Advice needed TSH too high.: Morning I've just... - Thyroid UK

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Advice needed TSH too high.

anna-marieB profile image
12 Replies

Morning

I've just had some surgery and the anaesthetist said that I need to speak to my GP as my TSH is too high. I am underactive and Hashimitos. Ummm I Prefer to post on here and get some decent advice. I take 100mcg of Thyroxine daily and half a tablet of T3. Do I need to cut the T3 down to a quarter a day or should I totally wean off of it altogether? It is getting more and more difficult to sort the T3.

TBH I suffer hot flashes due to menopause but I've been having lots of flashes. I've been thinking something is wrong with the amount of flashes and I've been feeling too hot and agitated.

Any advice greatly received. My GP won't have anything to do with the T3 as doesn't recognise it.

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anna-marieB
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12 Replies
DippyDame profile image
DippyDame

Bottom line...how do you feel?

Eg Fatigue, pain, jittery? Well?

Why are you taking T3?

Poor conversion?

TSH at 0.983 isn't high!

When medicated TSH should be 1 or slightly under

FT4 17.05....difficult to say without the lab range (numbers on brackets). Can you add those please?

We really need an FT3 result inc lab range ( the most important reading despite what medics claim!) as part of a full thyroid test, to see what is going on.TSH, FT4, FT4, vit D, vit B12, folate ferritin and antibodies all need to be tested for an accurate evaluation.

How did you feel before adding T3? Did it make a difference?

Ask your medics to test FT3... or test privately. Your GP may not take anything to do with T3 but he may test as suggested in the report above.

thyroiduk.org/help-and-supp...

Personally I wouldn't change anything until I had the full thyroid test done....or at least FT3. Advice given suggests an FT3 test is required, I agree!!

Meanbeannyc profile image
Meanbeannyc in reply toDippyDame

It’s not even 0.983, it’s 0.083 lol

DippyDame profile image
DippyDame in reply toMeanbeannyc

Ouch...thank you!

Must have hit 9 instead of 0 beside it.

I need new specs!!

Meanbeannyc profile image
Meanbeannyc in reply toDippyDame

Either way. Not “high”

DippyDame profile image
DippyDame in reply toMeanbeannyc

Exactly! Which is what I said.

greygoose profile image
greygoose

Your TSH isn't high, it's low. But, that's only to be expected when taking T3, that's what it does. Did the anethetist know you were taking T3? He probably wouldn't make the connection, even if he did. Medical people don't have any real understanding of thyroid and how it works, because med schools don't teach it very well. They just teach them to freak out at the site of a low TSH. But, it's all a myth. Don't buy into it.

If you go to your GP, given that he hasn't a clue about T3, he's going to freak out about your low TSH as well, and want to lower your levo without any further investigation or questions. So, there's not much point in that. As DippyDame says, don't change anything until you've had full testing - privately, if necessary. :)

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Get yourself FULL thyroid and vitamin testing

Just testing TSH is completely inadequate, especially when on T3

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

Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially with autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto’s or Ord’s thyroiditis)

Low B12 common after anaesthesia

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).

How much T3 are you currently taking

Do you normally split the dose

Day before test always split dose of T3 into 3 smaller doses, taking at approx 8 hour intervals, with last dose 8-12 hours before test

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 all relevant vitamins

List of private testing options

thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

Medichecks Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins

medichecks.com/products/adv...

Blue Horizon Thyroid Premium Gold includes antibodies, cortisol and vitamins by DIY fingerprick test

bluehorizonbloodtests.co.uk...

Thriva Thyroid plus antibodies and vitamins By DIY fingerpick test

thriva.co/tests/thyroid-test

If you can get GP to test vitamins and antibodies then cheapest option for just TSH, FT4 and FT3

£29 (via NHS private service ) and 10% off down to £26.10 if go on thyroid uk for code thyroiduk.org/getting-a-dia...

monitormyhealth.org.uk/

NHS easy postal kit vitamin D test £29 via

vitamindtest.org.uk

SlowDragon profile image
SlowDragonAdministrator

Also as you previously had Graves and RAI have you tried strictly gluten free diet

Often helps or is essential

Changing to a strictly gluten free diet may help reduce symptoms, help gut heal

Before considering trial on gluten free diet get coeliac blood test done FIRST just to rule it out

lloydspharmacy.com/products...

If you test positive for coeliac, will need to remain on gluten rich diet until endoscopy (officially 6 weeks wait)

If result is negative can consider trialing strictly gluten free diet for 3-6 months. Likely to see benefits.

If no obvious improvement, reintroduce gluten see if symptoms get worse.

chriskresser.com/the-gluten...

amymyersmd.com/2018/04/3-re...

london81 profile image
london81

if you are taking t3 your tsh is always going to be low

it sounds like the doctor has had the usual basic/out of date medical school training and thinks the tsh is “ too low” but not sure he’s taken into account you are on t3? ( i have a letter from a consultant endocrinologist at st. george’s hospital to my GP confirming taking t3 is why my tsh is low)

Meanbeannyc profile image
Meanbeannyc

Too high?!?!?! 0.083…Your tsh is not too high.. It’s very low and that’s because you’re on T3.

serenfach profile image
serenfach

Maybe they made the same mistake as my GP and read it as 8.30? Mine was 0.02 (I take NDT) and she gaily said "well, your TSH is fine at 2"!

tattybogle profile image
tattybogle in reply toserenfach

I think this probably happens a lot . I was sat with GP (having the 'reduce your dose' conversation, and he looked at screen and said , "but that last one was 46 ! "

So off i trot thinking , "something (fT4 ?) must be really high"

Then get access to all my old tests , and go looking for this '46' .... nope , nothing , not anywhere... but there was a TSH of 0.046 ... Mmmmm

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