Hi new member

[Carlie76]

Hi, doctor increased my dose of levo 2 years ago to 200mcg and my results just came back at T4 16.6 and my tsh 6.33 is this ok because i feel shocking my hair is thinner i am constipated, no energy, dry skin,weight gain is bad and low mood. Please help because i dont know how it all works

[Marz]

thyroiduk.org ..... will tell you all you need to know !

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Doesn't look like the link Marz put works. Try this one

thyroiduk.org/index.html

Carlie76 If you give full information, test results with reference ranges, tell us as much as possible, members may be able to help.

[Marz in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you SS - was typing too fast and mis-spelt

[shaws Administrator]

To get the best out of blood tests for thyroid hormones the procedure should be:-

The earliest possible appointment (fasting) you can drink water and allow a 24 hour gap between last dose of levo and the test and take afterwards.

[Carlie76 in reply to shaws]

I do get early appointments and take my meds after test xx

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Have you had change in brand of Levothyroxine? Or any other recent changes in medications or in how you take your Levothyroxine

Get vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 tested by GP, likely too low

Do you have Hashimoto's also called autoimmune thyroid disease diagnosed by high thyroid antibodies?

Your results suggest you need an increase in Levo

Dr Toft, past president of the British Thyroid Association and leading endocrinologist, states in Pulse Magazine,

"The appropriate dose of levothyroxine is that which restores euthyroidism and serum TSH to the lower part of the reference range - 0.2-0.5mU/l.

In this case, free thyroxine is likely to be in the upper part of its reference range or even slightly elevated – 18-22pmol/l.

Most patients will feel well in that circumstance. But some need a higher dose of levothyroxine to suppress serum TSH and then the serum-free T4 concentration will be elevated at around 24-28pmol/l.

This 'exogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism' is not dangerous as long as serum T3 is unequivocally normal – that is, serum total around T3 1.7nmol/l (reference range 1.0-2.2nmol/l)."

You can obtain a copy of the articles from Thyroid UK email print it and highlight question 6 to show your doctor

 please email Dionne at

[e-mail]

Official NHS guidelines saying TSH should be between 0.2 and 2.0 when on Levothyroxine

See box

Thyroxine replacement in primary hypothyroidism

pathology.leedsth.nhs.uk/pa...

Professor Toft recent article saying, T3 may be necessary for many

rcpe.ac.uk/sites/default/fi...