Hi, briefly diagnosed with being hypothyroid (Hashimoto's) Oct last year. Put on 75mg thyroxine, felt great. Sleeping better, muscle pain reduced, felt bright and alert. This feeling decreased slowly. Went back to GP and he said he would not increase thyroxine as the initial benefit was due to its amphetamine affect (TSH was 1.7). Went to see another GP who said that as I was 52 he did not want to raise my thyroxine as it would go up as I got older and if he did it now there would be nowhere to go later. I am now at my yearly review and the latest blood tests are now
TSH 2.15 (0.27-4.20)
Free T4 19.2 (9-26)
Free T3 9.9 (2.8-7.1)
If someone can make sense of this I would be very grateful. My GP will think these figures are normal - are they?
Thanks in advance.
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breadmaker
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Well they are unusual results in that FT3 is over range suggesting over treatment, but TSH is a bit high suggesting under treatment
As you have Hashimoto's you probably had a Hashimoto's flare when you get temporary raised levels as thyroid breaks down
Hashimoto's very often affects the gut, leading to low stomach acid, low vitamin levels and leaky gut.
Low vitamins that affect thyroid are vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12. If they are too low they stop Thyroid hormones working. Have these been tested, if not ask that they are.
Always get actual results and ranges on all blood tests
With Hashimoto's it is very likely hidden food intolerances can be causing issues, most common by far is gluten.
Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms. Very, very many of us here find it really helps and can slowly lower antibodies.
Ah, obviously read the comment by some idiot endo that everyone feels better on levo -even if they are not hypo - as it is just like cocaine *sigh* (not that cocaine and speed are the same either ...)
That should be fine - possibly even a tad too long a gap, 24 hours is enough.
I'm surprised by your high Free T3. I'm also surprised about the reference range for the Free T3. It is much wider, both top and bottom, than I've ever seen before.
I am not convinced by your doctor's argument. It boils down to... "I don't want to make you feel better now, because you might feel bad later".
I'm only speculating here, so take this with a pinch of salt.
Your TSH is surprisingly high, given that your Free T4 is well in range and your Free T3 is over the range. Do you know if you have autoimmune hypothyroidism? 90% of people with hypothyroidism do, so it wouldn't be unusual.
If you have antibodies and they were just gearing up for an onslaught on your thyroid, then your Free T3 could have started rising before the TSH had dropped - TSH is slower to respond to higher thyroid hormone levels in the blood than Free T3 and Free T4.
A lot of people with hypothyroidism feel better if they eat a 100% gluten-free diet. Getting tested for coeliac disease might or might not show a problem - but the test doesn't work for gluten sensitivity. You could try going g-f ruthlessly for three months. If it helps, keep it up, if it doesn't then you could go back to eating gluten again.
I'm afraid I'm struggling to come up with anything helpful, sorry.
By the way, I only noticed your reply to me by accident. If you want to reply to a particular post you have to click the Reply button on the post you are replying to. Then the person you are replying to will be notified that they have had an answer.
Hi humanbean, hopefully I am placing this reply in the right place! Yes I did test +ve for autoimmune hypothyroidism. My antibodies are always raised. I did try gf for a bit, but probably not long enough. It has been interesting reading your comments as occasionally I get very distinct symptoms, apart from the usual hypo symptoms, but have never had a F3/F4 blood test whilst experiencing them.
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