Hi
My GP has asked to see me re my very low TSH. I take levothyroxine and liothyronine. I am just off to my appointment. Can anyone provide a link to a good website explaining that low TSH is not going to kill me please? It has always been in the low side but once I started T3 it dropped right down.
He has previously been very supportive so can only imagine the lab/hospital is on his back.
Many thanks
I can't show evidence but the argument is along the lines of:
TSH is a measure of how much the pituitary is stimulating the thyroid to produce principally T4.
TSH is not a thyroid hormone.
I take t4 in tablet form therefore the pituitary-thyroid feedback loop that is TSH will not function as in a normal person.
TSH also encourages T4 to T3 conversion. I take liothyronine. There is therefore no need for the pituitary to sends messages to stimulate conversion.
That is why my TSH is suppressed. The pituitary has no need to stimulate the thyroid to either produce T4 or to encourage conversion.
Do you know how tsh improves conversion?
TSH stimulates the thyroid to produce both T4 and T3 it is not involved in the conversion of T4 to T3...that is done by the deoidinase enzymes.
Tsh is not involved in the actual conversion but it is involved in stimulating that conversion.
Tsh doesn't improve conversion. It stimulates it in some way. Have a look at some of grey goose responses as she knows more.
These
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/298...
Low TSH no heart issues
academic.oup.com/jcem/artic...
In summary, patients on long-term T4 with either an increased serum TSH (>4 mU/liter) or a suppressed TSH (<0.03 mU/liter) have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, dysrhythmias, and fractures when compared with patients with a TSH within the laboratory reference range. Patients with a low, but not suppressed, TSH (0.04–0.4 mU/liter) had no increased risk of these outcomes in this study.
Levothyroxine doesn't resolve all symptoms
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/299...
If you know you have DIO2 gene variation
academic.oup.com/jcem/artic...
Thank you. Sorry to appear thick, I’m stressed out as I go in. My TSH is 0.004, will this evidence still be ok to present to GP please?
Is your FT4 and FT3 within range?
Both have always been in range, although on my recent blood test, following an increase of levo from 100 to 125, the FT3 had gone just above range.
TSH is not a thyroid hormone. ..medics often overlook this!
When the pituitary gland senses low thyroid hormone in the system then it sends TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) to the thyroid to instruct it to produce more thyroid hormones i.e. T4 and some T3. The lower the level of thyroid hormones in the body the higher will be the TSH.
When synthetic hormones (levo thyroxine/T4 or liothyronine/T3...or both) are introduced into the body then the pituitary gland senses that increase, it decides there is an adequate supply in the body and consequently does not send a signal to the thyroid to produce more hormone.....as a result that signal, i.e. the TSH, falls. It is a natural occurence that many medics do not seem to grasp....and as a consequence the cause of many people's ill health.
Your low TSH is a natural consequence of adding extra T3....is your FT3 in range. Has it been tested?
Do you have any lab results that you can post...including ref ranges? You are legally entitled to request copies from your surgery. It is difficult for members to advise without labs and ranges.
Medics often forget to ask how patients feel and rely instead on numbers and reference ranges! FT3 and FT4 are the important numbers but to their shame medics frequently overlook FT3 and it's significance.
I take a large dose of T3-only. - my complex thyroid conditions require that amount to ensure my body can function adequately -. and my TSH is undetectable as a consequence. I'm in no danger of dropping dead from low TSH!
Like many on the forum my only option was to self medicate following advice from experts here.
This paper (below) is what I suggest you show your GP. The endo I saw briefly never mentioned TSH again after he read it!!
bmcendocrdisord.biomedcentr...
The authors are all eminent in their field.
Good luck ...we are all in this thyroid débâcle together.
DD
Thank you very much. Did you forget to attach the post or is it me?
Sorry CornishChick ....yes it was intended for you.
Having a foggy day!
Lovely thanks
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