I’m 26 and have been getting some hypo symptoms for years no e.g. very cold, tired. My thyroid was tested and found to be borderline but no action taken(don’t know the actual level.
In the last two years I’ve been experiencing more symptoms e.g. cold, tired, breathlessness, thinning hair at the front, constipation, breathlessness, low heart rate (under 60bpm), depression and struggling to get fitter despite exercising. I did have low ferritin but was treated and it’s since gone up so I’m no longer deficient yet I’m still struggling . However, as much as the doctor mentions the thyroid test, she says it’s borderline so shouldn’t be causing symptoms. I asked for my results a few months ago and TSH levels went from 6 in November to 6.67 in March.
I’m feeling terrible and convinced it’s hypo but don’t think doc will bother exploring that. I’m only young yet feel so much older than my years because of these symptoms
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Hoop1888
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With a TSH of 6 you are most definitely hypo. Did your doctor tell you the range? Because I'm sure it's over-range. If so, ask her what she thinks ranges are for?!? You can have terrible symptoms with a TSH of 2, so she really doesn't know what she's talking about.
I think the top range on the page was 5 so she said basically that my result is borderline even though it is out of range and it got worse (from 6 to 6.67). So I have to wait another 6 months for another test. I’m at a loss!
So is your doctor! You're not borderline at all, in the real world, only in the UK! You're going to have to do a bit of putting your foot down! You really should be on thyroid hormone replacement.
Hoop, your doctor is negligent. With a TSH of over 6 and all your symptoms spell out the fact you are hypothyroid and getting worse with time. Is she waiting for you to become bedridden before she faces this fact. You probably have other deficiencies besides ferritin. You definitely need B vitamins and vitamin D. Selenium and zinc work together as cofactors. Can you get another doctor? This one is dangerous.
You're definitely in the right place, and are definitely hypo! Your GP is sadly lacking in knowledge regarding thyroid issues, as most of them are. You will get excellent advice and help on this forum, so don't worry. Such a shame though, that you're having to suffer like this because of ignorance😕.
You will have to be insistent with your GP or find another, more knowledgable one who is prepared to treat you by addressing your symptoms, which they should all be doing anyway. Try to keep vitamin and mineral levels optimal (all the ones suggested on forum) and magnesium citrate powder (I use viridian) is particularly effective for constipation.
It's best to learn all you can by reading around the forum and asking questions so you are armed with information for any future battles you may encounter with GPs. Poor treatment of thyroid conditions is common and leads to very poor health so you have to keep your wits about you to avoid the pitfalls.
This forum is a mine of information and members are very helpful ~ in no time at all you will know more about the thyroid than your GP ~ No wait, you do already lol! 😊. Hope you'll soon be well 💕x
Try another doctor in the practice. I would bother arguing with the one you have I worked with doctors foryears and it is rare to find one who does not dig heals in if confronted with a mistake. Itmight also be worth raising this with the practice manager and if you have got the energy reveiw this doctor on 'improve health care.com'I think itis called to ward others of her lack of thyroid knowledge.
You can and will get better so keep comming back here for some supportand you might want to start by getting copys ofall blood results andposting here.
In the UK the NHS usually waits until TSH is 10 before treating,a practice that is hard to justify.See if your doctor will give you a trial but make sure its 50 mcg not 25mcg which can make you feel wirse.
This is a clear & unfortunately very common example of doctors trained to diagnose on blood tests,not how a patient reports feeling.This then seems to lead many doctors to believe that the symptoms being reported by the patient HAVE to be the result of other conditions .Some examples given are depression,ageing,hypochondria.As the vast majority of people with underactive thyroid progress to reaching what the NHS decides need thyroid replacement,this surely contravenes the Hpocratic oath?
In this example,I would try to find a doctor who is listening to me as an individual,not as a neurotic stereotype.Not an easy task,given the state of GP practise in the UK.
Hi, I strongly advise that you follow the advice above. I was your age when I was first told I was “borderline” hypo and too young for medication. At 49, I’ve finally been diagnosed with autoimmune thyroid disease because I found out about private blood tests on the Thyroid UK website. In those years my health has never been right, I’ve had multiple miscarriages, fertility issues and every thyroid symptom on the list, although by some miracle I do have two children, although my second had thyroid issues at birth. I’ve had several total meltdowns, particularly in the years since my second child was born. The GP constantly patted me on the head and offered me anti depressants, which I always refused. Since reading the Thyroid Uk website and Dr Barry Peatfields book in January, I’m astounded that this wasn’t picked up! I had private tests done and my new GP acted immediately and referred to an endo, who is fantastic. So have the full thyroid tests done privately and find a new GP to take the results to!
