Blood test results

[ElizabethM]

Hello all,

It seems I've progressed to hypothyroidism. My TSH is 11 and my T4 was 6.97 (folate was quite low, too). The GP has started me on 25mg of levothyroxine and ordered a retest in 2 months. Never taken levo before. Anything I should be aware of?

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

ElizabethM Ensure that you take your Levo on an empty stomach, one hour before or two hours after food. Take with water only, no tea, coffee, milk. If you take any other meds or supplements, leave about two hours, and for iron, calcium, magnesium and Vit D leave four hours.

You can take it when it suits, when you get up, bedtime, middle of the night if you visit the loo, just observe the timing as above.

When re-testing thyroid, always book the very earliest appointment of the morning, fast overnight (you can have water), and leave off Levo for 24 hours. This gives the highest possible TSH which is needed when looking for a dose increase or to avoid a reduction.

[Kes8]

If you mean any side effects.....

I'm fortunate to have found a great consultant endocrinologist and he warned me before that Levothyroxine may cause my heart to pound/feel it more in my chest.

He was right, second day walking down Clapham High Street I thought my heart was going to pound out of my chest but soon settled. Apart from that I didn't experience any side effects at all.

Best of luck.

[ElizabethM]

Thank you, ladies. Will see how it goes.

[shaws Administrator]

Welcome to our forum.

The usual starting dose is 50mcg of levo and 25mcg as incremental doses. It is taken either first thing with one full glass of water and wait about an hour before eating. Food can interfere with the uptake.

Tests should be the earliest possible, fasting (you can drink water) and leave approx 24 hours between your dose and the test as GPs usually only notice the TSH and ignore our clinical symptoms.

You can take a bedtime dose if you prefer, as long as you've last eaten about 3 hours previously. If you decide this is better, the night before the test you miss this dose and take after the test and bedtime dose as usual. I have read that some take their levo once a week

Always get a print-out of your results, with the ranges for your own records and you can post if you have a query.

Also ask GP to test B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate as we can be deficient, thus have symptoms.

[ElizabethM in reply to shaws]

Thanks for all the info. To be honest, even though I've had hashimotos for 2 years the diagnosis came as a bit of a surprise, as I'm pretty much asymptomatic. I guess I can't complain, but I would have thought I'd be feeling extra tired, or something else to signal it was time to be medicated.

[shaws Administrator in reply to ElizabethM]

Some doctors do not prescribe for hashimotos. The antibodies just continue to attack your gland until you are definitely hypo. Dr Toft who was President of the BTA advises, if we have antibodies, to 'nip things in the bud' levothyroxine should be prescribed. If you need a copy of the Pulse Online article, email [e-mail]

[Butterfly_lady]

It takes up to 8 weeks to fully get into your system and for things to change. I had a tough time to begin with lots of highs and lows but I'm on a higher dosage and had no reserves when I started.

I hope you feel better soon. Feel free to look at my story on my page. Take care x