Hi, I just come across a post & see someones TSH was 34. Mine is 14 & my GP has increased Levothyroxine from 100 micrograms to 150 daily. I suffer with Hasimoto thyrioditus, multiple autoimmune diseases plus M.E & most recently have lumps near lymth nodes on both arms & swelling with knees causing pain whilst being up moving about. My weight has ballooned to 11.7lbs with only being 5ft makes my bmi high & I have always been 8.6lbs. I'm confused with my test result of 14, is this low or high? Doctor thought I was not taking my tablets. Please help I find myself not in a good place either mentally & physically which in turn is making me feel is this it my life's gona be like this forever & I'm isolated don't get out much due to illness & friends have dropped like fly's. It feels like I'm trapped in this body at home all the time on my own. Any advise would be beneficial & much appreciated.
Regards
Ally
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Allyd68
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How would this effect my body? I have had M.E since 2002 so know the effects of this. But I'm hardly functioning these days am so weak so tired. GP said I would be running around I wished. Should it have given me more energy? I am being retested this week.
If you aren't on a high enough dose then you will have hypo symptoms, bloods should be done 6-8 weeks after any dose change and then if TSH is still high another increase is needed but you do need to have T4 and T3 tested as well.
When we have several ongoing health problems it's sometimes difficult to know which is causing the symptoms but your TSH needs to come down and your T3 should be mid to upper in the range.
Mine is 14 & my GP has increased Levothyroxine from 100 micrograms to 150 daily.
GP said I would be running around I wished. Should it have given me more energy?
When on Levo only, 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.
With a TSH of 14 your GP was right to increase your Levo; however, dose changes should be gradual and only 25mcg each time, retesting 6-8 weeks later, another increase of 25mcg, another retest 6-8 weeks later, etc, until your levels are where they need to be for you to feel well.
However, you have Hashi's and fluctuations in symptoms and test results are common with Hashi's, so you can swing from hypo when your TSH is high and your FT4/FT3 are low, to "hyper" when your TSH can go very low and FT4/FT3 can go very high.
Most doctors, even if they know anything about them, dismiss antibodies as being of no importance and know little or nothing about Hashi's and how it affects the patient, test results and symptoms. You need to read, learn, understand and help yourself where Hashi's is concerned.
You can possibly help reduce the antibodies by adopting a strict gluten free diet which has helped many members here, although there is no guarantee.
Gluten contains gliadin (a protein) which is thought to trigger autoimmune attacks so eliminating gluten can help reduce these attacks.
You don't need to be gluten sensitive or have Coeliac disease for a gluten free diet to help.
Supplementing with selenium l-selenomethionine 200mcg daily can also help reduce the antibodies, as can keeping TSH suppressed.
Hashi's and gut absorption problems tend to go hand in hand and can very often result in low nutrient levels or deficiencies so it would be a good idea to test:
Vit D
B12
Folate
Ferritin
and post the results, with reference ranges, and unit of measurement for Vit D and B12, for members to comment.
When booking thyroid tests, we advise:
* Book the first appointment of the morning. This is because TSH is highest early morning and lowers throughout the day. If we are looking for a diagnosis of hypothyroidism, or looking for an increase in dose or to avoid a reduction then we need TSH to be as high as possible.
* Fast overnight - have your evening meal/supper as normal the night before but delay breakfast on the day of the test and drink water only until after the blood draw. Eating may lower TSH, caffeine containing drinks affect TSH.
* If taking thyroid hormone replacement, leave off Levo for 24 hours before blood draw, if taking NDT or T3 then leave that off for 8-12 hours. Take your thyroid meds after the blood draw. Taking your dose too close to the blood draw will give false high results, leaving any longer gap will give false low results.
* If you take Biotin or a B Complex containing Biotin (B7), leave this off for 7 days before any blood test. This is because if Biotin is used in the testing procedure it will give false results (Medichecks definitely use Biotin, they have confirmed this and the amount of time to leave the supplement off).
These are patient to patient tips which we don't discuss with doctors or phlebotomists.
Post new results when you have them, with reference ranges as they vary from lab to lab, and members will comment
14 is high - very high for someone on meds. Should be under 1 or wherever it ends up when you are symptom-free, and your free T4 and free T3 are in the upper part of their ranges. TSH is not produced by the thyroid and has been shown not to mirror the levels of thyroid hormone accurately in people who are on medication
Allyd68, the good news here is that a TSH of 14 shows that you are very ill with an underactive thyroid, and this will be causing you a lot of symptoms. This means once you get on a good dose you will get a big improvement in your symptoms.
You may feel an improvement within a few weeks when you get on this increase. Best practice is to have a new blood test in 6 weeks and have your dose adjusted again.
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Any advise would be beneficial & much appreciated.
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