Hi guys please advise.. I was diagnosed 4 weeks ago, T4 -13 and my TSH - 10.70, doctor put me on 25mg of levothyroxine and said take that you’ll be fine, I’m anything but fine, so tired all the time lethargic.. even hoovering leaves my body with internal shakes and legs feeling like cement. I do everything correctly, take the pill with water an hour before I even have a coffee, I’m vegetarian and eat healthy mostly fish and vegetables . I got my second lot of results and levels had changed too T4 -12 and TSH -7.60, which was great news. Doctors said all my other result were fine, no anemia. But I still feel lousy, nothing has changed, when I spoke with the doctor I felt like I was getting scolded for even saying I felt unwell and still fatigued. She said it was nothing to do with my thyroid and had I considered I was depressed???????? Regardless she gave me another note for work. I came of the phone and I was in tears, I just felt so exasperated from trying to explain that I didn’t feel well and certainly not well enough to walk 12 miles in 7 hours which is what I do at work.... I don’t feel depressed or anxious, I just feel exhausted... please tell me this isn’t all in my head, I feel like I’m second guessing how I actually feel 
any advice is appreciated
Doctors are always right??: Hi guys please advise... - Thyroid UK
Doctors are always right??
Guidelines are clear standard starter dose of levothyroxine is 50mcg
Dose levothyroxine should have been increased to 50mcg ....
Was it
If not see different GP
The aim of levothyroxine is to increase dose upwards in 25mcg steps until TSH is under 2
When adequately treated, TSH will often be well under one.
Most important results are ALWAYS Ft3 followed by Ft4.
When adequately treated Ft4 is usually in top third of range and Ft3 at least 60% through range (regardless of how low TSH is)
Bloods should be retested 6-8 weeks after Each dose or brand change in levothyroxine
Extremely important to have optimal vitamin levels too as this helps reduce symptoms and improve how levothyroxine works
As a vegetarian what vitamin supplements are you currently taking
Presumably you always take B12?
ESSENTIAL to regularly retest vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
guidelines on dose levothyroxine by weight
Even if we frequently don’t start on full replacement dose, most people need to increase levothyroxine dose slowly upwards in 25mcg steps (retesting 6-8 weeks after each increase) until on, or near full replacement dose
NICE guidelines on full replacement dose
nice.org.uk/guidance/ng145/...
1.3.6
Consider starting levothyroxine at a dosage of 1.6 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day (rounded to the nearest 25 micrograms) for adults under 65 with primary hypothyroidism and no history of cardiovascular disease.
Also here
cks.nice.org.uk/topics/hypo...
gp-update.co.uk/Latest-Upda...
Traditionally we have tended to start patients on a low dose of levothyroxine and titrate it up over a period of months. RCT evidence suggests that for the majority of patients this is not necessary and may waste resources.
For patients aged >60y or with ischaemic heart disease, start levothyroxine at 25–50μg daily and titrate up every 3 to 6 weeks as tolerated.
For ALL other patients start at full replacement dose. For most this will equate to 1.6 μg/kg/day (approximately 100μg for a 60kg woman and 125μg for a 75kg man).
If you are starting treatment for subclinical hypothyroidism, this article advises starting at a dose close to the full treatment dose on the basis that it is difficult to assess symptom response unless a therapeutic dose has been trialled.
BMJ also clear on dose required
bestpractice.bmj.com/topics...
Thank you SlowDragon for getting back to me. Doctor point blank refused to up my dose, it was my actual question to her .. should it be higher dose? she said nope! .. the dose was fine and that my TSH wasn’t high enough for the symptoms I was explaining and that I should look at other things like was I depressed.. did I have a Covid test??? She actually told me to walk to the bottom of my drive 5/6 times a day to get my energy back.. this is why I cried I am normal so very active, I work a physically demanding job, I have my own allotment and am so active in digging and planting not to mention carry 2 10 liter watering cans 30/40 times a day... I am not lazy.. I am drained .. I’ve started ferroglobin capsules this week even though she said there was nothing else wrong with my blood tests. No idea about vitamin D ... every time I’ve called or messaged them this month I’ve felt like I’m a pest ... first time in 20 years I’ve had to actually use my surgery.. and I’m dreading having to deal with them for the rest of my thyroid treatment now, my bloods will be done again in 8 weeks. I guess I’m just gonna have to go back to work feeling like this and push through it somehow.
