Ive had severe Thyroid problems. Ive had most things checked (as far as I know). This doctor has had me switching Levo doses for 1 1/2 years (with blood test every 2 mos). So now Im on the last dose there is. My question is....if my tsh is slightly off...can it cause me severe problems??? Everything else is in range. The doctor just upped my dose. But it takes me at least 3 mos to adjust to these Levo changes (Im on Levo Tirosint). My blood test is now Tsh 6.310 (range is 0.450- 4.500)...would that much off be causing severe problems like hair thinning,,cant think (fog)...face bloating, upperstomach bloating..pretty much every thyroid symptom. And Iv always had these symptoms...weather Im under dosed or over. He just did all the vitamin tests etc,, Sorry this is so long...Im just having a Really Really hard time with this.
Slightly off Blood Test (TSH) Causing Problems?? - Thyroid UK
Slightly off Blood Test (TSH) Causing Problems??
What do you mean by "now I'm on the last dose there is". How much Levo are you taking?
Can you post full results, including reference ranges, for
TSH
FT4
FT3
Thyroid antibodies
Vit D
B12
Folate
Ferritin
and members will then have a full picture and be better able to comment.
Sorry..I feel like im so unclear with everything. My Dr. started me on 175 mcg of Levothyroxine Tirosint. Ive been doing blood tests every 2 months for 1 1/2 years. 175 was too high so he went to 150..then 100mcgs (which was still too high). He then took me down to 50mcg..too low. then 63..and 75mcg (still too low). Now the last one is 88mcg..which I just started and has to be it (its always went in the right direction). Would the test below cause me to feel extremely sick everyday???
TSH 6.310 (0.450-4.500)
T4 Free Direct 1.20 (0.82-1.77)
Thyroxine T4 7.3 (4.5-12.0)
He will not test FT3 right now...he said it will throw off increasing or decreasing. I will have to switch dr.s in order to do that.
The others I will have to get...but he said they were all in range except Vit.D which he increased. D was 29 (30-100)
Flippin heck, he started you on 175? 25 - 50 is a starting dose. You start low and build up not the other way round and what does he mean testing T3 will throw of increasing and decreasing ?? What rot! It will tell you if you have enough T3 which is actually what you need and is the active hormone.
Try and collate your blood results. Ask you surgery for copies of all your lab results. What were your result originally, what effect is the T4 having at the different dose levels. Your Vitamin D is important as is your iron and B12 levels.
Good Luck
bmcentire
OK, so looking at your previous thread, you had RAI 3 years ago and have had dose of Levo changed and don't seem to feel well on any.
Would the test below cause me to feel extremely sick everyday???
Presumably you mean that you feel generally very unwell, rather than vomiting?
TSH 6.310 (0.450-4.500)
T4 Free Direct 1.20 (0.82-1.77)
Thyroxine T4 7.3 (4.5-12.0)
Your TSH is far too high. The aim of a treated hypo patient generally is for TSH to be 1 or lower with FT4 and FT3 in the upper part of their ranges if that is where you feel well.
Your reference ranges for T4 are different from those in the UK that we normally see. T4 Free Direct is not the name of the test here, we just use Free T4 (FT4), so I am assuming your test is the same but your reference range is very narrow compared to ours - our range usually has 10 points between bottom of range to top of range, eg 12-22, and if Thyroxine T4 is Total T4 then it's not a usefull test. It's only the Free T4 that's of any use. Whichever of those two tests is the equivalent of our Free T4 then it's low in range.
And when TSH is low enough - around 1 - then we need Free T3 testing at the same time as Free T4 to see if we convert T4 to T3 well enough - T3 being the active hormone that every cell in our bodies need.
So at the moment your results are telling us that you are undermedicated, you need an increase in dose of Levo to bring your TSH right down in range and that you need FT4 and FT3 testing.
Details of your vitamin and mineral tests are needed because "in range" doesn't mean anything, it's optimal levels that we need. Also, presumably Vit D is measured in ng/ml (and not nmol/L)? How much D3 are you taking? Do you know that D3 has important cofactors that also need to be taken?
vitamindcouncil.org/about-v...
D3 aids absorption of calcium from food and K2-MK7 directs the calcium to bones and teeth where it is needed and away from arteries and soft tissues where it can be deposited and cause problems such as hardening of the arteries, kidney stones, etc.
D3 and K2 are fat soluble so should be taken with the fattiest meal of the day, D3 four hours away from thyroid meds if taking tablets/capsules/softgels, no necessity if using an oral spray
Magnesium helps D3 to work. We need Magnesium so that the body utilises D3, it's required to convert Vit D into it's active form. So it's important we ensure we take magnesium when supplementing with D3.
Magnesium comes in different forms, check to see which would suit you best and as it's calming it's best taken in the evening, four hours away from thyroid meds if taking tablets/capsules, no necessity if using topical forms of magnesium.
naturalnews.com/046401_magn...
Check out the other cofactors too (some of which can be obtained from food).
Thank you so much. That is so helpful. I cant thank u enuf, Im on 4,000 units of vit.D but did not know about magnesium. The Dr just increased the Levo. I hope it works. Im in an extreme fog, hair is thinned, I have every symptom and feel I just went thru myxedema for the past year..even tho I was taking Levo. I dunno.. Thank u again for the really great info.
In range doesn’t mean anything. Get your test results and post them here.
Also you need a new doctor and a T3 test! As the other poster said I can’t see how a T3 result would throw you off. What tosh!! It will tell you whether you are converting T4 to T3 and give an indication of what your correct medication and dose should be.
