Tsh levels

[Jwelf1963]

My recent thyroid levels were 0.05 so they have increased my thyroxine to 150 from 125 is this about right? X thank you x

[Lalatoot]

Sorry but we need more info to be able to comment. Which level was that?

[Jwelf1963 in reply to Lalatoot]

I’m July my tsh was 0.05 they didn’t test anything else so the doctor said to increase my thyroxine from 125 to 150 so as I was taking a extra 25 I run out so took 2 x 100 When my next tablets came I’ve been taking 150 so had another blood test last week and my tsh is still 0.05 .. and I feel awful ... tired but can’t sleep weight gain aches and pains and a funny feeling in my throat like something is stuck or restricted x thank you

[Lalatoot in reply to Jwelf1963]

You need ft4 and Ft3 levels tested. Tsh doesn't give you a true picture of your thyroid hormone levels.

[Jwelf1963 in reply to Lalatoot]

Thank you I will have to see if my doctor will do those ... they don’t often do them and say you don’t need them doing?! X

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Jwelf1963

My recent thyroid levels were 0.05 so they have increased my thyroxine to 150 from 125 is this about right

I’m July my tsh was 0.05 they didn’t test anything else so the doctor said to increase my thyroxine from 125 to 150

That doesn't make sense at all and makes me wonder if your GP knows anything about treating hypothyroidism.

TSH ranges are very similar, often around 0.27-4.2. A result of 0.05 is classed as suppressed. When TSH is very low like that we often have a high FT4 - it's FT4, and FT3, that are the thyroid hormones.

If your TSH increases, your FT4 would generally go down, and a higher dose of Levo would be needed.

If your TSH is low, and as I said yours is suppressed, a doctor would reduce the dose of Levo.

By increasing your dose, your FT4/FT3 will go even higher and your TSH will likely go even lower, so you can see why I said it doesn't make sense to increase your dose and that your GP doesn't seem to know how to treat hypothyroidism.

For a full picture you need

TSH

FT4

FT3

If they've never been tested before it's useful to test thyroid antibodies to see if the cause of your hypothyroidism is autoimmune.

And as we Hypos need optimal nutrient levels for thyroid hormone to work properly, we also need to test

Vit D

B12

Folate

Ferritin

and I feel awful ... tired but can’t sleep weight gain aches and pains and a funny feeling in my throat like something is stuck or restricted

You could be feeling awful because you're overmedicated.

Aches and pains could be low Vit D.

Weight gain - that's usually a sign of hypothyroidism, and weight loss is difficult if we don't have a good FT3 level.

Feeling like something is stuck in your throad could possibly be Hashi's.

If I were you I'd get a full thyroid/vitamin panel as outlined above. If GP can't, or wont, get all of those tests done (and it's unlikely you'll get all from your GP), then we have private labs which do test bundles that include all those different tests. Please ask if you'd like details.

[Jwelf1963 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you I will ring my dr tomorrow and tell him what I want doing!! And see where we go from there x thank you so much x

[Jwelf1963 in reply to SeasideSusie]

Have rang the doctors ! I have a doctor calling me tomorrow so will tell him what I need checking... thank you for this information xx

[Ali0]

Hi

I have just had a very frank conversation with my GP about the dangers of recommending changes to medication based on TSH and am going to make a complaint.

The NICE guidelines say that if TSH is below reference range, which yours is, they need to do FT4 and FT3 tests. The FT3 is particularly important. I had to quote the guidelines to them to force them to do the test. They then did an TSH, FT4 and TT3. The latter is not sufficient ie it is the total amount of T3, not the active Free T3 which the body needs. The relationship between the 3 is important.

Do the test first thing in the morning, don’t eat or drink beforehand (water ok) and ensure it is 24 hours since you’ve taken your meds.

I had low TSH and high FT4 and they wanted to reduce my dose. Without the FT3 result they don’t know if they should raise or lower my dose so I challenged and am being referred to an endo. I found it helpful to Google info on how the thyroid works so I understood the basics and why the relationship between the 3 matters. TSH is basically a messenger hormone which tells the pituitary gland whether more or less TSH should be produced. T4 is a storage hormone ....it doesn’t produce energy or deliver oxygen on its own. Some of it is active thyroxine ie FT4. When FT4 loses iodine it becomes Total T3 and again, only a sub set of this is active (FT3). It is this FT3 which regulates the metabolic rate, controls the heart, muscular, digestive functions, brain maintenance etc. Doctors understanding how well your body is converting FT4 to FT3 is key to dosage.

After several very frustrating phone calls my GP admitted they don’t know much about thyroid and refer it to an endo if the patient knows more than they do. That’s basically admitting that they don’t have the expertise to change your meds but do it anyway.

Hope that helps a little. Ask them to do the tests and then come back to the forum with your full results inc the ranges for a view on what they mean. You can see your results on line via your GP website. You can also see the patient record. Worth checking this too for accuracy and go back to them if you don’t feel it reflects what was discussed.