She’s totally incompetent
See different GP
How do they justify their salaries
I'm sorry your doctor upset you. Don't worry because the majority on this forum found out that few doctors are aware of how to diagnose and treat patients who're hypothyroid.
Before blood tests were introduced all doctors knew ALL clinical symptoms and they diagnosd us through symptoms alone, and we were prescribed NDT (natural dessicated thyroid hormones) - from 1892 and even today many hypo patients prefer NDTs (made from animals' thyroid glands) than levothyroxine.
If you're in the UK, NDT was withdrawn through False Statements made about it from the "Organisations" who one would have imagined would have been far more knowledgeable than us patients on a forum. They do not. I can definitely, positively make the last statement as I had to diagnose myself the day after a doctor told me there was nothing wrong!.
Your doctor has no idea that if a patients is hypothyroid, that they do not have sufficient Active Thyroid Hormones in their blood to enable their brain, heart and everything else to function as normal.
Become a member of Thyroiduk as the more members we have the stronger we become:-
I saw a private GP about menopause a few years back. She had to have all her thyroid removed many years ago. At the time my TSH was over 7 like yours and I was shattered. But I had managed to get to London to see her. She looked at me and said "I don't know how you got here. I couldn't get out of bed if my TSH was 7".
So no, you don't push through this. Your GP is incompetent at thyroid support and you absolutely must see someone else or you will just get worse. Are there other GP's at the practice? If so, book an appointment with one of those and insist on a dose increase to 50mcg a day. Retest 8 weeks later. And ask for a printed copy of your last blood test results, including the vitamin and mineral results. Then bring there here for a second opinion. Her idea of "fine" will no be ours I suspect.
But most of all you must see another GP and get that next dose increase. If she's a lone practitioner you need to switch to another practice or even find a private GP service.
How awful those doctors are! I would cut your losses and change GP. I would feel ill with results like those. Wishing you all the best now as you’ll get great advise on here x
TSH should be under 2 as an absolute maximum when on levothyroxine
gponline.com/endocrinology-...
Replacement therapy with levothyroxine should be initiated in all patients to achieve a TSH level of 0.5-2.0pmol/L.
Taytay68
I was diagnosed 4 weeks ago, T4 -13 and my TSH - 10.70, doctor put me on 25mg of levothyroxine and said take that you’ll be fine, I’m anything but fine,
Unfortunately, your doctor omitted to tell you that it takes time to build up to a dose that makes you feel well. Levo doesn't work like an aspirin, it's a hormone and hormones have to be increased slowly and gradually, small doses at a time. It took you a long time to be ill enough for a diagnosis of hypothyroidism, it isn't going to get better quickly. It can take months I'm afraid. I explained this in my reply to your first post on the forum here:
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
You were put on a child's dose, there was no reason not to start you on 50mcg. Now you have to be patient, ensure that you are retested every 6-8 weeks from now on, with a 25mcg increase every time until your levels are where they need to be for you to feel well.
Doctors said all my other result were fine, no anemia.
Please post these results, with their reference ranges. I mentioned that you needed Vit D, B12, Folate and Ferritin. "Fine" just means they are somewhere within the range, it doesn't mean that your levels are optimal, and optimal is what we Hypos need.
I felt like I was getting scolded for even saying I felt unwell and still fatigued. She said it was nothing to do with my thyroid and had I considered I was depressed????????
