Blood tests again

[Lanvere]

My GP reduced my levo dose in April to 75 from 100 because my TSH was 0.08 my T4 15.7 I've had my blood taken again and my TSH is 1.59 and my T4 is 12 .7 range 9-22. Are these ok ? Am I right in thinking my T4 is a bit low . Any advice would be appreciated

[m7-cola]

How do you feel?

[Lanvere]

Very tired and been dogged with louth ulcers the past month x

[Lanvere]

That should be mouth ..lol

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Lanverne

The aim of a treated hypo patient generally is for TSH to be 1 or below or wherever it needs to be for FT4 and FT3 to be in the upper part of their reference ranges, if that is where you feel well.

Your reduction in Levo has increased your TSH and lowered your FT4 which is why you now have symptoms. If you felt OK on 100mcg Levo ask your GP to increase your dose back to that. Low TSH isn't an indicator of thyroid status, which unfortunately most doctors only take notice of, it's the actual hormone levels - FT4 and FT3 - which are when we are being treated with thyroid hormone replacement.

Use the following information to support your request for the increase:

Dr Toft, past president of the British Thyroid Association and leading endocrinologist, states in Pulse Magazine (the magazine for doctors):

"The appropriate dose of levothyroxine is that which restores euthyroidism and serum TSH to the lower part of the reference range - 0.2-0.5mU/l. In this case, free thyroxine is likely to be in the upper part of its reference range or even slightly elevated – 18-22pmol/l. Most patients will feel well in that circumstance. But some need a higher dose of levothyroxine to suppress serum TSH and then the serum-free T4 concentration will be elevated at around 24-28pmol/l. This 'exogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism' is not dangerous as long as serum T3 is unequivocally normal – that is, serum total around T3 1.7nmol/l (reference range 1.0-2.2nmol/l).*"

*He recently confirmed, during a public meeting, that this applies to Free T3 as well as Total T3.

You can obtain a copy of the article by emailing Dionne at

[e-mail]

print it and highlight question 6 to show your doctor.

[Lanvere in reply to SeasideSusie]

Oh thank you so much this was most helpful .. I've been waiting for a call from GP about the results but not rung yet I will certainly discuss this with her ..