0.01 tsh early June medicated on levothyroxine 100mcg
4.03 late June medicated on levothyroxine 75mcg
I have hashimoto's and I felt incredible at 0.01 I've read this level of tsh can help suppress hashimoto's attacking my thyroid?
I feel awful at 4.09 which is my current tsh level.
so the 4.03 test at the end of June already showed that the dose was reduced by too much . GP's who read updates will know it is best to keep TSH between 0.5 and 2 when on Levo.
healthunlocked.com/thyroidu.... (gps-told-keep-tsh-0.5-2pmol-l-hypothyroidism-causes-raised-cholesterol-thyroid-disease-effects-on-heart-and-cardiovascular-system.)
(Although retesting at just 4 weeks was a bit too soon, they should have waited 6 weeks before retesting at 75mcg )
The dose was reduced because TSH was so low at 0.01.. (it's hard to say if any reduction was really necessary without seeing an fT4 result / and fT3 result for the same time)
If dose is now back to 100mcg then get them to retest bloods after 6 weeks on this dose.
Thyroid function does wobble about a bit after a birth, as the system resets itself to 'not pregnant' . so you can't assume how it was in june will be the same now.
But it could be that 100mcg is a little too much and you would do OK on 87.5mcg.
It IS useful to keep TSH a LITTLE bit higher than 0.01 if you can manage it and still feel well .. because TSH has an effect on the deiodinases which convert inactive T4 into active T3 . So if TSH is too supressed you get slightly less T3 out of the T4 you have.
My late June 4.03 they never upped my meds left me on 75mcg, I've been on 100mcg now for 5 day's due to being lucky to speak with someone who listened to my hypothyroidism symptoms..
I was told I can't have a 87mcg? There's no thing apparently.. they said only 75 and 100
I'm 7 months postpartum now and my level of tsh was 4.09 just over a week ago.
Cablogin
I was told I can't have a 87mcg? There's no thing apparently.. they said only 75 and 100
Makes one wonder if some doctors actually have a brain, and if so why don't they use it!
Alternating 100/75mcg gives that amount. Many of us alternate or split a tablet to fine tune dose.
Also, there is one manufacturer who produces 12.5mcg dose tablets - Teva (which many people don't get on with but quite a lot do) but they are very, very expensive compared to a 50mcg or 100mcg tablet.
Oh dear whichever muppet told you you can't have 87.5 mcg obviously has no imagination.. to get 87.5mcg you tell the patient to take 75mcg one day and 100mcg the next . (alternating ).
Or you tell them to take a 75mcg each day with half a 25mcg.
To adjust by even smaller amount than this you tell the to take eg.
100mcg 6 days a week and 75 mcg on the 7th.
or 100mcg 5 days a week and 75mcg for 2 days.
etc etc etc .
Hopefully you will start to feel better again in a few week now back on 100mcg .
But if it is 'too much' again , you have many options of slightly lower dose not just 75mcg because that's what size the tablets come in.
(12.5mcg tablets DO exist .. and NHS can prescribe them.. but they don't often prescribe them because for some reason they are stupidly expensive compared to the price 25's/50's /100's .... also there was a recent shortage in supply of 12.5mcg tablets .. which i am not sure if it's been resolved yet)
I will mention this, because clearly 75mcg is too low, I'd been on 100mcg for 10 years till June this year I also still had hypothyroidism symptoms, couldn't get myself warm, feet and hands completely froze to a point I couldn't grab anything same with feet felt like they would snap off .I was told they should go by body weight too? I'm 111kg I think, I'm unable to loose any weight right now. I used to be around 74kg before pregnancy.
The body weight thing (1.6mcg /kg ) .. is just a VERY rough guestimate, designed to allow them to decide roughly the right starting dose when they have removed someones thyroid gland surgically . It often does not equate to exactly the right dose for an individual .. and in many people it bears no relation the the eventual dose they feel well on.
(We mention it here quite often only because it can help in persuading GP's to increase dose in people who are undermedicated .. not because it's a good way of deciding dose ... it isn't )
Once someone is taking Levo, the best way to decide dose is their history of blood tests combined with symptom response in that individual.