Welcome to the world of cruddy hypothyroid treatment/care from most doctors. She's showing her ignorance. Don't be sucked into the depression thing, you're not and you don't need antidepressants, you need to be properly medicated for your hypothyroidism with the correct dose of Levo.
It may help to educate your doctor if you show her this if she tries to tell you that it's not your thyroid when your TSH is still high:
Dr Toft, past president of the British Thyroid Association and leading endocrinologist, states in Pulse Magazine (the professional magazine for doctors):
"The appropriate dose of levothyroxine is that which restores euthyroidism and serum TSH to the lower part of the reference range - 0.2-0.5mU/l. In this case, free thyroxine is likely to be in the upper part of its reference range or even slightly elevated – 18-22pmol/l. Most patients will feel well in that circumstance. But some need a higher dose of levothyroxine to suppress serum TSH and then the serum-free T4 concentration will be elevated at around 24-28pmol/l. This 'exogenous subclinical hyperthyroidism' is not dangerous as long as serum T3 is unequivocally normal – that is, serum total around T3 1.7nmol/l (reference range 1.0-2.2nmol/l).*"
*He recently confirmed, during a public meeting, that this applies to Free T3 as well as Total T3.
You can obtain a copy of the article by emailing Dionne at
tukadmin@thyroiduk.org
print it and highlight question 6 to show your doctor.
And she can look this up for herself on GPnotebook
gpnotebook.com/simplepage.c...
Primary hypothyroidism in a non-pregnant adult
Thyroid function test should be done at least after 6-8 weeks of therapy.
fine tuning of the dose could be necessary in some patients
aim of levothyroxine treatment is to make the patient feel better, and the dose should be adjusted to maintain the level of thyroid stimulating hormone within the lower half of the reference range, around 0.4 to 2.5 mU/l. If the patient feels perfectly well with a level in the upper half of the reference range, then adjustment is unnecessary (1)
and this
gponline.com/endocrinology-...
Scroll down to:
Replacement therapy with levothyroxine should be initiated in all patients to achieve a TSH level of 0.5-2.0pmol/L.
Hi seasidesusie I read all your information last time.. hence trying to talk with the doctor.. she gave me nothing no advice no empathy no words of encouragement that would help me to think things would improve. I’ve read lots on this forum and have joined others and taken all advice on board to try and work along with my new diagnosis. My TSH was 5.9 14 months ago and I feel that I have had to get this poorly before they have done anything for me, which I actually feel is neglect on their part. I’ll try and type my other results here B12 307ng/l
Ferritin 52 if/l
Folate 10.1 if/l
It doesn’t look like they have done vitamin D
I know it’s a long road ahead and I don’t want them to give me a miracle, it feeling like this clearly isn’t normal... I’m 52 have put on well over a stone last year.. her answer to that was, we all put weight on this year, I explained Covid had no effect on my lifestyle I had worked all through it doing more work in fact to help out... but no nothing.. I guess walking down my driveway is the answer...
p.s. Few doctors seem to have any knowledge of how to diagnose/treat those who're hypothyroid. Fortunately on this forum, there are many knowledgeable members who help us to restore our health and wellbeing.
Double whammy is that you are the age for menopause problems to make things worse too, especially weight gain, add to that an under active thyroid and undereducated for it and you will feel grim. Menopause often brings hypo with it.
Vitamins
B12 307ng/l
Ferritin 52 if/l
Folate 10.1 if/l
B12 should be at least over 500 when on levothyroxine
So B12 is too low
Suggest you start supplementing a good quality daily vitamin B complex, one with folate in (not folic acid) may be beneficial.
This can help keep all B vitamins in balance and will help improve B12 levels too
Difference between folate and folic acid
chriskresser.com/folate-vs-...
