TSH increased on Thyroxine!

[Sherywood]

Hi everyone,

I am trying to conceive and during routine tests my TSH came back at 5.8 with T4 of 11. My GP wanted to leave it 6 weeks and retest and when we did my TSH was 4.6 and my T4 was 12. My TPO antibodies were 113.5 so she agreed to give me 50mcg of levothyroxine. I have now been on this for 8 weeks and had my blood tested on Monday. My TSH has rise to 8.7 and T4 is 12!!! Any ideas why TSH would rise so sharply on levothyroxine?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[Sherywood]

Thanks! Any ideas on why TSH would rise to almost double the level it was before I started thyroxine?

[RedApple Administrator in reply to Sherywood]

Possibly because your thyroid is failing rapidly and you already need a higher dose of thyroxine. What does your doctor plan to do about it?

[HealthyEmski]

Hi Sherywood those results are surprising. No offence but are you taking your Levo at least 4 hours away from other medication, iron tablets and on an empty stomach? You're not taking any fertility drugs, by any chance? My TSH rose to over 5 when I was doing a round of IVF.I'm trying to get my thyroid levels sorted too.

[Sherywood]

Thanks All. I am taking my Levo first thing on an empty stomach and at least an hour before any food or drink. It just seems like a huge coincidence to me that my thyroid would just start falling rapidly at the same time that I started Levo. I have had no problems with my thyroid in the past.

I have diabetes in my family but no others.

I had very recently returned from holiday on a long haul flight with very little sleep in the 48 hours before the test and jet lag. Do you think this could have caused it?

Thanks

[RedApple Administrator in reply to Sherywood]

Sherywood, What does your doctor plan to do about it?

[Sherywood in reply to RedApple]

Hi Red, she’s upped my dose to 100 mcg. Thanks

[eeng]

You definitely needed an increase, and you may end up taking more thyroxine eventually. There is a link between high TSH and miscarriage, but there's no reason why you shouldn't carry on trying to conceive now you are being treated. You will need your TSH to be kept under 2 pre-conception (most people feel best with TSh under 1) and throughout any pregnancy and to be monitored regularly. I would suspect you have thyroid antibodies (90% of hypothyroid people do) which are attacking your thyroid. TSH varies during the day (highest first thing in the morning) which might account for some of the variation. Thyroid antibodies are often decreased by a gluten free diet, which you could try for a while - it would mean you were eating extra healthily, which can't be bad anyway.

[Sherywood]

Thanks so much eeng. Do you think it’s ok to keep trying at the moment with my TSH so high or wait a while until it comes down? I have been tested and I do have thyroid antibodies. I have also started a gluten free diet. Do you think jet lag and sleep deprivation

Might account for the sharp rise? Thanks