Hi I am new, posting on behalf of daughter who has Hashimotos due to raised antibodies. Her symptoms are mainly heavy but currently absent periods, confusion, brain fog, tiredness, feeling cold, poor circulation, hair loss, pins and needles, joint pain, puffy eyes, pale looking face. She was diagnosed with this in 2013 and has been taking Levo ever since then, is she possibly undermedicated? Thank you
Dosage currently 50mcg, she did better on 100mcg Levo and 10mcg T3
TSH 6.2 (0.2 – 4.2)
FREE T4 13.5 (12 – 22)
FREE T3 2.4 (3.1 – 6.8)
TPO ANTIBODIES 940.5 (<34)
TG ANTIBODIES >1100 (<115)
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Pebble66
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Your daughter is undermedicated on 50mcg Levothyroxine. TSH is too high, FT4 is low in range and FT3 is below range. Why was her 100mcg + 10mcg T3 dose changed? Menstruation should resume when she is optimally dosed and hairloss and fatigue should improve too. She must request a dose increase.
The goal of Levothyroxine is to restore the patient to euthyroid status. For most patients that will be when TSH is 0.2 - 1.0 with FT4 in the upper range. FT4 needs to be in the upper range in order that sufficient T3 is converted. Read Treatment Options in thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/about_... Email dionne.fulcher @thyroiduk.org if you would like a copy of the Pulse article to show your GP.
Some of her symptoms could be due to low/deficient ferritin, vitamin D, B12 and folate. Pins and needles (especially in hands and feet) are often due to B12 deficiency and vitD deficiency causes bone and joint pain and muscle weakness. Hairloss and fatigue may be due to low iron.
Thyroid peroxidase and thyroglobulin antibodies are positive for autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's). There is no cure for Hashimoto's which causes 90% of hypothyroidism. Levothyroxine treatment is for the low thyroid levels it causes. Many people have found that 100% gluten-free diet is helpful in reducing Hashi flares, symptoms and eventually antibodies.
Thank you, her dose on the 100mcg levo and 10mcg was changed because endo deemed her over replaced going by results below. She had ferritin etc done about 2 weeks ago and they are all low in range.
Her endo is an idiot. Her FT4 and FT3 were within range so she wasn't overmedicated despite TSH being low. Read Treatment Options in the link I posted above.
Her antibodies are very high this is Hashimoto's, (also known by medics here in UK more commonly as autoimmune thyroid disease).
About 90% of all hypothyroidism in Uk is due to Hashimoto's
With Hashimoto's, until it's under control, our gut can be badly affected. Low stomach acid can lead to poor absorption of vitamins. Low vitamin levels stop thyroid hormones working.
Poor gut function can lead leaky gut (literally holes in gut wall) this can cause food intolerances. Most common by far is gluten
According to Izabella Wentz the Thyroid Pharmacist approx 5% with Hashimoto's are coeliac, but over 80% find gluten free diet helps significantly. Either due to direct gluten intolerance (no test available) or due to leaky gut and gluten causing molecular mimicry (see Amy Myers link)
But don't be surprised that GP or endo never mention gut, gluten or low vitamins. Hashimoto's is very poorly understood
Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal and slowly lower TPO antibodies
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