On 50mcg levothyroxine

[ZaraT89]

Should this dose be higher and are my thyroid results causing my symptoms. I am very tired, craving sweets, feeling cold, gaining weight, feeling dizzy, looking ill. I also have polycystic ovarian syndrome, sjogrens and eczema which has been flaring up. Thanks

TSH 10.8 (0.27 - 4.20)

Free T4 11.2 (12 - 22)

TPO antibody 286.3 (<34)

[Matt8394Alien]

You are really really under medicated.

[shaws Administrator]

Welcome to our forum ZaraT89. There is no information on your Profile, i.e. when diagnosed with what etc.

You have an Autoimmune Thyroid Disease called Hashimoto's, the commonest form of hypothyroidism. I shall give you a link for info:-

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

Diagnosis of hashi's is made if the person has thyroid antibodies. These attack the thyroid gland until you are hypothyroid, but treatment is the same.

Going gluten-free can help reduce the antibodies which wax and wane until you are hypothyroid.

50mcg of levothyroxine is a starting dose, with a blood test every six weeks with an increase of 25mcg until you are symptom-free and have a TSH of 1 or lower.

We have to read and ask questions in order to recover our health as it is not very forthcoming from the professionals I am afraid. Many believe we're on sufficient once TSH is somewhere in the range (the top is usually about 5).

Always get a print-out of your results with the ranges for your own records. We are entitled by law. Below is clinical symptoms:

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_...

Blood tests have to be at the very earliest, fasting (you can drink water) and allow a gap of 24 hours from your last dose of levo and test and take afterwards. Food and taking thyroid hormones before test can skew results.

Ask GP to test B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate. Deficiencies can also give us symptoms.

Always get a print-out of your results with the ranges. We are entitled by law.

[ZaraT89 in reply to shaws]

Diagnosed 2010 thanks

[ZaraT89]

Have always been on 50mcg

[shaws Administrator]

I haven't a link re PCOS but this a copy of an article re this condition.

Multiple Ovarian Cysts as

a Major Symptom of Hypothyroidism

The case I describe below is of importance to women with polycystic ovaries. If

they have evidence, such as a high TSH, that conventional clinicians accept as evidence of hypothyroidism, they may fair well. But the TSH is not a valid gauge of a woman's tissue thyroid status. Because of this, she may fair best by adopting self-directed care. At any rate, for women with ovarian cysts, this case is one of extreme importance.

In 2008, doctors at the gynecology department in Gunma, Japan reported the case

of a 21-year-old women with primary hypothyroidism. Her doctor referred her to the

gynecology department because she had abdominal pain and her abdomen was distended up to the level of her navel.

At the gynecology clinic she underwent an abdominal ultrasound and CT scan. These

imaging procedures showed multiple cysts on both her right and her left ovary.

The woman's cholesterol level and liver function were increased. She also had a

high level of the muscle enzyme (creatine phosphokinase) that's often high in hypothyroidism. Blood testing also showed that the woman had primary hypothyroidism from autoimmune thyroiditis.

It is noteworthy that the young woman's ovarian cysts completely disappeared soon

after she began thyroid hormone therapy. Other researchers have reported girls with

primary hypothyroidism whose main health problems were ovarian cysts or precocious

puberty. But this appears to be the first case in which a young adult female had

ovarian cysts that resulted from autoimmune-induced hypothyroidism.

The researchers cautioned clinicians: "To avoid inadvertent surgery to remove an

ovarian tumor, it is essential that a patient with multiple ovarian cysts and hypothyroidism be properly managed, as the simple replacement of a thyroid hormone could resolve the ovarian cysts."[1]

Reference:

1. Kubota, K., Itho, M., Kishi, H., et al.: Primary hypothyroidism presenting as

multiple ovarian cysts in an adult woman: a case report. Gynecol. Endocrinol.,

24(10):586-589, 2008.

[ZaraT89]

I have all these

Ferritin 22 (30 - 400)

Folate 1.7 (2.5 - 19.5)

Vitamin B12 183 (180 - 900)

Vitamin D total 25.5 (25 - 50 deficiency)

Taking 800iu D3 only thanks