B vitamins best taken after breakfast
Igennus Super B is good quality and cheap vitamin B complex. Contains folate. Full dose is two tablets per day. Many/most people may only need one tablet per day. Certainly only start on one per day (or even half tablet per day for first couple of weeks)
Or Thorne Basic B is another option that contain folate, but is large capsule
IMPORTANT......If you are taking vitamin B complex, or any supplements containing biotin, remember to stop these 7 days before ALL BLOOD TESTS , as biotin can falsely affect test results
endo.confex.com/endo/2016en...
endocrinenews.endocrine.org...
Low B12 symptoms
b12deficiency.info/signs-an...
With B12 result below 500, recommended to be taking a B12 supplement as well as a B Complex (to balance all the B vitamins) initially for first 2-4 months, then once your serum B12 is over 500 (or Active B12 level has reached 70), stop the B12 and just carry on with the B Complex.
But as vegetarian, you likely may need daily B12 and Vitamin B complex
B12 sublingual lozenges
amazon.co.uk/Jarrow-Methylc...
cytoplan.co.uk/shop-by-prod...
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
healthline.com/nutrition/me...
Wow thank you, writing all this down, will order some of the ad used today... I just absolutely want to have some energy and will to try anything advised .. thank you for the links
As soon as we start on levothyroxine, it’s important to get bloods retested 6-8 weeks after each dose increase (or brand change)
Dose levothyroxine is increased in 25mcg steps until TSH is ALWAYS under 2
Most people, when adequately treated will have TSH under 1
Most important results are always Ft3 followed by Ft4
Incredibly important to have OPTIMAL vitamin levels too
Taytay68
her answer to that was, we all put weight on this year,
Maybe all the people she knows, but there are plenty that haven't. Can you find another GP, one that's at least interested in their patients rather than just making excuses.
You haven't put ranges, which we always need, but I can tell you that
B12 307ng/l - ng/l - pg/ml
According to an extract from the book, "Could it be B12?" by Sally M. Pacholok:
"We believe that the 'normal' serum B12 threshold needs to be raised from 200 pg/ml to at least 450 pg/ml because deficiencies begin to appear in the cerebrospinal fluid below 550".
"For brain and nervous system health and prevention of disease in older adults, serum B12 levels should be maintained near or above 1000 pg/ml."
Folate 10.1 if/l (I think that's ug/l)
Without a range impossible to say as ranges vary quite a bit with folate. It's recommended to be at least half way through range, if there is no range and just something like >3.89 then it should be in double figures.
A good quality B Complex such as Thorne Basic B or Igennus Super B will help raise both B12 and folate. If those were my results I would also use a sublingual methylcobalamin (B12) to start with. I'd use one bottle of sublingual B12 along with a B Complex to balance all the B vitamins, then once the B12 is finished just the B Complex on it's own should be enough.
Ferritin 52 if/l (again I think that's ug/l)
Ferritin ranges vary a lot, some are 13-150, some 15-300, some 30-400. Ferritin should be half way through range. Even with the lowest range your level is on the low side.
You can help raise your level by eating liver regularly, maximum 200g per week due to it's high Vit A content, also liver pate, black pudding, and including lots of iron rich foods in your diet
apjcn.nhri.org.tw/server/in...
If you can't get Vit D tested at your surgery, I'd do it privately with a fingerprick blood spot test with an NHS lab which offers this test to the general public:
Post result when you have it for further comment.
I’m going to go ahead and order the vitamins I’m a veggie and have been for 45 years so the liver is a nono... but I’ll make sure I take all the recommended dose for the vits and see if they help. Your information in so much appreciated... from all of you, and it’s overwhelming but at least I’m getting the right information here it’s lifted my mood just having you guys explain so much
Oh my gosh. Just to make sure I understand, is your TSH still 7.6? Can you get the range from the surgery for your results? I’m guessing this is very very likely still OVER range, which would mean you are awfully under medicated. Your T4 result probably reflects this too, but it would be necessary to see the range.
