Family history of Hashimotos and under active Thyroid. My mother myself and eldest daughter.
My younger daughter 21 has PCOS and has gained 4 st in weight over the last 2 years. She is feeling tired and experiencing digestive issues and possible food intolerances.
Bloods taken last week show a further rise in antibodies. They were 60 last year.
Endo says her thyroid is within range but both myself and eldest daughter find we need to be at the top end of that range.
Wondering if it would be worth starting her iin 50mcg Levo.
Vit D results not back yet. Hopefully someone can advise on these results.
Written by
Ellemac
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Her raised TPO antibodies suggest Hashi's, almost a certainty considering the family history. It's obviously not progressed enough to affect her FT4/FT3 levels yet although her TSH is showing signs of the thyroid starting to struggle.
Is your daughter on a strict gluten free diet and supplementing with selenium l-selenomethionine 200mcg daily to try and help reduce antibodies?
B12 and folate aren't too bad.
No ferritin test?
Dr Toft, past president of the British Thyroid Association and leading endocrinologist, suggests in his article in Pulse magazine (the magazine for doctors) that where antibodies are present then starting Levo can "nip things in the bud" but that is when TSH is raised over range but less than 10.
I asked for Ferritin to be checked but I don't think it was tested or maybe like the Vit D it hasn't come back yet.
She didn't have a period for 4 months so I was concentrating with supplements and homeopathic meds to get it started again. She has now had 2 normal periods. Wanted to try and sort this naturally as she didn't want to complicate things further by introducing Pill etc offered by GP.
She is trying to go Gluten free. I also want to get some allergy testing done as I think dairy may be a problem.
Looking at the results, your daughter has raised anti bodies and you mentioned before in another test they were raised. Did the endo not mention Hashimoto's to you, especially as it runs in the family?
I would recommend she goes strictly gluten free, this should help with digestive issues and reduce her anti body levels. It certainly helped me and I have been gluten free since September 2017.
It appears the endo is not helping her, TSH of 3.15, means her thyroid is struggling which is why she feels so unwell. Just because the endo states it is in range, this means nothing at all. For us to feel well are TSH needs to be 1 or below and T4 and T3 in the higher figures of the ranges. However, from my own experience until your TSH reaches 10 or above they will not start you on thyroid medication, unless you have a very sympathetic GP or endo. It appears you don't.
What time did you have those blood tests by the way?
You mentioned starting levo 50mcg, has this been offered to your daughter, or would she be self medicating?
Either way, yes start on 50mcg of levo and then increase by a further 25mcg after 6 - 8 weeks = 75mcg. Make sure that you have a blood test done after the 6- 8 week mark testing TSH, T3 & T4 to see where the levels are at.
Many including myself do those tests privately, either with medi checks or blue horizon and can be done at home via a finger prick test.
Then keep increasing the levo by 25mcg every 6 - 8 weeks until your daughters thyroid results improve and most importantly she feels well.
Some people don't get on with Levo, myself included, despite trying different brands, Teva for me was hell.
If your daughter does not improve on levo after following the procedure then maybe try NDT which has T4 & T3 in it.
T3 is the active thyroid hormone which controls the metabolism and every cell in the body.
Your daughter's free T3 is in the upper part of the normal range which is good so she is not hypothyroid.
However given your family history and her symptoms it looks like she has Impaired Sensitivity to Thyroid Hormone, also known as thyroid hormone resistance. With it you need very high T3 levels to overcome the resistance. This fits with what you say that "both myself and eldest daughter find we need to be at the top end of that range."
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Any alternative to 50mcg Levo
Blood results on 50mcg, increase dose to 75mcg
Advice on Blood Tests + Levo dose
I Would Like Some Advice Please? Re: Blood Test After Levo Reduction.
