Hello. I wanted to firstly say I am new to this site and have learnt more in 2 weeks than i have in 8 years since diagnosed with underactive thyroid. I was fine for years on 100mg/125 levo. A few years back started getting a cough, was clearing throat etc and had antibodies tested and they were 329 so started supplements and gf diet. All fine for a bit but last year, throw in some some stress and menopause and I had some weird symptoms - jittery, racing heart beat, anxiety, weird feeling in left arm and in feet ( somwhere between pins and needles and numbness on and off)
So November tests - and all vitamin levels normal ie ferratin, folate, b, d etc but antibodies 330 and the following
Free T3 4.36
Free T4 (thyroxine) 20.9
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone 1.82
So reduced dose from 125 to 100, then 75 and got tested after a couple of months
Free T3 4.7
Free T4 (thyroxine) 12
Thyroid Stimulating Hormone 7.3
Was told to go back to 100 but since then all the horrible symptoms above started again. My question is, i am stuck between a rock and a hard place either tired or jittery!!!!! Dont really understand the fluctuations in TSH and T4. I am now on hrt so am sure this is unsettling everything. Keep reading on this site about alternatives to levothyroxine which i had never heard of. Doc only ever suggest upping or lowering dose. I saw an endochrinologist a few years ago who sent me down a rabbit hole of histamine intolerance which was irrelevant. Anyway if anyone has any thoughts please let me know. TIA
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Hopeful129
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Please could you add the lab reference range. Lab ranges vary so need with each result to accurately interpret.
I think your FT4 & FT3 are in range but the balance is off & this might be the issue.
TSH high in recent test which means dose will need increasing.
Have your nutrients been tested? If not these should be tested, privately if necessary. (Folate, ferritin, B12 & vitamin D)
Many find tolerating replacement increases difficult unless nutrients good.
You could also try increasing at a smaller & longer pace. EG standard increase is daily 25mcg & retest in 6 weeks. You could try half a 25mcg (12.5mcg) per day and retest in 8 weeks.
HI thanks for your reply. Sorry i didn't add lab reference ranges. All nutrients/vitamin levels in range (full thyroid private test in nov )
Ferratin - 50. 4 ug/L 13 - 150
Folate - 6.29 ug/L > 3.89
Vitamin B 78.5 pmol/L 37.5 - 150
Vitamin D 160 nmol/L 50 - 200
Results from November including ranges
TSH 1.82 0.27 - 4.2 R
FREE T3 4.36 3.1 - 6.8 R
T4 20.9 12 - 22 R
THYROID PEROXIDASE ANTIBODIES 329 U/mL < 34 R
Went from 125 to 100 after test in November, as had been getting jittery, racing heart beat, numb arm and feet on and off. Also struggle to put on weight. After 6 weeks doc suggested going to 75 as symptoms hadn't eased. Realised he should have made me test at that point.
After another 6 weeks at 75 mg results ( this time only did a basic thyroid test)
Free T3 4.7
2.4-6.0
Free T4 (thyroxine) 12
9-19
TSH 7.3
0.35-4.94
Doc said go back up to 100mg
Since putting up dose have above symptoms again ( jittery, loss of appetite etc) Maybe i have made too bigger changes in too short timeframes. Also have started HRT which may have confused matters. In January of this year i started 200mg utrogestan ( 2 weeks of the month) and 2 pumps of oestrogel daily. Just don't really understand changes in TSH and T4. Does anyone recognise my symptoms as overmedication effects. I think though I need to stick on 100 for a longer period to see if things settle down. No changes in supplier of levothyroxine.
Hi , a SMALL dose reduction MAY have been needed, (based on those symptoms last year which could well be symptoms of overmedication ... however it's not totally clear that you were overmedicated~ you would expect TSH to be lower than that if you were overmedicated )
Did symptoms resolve when you reduced to 100mcg/ day ?
( were you previously on 125mcg /day , or 125/100 alternate days ? (ie. 112.5mcg dose )
Why was dose further reduced to 75mcg....... i suspect this was probably 'a reduction too far ' as evidenced by the TSH now going up to 7.3
How long were you taking 100mcg ?
Do you have any test results from taking 100mcg ?
increasing/ reducing by 12.5mcg at a time is often all that is needed to deal with symptoms , but some GP are a bit trigger happy / heavy handed... going from 125 to 75 in such a relatively short time is going to really unsettle the body if it was just a very slight adjustment that was needed.
Menopause can often result in needing a bit less thyroid hormone (as a result of lower estrogen) and therefore becoming overmedicated on a dose that was previously ok.. this happened to me , i used to be on 150mcg for yrs , then just after menopause got overmedicated symptoms so reduced to 125 , then 112.5 then 100 .. but 100 was 'a reduction too far' and i ended up with symptoms of undermedication instead , so went back to 112.5mcg.
just to add to the chaos, adding HRT can sometimes mean a Levo dose increase is needed ( due to higher estrogen ).
these changes will take a time to settle down again before you now where you are , so don't assume you have to change anything else just yet ,, it may be a genuine case of you need to wait a bit longer to see what's what .
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TSH implies over active, T4 under range, confused!!
TSH, T3, T4.. Levels 
Confused. Why is TSH low but T4/T3 also low?
TSH AND T4 RESULTS - very confused! 
