Right dosage ?

[Haynton]

Hi,I was diagnosed with Hypothyroid around 6 years ago and have been ok up until a few months ago,anxiety ,depression tiredness etc and in the last month or so my hair and one eyebrow are thinning quite a lot.I am on 100mcg Levo and had bloods done 2 weeks ago,doctor told me normal but at top of range and I have seen many posts saying that this will probably be too high and should get more Levo,I am worried that my hair will not stop thinning ,just want to feel good again.When I see doctor again I will ask him what the figure was in the range,he just said it was top range.

Any advice would be great

Thanks .

[greygoose]

Hi Haynton, welcome to the forum.

Never mind your doctor playing his cards close to his chest, ask out-right for a print out. It is your legal right to have one if you live in the UK. You need to know exactly what was tested, and exactly what the results were. It's your health, your body, your life, and you have to live it. Time he came clean!

[Haynton in reply to greygoose]

Hi Greygoose,thanks for your reply ,I will ask him for these when I see him in 2 weeks,he only did TSH and T4 and when I asked about T3 he said there was no need as my T4 was ok which I now know is a crazy answer as I may not be converting,If I get no joy with him I will get full thyroid bloods done privately and go from there but it seems possible he will increase the levo as he did say it was top range so maybe that will sort it.I was struggling with anxiety and he did not want to increase levo then in case it made it worse but I am over that now so should get a levo increase.Thanks again and I will keep you informed.

[greygoose in reply to Haynton]

But, if your FT4 is at the top of the range, you don't want an increase, because that would take you over the top. And, if you need your FT4 over the top of the range to feel well, it more than likely means you aren't converting well. That's something you need to know, because you do not want a load of unconverted T4 in your system.

[Haynton in reply to greygoose]

Hi,no he didn't give me a figure on T4 just said was ok but TSH was top of range.

[greygoose in reply to Haynton]

Well, a TSH at the top of most ranges is far from normal. Most ranges are utterly rediculous, because you're hypo when the TSH reaches 3. Someone with no thyroid problems will have a TSH of between one and two. But, when you're on thyroid hormone replacement, you need your TSH lower than someone who isn't. It should be one or under for your Frees to be high enough to make you well. Doctors just do not understand that.

OK is an opinion. And I would not trust any doctors opinion on my FT4! I would want the actual numbers. Ask for a print-out. Always ask for a print-out of results for any blood test you have done. There's absolutely no reason why you shouldn't have one - they're YOU'RE results.

[Haynton in reply to greygoose]

Great thanks ,I will get these and put them on here,do you think my doctor will do full thyroid bloods if I ask or best to get them done myself ?

[greygoose in reply to Haynton]

Best to get them done yourself. They won't test FT3 or antibodies. And, it's getting harder and harder to get the vit D tested.

[Haynton in reply to greygoose]

ok will do,I know you can get these and vits for around £70 online or would you recommend another,thanks

[greygoose in reply to Haynton]

I've never done any private testing myself, so can't recommend anything. But, these are the usual places recommended on here :

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

[Haynton in reply to greygoose]

ok,thanks,would you know what the iron,Vit B12 and D and folate should be ?

[greygoose in reply to Haynton]

Iron at least mid-range, Vit B12 over 500, vit D around 100 and folate at least mid-range.

[Haynton in reply to greygoose]

ok thanks again,what about Ferritin or is this same as iron ?

[greygoose in reply to Haynton]

Sorry, I replied thinking you meant ferritin. We don't talk much about iron, because it varies. The important number is the ferritin, and that should be at least mid-range.

[Haynton in reply to greygoose]

Ok great,thanks again for your time and I will keep you posted

[greygoose in reply to Haynton]

OK, good luck!

[Saggyuk in reply to Haynton]

Did you mean your tsh was top of range, if that's the case, then yes, an increase would be needed. As Greygoose mentions, if it is T4 at top of range, likely a different problem and medicating more might cause more problems until you work out what the issue was. Just call the receptionist and ask for a print out to pick up - she can't refuse

Also make sure you get iron, Vit B12 and D and folate tested

[Haynton in reply to Saggyuk]

Hi,no he didn't give me a figure on T4 just said was ok but TSH was top of range,as you said I will need to get these figures,thanks

[dang]

Hey you had your iron and ferritin tested? My hair didn't start coming back until I started taking iron to correct a deficiency.

[Haynton in reply to dang]

No dang,I have not had these done

[dang in reply to Haynton]

It would be a good idea to get ferritin, folate, b12 and vitamin D tested. These are often deficient or too low in hypos and cause a lot of symptoms and problems of their own. It would be a good idea to post such results here so members can help with supplementation if needed.

With ferritin it's important to be around halfway in the range, even if you're not deficient but low in the range you could have issues with hair loss, brittle nails, etc.

[Haynton in reply to dang]

Ok thanks, will do

[Haynton]

ok,I rang my GP and asked for my result figures and the receptionist said there are no figures she said just shows normal,so I said there must be ,then she said the doctor just told her "they are well within range" ,I said yes but I need the figures.Then she said TSH is 3.81 but nothing for T4 which is odd,she said nothing on screen for T4 so left it at that .I will see doctor myself and ask for these figures as they must have them,from what I gather 3.81 is high

[SlowDragon Administrator]

You also need to know if you have high antibodies- Hashimoto's

Its unacceptable for them not to give you results if you ask for them. Make sure you are given full set, including past results if possible at next appointment.

[Haynton]

I will ask my doctor if I can have full thyroid blood tests but I think

they only do the basic ones,so will ask to be referred if this is the case

[SlowDragon Administrator]

See Thyroid Uk about where to get private tests done.

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

Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin, or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus 11 will test all these.

Same tests, just different companies- £99 both often have money off offers. Finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw at local clinic

All thyroid tests should be done as early as possible and fasting. Don't take your Levo in 24 hours prior, delay to straight after.

[Haynton in reply to SlowDragon]

ok great thanks,I have a doctors appointment in a weeks time,hoping he will up my dose and get the full tests done,hair is still thinning but not as bad. Are these private companies blood tests accurate ? thanks again.

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Haynton]

They seem excellent. Sometimes they use same lab as NHS anyway.

NHS labs almost never do FT3 test, never repeat TPO antibodies tests, almost never test TG antibodies. They will also not retest vitamin D within certain time frame, due to budget cuts

[Haynton in reply to SlowDragon]

Brilliant,thanks SlowDragon,I will sort this asap and post results here

Thanks again