24/09/20 TSH-1.21 T4-23.4. Reduction from 125mg to 100mg
25/11/20 TSH-0.86 T4- 22.6 further reduction 100mg to 75mg
16/02/21 TSH-1.85 T4-20.9 Had test due to feeling very wiped out 02/06/21 TSH- 2.02 T4 -21.8
Took Monitor my Health test (TSH, T4, T3) 06/07/21
Results- TSH= 4.27 ( Range 0.27- 4.2) T4= 19.6 (Range 12-22) T3= 4.2 ( Range 3.1-6.8)
So after my last GP test 02/06/21 told to have a test in 8/9 weeks as i may need to reduce again to 50mg. Then i get this result which indicates i need increase my dose. Are these swings common. Particularly with my TSH? So looks like i should be back on 100mg. Reckon i will have to “ discuss this with my GP” I didnt have my dose as suggested for 24hrs did the test in the morning. Even im surprised by the TSH level increase, but then i have been very tired at times. Feeling lethargic most of the time. This Hypothyroidism business is confusing at best.
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Wilko91
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24/09/20 TSH-1.21 T4-23.4. Reduction from 125mg to 100mg
Dose likely didn’t need reducing
Just testing TSH and Ft4 is completely inadequate
How long before test was last dose levothyroxine
All thyroid tests should be done as early as possible in morning before eating or drinking anything other than water and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test
No ft3, or vitamins tested
Never agree to dose reduction based just on TSH and Ft4
Vitamins frequently drop when dose levothyroxine is reduced. Low vitamins tend to lower TSH
Which brand of levothyroxine are you currently taking
Do you always get same brand levothyroxine at each prescription
25/11/20
TSH-0.86 T4- 22.6
further reduction 100mg to 75mg
Same questions
Very Unlikely to have needed dose reduction
16/02/21
TSH-1.85
T4-20.9
Had test due to feeling very wiped out
02/06/21
TSH- 2.02
T4 -21.8
Both tests inadequate as only TSH and Ft4 tested
But 2nd test in June shows you needed dose increase as TSH too high
06/07/21
Monitor my Health test (TSH, T4, T3)
TSH= 4.27 ( Range 0.27- 4.2)
T4= 19.6 (Range 12-22)
T3= 4.2 ( Range 3.1-6.8)
High TSH shows you need dose increase in levothyroxine up to 100mcg daily
Plus absolutely essential to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
24 hours between my dose and that last test. I always seem to end up with a mix of Levotyhroxine since i have been on 75mg Mercury Pharma & Wockhardt. No Teva cant and wont take that. Had all my blood vitamin levels checked a few months ago. I do not take and vitamins apart from Solgar D3 ( not every day) vit c and fish oil every few days. My GP surgery are decent but dont offer tests easily hence this private test to get T3 as well as the others. T3 looks good. My concern is GP views to private test results. Lets see how that plays out.
My concern is GP views to private test results. Lets see how that plays out.If it helps .. Monitor My Health is an NHS lab run by NHS,, so that may help GP accept it.. if he doesn't think it's accurate, invite him to run his own.
So after my last GP test 02/06/21 told to have a test in 8/9 weeks as i may need to reduce again to 50mg. 02/06/21 TSH- 2.02 T4 -21.8
what is GP's reason for saying you may need to reduce again ? is the fT4 over range ? We need lab ranges for fT4/3 test's to interpret what's going on. But TSH 2.02 indicates dose might need raising not lowering.
I don't see any swings here .. just a TSH level that is slowly rising in response to a dose that has been reduced by too much.
Your dose has been reduced by a massive amount .. for reasons i cant understand ( if you were not experiencing symptoms of overmedication on 125mcg? )
The drop from 125 to 75mcg explains your lethargy .
did you have any symptoms of overmedication on 125mcg ? or were you well on that dose ?
There was nothing wrong with your TSH level at that point.. TSH 1.21 is absolutely fine. So unless fT4 23.4 was over range no need to reduce anyway
TSH increasing to 2 is a sign of pituitary 'asking for more' thyroid hormone....but it's not getting it .. so is now 'asking' louder (ie pituitary releasing more TSH).. it will probably keep going up if dose is not increased. Did you find out the fT4 range the GP's test use ?
I think if you felt fine on 125 that’s where you should have stayed. You probably needed to be a little over range to get your T3 to the right place for you. Remember the range only means 75% of people are well in that range so you could have been one of those who need to be a little over range. In fact your tsh was perfectly in range. I’d be saying to my doc ‘obviously you know that ranges only indicate where the majority are well and a minority always fall outside the range’… and ‘obviously you’re aware that the aim of thyroid treatment is to alleviate symptoms not reach a particular point in a range…’. Post your results when you get them.
Hi there! I know what you mean about being confused by ‘swings’ - I have experienced the same, even when not on any medication. After a hemithyroidectomy some years ago, I was taken off thyroxin by my NHS Endo because they reckoned the ‘healthy’ half should work normally.
(Of course they only tested TSH & T4 each time), and my results went from TSH 1.12/T4 21.4 (ON Levo)... to TSH 4.98/T4 16.8 OFF Levo) two months later. They were very happy with these results as they were ‘within range’ (and its all very well saying we must demand other tests such as T3, and get the ranges, but that’s easier said than done when dealing with a very busy NHS Endo in a packed clinic full of Diabetes patients who seem to take priority, and you are generally treated like a bit of a nuisance because they obviously don’t take thyroid issues as seriously)
One year later, having had a full year with NO medication at all, and regular testing, my TSH had fallen to 1.94 and T4 was 16.6. This was considered very good, and everything must be working perfectly! No need to test for another six months, “then we’ll discharge you.”
So six months later without medication, the results were.....TSH 15.80/T4 9.0! In my opinion, absolute proof that with Hashimotos the levels vary wildly from time to time, but nobody seems to know why.
I have these results by the way, NOT because I asked for them ( I was too scared!) BUT when the endo student who saw me on that appointment left the room to get permission from his superior to prescribe me some Levo, he left the computer screen up with the table of all my blood test results, so I took a photograph (!) So I now have proof!😂
I now take a combo of Levo plus I self medicate with T3 and vitamins, and I adjust how much I take according to how I feel. If I feel good, I don’t bother taking Levo or anything on that day, but if I start to feel rough, I might take a bit extra. I still have my once yearly blood test, but I am now under the GP and have had my Levo reduced to to 75mg this past year (from100mg). I was also told that I had a very low white blood cell count, but no conclusion was arrived at after numerous blood tests by the Haematology dept at the local hospital...never had a discharge letter or anything, every appointment except the first was by phone call, and I still don’t know the results of the last blood test I had (which was done in October last year).
I am currently overdue my once yearly Thyroid blood test with my GP, but I’m waiting for them to contact me as it’s useless trying to get through to them on the phone these days.
Apologies for the long ramble, but I just wanted to say you are not alone....we do seem to get swings in results, even when not medicated. But I’m sorry I have no answers as to why!
Thank you for that post. Its evident we are all affected in different ways. Frustrating but have to live with it. I am hoping to speak to a GP today or tomorrow and i will tell them i felt better on a higher dose of Levo, and the private test clearly indicates an issue. Lets see how that goes. Best wishes to you.
Result spoke to the Head GP in my surgery. Who is a gent, increase back to 100mg of Levo thyroxine. Re test in 3 months unless i feel unwell, then contact him again.
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