My TSH is high but T3 & T4 is normal

[HarshitShyam]

My TSH is high but T3 & T4 is normal.

I do not want to start medicine for this...

Please suggest.

[Treepie]

Not sure about the tests but I think total T3 is not the same as free T3 which is the available active hormone in your body.Even so it may be in range.

However ,the probable course of the illness is that your TSH will increase as will symptoms until you find it difficult to function unless you begin taking the hormone.

[shaws Administrator]

You should try to remove your personal details on the above.

Your TSH is too high and it stands for Thyroid Stimulating Hormone as it tries to flag up your hormones as your body needs them it is from the pituitary gland. When TSH is above 3, you would be diagnosed as hypothyroid in many countries. In the UK, it is 10 to be diagnosed but that's unusual.

When given levothyroxine, the aim is for the TSH to reach 1 or lower with Free T3 and Free T4 in the upper part of the range. Those two are also recommended in your report.

The aim of thyroid hormone replacement is to keep our metabolism optimal and our heart and brain need the most.

I shall give you a list of clinical symptoms and, thankfully, we don't have all of them but hypothyroidism is a serious illness if untreated so we need optimal thyroid hormone replacements. Our brain and heart need the most T3 and all of the millions of T3 receptor cells in our body. T4 (levothyroxine) is inactive and has to convert to T3 (liothyronine) and many people do so effectively but some do not therefore they have to look at other solutions.

Blood tests should always be at the very earliest, fasting (you can drink water) and allow a gap of 24 hours between your last dose of levo and the test and take afterwards.

Levo should be taken, usually first thing, with one full glass of water as tablet can stick in throat.

Doctor should also check B12, Vit D, iron, ferritin and folate.

[greygoose]

As Treepie says, you do not have the right tests. You need Free T4 and Free T3, not Total. Your Free levels are obviously low, or your TSH would not be so high. Besides, there is no such thing as 'normal', when it comes to thyroid. 'Normal', just means 'in-range', but the ranges are vast, and it's where in the range you fall that counts.

You shouldn't think of thyroid hormone replacement as 'medication'. It's not drugs, they are hormones. They will not alter your body in any way. They will just replace the hormone your body can no-longer make for itself, and without which you cannot live. At some point, you have to start taking it - and sooner would be better rather than later - or you will make yourself very ill. This will not get better by itself, it will only get worse.

[Angel_of_the_North]

Most of those tests are not useful and don't really tell you anything. You need FREE t3 and FREE T4 tested. However, a TSH that high usually means there is something wrong. Do you have symptoms? Untreated underactive thyroid can cause heart disease and dementia, and infertility and miscarriage if you are female.