In patients who have been on levo for a long time It is often needed to reduce Levo dose after a birth .. but only because sometimes dose was increased at the beginning of pregnancy eg . if TSH was over 2 at start of pregnancy.
Since you were well on 100mcg before pregnancy ,, it is quite likely that this is still what you need.. or very close to it.
I don't know what your TSH used to be like on 100mcg before this pregnancy , but presumably it wasn't as low as 0.01 .. or they would have been pressuring you to reduce it back then ...
i'm wondering if the 0.01 in early June (that led to the reduction) was just a low 'blip' , as part of the body rebalancing post pregnancy .. and not a real indication of overmedication at all .. TSH certainly shot up again very quickly after it was reduced to 75mcg .
I was called silly tonight by a gp for mentioning about 87.5mcg of levothyroxine and was told there's not much difference in 75mcg and 100mcg I've been told I'm only allowed 2 months of 100mcg now and they want to retest themselves and decide what my next dose will be.
I feel so ignored and pushed to the side.
We know companies do things to make a profit. But if there really is no difference (up or down 12.5 micrograms a day), why are 12.5 (or 13) microgram products available in so many countries?
I absolutely prefer, say, 112.5 every day to 100 one day, 125 the next, or (obviously far worse) 100 or 125 every day.
I thought the exact same thing! I'm so angry still I'm being made out to be a complete fool and have no idea what I'm talking out. I understand what I feel well at current but getting someone to listen is so difficult.I'm getting close to going privately soon.
Perhaps consider looking at it as 87.5 micrograms each week - which is seven days of 12.5 - but on a single day.
Surely they couldn't be stupid enough to think that irrelevant? But that is the weekly impact of that small dose change.
Don't let people who have no experience of taking levo everyday themselves, get into your head with that arrogant ,dismissive attitude . No matter who they are .
"Not much difference between 75 and 100 " .. yeah right . well that depends if your using a lump hammer to bash in a fence post or whether your using a fine chisel to carve a sculpture. ..
After being told this sort of arrogant guff (and believing it) for 15 yrs , i finally learned to have more faith in my own experiences of taking it ..... and nowadays i don't let ANYONE anywhere near my dose with a lump hammer (except me ).
12.5mcg makes a big difference to some of us.. At 125mcg i was very overmedicated , fine tremor , the lot ... at 112.5mcg i felt better .. GP insisted i reduce further to 100mcg ...result.. chronic constipation. GP put dose back to 112.5mcg .. felt OK again.
Many, many people on here are given extremely fine adjustments in dose by NHS GP's .. these GP's are not all 'silly' .. they have observed what happens to some of their patients symptoms and blood results and even though it may have surprised them , they realise they only need to make small adjustments for those patients.
Sorry you've been made to feel bad , but it really is them that look silly , not you.
I'm not backing down, I'm trying to gather any information I can to use as firepower I've stayed in flight mode long enough now and I'm biting back.I'm due a major surgery bimax in next 6 months and want to be healthy and fit in that time best to my ability..
Thank you for reminding me the doctors are wrong with how they're treating me.
0.01 tsh early June medicated on levothyroxine 100mcg
Never ever agree to dose reduction based just on TSH
What vitamin supplements are you currently taking
When were vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12 last tested
For full Thyroid evaluation you need TSH, FT4 and FT3 tested.
Very important to test vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12
Many people with Hashimoto’s only feel well when dose levothyroxine is high enough to suppress TSH
Essential to maintain OPTIMAL vitamin levels
Low vitamin levels are extremely common, especially with autoimmune thyroid disease (Hashimoto’s or Ord’s thyroiditis)
Low vitamin levels common as we get older too
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 and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test
This gives highest TSH, lowest FT4 and most consistent results. (Patient to patient tip)
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...
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...
As you have Hashimoto’s are you on strictly gluten free diet or dairy free diet
Links wanted for articles about the irrelevance of low TSH especially when taking T3 - also odd results!!
Can anyone help with my latest results please?
Test results after 8 weeks on lower dose
Meaning of a Suppressed TSH anyone ?
Blood results- have I been tested for Graves?
