Self help or visit GP: Recent thyroid blood test... - Thyroid UK

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Self help or visit GP

Blondiejayjay profile image
12 Replies

Recent thyroid blood test results-private

TSH 8.6 range (0.27 -4.2)

FT4 11.3 range (12-22)

FT3 2.68 range (3.1 - 6.8)

On the last visit to GP all were low in range including TSH and I was asked to reduce dose from 100mcg of thyroxine to 75mcg. I refused and continued with dose of 100. That was probably 18months ago.

So do I ask GP to do blood test or just increase dose my self and by how much.? I decided to get levels checked because I have frozen shoulder at the moment.

Thank you in advance

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Blondiejayjay profile image
Blondiejayjay
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12 Replies
SeasideSusie profile image
SeasideSusieRemembering

Blondiejayjay

Well I suppose you should see your GP and ask for an increase in your dose due to those results which show that you are currently very undermedicated.

As you have Hashi's you probably already know that levels can fluctuate and you can swing between false "hyper" and hypo. It would seem that you are going through quite a hypo phase at the moment.

If you increase your dose yourself, will your prescription last?

Possibly best to show these results to your GP and make sure you have enough Levo to allow an increase in dose, retest 6-8 weeks after the increase to see how things are.

Blondiejayjay profile image
Blondiejayjay in reply toSeasideSusie

Thank you for your advice

tattybogle profile image
tattybogle

I'd show these result to GP , I presume they are from taking 100mcg ?

They show a clear need for an increased dose .

If GP unable to accept private results, invite them to do their own.

TSH gets lower later in the day , so get an early morning test, since they often only test TSH.

If you just increased by yourself you would lose the evidence that you were ultimately proved correct to stay on 100 mcg, and that may lead to difficulties later on if dose is questioned in future.

Do you have the previous GP results that prompted them to request your reduction to 75mcg ?

tattybogle profile image
tattybogle in reply totattybogle

P.s , they are surprisingly high TSH and low fT4/3 results considering you taking a reasonably good dose of 100 mcg.

Blondiejayjay profile image
Blondiejayjay in reply totattybogle

Yes they are aren’t they, but I am taking Lansoprazole (gastric resistant capsules) because I am taking Naproxen for the frozen shoulder. I have been taking thyroxine since 1993. Maybe those are factors

tattybogle profile image
tattybogle in reply toBlondiejayjay

i'm not sure of my facts here , but i suspect that these may mean you are absorbing much less of the Levo from your stomach. If this is the case , then your true results on 100mcg may be rather different once you stop taking them. You should check this out further before deciding what to do with dose. Ask on here , someone else will know more than me about it.

Blondiejayjay profile image
Blondiejayjay in reply totattybogle

About 6 years ago my dose was reduced from 75mcg to 50mcg and within 12 weeks my TSH went up to 10 having been below TSH lowest range (hence the request for me to reduce). Other members of my family take 200mcg or combination of 175mcg and a small dose of T3 so maybe 100mcg isn’t much of a dose to me.

tattybogle profile image
tattybogle in reply toBlondiejayjay

Ah yes , just looked at your old posts ... i see you are no stranger to the " are you sure you've been taking your tablets regularly ?" question from GP's ... me too, been there bought the T-shirt. They really don't have any other answers to those of us whose results refuse to behave as expected do they.

You'd think it would make them curious enough to learn more about what could be happening... but it's so much easier and quicker to jus assume were either forgetful or fibbing.

You do seem to have a rather 'trigger happy' TSH, mines really stable , but my fT4 just does whatever it fancies including going up annoyingly when i reduced levo as instructed , so Gp is convinced i took more , but i didn't.

tattybogle profile image
tattybogle in reply totattybogle

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu... Links on here about Lanzoprazole

Megymoo profile image
Megymoo in reply toBlondiejayjay

I have been taking Lansprazole for about a year and I have had a frozen shoulder for six months and they think I have Hashimoto disease seeing the doctor again Monday

Blondiejayjay profile image
Blondiejayjay in reply totattybogle

Thank you That’s good advice

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator in reply toBlondiejayjay

Frozen shoulder is a hypothyroid symptom

Essential to regularly retest vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12.....especially on any PPI Lansoprazole

If you absolutely must take Lansoprazole, it should be as far away from levothyroxine as possible

PPI will lower stomach acid

Having Low stomach acid can be a common hypothyroid issue

Thousands of posts on here about low stomach acid

healthunlocked.com/search/p...

Web links re low stomach acid and reflux and hypothyroidism

nutritionjersey.com/high-or...

articles.mercola.com/sites/...

thyroidpharmacist.com/artic...

stopthethyroidmadness.com/s...

healthygut.com/articles/3-t...

naturalendocrinesolutions.c...

Ppi tend to lower vitamin levels even further than being hypothyroid

gov.uk/drug-safety-update/p...

webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/ne...

pharmacytimes.com/publicati...

PPI and increased risk T2 diabetes

gut.bmj.com/content/early/2...

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