Monitoring

[LesLiz22]

I was diagnosed hypothyroid approx 15 months ago. Prescribed levothyroxine 25mg, then 50 mg and now, for the past 5 months 75mg. I had been suffering severe muscle pain but this has now eased, presumably due to the meds level being correct. However, for the first time in my life, I’m experiencing significant insomnia. I requested a thyroid blood test to see if the cause lay there but my gp is resisting testing my blood again as the last reading was, for the first time, perfect. I am struggling to understand: isn’t it worth checking the stability of my levels or once they’re corrected my medication, is it safe to assume they stay stable?

[shaws Administrator]

Please get a print-out of your 'perfect' results with the ranges from the surgery and post on a new question for comments.

I am sure your results will not be so 'perfect' if he didn't test Free T4 and Free T3 but going on your TSH alone and many make the mistake of thinking if result is somewhere in the range that you're on sufficient. Not so, the aim is a TSH of 1 or below with FT4 and FT3 in the upper part of the range. We cannot function without optimum T3. T4 is inactive and has to convert to T3, T3 is the only active hormone and is required in all of our receptor cells.

These are rarely taken but we have recommended labs which will do so.

You can read about why FT4 and FT3 are necessary at times, if we have symptoms.

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

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

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Likely your dose is not perfect

Essential to also test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Vitamin D and low B vitamins can be implicated in insomnia

Plus low FT3

drgominak.com/sleep/vitamin...

Do you have high antibodies - Hashimoto’s also called autoimmune thyroid disease