Hrt and Levothyroxine clash? Plus high thyroid blood test TSH.

My blood test results have gone from one end of the scale to way off the other end: TSH has gone from 0.391 uUi/mL in August 2016 to 7.088 in March 2017; Free T4 from 1.16 ng/dL to 0.76. Unfortunately my total T4 (6.12 ug/dL) Free T3 (2.37 pg/mL) and T3 total (0.61 ng/mL) weren't tested last time, so no comparison. Also my ferretin level was way off the scale at 206.6 ng/mL in the latest blood test (within range 10.0 to 120.0) in previous test, although my iron levels were mid-range?? Not sure if this will mean anything to anyone.

After seeing my gynae for (another) change of HRT - I'm now on tibolone - 3 months ago, he advised me to reduce my levothyroxine from 125 to 100 mg, which I did. Since that time I've been piling weight on at the rate of 1 - 2 lbs a week for the past 3 months!!! It does seem to have stabilised now, although nothing in my wardrobe fits round my middle now I feel exhausted all the time again, to be honest, and the hot flushes and night sweats are still happening, although not quite as severe as they were.

I'm not sure if this is just menopausal weight gain; or due to a clash of medications or what. Not sure whether to increase my levothyroxine dose back up to 125mg, or what to do! I can't get an appointment to see the endocrinologist until 19th April, for goodness' sake!

Any ideas or advice would be much appreciated.

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Hidden Why would your gynae tell you to reduce your levo? It's not his 'department' surely, it's up to the endo.

Your TSH has increased and your FT4 decreased due to the reduction in your Levo, and that's probably why your weight has increased.

Personally I would increase my levo back to where it was.

[Hidden in reply to SeasideSusie]

Hi Susie, no it's not the gynae's department, but I live in Mallorca now and it's been a hell of a task to even get to see an endocrinologist. Everything works differently here! I trusted my gynae, so took his advice, but now I feel awful. Meh!! I have heard today that I can see the endo earlier than I thought, mid-April, so in the meantime I think I will increase my levothyroxine to previous levels as you say.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Sorry, didn't realise I'd already said about my new endo appointment!

[silverfox7]

When I was on HRT I needed to up my dose. Also HRT should be taken 4 hours away from your thyroid meds so see what your bloods are like once the two meds are taken well apart for 6 weeks. I think I took one in the morning and one T night. It I still needed to increase my thyroid meds

[Hidden in reply to silverfox7]

Hi silverfox7

Thanks for your reply; I think I've heard before that you have to increase thyroid meds dosage once on HRT. I do already take the two medications separately, the levothyroxine in the morning and the HRT just before bed. I've just been to fetch some 25 mg thyroxine, in order to increase my dose up to where it was before, 125mg, so we'll see.

[jacrjacr]

estrogen blocks thyroid so if you are taking any form of estrogen it can cause lower thyroid.....he should not have lowered your t4, and many don't see endrocrine drs for thyroid...it is just important to chg drs when some dr doesn't know what he is doing....even some endrocrine drs are not that great...he needs to run a free t3 but if he isn't already he wouldn't understand....to see if you are converting the t4 into the active free t3...and what level it is at...