Newbie

[Aeveenh]

Hi will I be overmedicated if I take 75mcg levothyroxine from 50mcg levothyroxine? Diagnosed 5 years with hypothyroid thanks

TSH 7.3 mIU/L (0.27 - 4.20)

Free T4 13.7 pmol/L (12.0 - 22.0)

Free T3 4.0 pmol/L (3.1 - 6.8)

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Aeveenh

What makes you think that a 25mcg increase will make you overmedicated. Your current results show that you are grossly undermedicated. The aim of a treated hypo patient generally is for TSH to be 1 or below or wherever it needs to be for FT4 and FT3 to be in the upper part of their respective reference ranges when on Levo.

Can you fill in the missing bits, you've given no information and there's nothing in your profile? Surely you've not been on 50mcg Levo since diagnosis 5 years ago, it is only a starter dose.

Have you had dose changes - if so why?

Have you had thyroid antibodies tested - were they high - do you have Hashimoto's?

Have you had vitamins and minerals tested, are you supplementing for any of them?

[Aeveenh in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thanks no I was started on 25mcg and increased to 50mcg and then 75mcg. Then stayed on that dose ever since. I also have symptoms of weight loss, sweating and diarrhoea.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Aeveenh]

Aeveenh So are you actually on 75mcg now or 50mcg as it reads in your first post, to me it sounds like you were asking the question would you be overmedicated IF you increased to 75mcg.

As mentioned, you are currently undermedicated.

What about the other questions?

Weight loss, sweating and diarrhoea can be hyper type symptoms and my guess is that you have autoimmune thyroid disease aka Hashimoto's, where antibodies attack the thyroid and gradually destroy it. With Hashi's you can get hypo and hyper type symptoms. So have you had antibodies tested? There are two types - Thyroid Peroxidase and Thyroglobulin. If TPO are negative, it's possible that TG can be positive.

[shaws Administrator]

I reiterate SeasideSusie 's response to you.

I hope you've not been on 25mcg all that time?

[Aeveenh in reply to shaws]

Thanks no I was started on 25mcg and increased to 50mcg and then 75mcg. Then stayed on that dose ever since.

[shaws Administrator in reply to Aeveenh]

75mcg isn't too high a dose and the fact that your TSH is high you are undermedicated. It can be a strain on everything in our body if we don't have sufficient T3 (converted from T4) in all of our T3 receptor cells. You need an increase to bring TSH to 1 or lower. Tell your doctor you need an increase as most think anywhere in range is fine but you are above the top of the range which is 4.20.

I think you know to get the earliest test, fasting (you can drink water) and allow a gap of 24 hours between last dose and test and take afterwards. This gives us the best result.