Results Advice

[Judthepud]

Hi all,

Just had my bloods rechecked after being on 150mcg Levothyroxine for three weeks. Results as follows:

TSH 0.645 (0.27 - 4.20)

Free Thyroxine 20.600 (12.00 - 22.00)

Free T3 4.72 (3.10 - 6.80)

My Free Thyroxine is in the upper range and I wonder if this could be causing symptoms of excessive sweating; increased pulse rate (around 80 at rest) and anxiety?

I've had a bit of a journey with this, but my symptoms (anxiety in particular) did start about a year ago when I first increased to 150mcg, I assumed the symptoms were caused by the increased medication, but never had a blood result to confirm. After developing symptoms of anxiety, weight loss etc etc, I dropped my dose right back and became hypothyroid, which also causes horrible symptoms, so this is the first time I've had a blood result on 150mcg. Might it be that a free thyroxine of 20.600 is just a little too high for me and is causing me to have symptoms of hyperthyroidism? Would be grateful for any thoughts and advice.

Thanks.

[Greybeard]

Hi Jud, 3 weeks isn't long enough to get a true reading, your levels take 6 to 8 weeks to stabalise. If you feel overmedicated drop back a bit, maybe 125mcg and 150mcg on alternate days and retest in 6 to 8 weeks.

[Judthepud in reply to Greybeard]

Thanks for your reply. If my free thyroxine is 20.600 after only 3 weeks on 150mcg daily, looks like I am probably overmedicated on that dose. That would be great news as it might explain what brought on my symptoms (anxiety, weight loss, loss of appetite, upset stomach, excessive sweating etc) that started about a year ago after being on 150mcg for a couple of months.

Didn't get bloods done at the time, just reduced my dose back down to 125mcg and became hypothyroid and my symptoms continued. A lot of people on this site suggested that these symptoms can be caused by being hypothyroid as well, and suggested that I had probably been hypothyroid all along (suggesting that I may not be absorbing my Levothyroxine adequately). The most up-to-date results suggest that the Levothyroxine is being absorbed properly and that my optimal dose is between 125mcg and 150mcg. So taking 150mcg three times a week is probably a good idea, as I think I'd get in a muddle trying to do alternate days. Thanks again for your comments. Maybe I'm not going mad afterall!!

[silverfox7]

Yes it takes a full 6 weeks to get each new dose fully into your system which is why when starting out we retest every 6-8 weeks till we are stable on the right dose for us. It's because of this that it takes so long to be correctly medicated and it can't be speeded up.

[Judthepud in reply to silverfox7]

Thanks for your reply. If my free thyroxine is 20.600 after only 3 weeks on 150mcg daily, looks like I am probably overmedicated on that dose. That would be great news as it might explain what brought on my symptoms (anxiety, weight loss, loss of appetite, upset stomach, excessive sweating etc) that started about a year ago after being on 150mcg for a couple of months.