That's great to hear, I'm really happy for you! Have you started thyroid hormone replacement yet? If not, I am sure you will start feeling better the minute you do! Your doctors' incompetence should be a criminal offence IMHO...!
Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven are the most popular choice. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw. Both companies often have money off offers.
All thyroid tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and fasting. This gives highest TSH and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, GP will be unaware)
If antibodies are 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. Low vitamins are especially common with Hashimoto's. Food intolerances too, especially gluten. So it's important to get tested.
TSH 6 is definitely hypo. I have 1.75 and we still tested medicating as I've had Hashimoto's, which has improved a lot with treatment (nutrition and rest). My doctor who is specialized in people with thyroid issues said that a good TSH with no medications is around 1.
Hoop1888, was this your first thyroid test or is the second that has shown you over the range?
The thyroid is quite sensitive to damage and often recovers on its own which is why GPs tend to be wary of jumping directly into treatment, but that doesn't mean that you have to be left in limbo. If your symptoms have been going on for a long time so you have been to the doctor several times then it may be time to look at whether the cause is auto-immune eg by looking for thyroid antibodies to see if the problem is hashimotos - in which case it would probably be better to start treatment now rather than waiting for levels to get a bit higher as some guidelines suggest.
If you have already had problems with iron levels then that might also point to an established hypothyroidism or an auto-immune gastric condition - PA - which leads to problems absorbing B12 in particular but also affects other vitamins and minerals - links to the PA forum were given on an earlier response.
Well got thyroid levels checked about 8-9 years ago and came back borderline but I didn’t go back for the repeat. About November time I went back because I felt the symptoms but didn’t mention these to the doctor - I let the doctor to her job. Was worried that I’d come across as a hypochondriac basically So came back borderline at 6 then got retested six months later and came back 6.67. I got T4 and T3 and think these were ok range although T4 was very nearly out
okay, think you need to go back to GP and point out that your TSH has been elevated for 6 months meaning that it is unlikely that the this is due to a temporary problem, you are symptomatic and would like to start treatment.
Whilst I understand that you there is a fear of coming across as a hypochondriac if you list symptoms not listing them means that your GP is not being given all the information they need so not really in a full position to 'do their job'.
Hoop1888, very nearly out is very bad! You need that number to be halfway up the range or higher to feel well! On thyroid replacement you want it right near the top.
It makes me so angry to hear of people treated this way
Deffo not a hypochondriac! I believed that for years and I nearly died of untreated hypothyroidism don’t let yourself staRt slipping that way You should start on medication now and the GP needs to get that TSH UNDER 1
I agree with MandyJane. I work in primary care too and in my experience GPs don't like to admit to being wrong. Try another GP in the practice and explain to them that you would like to try treatment for hypothyroid as your TSH is above range and you are symptomatic of hypothyroid. Good luck.
I felt dire with a TSH of 6 it really kept me messed up I did not feel well until it was below 1. It will be the cause of all your symptoms. I hope you can persuade your heartless GP to help you with some thyroid replacement hormone which you definitely need.
Thank you ALL very much for your responses. I am actually shocked but also glad because it confirms I’m not going mad. I just want to feel young and healthy as currently a shadow of my former self.
Next stop is the doctors. How long would treatment take to improve symptoms?
I don't think anyone can answer you about the time it takes for symptoms to improve. Some take longer than others and everyone is an individual .... you need to be thorough and patient. 😊
It's a slow steady improvement. We can only start on low dose Levothyroxine, usually 50mcgs. (Unless frail, elderly etc)
It takes minimum of 6 weeks for each dose to be fully utilised
Bloods are retested after 6-8 weeks, and dose increased in 25mcg steps (retesting again 6-8 weeks after each increase) until TSH is around one and FT4 towards top of range and FT3 at least half way in range.
Vitamins need to be tested too and supplementing if need be to improve as well
Very very slowly for me took 9 months to get optimised but I was very poorly indeed. I think 2 months is more like it normally, to get back to something decent. They do a blood test after 6 weeks as the levothyroxine has a long half life and will be at its proper level for that dose in that time. You will get increases every 6 weeks after blood tests until your TSH is between 0.2 and 0.5 (if your doctor is any good) and the free T4 and free T 3 are in the upper part of the range (often not tested for on nhs 🙄) and once you get to this you should feel well again 👍🏽😎🍀
A wee update. I saw the doctor today as I’m struggling to cope with the breathlessness, being unfitness among other symptoms. I was dissappointed with the doctor as she fobbed me off and was adamant that my symptoms were due to anxiety and depression which infuriated me as basically I KNOW MYSELF!
