Hi , I was recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism. I started taking 50mg Levothyroxine Dec 2020 & was re-tested a few weeks ago.
I have finally had a call from Drs receptionist today to say my results are ok & DR has added to my notes- no further action required.
I asked her for my results she told me they were :
TSH 0.12 (last time it was 6.2) & T4 22 (last time it was 11)
I am not aware that T3 was tested last time but she said it was tested this time & is 5.8
She re-iterated that as Dr says NFA I should remain on same dosage of medication. I am also currently taking Ferrous Sulphate for low Ferritin levels but this has now increased from 7 to 98 so I do wonder if this dosage can be reduced now too
I am feeling a lot better , certainly more energy & less fatigued.
I have to try to make an appointment with Dr I want to discuss this with him so I will try this (have to now call at 8am to try to get same day appt apparantely & can't book an appt any further forward- what a joke ) but was wondering if in the meantime anyone has any opinions ?
Thanks in advance
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joanna21
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Do you get same brand of levothyroxine at each prescription
Many people find different brands are
Was test done as early as possible in morning before eating or drinking anything other than water and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test
Assuming test done this way, results are good
Will need retesting in 3-6 months
Have you had thyroid antibodies and vitamin D, folate and B12 tested
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 at least annually
Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially if you have autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) diagnosed by raised Thyroid antibodies
About 90% of primary hypothyroidism is autoimmune thyroid disease also called Hashimoto’s
Ask GP to test vitamin levels and thyroid antibodies if not been tested yet
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 .
Last dose of Levothyroxine 24 hours prior to blood test. (taking delayed dose immediately after blood draw).
This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)
Is this how you do your tests?
Private tests are available as NHS currently rarely tests Ft3 or thyroid antibodies or all relevant vitamins
Your thyroid levels are a touch high now but you are on a relatively low dose of 50 mcg levothyroxine. I wonder if your thyroid is really failing. There is a condition called subacute thyroiditis where the thyroid can play up for a while before recovering. Also, if someone has autoimmune hypothyroidism you can get fluctuating thyroid hormone levels although your fT3 and fT4 levels look a bit too consistent for this.
It might be worth reducing your dose a little, maybe take the tablets on alternative days and see how you feel. However, if you agree this with your doctor, or they prescribe a lower dose make sure you get their agreement to increase your dose if you need it.
It would be useful to test for TSH, fT3, fT4 and TPO, TBG antibodies in a month or two to see what shows up.
Thanks for the replies. I have been on same brand since Dec. I don't think 24 hours had passed from taking my Levothyroxine to my blood test. I will do that next time .
You only need to leave four or five hours between the last dose and taking the blood although 24 hours is fine. If you leave less than five hours you will get an fT4 result that is a little bit higher than it really is.
Glad you are feeling better... but are you feeling well? There is a difference!
I would be asking the surgery for lab reference ranges, without those we cannot work out what is going on. Your result may be in range but it depends where in that range is optimal for you as an individual.
We are all different with individual needs.
50mcg is just the starter dose, you may be lucky and find that is what you need but without full thyroid testing that is not certain.
It looks as if your medic is dosing by TSH alone (not by symptoms) which research indicates is not helpful.
I'm a bit surprised that just 50mcg has had the affect of lowering your TSH that far, and raised your fT4 that much. everyone is different , but by way of comparison:-
I had TSH 6.8 and TT4 was 91 [65-155] before treatment. Then after 50 mcg Levo ..
TSH was 2.9 and TT4 was 112 [65-155].
On 50mcg I only felt a bit better for a few weeks but then felt worse again by the time the blood test was due. i had to be on more than 150mcg to get my TSH and fT4 to get where yours are on just 50mcg .
You don't give the [lab range] for that fT4 result , but whatever the range, 22 is going to be pretty high up there, and it could even be over range.
So i think they are correct to say no increase at the moment.
... and like jimh111 i wonder if all this improvement is really because of the 50mcg levo or if in fact it's your thyroid doing it by itself.
How long had you felt hypothyroid symptoms for before you got diagnosed ? and how far apart were you previous over range TSH/low fT4 test's ? (presumably you had more than just the one set of Hypo results before they prescribed levo )
Did they test for TPOab (thyroid peroxidase antibodies) before starting Levo, to confirm an autoimmune cause ?
very pleased you're feeling a lot better , but if you start to feel less good again i'd ask for another blood test to see what's going on in a few months time. because your blood's response to 50mcg is a bit unusual.
Having said that .. there really isn't any 'usual ' when it comes to thyroid disease and replacing thyroid hormones... that's why it's so confusing for everyone.
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