I have been very tired, have trouble with my weight, periods, dry skin, forgetfulness, slow thoughts, muscle cramps and get cold very easily so I had my bloods sent off but I'm no expert in reading them so I would be grateful if someone could give me an indication on if they're ok, many thanks!
Blood tests for thyroid hormones should be the very earliest possible and allow a gap of 24 hours between the last dose of levo and the test and take afterwards.
Levo should be taken first thing on an empty stomach with one full glass of water.
Always get a print-out of your results with the ranges.
We have to read, learn and ask questions if we've to get back towards 'normal' health.
Shaws I'm a bit confused by the antibody readings. It looks to me like the antibodies are below the threshold that would definitely indicate an auto immune disease at the moment, if the readings were 17.5 and 14.27 and below the top value in the normal range? Confusing as I have only seen them written as less than the threshold value. Eg. <9 or <35.
I'm not saying the results don't indicate hypothyroid though.
Your TSH is surprisingly low given that your Free T4 is below range and your Free T3 is very low in range.
I think you may have central hypothyroidism, which means that your pituitary is not producing enough TSH for you. The fault could be in your hypothalamus or your pituitary. (Pituitary problems are more common than hypothalamus problems,)
You will have a major problem getting treated though. Doctors expect people with central hypothyroidism to have a TSH which is zero or close to zero. They assume the pituitary either works perfectly or it doesn't work at all, they don't believe in grey areas. But since your TSH is over 2 they will assume your pituitary is working. It is definitely worth following up though.
If I'm right (and remember I have no medical training), then you may have to treat yourself.
I was told my thyroid was "borderline underactive" in the early 90s. I wasn't treated. I got my first prescription for levo (25mcg only) in 2013 - I was untreated for over 20 years. My doctor was reluctant even then because my problem was still classified as sub-clinical hypothyroidism.
In the end I started treating myself because I don't think I produce enough TSH. And since doctors prescribe based on TSH unless they have proof of central hypothyroidism, you will end up either never treated or constantly under-treated.
Your antibodies are in range, therefore you aren't showing evidence of autoimmune hypothyroidism. This could change, because antibodies do fluctuate, sometimes quite dramatically. (I don't have antibodies either, which I think is a contributory factor to me being untreated for over 20 years.)
Hello! Thank you so much for taking a look at my results, explaining everything and sharing your story! I really appreciate your reply, as I do everyone else's. If I were to self treat as you suggested; is there any way of getting the medication I would need without a prescription and what would you recommend?
There are several countries that sell thyroid meds of various kinds without prescription.
But before you go in that direction, you should really see what happens if you test and treat any nutrient deficiencies.
Also, there are other possibilities besides pituitary and/or hypothalamus dysfunction for lower than expected TSH. See the list in this post from another forum :
If you decide to go ahead and self-treat you would have to decide what to treat with. There are pros and cons to them all - the NHS attitude to each treatment, the ease with which each treatment can be sourced and imported, the cost of each option etc
Once you've decided what you want to do you would then need to write a post asking for sources for the treatment you've decided on.
For private testing of nutrients and thyroid, see the Blue Horizon and Medichecks links on here :
Thank you so much for your thorough and prompt reply. I am very grateful for your responses! I will definitely take a look and investigate all of the sources you provided. Thank you!!
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