How long can you stay subclinical the second time for?

[maplewood]

How log is a piece of string?? Hi everyone i am not sure if any of you have actually ever been in my situation before as i am a strange one......

Finally got to see the endo this week. He did not seem to know anything about my issues which was frustrating as i thought my GP referal would have told him. I told him i am hypothyroid with no treatment currently as it appears i can not tolerate levothyroxine. It then turned into question and answer time and i got the distinct impression he was trying to dismiss the idea and he even said to me "what would you say if i said you did not have to take it any more". I said i did not understand how i could have been diagnosed as hypothyroid already in 2013 and now he was questioning it. He said "well you are only subclinical at the moment". I told him to check previous bloods showing i was hypothyroid previously and he said he did not have any. I told him lucky i did at home and i would email him them later in the day.(my TSH was 23 in 2013 when diagnosed and looking back on my copies it looks like i was subclinical for a while before i crashed). He said he would take bloods before anything else and call me back in and that a handful of people can not tolerate it and they have to take liquid levothyroxine. I did tell him i had joined Thyroid UK and understood Endo's don't treat until TSH is 10 but as my diagnosis was already confirmed i did not see the problem.

So my questions are...

Is there a chance that whilst i am subclinical i could snap back to normal levels even though my TSH did go to 23 previously?

Is liquid levothyroxine the best alternative i can ask for?

I stopped taking levothyroxine a year ago now after six years of taking it and have remained subclinical ever since. Could i make a recovery or am i just a ticking time bomb? Would i not have crashed already? Is there any other illness anyone knows of that can pull at your thyroid? I live in fear of crashing because i remember how ill i felt but if there was a chance i could recover i would give it a try. Has anyone ever had anything similar?

Thank You Everyone xx

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Looking at previous posts couldn’t see any vitamin results

For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 plus both TPO and TG thyroid antibodies tested. Also EXTREMELY important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12

Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if you have autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) diagnosed by raised Thyroid antibodies

Ask GP to test vitamin levels

Recommended on here that all thyroid blood tests should ideally be done as early as possible in morning and before eating or drinking anything other than water .

This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip, best not mentioned to GP or phlebotomist)

Is this how you do your tests?

Private tests are available. Thousands on here forced to do this as NHS often refuses to test FT3 or antibodies

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

For thyroid including antibodies and vitamins

Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven are the most popular choice. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw. Both companies often have special offers, Medichecks usually have offers on Thursdays, Blue Horizon its more random

If you can get GP to test vitamins and antibodies then cheapest option for just TSH, FT4 and FT3 £29 (via NHS private service )

monitormyhealth.org.uk/thyr...

[maplewood in reply to SlowDragon]

My vitamins were tested and low. GP put me on suppliments which i stopped two months ago. I have had all those things tested already and no antibodies but show subclinical

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to maplewood]

If vitamin levels were low and you stop taking supplements levels are likely to drop low again

Getting all four vitamins optimal and testing thyroid levels then while vitamin levels are good may reveal higher TSH

Low vitamin levels are likely to result in lower TSH

Low vitamin levels also suggest hypothyroidism

[maplewood in reply to SlowDragon]

Thanks i understand that which is a wonder because my brain has left me recently. I actually thought it was the other way round. My GP told me to take for a few months then stop and see if my levels held. I don't think i am booked for a check up blood test so that may be a good idea. Should i take these supplements all the time?

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to maplewood]

Not without regular retesting

Vitamin D and iron are toxic if you take too much

What vitamin levels were low, can you add results and say what supplements you were taking

Vitamin D

GP will only prescribe to bring levels to 50nmol. But improving to around 80nmol or 100nmol may be better

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/218...

vitamindsociety.org/pdf/Vit...

Once you Improve level, you may need on going maintenance dose to keep it there.

Test twice yearly via vitamindtest.org.uk

Vitamin D mouth spray by Better You is very effective as it avoids poor gut function

It’s trial and error what dose we need, with hashimoto’s we frequently need higher dose than average

Local CCG guidelines

clinox.info/clinical-suppor...

Government recommends everyone supplement October to April

gov.uk/government/news/phe-...

Ferritin is storage form of iron . Iron is complex - iron supplements only if prescribed by doctor

B12 and folate results