I have TSH >150

[fahadjaved]

PLEASE tell me that what should i care? It has been almost ten days I am on 100mcg of thyroxine

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

fahadjaved

Do you mean you were diagnosed and prescribed 100mcg Levothyroxine 10 days ago? If so then you need to give it time to work. It takes about 6 weeks for Levo to be fully absorbed, it's not a quick fix like taking a tablet for a headache. You are replacing a hormone your body can't produce properly and this needs to be done gradually.

You should be retested 6 weeks after starting your Levo to see where your levels lie then and your doctor may increase your dose. If your dose is increased you will then need retesting 6 weeks after that.

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 if that is where you feel well.

When booking thyroid tests, always book the very first appointment of the morning and fast overnight (water allowed) . This gives the highest possible TSH which is needed when looking for a diagnosis, an increase in dose or to avoid a reduction. TSH is highest early morning and lowers throughout the day. It also lowers after eating. Also, take your Levo after the blood draw because if you take it before then your FT4 will reflect this and show higher than what is normally circulating. We usually advise 24 hours between last dose of Levo and blood draw so if you take your Levo in the morning then delay until after the test, or if you take it at night then delay that dose until after the test. These are patient to patient tips which we don't discuss with doctors or phlebotomists.

Take your Levo on an empty stomach, one hour before or two hours after food, with a glass of water only, no tea, coffee, milk, etc, for an hour either side as absorption will be affected. Take any other medication and supplements 2 hours away from Levo, some need 4 hours.

[fahadjaved in reply to SeasideSusie]

Very thankful and informative, I actually taking levo in the morning and after that i take.my breakfast or mostly i sleep again after taking the pills. I need to be active again 😰

[shaws Administrator in reply to fahadjaved]

Always leave a gap between levo and food and caffeine as both can interfere with the uptake of levothyoxine. 1 hour is sufficient before food is taken.

[jimh111]

The high TSH indicates you have 'primary hypothyroidism' meaning your thyroid gland is failing. It's good that you are on 100 mcg levothyroxine. You should have started to get better but it will take many months to get back to normal. You should have a follow-up blood test with your doctor after four to six weeks and an adjustment to your dose. You will probably need a dose that is a little higher. If your live in the UK you are entitled to free prescriptions.

[fahadjaved in reply to jimh111]

No bro I am in Pakistan and the doctor said the same procedure to evaluate the medicines dose after tests results and repeat till it gets normal

[jimh111 in reply to fahadjaved]

Forgot to say that the impression I get is that patients who have a very high TSH tend to do quite well on levothyroxine, those with lots of symptoms and a moderate TSH find it much more difficult. So although your high TSH suggests quite substantial hypothyroidism it may respond very well to treatment.

If you are studying or working I would consider discussing your hypothyroidism with your tutor / manager to let them know you will not be able to perform so well for the next few months until your medication is optimised. I'm not sure how considerate Pakistan companies are so I will leave it to you to make a judgement about how much you tell them.

[shaws Administrator in reply to jimh111]

I found levothyroxine far worse than a TSH of 100. It took a number of years to find the correct hormones and dose and that was through TUK before this forum began.

[trelemorele in reply to jimh111]

No that's not true people with high TSH tends to do quite good on Levo and or symptoms relief. You keep churning that fiction from time to time.

I'm (and few others I know of) an example of high TSH and problems with Levo from the start with side effects of untreated thyroid resolution taking very long and often not at all.

[Treepie in reply to trelemorele]

I think the word "tend" was meant to mean mostly,true also for me on 101 .So not necessarily a fiction .But we are all different .

[jimh111 in reply to trelemorele]

I get the 'impression' that patients diagnosed with a high TSH do better on levothryoxine than other patients with similar symptom levels and a slightly raised TSH. This impression comes from posts I have seen on the forum where patients with a TSH around 100 ask for help and after a few months we never see a post from them again. I assume they have recovered and don't need help. This is anecdotal which is why I used vague terms like 'impression' and 'tend'.

I've looked at your first post on the forum and you were on 150 mcg L-T4 plus 100 mcg L-T3 which is a massive dose. This dose is way beyond what a normal thyroid produces and so your case is not due simply to a failing thyroid gland (primary hypothyroidism) and will be more difficult to diagnose and treat.

A TSH of 100 can be alarming, I was trying to reassure fahadjaved that in spite of this high number many patients in his position get better.

[jimh111]

fahadjaved, I notice you posted on the tinnitus forum. Hypothyroidism can cause hearing problems and also psychological problems. You should let all your doctors know you have been diagnosed with hypothyroidism so they can take this into account. it's possible that all your problems are due to hypothyroidism and will get better as your hypothyroidism is treated. Only time will tell which symptoms are due to hypothyroidism and which are not.