You definitely should not have been started on 175mcg. That is likely to make someone feel very unwell. You start on 25 or 50mcg and work up. Your doctor has no idea what they are doing.
With those results I very much doubt 88mcg will be enough. You should be retested 6-8 weeks after every dose change and your dose increased by 25mcg until your TSH is under 1 and your T3 and T4 towards the top of their ranges.
You are feeling ill still because you do not have enough thyroid hormone replacement. And you are likely to continue feeling unwell until your T4 and T3 are towards the top of the range.
Thank you, I needed to hear that. He started me backwards...then when I finally got to down to 100mcg...that was too much, He then had me go down to 50mg and back up 88mcg now (on friday). Thank u again..Ive had no one tell me anything for 3 years..and I signed up for this site and everyone here is really awesome and knowledgeable.
Very undermedicated and free T3 is the most important measurement. Switch doctors! Yours has shown he hasn't a clue by the amount he started you on, his reaction to your test results and his daft comments.
Ur exactly right. Thank u.
If your TSH is that high (and that is not just slightly off!) then you are likely to be very under medicated. Your TSH should really be less than 1 if on levo. You are likely to have symptoms of hypothyroidism such as you describe in your post until you are optimally medicated.
As SeasideSusie says pls post results with ranges and members can comment further. .
SeasideSusie has given you excellent advice. Thyroid levels that are a bit off can cause big problems. It sounds like yours are more than a bit off. A TSH as high as yours means you’re undertreated. Your doctor may not know what they’re doing. How do you know you’ve ever been overtreated. We need test results bmcentire
Thank u for responding. I reposted the #s above under seasidesusies response. I think ur right. I feel sick bc of the TSH being off. It just didnt seem too far off...but I think it is way off like u said
It’s the fT3 and ft4 being out that’s causing the problem and that may or may not be reflected in the TSH. Good luck x
You feel bad because your thyroid hormones are to low - TSH doesn't make you feel anything, but can reflect the level of thyroid hormones.
Hello bmcentire
Looking back at your previous post am I right in reading you have had RAI and was this for Graves Disease ?
I am with Graves Disease and drank RAI back in 2005.
If your have the above, it is absolutely pointless being managed on TSH blood results.
You need to have your T3 and T4 measured and monitored accordingly.
We have drunk a toxic substance that has gone through our whole bodies, your thyroid has been " burnt out ". Conventional medical thinking will not get you better, your feedback loop is broken, you haven't a working thyroid.
If with Graves you have TSI/TRAb antibodies in control of your TSH - giving the impression you are over medicated when in fact, you may not be.
It's a roller coaster of a time, for your hormones and your wellness.
These are the books and references I've used to teach myself :-
Elaine Moore's book Graves Disease - A Practical Guide - this lady has the disease and has drank the RAI - there is also a very comprehensive website - USA based.
Tired Thyroid - Barbara S Lougheed - another American with the same health issues -from hyper to hypo to healing - debunking the TSH as a measure for Graves patients -
Dr Barry Durrant Peatfield - an English doctor who has hypothyroidism - you may now not have a working thyroid but this means we have to work twice as hard with what we have to reboot our vitamins, minerals and general understanding of all things thyroid.
This is an amazing website, everything you have been advised is valid.
You'll need to read up and basically become your own doctor.
There are alternatives to monotherapy.
You may need to source these yourself.
I now am self medicating with Natural Desiccated Thyroid and know this is the right decision for me.
It is a massive learning curve, but if I can do it, from where I was, so can you.
That is so unbelievably helpful. Thank you so much for giving me that info. Seriously. Its really nice to hear from someone else who has been thru this also. I feel like ive been doing this alone for 3 years, I will definitely get those books. Thx.
Your doctor should not dose you by TSH level - its not even a thyroid hormone and when on thyroxine, it often bears no relationship to thyroid hormone levels regardless of what the text book says, To feel well, most people need TSH under 1 and free T3 and free T4 in the top quarter of their ranges. Generally, an adult woudl start on 50mcg of levothyroxine and get a blood test and a 25mcg increase every six weeks until symptoms have gone and bloods are in the ranges I mentioned. Some people need suppressed TSH and over range free t4 in order to convert enough T3. There's no "last dose". You need what you need. Are you being careful to take you levo on its own at least 4 hours away from calcium, oestrogen and iron and at least an hour away from food, tea or coffee?
Yes it could. Why does the doctor insist on letting you sit above the "normal" TSH range? Not that monitoring TSH is the right way to treat ... which it isn't. The right way to treat is to resolve the patient's symptoms, and monitor FT3 & FT4 to make sure they are well in range ... as well as making sure the patient doesn't have TPO and/or TG antibodies (Hashimoto's). For comparison: in my case, I take 12.5mcg liothyronine + 100mcg levothyroxine daily, as well as supplements. This places my FT4 in-range and my FT3 mid-range. Feel great! And TSH=0.11, but that is basically irrelevant. Sounds like this doctor is taking you for a "Tyranny of the TSH" ride!
Last dose? You need a new doctor, at least an endocrinologist. You probably need some T3 ; he should have started you in reverse of what he did, start low and raise slowly until you are well ... but, you don't need to hear that, you need a new doctor. Please try to remain optimistic, even though it's very hard in your condition. Many, including myself, here have experienced this tyranny of (un)educated doctors who think they walk on water but will soon drown for their own ignorance. Peace be with you and god's grace & mercy go with you; stay strong & try to find a doctor who has something besides a stethascope; like maybe a heart.
Thank you so much. Everything u said is so right on. Thank u for your words...I needed to hear that.
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