Advice please

Hi, I have been diagnosed with a underachieve thyroid and prescribed thyroxine. I have just had another blood test after 8 weeks taking the medication only thing is I took the tablet in the morning before I went for my blood test...is this right. I think the receptionist will phone two make a telephone appointment for the gp to speak to me so I might mention it then depending on the response I get from here. Apparently my first blood test said I was only borderline. Don't know the figures. My hair is still falling out at a rapid rate and my nails are so flakey! I also have very cold feet most of the time but also get very hot all over....is there any hope for me

[greygoose]

What time did you take the levo? What time was the blood draw? What did they test? If they just test the TSH - which is what a lot of them do - it won't make much difference. What will make a difference is the time of the blood draw.

[Hidden in reply to greygoose]

I took my medication about 8am and went for the test at about 10.30-11.am

[greygoose in reply to Hidden]

OK, so that will make a difference to your FT4 reading, if they do it. But, not your TSH. However, your TSH will lower at 10.30, than it would be at 8.30, so that might make a difference to your doctors reaction. Were you fasting?

[Hidden]

That should read underactive.

I should add I have been trying to lose weight since 1st October and did quite well until the beginning of February where it has really slowed up and that is how I noticed along with my hair and nails there was perhaps something wrong.

[shaws Administrator]

Your blood test results will be skewed due to taking levothyroxine before a blood test.

Blood tests should be at the very earliest possible, fasting (you can drink water) and allow a gap of 24 hours between your last dose of levo and the test and take it afterwards. This helps TSH to be at its highest so that GP wont adjust our dose unnecessarily so.

I doubt GP will know there's a difference in taking levo before a blood test.

[Hidden in reply to shaws]

So are you saying to not take medication and don't have anything to eat after dinner the night before having the blood test as early as possible?

[Hidden]

No I was not fasting. I have fasted whilst on the diet but only from dinner one night to either lunch or dinner the next day. Thank you for your response.

[silverfox7]

Doctors can say it doesn't make a difference fasting and tell you not to bother but the easy answer to tell them is that you prefer to as then all readings taken under the same conditions. They just do t understand much about the TSH that it differs throughout the day and that it is affected by food and as they often want to lower meds if it drops low, wrongly in my opinion, then it's better for us if we present with a TSH as high as we can get it!

[Hidden in reply to silverfox7]

Thank you silverfox7. I think fasting is the easiest thing to do in the future.