Basically you would be in a right state on those numbers IF your lab uses the same numbers as the one my GP uses... I am desperately trying to avoid jumping to a conclusion about your GP as they might just be using an usual lab range but I suspect your GP is so useless that she’s dangerous.
Hi Lotika yes my labs are still TSH 7.6 on my first bloods the lab questioned why I wasn’t on levothyroxine and if so was I on adequate dose and compliant? Took them 3 weeks to inform me of this and only after I called them again to say I still had oral thrush which is had for 9 weeks
See different GP
Get dose increase to 50mcg levothyroxine
Which brand of levothyroxine are you currently taking?
Also request GP tests thyroid antibodies, vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
Bloods should be retested 6-8 weeks after each dose change or brand change in levothyroxine
Brand is Northstar ...added my other results in reply to seaside Susie .. I’m so scared to look for another doctor because with Covid it’s been so difficult getting to see this one 😢
Northstar 25mcg is Teva
Many people find Levothyroxine brands are not interchangeable.
Many patients do NOT get on well with Teva brand of Levothyroxine.
Suggest you try Accord or Mercury Pharma with new prescription for 50mcg tablets
Teva contains mannitol as a filler, which seems to be possible cause of problems. Teva is the only brand that makes 75mcg tablet. So if avoiding Teva for 75mcg dose ask for 25mcg to add to 50mcg or just extra 50mcg tablets to cut in half
But for some people (usually if lactose intolerant, Teva is by far the best option)
Teva, Aristo and Glenmark are the only lactose free tablets
Most easily available (and often most easily tolerated) are Mercury Pharma or Accord
Note Accord is also boxed as Almus via Boots, and Northstar 50mcg and 100mcg via Lloyds ....but beware 25mcg Northstar is Teva
List of different brands available in U.K.
thyroiduk.org/medications-f...
Teva poll
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
Once you find a brand that suits you, best to make sure to only get that one at each prescription.
Watch out for brand change when dose is increased or at repeat prescription.
academic.oup.com/jcem/artic...
Physicians should: 1) alert patients that preparations may be switched at the pharmacy; 2) encourage patients to ask to remain on the same preparation at every pharmacy refill; and 3) make sure patients understand the need to have their TSH retested and the potential for dosing readjusted every time their LT4 preparation is switched (18).
Levothyroxine is an extremely fussy hormone and should always be taken on an empty stomach and then nothing apart from water for at least an hour after
Many people take Levothyroxine soon after waking, but it may be more convenient and perhaps more effective taken at bedtime
verywellhealth.com/best-tim...
No other medication or supplements at same as Levothyroxine, leave at least 2 hour gap. Some like iron, calcium, magnesium, HRT, omeprazole or vitamin D should be four hours away
(Time gap doesn't apply to Vitamin D mouth spray)
If you normally take levothyroxine at bedtime/in night ...adjust timings as follows prior to blood test
If testing Monday morning, delay Saturday evening dose levothyroxine until Sunday morning. Delay Sunday evening dose levothyroxine until after blood test on Monday morning. Take Monday evening dose levothyroxine as per normal
Thank you I had no idea brands could make such a difference.. I think I absolutely need to start by actually getting a doctor to listen which I think is going to be the hardest part but with all the information I’m get here at least I can be a little more armed when I talk to them. Thank you for the links and advice
Levothyroxine is 2nd or 3rd most prescribed medication in U.K.
There are almost 2 million people in U.K. on levothyroxine (90% female)
Yet understanding and treatment of hypothyroidism and especially hashimoto’s is woefully inadequate
Never say you had advice from Internet forum
Advice is from Thyroid U.K. - NHS listed support group
This makes me so angry , please please find the strength to try to get an urgent telephone appointment, I was very unwell on Teva and that was on my correct dose , I felt very nauseous as soon as I took it , so I can only image how unwell you feel on the inadequate dose she has given you aswell. I would make something up say you have had a reaction to the medication and hopefully another Doctor would be knowledgeable enough to realise your dose needs increasing immediately as well as a change your brand , The brand really makes a massive difference . The amazing people on here will help you - stay strong x
Thank you for the support and advice
You really need a different doctor. Complain to the practice and ask to see a doctor with an interest in endocrinology or one who is happy to follow NICE guidelines.
