Advice on latest Hypo thyroid blood test.

[Hather]

My latest blood test was included in several other tests at the same time without fasting T4 was 20.5......TSH .1.91..this was about three months ago

And 8 months ago

it was T4. 15.9....TSH. 1.89. ..

The ranges TSH 0.35 -5.5... T4. 9.0-22.7

I m on 50gsm Levothyroxine and am 83 years old.should I ask dr for a higher dose..she seems reluctant to increase the Levothyroxine when I have asked about it.. I take simvastatin ..which makes my cholestral normal range and D3 and K2...

Reasonable health but severerely constipated with slow Evacuation ..really bad and I sleep well but in afternoon and evening crash out with heavy half hour deep sleeps..

I am am seeing my dr next week..and I have veen losing weight tho they can’t find why..so any comments on requesting upping th Levothyroxine..or could that make me Hypo

Thanks for your suggestions before I go to dr next Thursday

Haffie

[MissGrace]

Hi Haffie,

Clearly you still have hypo symptoms though the weight loss is not usually associated with low thyroid. Others on here may be able to advise better about that than me, but a slow metabolism makes weight loss close to impossible. The constipation (the hidden side of being hypo we have to live with) can be awful. I find prune juice helped me lots when I was really bad. Certainly, your levels suggest a gentle raising of Levo could help you feel better - again, others on here will give you good advice on this. The weight loss is concerning though - do you think your GP would refer you to an endo to check you over more closely?

[Hather in reply to MissGrace]

Thanks Miss Grace..she has sent me for Ct and Thyroid scans in case it’s cancer, but no indication ..of that so far as she says for mt age I am doing really well can walk up hills and look after myself ..might be gut problem but I took myself Off Omoprazile but might go back on it as Wright loss maybe absorbion problem, but I think she has done enough testing for now

[greygoose]

The statins could be causing you problems. You really shouldn't be taking them. They are not recommended for hypo and they are not recommended for women. If your cholesterol is high, that probably means that your FT3 is low, and that will be causing symptoms, too. And if your FT3 is low, an increase in levo is not the best thing. But, if I were you, I would talk to my doctor about coming off statins before doing anything else, and see how you feel.

High cholesterol is not the problem they make it out to be. It doesn't cause heart attacks or strokes, no matter what they tell you. It's far more dangerous to have low cholesterol because your body needs cholesterol. It needs it to make certain hormones, for a start. You are already hormonally challenged with your thyroid, you don't want to add low adrenal hormones on top. Your doctor probably won't be happy if you ask to come off them, but she shouldn't have prescribed them in the first place, that was wrong of her. But, she gets funding points for prescribing them, so...

[Angel_of_the_North in reply to greygoose]

In fact there is a link between statins and dementia, and if you are older, high cholesterol is associated with longer life - less liklihood of death from any cause. Doctors seem to think you should be decrepid as you get older and seem amazed that you can function, but my aunt was still doing Tai Chi every day at 95.

[greygoose in reply to Angel_of_the_North]

Great point! I forgot that. But it's not just doctors that think you should be decrepit! Most of the younger population does, too! We get a very bad press. lol

But, in any case, statins are an absolutely no-no.

[rosserk]

My cholesterol was really high and I was prescribed statins before it was discovered I was hypothyroid. I didn’t take the statins because of all the things I’d read about them but didn’t want to argue with the Doctor, I’m a thorn in her side as it is.

Anyway since taking levothyroxine my high cholesterol levels resolved and are now completely normal. My Doctor still thinks my lower cholesterol is due to the statins! And my cardiologist thinks being hypothyroid often shows high cholesterol when it’s actually normal, so there’s lots of opinions out there.

I really hope you start feeling better soon. 💐