Hashimoto

[Leilib]

Hello everyone

My mother has hashimoto since 5 years ago.She is on Levothyroxine 100 dose.

Her lab result for TSH was normal last year but this time her lab results came very abnormal last week. She is still taking levothyroxine 100, however, TSH is still so high.

Doctors are not helpful.

Anti TPO and Anti TG Ab is so high and she is complaining about symptoms. I do not know much about hashimoto. Can you please help me. Are there any medication to reduce immune system attack.

Thank you

[Wetsuiter]

She needs a 25 mcg increase in Levo with a retest in a couple of months.

[Treepie]

Normal means in range but not optimal for any particular person. D3 and ferritin look low .You could do to know B12 as well. Hypothyroid folk need good vitamin levels.

It looks like your mother needs an increase in levo but testing again in 6-8 weeks is sensible because it may be that the rise in the TSH is temporary caused by the thyroid being under attack which leads to high antibodies.

Read up on the Thyroid UK web site about Hashimotos etc.

[greygoose in reply to Treepie]

If the thyroid were under attack at this precise moment, the TSH would be low due to stores of hormone being dumped into the blood. It's very doubtful that the TSH is temporary, and if it were, it certainly wouldn't be due to an immune system attack. This is more likely to be her 'normal' TSH level due to the reduced size of the gland. She does need an increase in dose now.

Leilib, there is no medication, or anything else, that can reduce immune system attacks. Although it is said that a gluten-free diet can help. It's also said that suppressing the TSH can help, but there are very few doctors that will allow that! But, the TSH should certainly be lower than hers is now. It would probably be better for her if it were 1 or under. And any doctor who tells her that 'at her age' she needs a higher TSH is either lying or ignorant. She doesn't.

It would also be helpful if you could get them to test the FT4 and FT3. Those results look like TT4 and TT3 - although I can't see them very clearly because the writing is too small.

[Lindynz]

Hi Leilib

I was diagnosed at least 35 years ago with Hashimotos and was put on Thyroxine. I never had any problems at all while on Thyroxine. I was changed to Levothyroxine and started having very uncomfortable head sweats at the back of my head, saturation head sweats.

Everyone around me was fine so I knew it was the medication change that was causing it.

After asking my doctor to change me back to Thyroxine a couple of months ago, I was put on to Synthroid. Synthroid is Levothyroxine. I am still having the head sweating problem.

I would be interested to know what ingredient has been changed in thyroid medications since I started on the original Thyroxine, to the medication I am now on.