No, Doctors ,and particularly this one ! are not always right. No , it's not all in your head , it's definitely in your body, and plain to see in your results.
No, you don't need treating for depression, you need treating PROPERLY for hypothyroidism , which means starting dose of 50mcg unless you are old, frail, a small child , or have a heart condition ? i assume none of the above apply .
No, your thyroid is not OK now your TSH is 7..... this
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...
.... graph shows what NORMAL TSH values in healthy people look like .. nobody healthy has anywhere near 7 , they mostly have 1 or 2 only a very very few have anywhere near 3 let alone 4 .
Not only are you 'not better yet' , you are still 'worse' than i was when i was diagnosed (i had TSH 6.8)
If you imagine someone at the end of a marathon , then instead of giving them what they need, you put them up Everest to give them a touch of altitude sickness and a touch of early stage hypothermia, then tell them 'you look normal to me , you're not running anymore so the problems fixed , get on with it , perhaps you're just depressed" then you have pretty much done what has been done to you by putting you on just 25mcg and telling you you're fine now.
When you treat with thyroid hormone it is not like adding 2+2 to get 4 . When your body sensed the extra 2 it gets very complicated and reduces your own output a bit.
Sorry if this reply sounds a bit abrupt , i'm just so cross to hear of yet another Doctor treating this so poorly, and more to the point leaving you feeling like you're just being lazy ,, i assure you you're not , and you know this, trust yourself 
There is a world of difference between "i don't want to start a job" and " I desperately want to get on with this , but just cant keep it up"
Hi Tattybogle thank you for your reply .. in fact all these replies make me want to cry, I know my body isn’t right and hasn’t been for some time, but I e been pushing myself so very hard and just getting on with things.I’m not fragile nor do I have a heart problem and 25mg is all she will give me but I don’t even have the energy to argue with them.
I’ve been of work 4 weeks now and they have set me up with occupational health to see how best get me back to work... and I’m terrified... firstly that my doctors are not backing me with the reason I’m off and 2nd if I go back I fear I’ll just collapse with how I feel at the moment ... I’m just glad that it’s not in my head
It does sound difficult and of course, it’s made even more so by the fact that you are under medicated and therefore are low on energy.
My local surgery does all first consultations by phone, so there doesn’t seem to be any more of a wait than there ever was right now, even though they’re also rolling out jabs for the area and have been short staffed due to COVID. I imagine that SlowDragon has done a very thorough job of linking to articles etc that you can use with the GP and with occy health as well, if necessary. It would help to explain your position. But what a nightmare it must be for you. Is there a different GP at the local surgery and if so, are you able to get an emergency telephone consultation? It deserves one as you are unwell. Or even with the original GP so that she can explain why she is keeping you under medicated with a TSH of 7- something and change it. There’s no logical reason, I think?
Normally I am so good at fighting my corner it’s just clearly my health that’s making me so weak, I’m going to collate all this information and try and arrange to have a proper appointment and not just a call so they can actually see the state of me .. thank you for your information
You have to do it the way that feels right to you. My worry is that it might be quicker to get an emergency appointment on the phone. The sooner you are properly medicated the better and the sooner you start to feel well. Maybe try the merge by appointment and if that fails go with the option of seeing them?
