Starting to take my thyroid issues seriously! Any help would be appreciated.

[GinaR86]

I’ve had thyroid issues for about five years and I never really cared but they have to continue to increase my dosage so now it’s getting me to think. I’m now on 150 mg of levothyroxine. Increased from 125 mg maybe three weeks before the test.

So I’ve had some bloods done by Thriva to get under the bonnet and here are my results...

FT4 - 17.7 normal

FT3 - 4.6 optimal

T4 - 127 normal

Now the results I am worried about are

TSH - 5.46 (they want it under 2.5 but doc has never got me under 3 whilst under their care for 5/6 years)

Thyroid peroxidase antibodies - 218.8 (out of range)

Thyroglobulin antibodies - 848.6 (out of range)

I am going to my docs to discuss anyway but I am particularly concerned about the Thyroglobulin antibodies. Any thoughts?

My next test I am going to include the vitamin tests you suggested to a few others on the forum.

Thanks so much for any help

[greygoose]

Three weeks is too soon to test. Things can still change. You should wait at least six weeks after an increase - or decrease - in dose.

That said, you are likely still under-medicated with a TSH of over 5. It won't come down that much in the next three weeks. And, we always recommend that when on thyroid hormone replacement, the TSH should come down to 1 or under.

I cannot comment on the Frees, because you haven't put the ranges. But, they are possibly around mid-range, which is too low for most hypos.

The high TPO antibodies mean that you have Hashi's - aka Autoimmune Thyroiditis - so that's more than likely why the Tg antibodies are also high. Did you know you had Hashi's?

Forget about comments like 'normal' and 'optimal', they are meaningless. 'Normal' just means 'in-range', and only you can know if your FT3 is optimal by the way you feel. If you still have hypo symptoms, then it's not optimal. But, as I said, three weeks on the new dose was too soon to test, and things could still change.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Obviously you need folate, ferritin, B12 and vitamin D tested

Coeliac blood test done if not had one yet….just to rule out BEFORE trialing strictly gluten free diet

Come back with new post once you get full thyroid and vitamin testing done after 6-8 weeks minimum

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

What vitamin supplements are you currently taking

Which brand of levothyroxine are you currently taking

Do you always get same brand

[Buddy195 Administrator]

Can you edit your post GinaR86 to include ranges of blood tests in brackets (as labs vary in ranges)?

Your antibodies show that you have Hashimotos (as many forum members have). I felt a lot better when TSH dropped under one and key vitamins (ferritin, folate, Vit D and B12) were optimal. Have you had these tested yet? I’ve found that being gluten free & supplementing with selenium lowered antibodies slightly.

[GinaR86]

Great thanks so much everyone! I will get those further tests done ASAP so I have a baseline and then come back when I have updated bloods! I ordered the current thyroid blood test before I had my meds upped so wanted to just test for where I am now as a baseline.

I will tell my docs about the antibodies as I was never tested for it on NHS so that they are aware!

No supplements at the moment save for folic acid as I was wanting to get pregnant which I stopped taking about three weeks ago so should be able to see some good baselines to start supplements thereafter.