I suggested that thyroid may be cause as it’s borderline and she then checked my levels again and saw that they weren’t normal. However, her attitude stank and she suggested I get another test in a couple of weeks ‘if It would make me feel better’
I walked out of there feeling like a complete idiot and my unwellness being completely ignored. Also made me feel like a hypochondriac....How do they get off with this?
Read through your thread again and make some notes. Have you read all the links posted for you above ? Maybe with better information/knowledge you could fight your corner better in a calm way. Knowledge is power ! Also I asked you a question 18 days ago - which you did not answer - see above ! Private Testing ? That way you can have all the tests done that the NHS do not do - job done !
Many people have a tough time getting diagnosed - and thousands have the Private Home Testing done through Thyroid UK in order to be well .... SlowDragon above has also given you the link and the list of tests required - again you did not reply ....
Also on the Thyroid UK website is a list of Signs and Symptoms which you can tick - print off and show your GP.
You must get your own tests done, I use Medichecks. Go for the best thyroid testing you can afford. You will get a report from one of the Medichecks GP. It will give treatment advice and you can take this to your GP. If your GP does not accept this move to another practice. You will only feel worse if you do not take action today! Some GP have no understanding of thyroid problems and this may be a surprise but they can damage people’s health. Take matters into your own hands and get well.
Hi Hoop. I’m having the same problem with my doctor. At my next appointment I’m going to quote “NICE” guidelines as follows:
“If TSH is between 4 and 10 mU/L and FT4 is within the normal range
In people aged less than 65 years with symptoms suggestive of hypothyroidism, consider a trial of LT4 and assess response to treatment 3–4 months after TSH stabilises within the reference range — see the section on Prescribing information for further information on initiation and titration of LT4. If there is no improvement in symptoms, stop LT4. “
I have another update from a blood test I got last week.
As I said before, my t4 and TSH levels were 11 (T4) and 6 (TSH) November 2017. Six months later they were 11.9 (T4) and 6.67 (TSH) so my TSH increased but so did my T4.
Three months later (now), my new results show tsh as being in normal range, all the way down to 3 (I fasted for the first time), yet T4 has gone down to 10. Doctor checked antibodies this time and said they are slightly elevated.
I’m confused as to why my TSH and T4 levels are varying directly with each other rather than inversely?!
Thanks Marz Yes possibly. I started anti depressants 4 days ago as my doctor thinks it’s this that’s causing the symptoms so I’m trying it out anyway see what happens
Oh dear that is very sad. I expect you know that having low T3 causes Low mood as does LOW B12 & LOW VitD. Gp's are well rewarded for prescribing AD's - but not thyroid meds.
Please write a new post with the results you posted above for advice. Your results are SCREAMING Hypo .... your GP is letting you down badly and AD's are not the answer. You are legally entitled to have copies of all test results so lets see those antibody results for real.
Read up on Kelly Brogan who has a lot to say about AD's and is a psychiatrist in the US.
T3 is used to treat mental illness so they do know the connection between the thyroid and the brain.
Thanks H. didn’t switch doctors as I’m not convinced that they would do anything with my levels the way they are at the moment. My tsh level went down to 3.9 and it’s the first time I fasted with that blood test.
They did do an antibody test and found them to be elevated but no action, just a repeat test. I’m currently starting anti depressants to see if this makes any difference to my symptoms, that’s what the doctor seems to think it is...
Hoop, glad to hear from you and happy to see your TSH went down. Have you any idea why? Sometimes it is just a matter of deleting gluten or dairy or adding some progesterone. Antidepressants actually will depress your thyroid further. Since you have already had some improvement why not try a few lifestyle change. Depression is part and parcel of thyroid because serotonin and dopamine are made in the gut by good gut bacteria and that is what we want to improve, hence avoiding triggers like gluten or dairy, sometimes corn and with antibodies, that means your gut is involved. Gluten looks similar to thyroid tissue believe it or not and tricks your immune cells to go after them both. You would be surprised how fast you can improve when you cut off the triggers. This man is brilliant and can explain things really well.
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- easily done. So no-one would have seen it unless picked up in the News Feed !
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