TSH levels

[Felicy]

Hi new here, my tsh levels have always been up and down since having under active thyroid,my bloody test 3 months ago was showing my TSH level at 4.3 so my dose of Levo was changed again but not dramatically… 5 days 100 2 days 125, to be honest I kept forgetting to up it to 125!

had my recent bloody test and my levels have come down to 1! Is that normal for it to change that much without actually doing anything for it?

For the first time in years I havnt had to change my medication dose ans it’s feels weird!

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Felicy

Welcome to the forum.

Do you always do your blood tests under the exact same conditions each time? We always advise here:

Always advised here, when having thyroid tests:

* Blood draw no later than 9am. This is because TSH is highest early morning and lowers throughout the day. If looking for a diagnosis of hypothyroidism, an increase in dose of Levo or to avoid a reduction then we need the highest possible TSH

* Nothing to eat or drink except water before the blood draw. This is because eating can lower TSH and coffee can affect TSH.

* If taking thyroid hormone replacement, last dose of Levo should be 24 hours before blood draw, if taking NDT or T3 then last dose should be 8-12 hours before blood draw. Adjust timing the day before if necessary. This avoids measuring hormone levels at their peak after ingestion of hormone replacement. Take your thyroid meds after the blood draw. Taking your dose too close to the blood draw will give false high results, leaving any longer gap will give false low results.

* If you take Biotin or a B Complex containing Biotin (B7), leave this off for 7 days before any blood test. This is because if Biotin is used in the testing procedure it can give false results (most labs use biotin).

These are patient to patient tips which we don't discuss with phlebotomists or doctors.

Do you have autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto's) which is suggested by raised thyroid antibodies?

[Felicy in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thankyou so much that’s all very helpful and never thought to do those things before blood test.I’ve never heard of hashimotos what is that ?

Would side effects be the same.

I really thought my levels would be wrong again this time as I don’t feel right but when she said normal I didn’t really know how to take that!

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Felicy]

Felicy

Hashi's is the most cause of hypothyroidism, it's where the immune system attacks the thyroid and gradually destroys it. With Hashi's you get fluctuations of test results and symptoms and can swing from hypo to "false hyper".

Just testing TSH actually doesn't tell us our thyroid status. TSH is a pituitary hormone, it's job is to check to see if we have enough thyroid hormone and if not it sends the signal TSH to tell the thyroid to make some (TSH = Thyroid Stimulating Hormone). The thyroid hormones are FT4 and FT3 but often they're not tested which is why so many thyroid patients remain ill.