Got my results can anyone help? I did get doctors comments that said cortisol too high and to rule out Cushings disease I’m a bit scared now recently upped Levo to 75mg this last week after 13 years on 50mg with no massive improvement
Magnesium 1.02 - Normal 0.7-1.0
Cortisol 493 - 6am-10am 113-456
4pm -8pm - 58-278
Midnight <64
TSH -3.10 0.27 - 4.20
T4 total - 103.0 66-181
Free T4 - 17.8 12.0-22.0
Free T3 - 3.96 3.1- 6.8
Anti thyroid peroxidaise abs <9.0 Normal <34
Anti thyroglobulin abs 203 - normal <115
Written by
Dondays
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
In your last thread we discussed where your TSH should be, i.e. you were given links to say that it should be below 2.5 (at the very highest) but patient experience is that it is often best at 1 or below with FT4 and FT3 in the upper part of their reference ranges.
Your FT4 is 58% through range and your FT3 is a paltry 23% through range.
You need an increase in your Levo, 25mcg now, retest in 6-8 weeks. You need to get that TSH right down and your FT3 up, it's low FT3 that causes symptoms.
Once you have TSH down to 1 or below, we can see where your FT4 and FT3 lie, if FT4 is high in range and FT3 remains low then it's possible that you might benefit from the addition of T3 to your Levo. However, before that it's essential that you have optimal nutrient levels so you are going to need to get the following tested at some point:
Vit D
B12
Folate
Ferritin
For thyroid hormone to work properly we need optimal nutrient levels and some experts say that the optimal ferritin level for thyroid function is between 90-110 ng/ml.
Your Thyroglobulin antibodies are raised and although there can be other reasons for this it often means that the cause of your hypothyroidism is autoimmune. This is where the immune system attacks and gradually destroys the thyroid.
Some members find a gluten free diet helps when Hashi's is present although there is no guarantee. Supplementing with selenium l-selenomethionine is said to also help.
You might want to discuss your cortisol result with your GP considering the doctor's comments that came with your results, further testing might be appropriate.
Hashi's is the biggest cause of hypothyroidism, but has a few little issues of its own, namely that sometimes you may have a "Hashis flare" where your results jump about wildly and show you to be very over-medicated. Please don't accept a dose reduction if this happens, because it's only temporary and you will need your normal meds afterwards - just reduce or stop your levo for a couple of days while it's happening.
And as SeasideSusie says, some people with Hashi's find going (strictly) gluten-free - even if not coeliac - and/or dairy-free can help, so may be worth a trial and seeing what it does for you
thank you what’s the difference in treatment for hashimotos and under activeThyroid?
No difference at all. Hashi's isn't treated, it's the resulting hypothyroidism that's treated.
If you do have Hashi's you may notice some fluctuations in symptoms and test results. You may swing from hypo to a false "hyper", sometimes an adjustment in dose of Levo may be necessary but never have your prescription reduced because of this as it will need readjusting again. Of course, you may not have Hashi's as that's only one reason for raised Tg antibodies.- see
Go down to COMMON QUESTIONS and click on the + sign next to What do the results mean
By the way Dondays there may be nothing to worry about with your cortisol result. I did a Blue Horizon test last September which included cortisol. I did my test at 8.30am so the 113-456 range applied and my result came back at 517. It wasn't highlighted in red even though they knew the time of my test. I don't have doctor's comments and I'm not worried because I also do saliva adrenal tests due to low cortisol, there is no way I have Cushings but you might still want to discuss your result with your GP.
Do you do the saliva adrenal tests with gp or privately? I have to be careful I have health anxiety aswell so tend to fixate on one thing, now it will be cushings :/ xx
Go upped me to 75 a week at my request she wouldn’t of otherwise, it was only the advice from here that made me ask, really don’t think I can wait 10-12 weeks I feel worse than ever, even sat here typing this message I’ve got one eye open I’m sooo tired, hoping it’s the increase change and things will get better soon xx
I can help you out with cortisol. firstly what time of day was the blood test done as with cortisol that is very relevant? If it was taken around 8-9am in the morning it actually that high. Cortisol should be at it's highest first thing in the morning & then drop during the day, it is possible with Cushing's that cortisol is almost within normal range in the morning but doesn't drop during the day. What other symptoms are you experiencing? With Cushing's you get weight gain, mostly around the tummy, insomnia, maybe high BP, round red face, excess hair on face but hair loss, easy bruising are some of them. I've had Cushing's caused by a pituitary tumour. You could ask your GP to do a 24 hour urine test as this gives an idea of how much cortisol is in your body. You can do a private saliva test but doctors don't always accept them.
Hi Pauline thanks for reply, the test was done about 8:45am, I don’t have excess hair but I have had weight gain it seems prominent round my tummy but in all honesty I have put on weight elsewhere, I do have slimmer armsAnd legs though, I don’t have a round red face but I have the bullfrog neck it’s not really bad but I have no definition of chin at all, I put this down to my thyroid x
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
recently upped Levo to 75mg this last week after 13 years on 50mg with no massive improvement
Full set of test results finally
Blood test results (again)
Got my blood test results
Test Results from Blue Horizon
Blue Horizon Test Results