When I was under-medicated by one GP in my practice because of my TSH , I asked to see a different GP ( also took my husband with me for support ) he took one look at me and said you look very unwell ( I’d never met him before ) and I fought my corner with the knowledge gained from this forum - he very quickly increased my dose , he admitted that he knew very little about thyroid , when I saw him months later for something else he just smiled and said I looked so much better - you can do this and the vitamins will make a massive difference 💪🏽
I'd get an urgent call in with the doc (a different one at the same surgery and raise a formal complaint against the first) and ask for an immediate increase to 50mcg. Nice guidelines I believe actually suggest you start on 1.6 x your weight in kilos so that would be a lot more - you could do that route or the alternative route which is to raise by 25 mcg every 6 weeks.
Other than that, please believe you can and will feel so much better when properly medicated. Xx
You are being kept extremely ill because GP is NOT following the guidelines. If necessary contact practice manager and inform them of this. GP clearly knows nothing about thyroid but she/he should be looking it up not coming out with garbage... It's bad enough when they think anywhere 'in range' is fine but You are over range! Sorry no help just angry for you. Hugs (())You are overwhelmed, write everything down and refer to it, it does help.
I just want to echo what everyone else has said. ☹️ I’m so sad you aren’t getting treated with any kind of respect or knowledge.
Please make an appointment for another GP.
I’m a bit bolshy so if I were in your shoes I’d double the dose immediately, you don’t need permission to do that, it probably won’t be enough but it’ll get you started, get you strong enough to fight for your health. ❤️
TayTay68,
I must admit NWA6's reply has always been my attitude to dosing . I'm a bit bolshy too. I've always seen the dose i take as being up to me , and the doctor is there to diagnose , and provide access to the medicine.
I waited the 6 weeks on initial dose they suggested , went for a blood test after 6weeks on it, ,and when the results said 'ok fine,' i put it up myself if i felt i needed too, to see how i felt after a couple of months, then just put in for a repeat prescription before i ran out.
Then, on the next blood test , which was about 6 months later , I told the nurse taking the blood that i'd been on x for the last few months. so that information about what dose i'm on then gets relayed to the Doctor because she wrote it down in her blood taking notes for the lab/GP
I would always make an appointment with the doctor for a week after the test (back in the day's when you weren't pressured to tell the receptionist what the appointment was for !), and when the new results came in , assuming that all were still 'in range' , the Doctor has no reason to tell me to reduce, and i told him them i felt better taking x ,so he said 'fine carry on'.
I only hit a problem with this approach when taking more than 150mcg, my TSH went below range and my fT4 went over range , then i got a call from the Doc to say "take no more than 150mcg"
I don't know if this would be harder to get away with nowadays, as that was in 2004, and it was as a smallish local practice, where the receptionists were pretty friendly, and i nearly always saw the same nurse to take blood ( those were the days ! now i'm somewhere much bigger and much less friendly)
When diagnosed i'd been told by the doctor that "my dose would need to go up gradually as my thyroid got more damaged by my own immune system", so as far as i was concerned, i was just following instructions ... well sort of !
I have no idea what would have happened if i hadn't done that, but since the comment written on my blood test on the initial 50mcg was 'normal', i suspect that if i hadn't done it myself the doctor may not have offered.
My only note of caution , is that at the time i knew nothing , hadn't seen the numbers on my results , and put myself up by 50 mcg at a time , which i now realise what rather gung-ho . it would be a lot smarter to get your result's, ask about them here, and only increase in 25's at the most, and once getting close to a reasonable dose like maybe 100 mcg , i'd say, that 12.5 mcg up/down at a time is often enough to bring improvements.
Everyone is different , 75mcg IS enough for some people, and others would need twice that amount. And if you take too much , or increase too quickly, you can get pretty unpleasant symptoms of overmedication, which are similar to the symptoms of Hyperthyroidism, but the solution is simple , reduce dose.
When i first came her i would have never suggested to anyone else that they do it themselves , i'd have thought it was irresponsible to suggest this to others , even if i would do it myself ... But the more i see of Doctors doing it so badly , the less irresponsible it seems.
