

Get your vitamin levels checked

Do you know if you have Hashimoto's, have you had thyroid antibodies checked? There are two sorts TPO Ab and TG Ab. (Thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin) Both need checking, if either, or both antibodies are high this means autoimmune thyroid - called Hashimoto's the most common cause in UK of being hypo.

TPO is rarely checked and TG almost never checked. More common to have high TPO or high TPO AND high TG, but negative TPO and raised TG is possible, though rarer.

You can feel very hyper/anxious and yet still hypo with Hashimoto's

If you can not get GP to do these tests, then like many of us, you can get them done privately

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

Medichecks have an offer on until end of Feb

Usual advice on ALL thyroid tests, is to do early in morning, ideally before 9am. No food or drink beforehand (other than water) If you are taking Levo, then don't take it in 24 hours before (take straight after). This way your tests are always consistent, and it will show highest TSH, and as this is mainly all the medics decide dose on, best idea is to keep result as high as possible

If you have Hashimoto's then you may find adopting 100% gluten free diet can really help reduce symptoms, and lower antibodies slowly over time too.

Selenium supplements can help improve conversion of T4 to T3 and may also lower antibodies

You will see, time and time again on here lots of information and advice about importance of good levels of B12, folate, ferritin and vitamin D, low stomach acid, leaky gut and gluten connection to autoimmune Hashimoto's


thyroidpharmacist.com

thethyroidsecret.com/trailer/

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

hypothyroidmom.com/92-of-ha...

amymyersmd.com

[Leesy121 in reply to SlowDragon]

I had an overactive thyroid many years ago then had radioactive iodine and been on thyroxine ever since.

[Leesy121 in reply to SlowDragon]

Should TSH not have fallen?

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Do you have your latest blood test results, ideally TSH and including FT4 & FT3

Just TSH alone is not enough to determine your levels.

If they have not been done ......Suggest you ask GP to check levels of vitamin d, b12, folate and ferratin. These all need to at good (not just average) levels for thyroid hormones (our own or replacement ones) to work in our cells

ALWAYS Make sure you get the actual figures from tests (including ranges - figures in brackets). You are entitled to copies of your own results.

[Leesy121 in reply to SlowDragon]

I will phone again today and see if they are available.