Progressing but may have hit a blip

[Jelley93]

Hello again guys, over the last fortnight I have been feeling like I am improving. Yesterday marked week 8 of dropped Levo dose to 100mcg and for the most part I feel like I am slowly getting there. However last Thursday I may have hit a blip well I am hoping so anyway. I went to get my prescription from the chemist, cycling there. Whilst in the chemist I began to feel anxious. Maybe it was because I was to have a teams meeting later in the day with work I am unsure. I then cycled home when I put my bike away I started to feel really off like my legs would not support me and I would fall in the floor. I got in the house and chilled out. Since then I have again felt waves of being anxious and also feeling dizzy. Where before last Thursday I felt like I was making big steps each day. I also now have the prospect of going back work on June 6th. So I am hoping I can nip this in the bud sharpish.

[Buddy195 Administrator]

Hi Jelley93, my anxiety is always worse when my thyroid medication isn’t optimal. Like you. I’ve also taken propranolol in the past & this actually made me feel dizzy at times, so I weaned myself off it.

If your GP isn’t testing all your thyroid levels & you can afford the cost, I’d look to test privately for thyroid bloods, key vitamins & antibodies. I use Medichecks for this & they currently have 20% off all tests until 31.05.22. My anxiety & overall health improved massively from testing privately, posting results on the forum & following advice here. Remember when GPS say that your results are ‘normal’ or ‘within range’ this doesn’t mean they are optimal, so it’s helpful to monitor test results yourself.

[SlowDragon Administrator]

When you test thyroid and vitamin levels only do test early Monday or Tuesday morning, ideally before 9am and last dose levothyroxine 24 hours before test

How much vitamin D are you taking

Are you taking any B vitamins?

Previous post shows high B12

Remember to stop taking any vitamin supplements that contain biotin a week before blood test

[Jelley93 in reply to SlowDragon]

Vit D 4000iu a dayVitamin B Complex

Vitamin B12

Like I say I have been progressing fairly well. With being back on 100mcg. Just in last few days been feeling ropey

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Jelley93]

b12 result from april which showed

B12 1198 (220-770)

Folate 13.6 (2.6-17.3)

So you can stop separate B12 and just take daily Vitamin B complex

Remember to stop taking vitamin B complex a week before blood test

In week before blood test, when you stop vitamin B complex, you might want to consider taking a separate methyl folate supplement and separate B12

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Exercise (cycling) will use up Ft3

You really need to test TSH , Ft4 and Ft3 together

Low ft3 results in low vitamin levels

[tattybogle]

Have organised your previous results... ( because it's so much easier than working out where to start with 'tidying up my junk room' which is what i'm supposed to be doing lol )

I think all these were on 100mcg :

2018 the level was 2.3 TSH

2019 the level was 3.1 TSH

2020 the level was 5.2 TSH fT4 18 [? 9-25]

may2021 TSH level 8.3 [0.3 - 5) fT4 level 17 [9 - 25]

Started 125mcg : (results below were after just 3 weeks )

TSH 0.31 [0.27-4.2] FT4 26 [12-22] FT3 7.4 [3.1-6.8] forum suggested slight reduction might be needed, but didn't reduce ,as felt ok ,and test was too soon.

Aug 2021, 3 months on 125mcg:

TSH 0.11 fT4 Level 23 [9.0-25] GP advised reduce to 112.5mcg but didn't as felt v. good .

March 2022:

TSH 0.05 [0.3 - 5] fT4 24 [9-25] unwell /dizzy/ unbalanced/ GP sent to hospital , they reduced to 100mcg (Hospital TSH 0.1)

April : (results below were after just 3 weeks on 100mcg )

TSH 0.54 [0.27-4.2] fT4 19.3 [12-22] fT3 5 [3.1-6.8]

given teva

May : after 6 weeks on 100mcg (GP cock-up , test skewed ~ 11.40 am /Levo 3 hrs before)

TSH 0.39 0.3-5] fT4 20 [9-25]

Don't know what i'd do at the moment if i were you ... my gut feeling has always been that you will probably end up on 112.5mcg ... previous history of increasing TSH on 100mcg suggests 100mcg was not quite enough , so i suspect it may still be not quite enough.. and previous history of TSH lowering / high end fT4 on 125mcg + improvement in how you have been feeling since dose reduction, suggests 125mcg was clearly a bit too much...

....Your latest result would have shown a lower fT4 level if it hadn't been skewed by taking levo., so it could be that 100mcg is not quite enough, but hard to say for sure , especially with test cock-up.

BUT .. since it was just one day where you felt funny , and otherwise you have been feeling better.. i'm not sure it's wise to rock the boat by trying to increase dose just at the moment.

I think i'd stay at 100mcg and cross your fingers for now . would be a shame to experiment with an increase to 112.5mcg and make yourself feel worse again just when you are about to go back to work .

Now .... what else can i find to do that doesn't involve going up to the top floor and looking at a pile of things in a room i want to empty , but i don't know where else to put any of them ? .. i know i'll go and cut the grass

[Jelley93 in reply to tattybogle]

Hi tatty yes, thanks for laying it all out. I am getting there its just such a long drawn out process as you have mentioned. I have noticed changes for sure improvements etc. I will stick with it as like I said previous 100mcg I was on for 3 years and quite stable. I only had to increase it because I had become complacent. Taking levo with food etc and absorbtion was obviously reduced by this. Hopefully I will recover in the next few weeks or so.

[tattybogle in reply to Jelley93]

am keeping fingers crossed for you.. take it easy on yourself