Tattybogle what an amazing and brave story that clearly got you to where you needed to be, I’m not gonna pretend here ... I am just not that brave,... I have little experience dealing with doctors all I know is they are supposed to make you feel better.. clearly not the case for me at the moment and I do feel neglected and let down by my surgery... even all the reviews state how bad the place is (they are my doctors since birth so I guess I am somewhat fearful of change) add this to the whole Covid situation where you can’t even get to see a doctor to explain properly how you feel and they don’t get to see how haggard you look ... makes it near impossible to just change surgeries, I have spoke with two doctors their, first put me on 25mg and told me the results had been borderline 12 month previous ( oh really?? Thanks for letting me know!) she gave me no information at all just said bloods in 4 weeks and the second doctor is the one from my post here. I’m doing what seaside Susie and slow dragon are advising and have ordered B complex and b12 from the links given, I’m reading the information from the links and trying to get myself up to speed on the details so that when I approach the doctor I’m slightly armed with better information. I have ENT Wednesday because I’ve had a bad throat and oral thrush for 16 weeks now that no matter what medication or gels they give me it won’t go. I asked if that could be down to my thyroid... and I was slammed down for that as well, but hopefully I’ll know more Wednesday regarding that. Off course then I’ll have to speak to a doctor for the results and that’s when I want to be ready to talk about my dose. I can’t thank you guys enough on here!!!! I really do feel desperate but at least it feels like there is some support through this group... the information is just fantastic 💕
Taytay68, I think you’ll find that none of us were that brave when we were first diagnosed. I myself was diagnosed in 2008. Finding the self belief that it’s not all in your head is a hard slog. We are raised to believe that doctors swore an oath ‘first do no harm’ (my GP actually quoted that as a reason not to raise my dose 😞)
Keep reading, keep researching, I never became fully optimal till I joined this forum. I couldn’t believe the lack of knowledge I had, I was gobsmacked that I’d been gaslighted for so long by my medical professionals. It felt like a dream, like this couldn’t possibly be happening, I still don’t understand how I could have been ill and I kept going.
simple tips for remembering what you're talking about when stressed at the doctors.....
~ T4 (and T3) are hormones produced by thyroid gland.
~ Levothyroxine is synthetic T4.
TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) is a signal from the pituitary to the thyroid to increase or decrease t4 /3 production.
TSH 0 = enough already / TSH 10 = make more in a hurry.
Imagine T4 (and T3) sitting on one end of a see-saw, and TSH sitting on the other.
When T4 goes down, the TSH goes higher.
When T4 goes up the TSH goes lower.
There ... now you know as much as most GP's... they might get an hour on it at med school. And even that is pretty bad information that tells them "TSH tells you everything" and no one teaches them about the physical symptoms anymore , so they don't even know what many of them are , let alone what it feels like to have them.
xx
p.s . 'Doing it yourself' is optional ..... but 'sticking up for yourself' is obligatory.
Just remember , when they say things that make you feel like it's in your head, that 's Just cos it's what they have to all day long , because they do see an awful lot of people who are seeking help with stuff that would just get better on it's own , and they are very busy and they only really get about 7 minutes for you before the next one is due in, and putting people off to wait and see is their most effective tool to get to the next patient.
Just cos a Doctor suggests it's 'in your head' that doesn't mean much at all . You know yourself a lot better then they do. Trust Yourself xxx
In my experience ...If you let them, they will unintentionally do more harm to your self confidence than hypothyroidism will ever do to your body.
Tell ENT doctor that your recent thyroid test after starting on 25mcg levothyroxine
TSH is 7.6 and that you are very confused that dose levothyroxine wasn’t increased to 50mcg after this result as it’s still clearly far too high and above range
That should get you dose increase in levothyroxine up to 50mcg
You will need bloods retested 6-8 weeks later
Just a Rant
Doctors appointment today....
I don't feel right but doctor says blood tests are fine
can anyone please recommend a doctor who has helped them
doctors phone call 
